Don Peroni

Model Year: 1966
VIN: U13FL732364
Data Plate Info:
Engine code F
Body code 96
Model code U130
Trans code C
Rear Axle code 03
Color code S
DSO code 41
Build Month October
Mileage: 12500
Comments: History and Background Of Serial Number U13FL732364 The known history of this Bronco begins with its arrival in the fall of 1965 at Blikre Motors in Tioga, North Dakota. Blikre Motors was opened in 1954 by Arnold Blikre. It was located in a building locally known as the Old Stone Garage. Blikre Ford remained in business until 1983. Since this Bronco is a Roadster and it arrived after summer, it was not a quick sale with the approaching harsh North Dakota winter. As a result, it found duties as the dealerships parts runner and lot plow vehicle and remained with Blikre until it was sold at the dealership auction in 1983 when they closed. Darrell Sandberg of Tioga, South Dakota purchased the vehicle at the auction. The registration showed that it had 3500 miles on it at that time of title transfer. Sandberg owned the vehicle until 1996 and then sold it to Carl Westergard of Dagmar, Montana. The registration to Westergard shows that it had 9300 mile on it at that time. Carl used the vehicle as a service truck on his 2500 acre wheat farm until it was replaced by an ATV in the fall of 1999. I acquired it in May of 2000 and the odometer reading was 9751 miles when it was transported to PA where the body off restoration was competed by the spring of 2003. This Bronco is unique in that it is an uncut Roadster that was essentially a pristine rust free vehicle with less than 10,000 original miles when we I purchased it. Early Bronco production began in August 1965 with production number 732000. This Bronco is 732364 which indicates that it was produced in one of the first few days of production* and that this Bronco was one of the first to come down the assembly line. *August production numbers ranged from 732000 through 745999 and were issued to vehicles other the just the Bronco models, therefore it is no more than the 364th, but could be one of the first few dozen as well depending on how many of the first 364 numbers went to vehicles other than Broncos. In 2005 I redid a body off on the Roadster in preparation for the Bronco 40th anniversary celebration in 2006. The body came off again, the frame was completely detailed again and the body disassembled and totally repainted. . I had a hood decal made for U13FL732364 to commemorate the anniversary any my son Drew and our friend Brian Keeler worked with the Johnny Lighting folks to have a limited edition diecast made using U13FL732364 and its hood decal as the master for the model. We then took U13FL732364 along with my 77 Ranger and two other Broncos to the Early Bronco Registry 40th Anniversary celebration in Victorville, California. While there I was able to get all of the Bronco Racing Legends that attended to sign U13FL732364 hood. On the way back we stopped in Moab, Utah and celebrated with all the Bronco Fans there. It was great to be one of the two hundred plus Broncos present at both events. Upon returning to Pennsylvania we celebrated the 40 Anniversary with the Mid-Atlantic Early Broncos at the All Ford Nationals in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Carlisle Productions featured U13FL732364 on all their promotion materials and placed it prominently on display in their large show building. MEB turned out a record number of Broncos for the event and it was great to see Early Broncos getting so much attention. In late summer U13FL732364 and her stable mate the 77 Ranger went to Ashville, NC where at the Antique Car Club of America meet they were judged and received their First Place Junior Awards. In October of 2006 we were invited to display U13FL732364 and the 77 Ranger at Ford World Headquarter in Dearborn, Michigan where they remained for the winter. What a great storage facility! When we returned in March of 2007 to bring them home we were joined by Harry Rawlings from Ford Engineering, who arranged for Edsel Ford II and Henry Ford III to meet with us and too sign U13FL732364 hood. Harry is an MEB member, a Bronco owner, and a friend. Late spring of 2007 had U13FL732364 and her stable mate in Binghamton, NY at the Antique Car Club of America meet where they were again judged and received their Senior First Place Award. The rest of 2007 was quiet time with only a few local shows, MEB club activities, and few parades. The spring of 2008 presented us with an opportunity to take U13FL732364 to Melbourne, Florida to be judged at the Antique Car Club of America Grand National Meet. She traveled the distance with a venerable and beautifully restored 1903 Cadillac. When the judging was completed both she and the Cadillac received their Grand National First Place Award. One of the judges gave us a hard time about the hood decal and the signatures. He was told that they were worth more to us than the points he was going to deduct. Apparently the other judges agreed because U13FL732364 now proudly wears an AACA Grand National First Place placard.