Good morning! I’m writing to you from the brand-new east coast headquarters of Shitbox Showdown, Inc., and today we’re paying tribute to one of the greats who passed away last week: Rufus “Parnelli” Jones. Cars associated with Parnelli Jones and his racing legacy are well outside of our price range, of course, so we’ve stretched the budget a bit today. We’re looking at, I don’t want to say “lesser,” but plainer examples of such vehicles.
Last week, while we were making our final transcontinental drive, my better half was choosing the cars, and by the overall reaction, she did pretty well. So on Friday we pitted the week’s champions against each other, and that dirt-cheap Yukon simply ran away with the vote. My favorite, the stepside Chevy, was a distant second, leaving the poor Bronco and Odyssey minivan as also-rans.
Having someone else pick the cars was a very strange experience. In a couple of cases, like that Honda Pilot, for example, I honestly didn’t know what to say, other than, “Yep, that’s a car, and it’s for sale.” But it was an intriguing enough experience that I think I’ll have other Special Guest Car-Choosers in the future. I’m not sure who, or how it will work, but stay tuned.
When I was a kid, we visited the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and took the museum tour. My dad took great delight in pointing out to me the cars of all of his favorite drivers: Jim Clark, AJ Foyt, Mario Andretti … and Parnelli Jones. He showed me the difference between Jones’s 1963 and Foyt’s 1964 cars, with the engine in front of the driver’s compartment, and Clark’s 1965 winner, when the engine moved behind the driver. He told me all about how Jones had moved on from Indy to off-road and Trans Am racing, and about the Trans Am race he’d attended at Road America in Wisconsin years earlier. My Pinewood Derby car that year wore the yellow and black livery and number 15 of Parnelli Jones’s Trans Am Ford Mustang.
Since both my dad and now Parnelli Jones are gone, it only seems fitting that I do a little tribute. Today’s cars are well outside our normal price range, and they’re not what anyone would consider shitboxes, but there’s no rule saying we can’t look at some nice cars once in a while. Let’s check them out.
1969 Ford Bronco half cab – $34,500
Engine/drivetrain: 170 cubic inch overhead valve inline 6, three-speed manual, part-time 4WD
Location: Buffalo, NY
Odometer reading: 100,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives great
The story goes that Bill Stroppe, Parnelli Jones’s co-driver, grew tired of telling Jones to go easier on their off-road racing Ford Bronco, which Jones kept breaking. Enter Big Oly, the legendary racing Bronco that has about as much in common with our featured car as a bowl of Cap’n Crunch does with a nutritious breakfast. But there’s only one Big Oly, and while first-generation Bronco values have skyrocketed in recent years, they’re still purchaseable by mere mortals.
This is a fairly basic Bronco, with a six-cylinder engine and a three-speed stick. This is the “Thriftpower” inline six from the Falcon, not the larger truck six that would evolve into the legendary 300, but it’s still built like a tank and tuned for low-revving torque, perfect for a little off-roader like a Bronco. This truck is pretty close to stock, but the front brakes have been updated to discs, with power assist – a smart upgrade to any vehicle this age. Stopping is important.
It also looks like the original column-mounted shifter has been ditched in favor of a Hurst floor shifter. The gun rack in the back window is probably aftermarket as well, but I bet it’s been in there from the beginning. Personally, I’d probably take it out; I don’t even own a gun, let alone many guns that would necessitate an entire rack. The rest of the interior looks nice, though it’s hard to say how much of it is original.
The half-cab pickup body style is a rarity, and I don’t know enough about the Bronco market to know whether that’s a plus or a minus when it comes to value. It’s a cute little sucker, though, and just like the full-length roof versions, the top and doors are removable. It’s clean and shiny, but not entirely rust-free; there’s a little bit of rust starting to show in the seams of the floor. Still, considering it’s in upstate New York, it’s in pretty amazing shape.
1970 Ford Mustang – $22,000
Engine/drivetrain: 200 cubic inch overhead valve inline 6, three-speed manual, RWD
Location: Beverly Hills, CA
Odometer reading: 30,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives great
If there’s any era of motorsports that I’m disappointed that I missed out on, it’s the Trans Am races of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Watching Mustangs, Camaros, Firebirds, Challengers, Barracudas, and Javelins battle it out on road courses must have been an amazing sight. With strict limits on engine displacement, Trans Am cars offered an alternative to the ever-expanding big block engines in muscle cars; you could get your 1970 Mustang with a big honkin’ 429 cubic inch V8, for drag racing, or a high-revving 302 V8 for tearing up the track like Parnelli Jones. Or, for the more mild-mannered set, a nice sedate inline six, like this one has.
There were actually two sizes of six-cylinder engine offered in the 1970 Mustang: 200 or 250 cubic inches. The seller doesn’t specify which one this is, but considering the bare-bones spec of the rest of the car, I’m guessing it’s a 200. It’s backed by a three-speed manual with a factory floor shift; a column shift was antithetical to the Mustang’s sporty mission, and even Ford understood that. This is a one-owner car with only 30,000 pampered miles on it; as you’d guess, it runs like a top.
This thing is so basic it doesn’t even have a radio. Maybe that’s why it doesn’t have many miles; who wants to drive long distances with only the drone of a six-cylinder to keep them company? But the fact that it has remained radio-less speaks to its originality. Those pea-green vinyl seats look exactly like they would have in 1970.
This era of Mustang styling is the beginning of the end for the original lightweight first-generation. It’s nowhere near as bloated and heavy as the 1971-73 cars, but it’s quite a lot bulkier than the early cars. It looks more muscular, however, even in notchback form like this, with basic dog-dish hubcaps. The paint is original and not particularly shiny, but just try finding another base-model Mustang this clean.
