On a full vintage Bronco restoration or restomod, parts alone usually land in the $30,000s, and the finished truck all in comes out well north of that. So if you have $10,000 set aside, a full frame-off Bronco isn't going to happen for that money. I'd rather tell you that now than after you've driven down to see us in Pelham.
That isn't a brush-off. Ten thousand dollars still does a lot of good on the Bronco you already own, and we're happy to talk through what it can get you.
Anybody who gives you one exact number before seeing your truck is guessing. What I can do is walk you through what moves the price.
We build Broncos for folks all over the Southeast and beyond. If you're not close by, we can help arrange transport to the shop, then ship it back to you when it's finished.
By Edgar Barron, Master Builder, Morgan Muscle Cars
How much should you budget for a vintage Bronco restoration?
This is usually one of the first questions people ask us, and it's a fair one. The answer depends on what you're starting with and how far you want to take the truck.
Not every Bronco needs a full frame-off restoration. Some owners just want better brakes, updated suspension, fuel injection, or air conditioning so they can enjoy driving it. Others want the whole thing done, from the frame up, with a new drivetrain, custom paint, and a completely redone interior.
Here's a general idea of what you should plan on spending at our shop:
- Mechanical upgrades (brakes, suspension, EFI, A/C): $15,000 to $30,000
- Engine swap and drivetrain upgrades: $20,000 to $35,000
- Paint and body restoration: $20,000 to $40,000
- Full factory-style restoration: $75,000 to $150,000
- Complete custom Bronco restomod: $125,000 to $175,000
These aren't package prices. We work on a time-and-materials basis, and every truck is different. These ranges are meant to give you a realistic starting point before we ever turn a wrench.
A Bronco with solid sheet metal and a good frame is going to cost less to restore than one with rust hiding in the floors, rockers, and body mounts. The engine you choose, the amount of fabrication involved, and how far you want to go with the paint and interior all make a difference. I'll walk through each of those below.
If you're working with a smaller budget, we can also tackle the project in stages. You might start with brakes, suspension, or an engine upgrade and come back for paint and interior later.
The important thing is figuring out what you want out of the truck and building a plan that makes sense. I want that conversation up front, not halfway into a project when we find out we're not on the same page.
Restoration or restomod?
We do both, and they're different jobs. A factory-correct restoration puts the truck back the way it left Ford, down to the details. I've spent a lot of years on factory-correct work, and it's slow and fussy in the best way.
A restomod keeps the early Bronco look and changes what's underneath. Modern engine, EFI, better brakes and suspension, A/C, gauges you can read. Most of the Broncos we build go this way, because people want to drive them.
One thing worth pointing out: a factory-style restoration isn't necessarily the cheaper route. Finding original parts and getting everything back to the way Ford built it can take just as much time as building a restomod, and sometimes more.
Either way, a classic Bronco restoration starts in the same place.
What drives the price?
The truck you start with
This is the big one.
Rust is where the money hides. The rust you can see is usually not all of it. We find out how far it goes when the body comes off the frame, and if it's worse than we figured, you hear about it from us before we cut anything. You get a detailed estimate up front, and if something changes, you know before it happens.
A clean, solid starting truck costs more to buy and less to build. A rough one is cheaper to buy and costs more in the shop.
The engine
You can keep it Ford and small block. Our 1967 Bronco runs a Ford 302 with a Holley Sniper EFI. That's the simplest path, and the truck stays Ford all the way through.
You can go to Ford's Coyote 5.0. We build Broncos around the Coyote too. It's a modern engine, and fitting one means the cooling, exhaust and wiring all have to be done right around it.
Or you can put an LS in it. Yes, in a Ford. We do LS swaps into Fords and other makes, and I don't argue with anybody who wants one.
If you only want the swap and not the whole build, that's its own job. Swaps are scheduled separately from full builds, so the wait to start is usually shorter, and the truck is typically in the shop 30 to 45 days.
Paint and body
We paint on a rotisserie. The whole body rolls over, so the underside gets the same care as the top. On the '67 that meant the floor got bedlined and painted to match the outside. It takes longer and costs more than shooting the top and calling it done. I think it's worth it.
Metal first, paint second, every time. And we do color changes, plus full paint jobs without the rotisserie for trucks that don't need it. Whatever you have in mind, we've got options, all the way up to full custom. And if you'd rather keep it closer to stock, we can do a more standard, original look too.
Interior
This is where taste starts spending money. Seats, stitching, dash, carpet, gauges and A/C all add up. The '67 has camel leather seats with diamond stitching and a dash painted body color.
Suspension, wheels and tires
Bigger tires mean more lift, and more lift means more parts to make it drive right. On shocks, we can go back with original or mild upgrades, or step up to Fox or King shocks with external reservoirs. On the '67 we lifted it just enough to look right and put it on 33-inch BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/As.
How we work
A full build here typically takes 12 to 18 months once it starts. It begins with a long conversation about engine, paint, stance and stitching, all of it settled before anybody touches metal.
After that the truck lives in our shop in Pelham, just south of Birmingham. You get photos and progress updates every week.
On delivery day you can pick up the keys at the shop, or we'll ship the truck back to you. We build for people all over the country, especially across the Southeast in Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and Georgia, and we can move a truck from one end of the country to the other. Our work carries a 6-month warranty.
The '67 Bronco, as an example
Our 1967 Bronco in Boxwood Green shows where full-build money goes. Ford 302 with Holley Sniper EFI and dual exhaust front to back. Rotisserie paint. A modest lift on 33s. Camel leather with diamond stitching.
And the hubcaps. Original early Bronco hubcaps are close to impossible to find. We ended up running a set off a mid-1950s Ford that fits the Bronco wheel. Most people never notice. The ones who do always ask.
You can see the whole truck on the 1967 Bronco page, and more of our Bronco work on the Bronco restoration page.
Common questions
Why can't you give me an exact number?
Because I haven't seen your truck yet. The ranges up top are honest starting points, but where yours lands depends on the rust, the engine and the finish you pick. After the consult you get a detailed estimate for your truck, not a guess.
Is a Coyote worth it over the 302?
If you want modern power and drivability, yes. If you want the truck to feel like 1967 with better manners, the 302 with EFI does that well. I like both.
Do I have to live near Birmingham?
No. We build for customers across the country, especially here in the Southeast. We'll help arrange transport to bring your truck here and ship it back home when it's finished.
Can you just do part of it?
Yes. Suspension, brakes, interior, or paint and body by itself. You don't need a full build to work with us.
Morgan Muscle Cars, Pelham, just south of Birmingham, Alabama. Building for customers across the country, especially the Southeast.
Tell us about your build at morganmusclecars.com/start-a-build or call (205) 618-8145.