1978 Ford Bronco Ranger XLT

- Blue over Black
- 351 V8
- 4 Speed Manual
- 4x4
- Lift Kit
- Clean, Off Road Machine

(Please note: If you happen to be viewing this 1978 Ford Bronco Ranger XLT on a website other than our Garage Kept Motors site, it's possible that you've only seen some of our many photographs of the SUV due to third-party website limitations. To be sure you access all the more than 135 photographs, please go to our main website: Garage Kept Motors.)

“1978 Ford Bronco Takes the SUV Out of the Dark Ages” – Car and Driver, January 1978

As part of its publicity run-up to the 2021 launch of the New Bronco, Ford Motor Company recently launched a Bronco-history site online. That resource explained: “Following its successful debut, Bronco sales reached record levels after the launch of the 2nd generation Bronco in 1978. The first two years of the larger and more luxurious Bronco were some of the most popular in the 30-year production run. Bronco shifted to a larger platform and body-style, sharing components with the F-Series truck while maintaining key off-road capabilities including maneuverability, and approach, departure, and break-over angles.”

Offered here is a '78 Bronco that was comprehensively restored, including a new engine, a substantially lifted suspension, top-quality repainting, and overall comfort upgrading.

As part of its comprehensive restoration, the truck's dark-blue metallic exterior paint was refinished and looks factory-fresh, glossy, and uniform across every original body panel and the fiberglass cargo-area roof. (The diamond-plate rear bumper is painted gloss black). Gloss-black-painted fiberglass fender flares are free of damage. (To best assess the quality of the paint and trim finishes, be sure to view the close-up photographs of the car in the accompanying gallery.) Similarly, chrome trim—including the restyled front grille, bumpers, mirrors, door handles, and other body trim—is excellent with minimal patina. Headlight, marker-light, directional signal lights, and taillight lenses are all clear and un-cracked; cabin glass (including dark-tinted cargo-area sliding glass) is likewise clear and free of damage. (Light scratching is present on the roll-up tailgate glass.) Badging includes the tailgate “Ford” emblem, “Bronco Ranger XLT” side emblems, and a “Bronco” windshield graphic. Aftermarket, polished, 8-opening, 15-inch wheels are mounted with Mickey Thompson® Baja MTZ outline-white-letter 33x12.50 all-terrain tires. Chrome exhaust tips are mounted, with exhaust exiting just ahead of the rear axle.

Inside, black-vinyl-covered front bucket seats and the fold-down rear bench seat feature vertically pleated, charcoal-vinyl inserts. Matching XLT-style door trim is without flaw. Black carpets cover the floors, including the entire rear cargo area, all of it in very good condition. Rear cargo-area walls also wear XLT trim and have stereo speakers mounted. The square-design original dashboard is complete and all factory instrumentation and controls are present. The woodgrain dash trim continues on the passenger side where a “Ranger XLT” emblem is mounted on the glove-box door. A Sony® audio head unit is mounted in place of the factory radio. The steering wheel is the stock, woodgrain-trimmed, 2-spoke, XLT version with a column-mounted SunPro® Super tach II tachometer. The four-wheel-drive transfer-case lever is floor-mounted; manual Warn® lock-out hubs are installed on the truck's front axle. The B&M®-branded T-bar shift lever for the 4-speed manual transmission is also floor-mounted.

Under the hood, the new 351-cubic-inch Ford V8 engine wears correct Ford-blue block paint. A chrome, open-sided air cleaner adds flair in a clean and properly organized engine bay. Components are correctly installed throughout in a well-detailed engine compartment. viewed from below, the truck's undercarriage is straight, complete, and undamaged. The custom lifted-suspension components are an obvious and impressive visual focal point. Rust-inhibiting coating has been applied on most surfaces.

While the more than 135 high-definition photographs and the short walk-around-and-startup video available on the GarageKeptMotors website showcase this '78 Bronco Ranger XLT in detail from every angle, including from below, we expect and encourage in-person inspections at our Grand Rapids, Michigan showroom. Please call to arrange an appointment in advance as our showroom is not open to the public. And feel free to get in touch anytime by phone or email if you have questions.

Ready to turn back the clock to 1978 and enjoy the stylish, comfortable, 4-wheel-drive utility of a period Bronco, while also enjoying added comfort, power, and dramatically improved off-road capability?

Look no further.