I hope you enjoyed this little step outside our normal fare, and if not, thanks for humoring me, and we’ll get back to the true shitboxes tomorrow. For now, though, you have a choice. You can Walter Mitty your way around town looking like Parnelli Jones in one of two six-cylinder Fords: a Bronco, or a Mustang. Which will it be?
(Image credits: Craigslist sellers)
Having driven an early Mustang with that 200CID 6-cyl. I know just how unfun they were. The haters notwithstanding, a Mustang II with a manual would be a more rewarding experience. Not enamored of the Bronco but it never was meant to be fun and would make the better investment.
1970 was a not a very good year for Mustang, styling-wise, and this one is extra not pretty.
Never a bad occasion for a Wayne’s World reference. Kuddos!
I’m normally a truck guy but money talks when the price is this far away and I wouldn’t feel as bad putting some summer miles on the Mustang. Pony car it is
Make mine avocado green with dog dishes.
Mustang, and I’d leave the six, and all the green. There probably wouldn’t be another at any cars and coffee or show.
Please tell me that very clean but poverty-spec Mustang isn’t really worth $22,000.
Yeah. It’s not.
Oh the Mustang is definitely overpriced… probably by at least $10,000. But it’s not as badly overpriced (to me) as that Bronco.
The difference is (at least around here) you could easily find a dozen more desirable Mustangs for the same money or less, while Broncos in good shape can command $50K or more.
You could say the whole Bronco market is overpriced and I might not even disagree, but relative to each ones competition, the Bronco is the better deal.
Mustang, but that inline 6 would only be there just long enough for me to back it into my driveway with enough room in front for a hoist.
The Bronco looks much better, is probably more fun to drive, and is IMO the better investment. Easy choice today.
Bronco. Mustang isn’t bad, but the Bronco is the one for me.
I like the Mustang a lot, but the lack of a 302 would leave me wanting. Once upon a time, I had a ’76 Bronco with a 302, and here the straight 6 would probably still leave me wanting…but the overall package and presentation would make up for a lot of that. Admittedly, I’m not a real fan of the stubby pickup version over the traditional ute, but once again, it’s got enough to make me forget all that – especially when the roof comes off.
I was ready to hit buy on the mustang but saw 6 cyl. The Bronco show and hauler won.
As nice as that Bronco is I’m digging the poverty spec Mustang. It does at least get carpet instead of rubber flooring.
I wouldn’t consider either of these as shitboxes at all. Gimme that stang regardless
Gotta go for the Bronco. Not only did I see what may have been an Icon this morning, but it would be perfect for those fire roads that my little Subaru won’t quite handle. Must remember the sunscreen because that back window will bake you into a true redneck
I guess it comes down to One Man, One Saddle. I’ll hafta throw mine over that phone-booth Bronco (I s’pose that’s a boomer image).
Ask me in fifteen minutes though, it might be that little pony car. Tough choice today.
“who wants to drive long distances with only the drone of a six-cylinder to keep them company?”
Uh I’d be fine with that, thanks. A straight six is a lovely thing.
Neither of these choices really floats my boat, but I’ll take the stang since I’m not into trucks. I’m not into muscle cars either, but with the sixer I’m not sure this one counts. Besides, it’ll be a nice curiosity at cars &coffee. The only I6 Mustang in a sea of V8s. Surely someone will find that interesting enough to stop and chat.
I voted for the bronco might cost a bit more but it looks nicer and those just seem to be climbing in price for clean ones. Also to me those mustangs don’t look good when they are not fastbacks and I don’t really see that coupe going up much in value as it isn’t that sought after like the fastbacks are.
That Bronco looks incredibly clean to be from a city like Buffalo.
I’d pick it every day except Tuesday, I’d choose it twice then.
Love the half cab Bronco. They weren’t as popular with Bronco buyers back in their day, so there are fewer good examples left rolling around. A buddy who worked at the same service station with me had a red ‘72 with a 302 and 3-speed floor shift and dual fuel tanks. It was a tight little truck with heavy duty suspension and PTO for plowing. It lived up to its name as it bucked over every dip or imperfection in the road, but when you’re 16, it’s all good. The half cab’s short bed marked its demise when the Courier came along.
My first car was a mucus green ’68 Ford Falcon Futura, same color as the Mustang outside & inside . Must vote for the coupe for this pathetic reason!
Since it’s Internet money, I’ll take the sea foam green Bronco. I’m sure I’d get many more looks in it than the mustang.
Bronco. I just think it’s going to wind up being more fun than what’s essentially a rental spec Mustang. It’s probably the coolest rental spec Mustang there is, to be fair. But I’m not buying a 60s or 70s muscle car without a V8. I think the Bronco will be more of a conversation starter as well and if you take good care of it it will likely appreciate given how the Bronco has forced its way back into the zeitgeist.
I voted Mustang. I would feel less bad taking that one apart and building it into something worth driving. Plus, cheaper. Overpriced, in my opinion, but still cheaper.
Yup, let’s pull that 6 and drop in a nice fuelie 302/5 speed combo from a late Foxbody or early SN-95. Add a disc brake kit and that’s all it needs.
I think I agree, 250-300 real world HP, plus modern EFI reliability. And add a radio – maybe hidden w/modern Bluetooth.
Bronco for me, its capable of doing its mission as is. I’d really like that Mustang, but I couldn’t trust myself not to ruin the time capsule that it is.