I saw a couple of original IHC Scouts the other day at a body shop, a full cab & a half cab. I had a Scout 800 ('66, IIRC) in the late '70s - early '80s. ISTR it didn't get stuck too easily. I've read that the Scout was brought out to compete with the Jeep, I guess the original ex-military ones, hence its simple, rugged design & then Ford had a better idea & 'copied' the Scout with our beloved Bronco. I've heard that the similar vintage Toyota Land Cruiser was a pretty tough ride as well & I remember seeing my share of British Land Rovers back in the '60s & '70s but don't know anything about them other than they look cool. So, disregarding suped up, hopped up, rock crawlin', mud draggin' rides, how do the Bronco's contemporaries compare, all basically in stock form, as far as being in mud & dependability? My personal thoughts are, & this is mostly from what I hear, the Bronco, Scout & Land Cruiser should be fairly tied, with the Jeep toward the bottom. I know I have seen more 'stock' Jeeps get stuck worse than Broncos & Scouts at least. I don't know about the Land Rovers, but as many as are seen on safari, there must be something positive about them.
EBs & their contemporaries
- Thread starter famvburg
- Start date
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Pretty accurate, in my opinion, for the most part. :-B
Other than the CJ2., real (workable) Jeeps are "built", not bought. Mainly due to "safety laws".
The CJ5 was (is) dangerous in the young, or wrong hands.
The EB would have to be a "step above" the Scout & Land Cruiser. The Bronco being more "new-age" as to engine., suspension., drive-train, etc.
EXAMPLE;
My stock L. Cruisers ran circles around stock & modified Jeeps. B)
Prefered my '66 EB over any of my Cruisers.., & still have it.., for obvious reasons.
We stuck a "Rubicon" here a while back on a flat dirt road..., had to pull-strap him out...!! And did that with a later model "Scout".
----------IT'S ALL "FUN"...!! ---------
P.S. The (older) Brit's rigs were good except for the "Lucas" wiring issues.
Other than the CJ2., real (workable) Jeeps are "built", not bought. Mainly due to "safety laws".
The CJ5 was (is) dangerous in the young, or wrong hands.
The EB would have to be a "step above" the Scout & Land Cruiser. The Bronco being more "new-age" as to engine., suspension., drive-train, etc.
EXAMPLE;
My stock L. Cruisers ran circles around stock & modified Jeeps. B)
Prefered my '66 EB over any of my Cruisers.., & still have it.., for obvious reasons.
We stuck a "Rubicon" here a while back on a flat dirt road..., had to pull-strap him out...!! And did that with a later model "Scout".
----------IT'S ALL "FUN"...!! ---------
P.S. The (older) Brit's rigs were good except for the "Lucas" wiring issues.
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Consumer Reports did a review, or rather a "shoot-out" in todays terms, back in 1966 with an EB, CJ & Scout (I think it might have even had the FJ in there as well but I don't remember) all in stock form. It took place in and around Montrose, Colorado with them trying to figure out which vehicle was "the best". What it boiled down to was when and where the competition to the Bronco was going to break down. I have the original magazine somewhere & scanned copies of it too, I just have to find it. But what CR's finding was (and this was before the Bronco was shipped to dealers, as the test took place in '65) that none of the other vehicle manufacturers could keep up with the Bronco, even when it had an inline 170 6-cylinder. If my memory serves correct, the CJ was the worst of the lot & the Scout behind, but still quite a ways back, the Bronco in terms of overall performance. I'll see if I can find the magazine and/or the scanned copies and post it up.
"I have the original magazine somewhere & scanned copies of it too, I just have to find it. But what CR's finding was (and this was before the Bronco was shipped to dealers, as the test took place in '65) that none of the other vehicle manufacturers could keep up with the Bronco, even when it had an inline 170 6-cylinder. If my memory serves correct, the CJ was the worst of the lot & the Scout behind, but still quite a ways back, the Bronco in terms of overall performance. I'll see if I can find the magazine and/or the scanned copies and post it up."
That would be great...!! I always jump at a chance to educate my arrogant "Jeep" buds.. >
That would be great...!! I always jump at a chance to educate my arrogant "Jeep" buds.. >
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Broncoholic
Broncoholic
Interseting thread, Myself owning many EB's and 2nd gen Broncos, my dad owning a 46' cj2a, my uncle owning a cj5, and my brother owning a 64 scout and a 72 blazer, and yet another brother owning a 79 scout II all of which are in stock form.
I've seen my dads cj2a and uncles cj5 pull out many stumps, and plow a heck of a lot of snow. The 64 scout however I've never seen in action, it was in a fire and then stripped, he still plans to rebuild it. The scout II can go through a lot, but has no clearance, and thus gets stuck. The Blazers are fairly compareable to the 78-79 Broncos, as far as wheeling capabilites.
Of course I am bias towards the Broncos, But a lot depends on the driver.
I've seen my dads cj2a and uncles cj5 pull out many stumps, and plow a heck of a lot of snow. The 64 scout however I've never seen in action, it was in a fire and then stripped, he still plans to rebuild it. The scout II can go through a lot, but has no clearance, and thus gets stuck. The Blazers are fairly compareable to the 78-79 Broncos, as far as wheeling capabilites.
Of course I am bias towards the Broncos, But a lot depends on the driver.
I grew up driving a 48 Willys CJ-3A, as a matter of fact, I built mine from the ground up from a pile of parts when I was 14. When I was a freshman in college I got my first Bronco, a '68. Now, my current DD is a 72 EB and it is by far the best of them all. But, having driven the 3A for the better part of 5 years before I ever got a Bronco, I have to say that in stock form, straight climbing, no obstacles or anything major, the Willys is one of the best. Once you put something in the way, the CJ can't hold a candle to the Bronco. Broncos are more nimble than any other like era 4x4, they have better flex, and were "overpowered" in the size to weight area. The Jeeps, doesn't matter what, only came with inline 4 or 6 engines. The 170 or 200 I6 put out by Ford was a more capable engine. The Jeeps also used Dana 35 axles in the CJ5 and IH used D44s in the Scout. Ford over-built the Bronco and it shows in the simple fact that most ********* wheelers that use Jeeps ditch almost the entire running gear in favor of D44s, D60s, 9"s, Chevy or Ford motors....etc. Needless to say, most "Jeeps" are nothing other than a shell with other people's parts.
I never drove a scout or CJ, have driven some ranch jeep POS's. However my bronco was uncut and bone stock when I first bought it and I didn't do much to it for about 1yr as far as upgrades. During that time, I was generally impressed with it off road. The shorter wheel base (possessed by all above) was impressive. I'm not a ********* rock crawler but do a good bit of off road actn. I used to own a Z71 that was a great PU off road IMHO but the bronco would simply go places the Z couldn't. Stock broncos I think, pound for pound, have the most driveability and ruggedness of the class. The old jeeps were good but too dangerous IMHO. The OLDER scouts were light and I think that was a big plus to them.
I got my copy of this book in the other day. I gotta recommend it highly for fellow Bronco fans! It's a really interesting book. I got mine off of eBay, but I think it can be found on Amazon as well.
