When is a Bronco NOT a Bronco?

[Steve83]

I was flipping thru the latest edition of P4WOR, and there's an article about a '66 Bronco buggy. It's obviously well-built and looks great, but the only part on the rig that's original eB is the instrument cluster. It has an EFI 383, built C4 with manual shift, AtlasII, Currie Hi9s F&R, custom frame, custom suspension, hydro steering, custom body, aftermarket wiring, custom rims, chopped eB bumpers, Beard seats, & a fuel cell. If the owner ever sells it, and the new owner isn't a Bronco fan, he could pull off the (removeable) fiberglass sides & grille, rearrange the cage, and skin it as a binder, or a Sami, or a Liberty, or a SantaFe, or...

So what's the concensus - is it an early Bronco? ?:? Would it still be an eB if the sides were removed for wheeling? How about if the guy carried CJ sides & grille that could be interchanged onto it in a few minutes? How about if he wheeled it with the CJ sides? Is the instrument cluster enough to keep it a "Bronco"?

I haven't made up my own mind about any of those questions yet, but they come back to mind every time I see a buggy with a skin that looks vaguely like a production vehicle, and it gets talked about as if it WAS that production vehicle. %)

 

[bigjhoov]

You mean this one? http://classicbroncos.com/forums/showthread.php?t=177255&highlight=bronco+buggy


Owned by Karl Bradley, built buy Twisted Customs. Sweetest Bronco Buggy built to date in my book. If you'll look a little closer you'll find a lot of original Bronco parts incorporated. It's a Bronco as far as I'm concerned.

 

[kb6677]

I was flipping thru the latest edition of P4WOR, and there's an article about a '66 Bronco buggy. It's obviously well-built and looks great, but the only part on the rig that's original eB is the instrument cluster. It has an EFI 383, built C4 with manual shift, AtlasII, Currie Hi9s F&R, custom frame, custom suspension, hydro steering, custom body, aftermarket wiring, custom rims, chopped eB bumpers, Beard seats, & a fuel cell. If the owner ever sells it, and the new owner isn't a Bronco fan, he could pull off the (removeable) fiberglass sides & grille, rearrange the cage, and skin it as a binder, or a Sami, or a Liberty, or a SantaFe, or...

So what's the concensus - is it an early Bronco? ?:? Would it still be an eB if the sides were removed for wheeling? How about if the guy carried CJ sides & grille that could be interchanged onto it in a few minutes? How about if he wheeled it with the CJ sides? Is the instrument cluster enough to keep it a "Bronco"?

I haven't made up my own mind about any of those questions yet, but they come back to mind every time I see a buggy with a skin that looks vaguely like a production vehicle, and it gets talked about as if it WAS that production vehicle. %)

Good morning Steve
You bring up good points-the main one was the driving force behind the whole build-how to make a custom rock buggy a "bronco". First lets make some corrections to your post.
The engine is a 331 (302 block-sounds familiar) not a 383-the 383 is a popular Chevy stroker combination starting with a 350 or a destroked 400

The C4 is out of a '77 EB

It has the same style frame rails(same company) that are under my '68 white and red eb

The title says 2011 Custom; Model BRONCO

It has '66 dash knobs, steering wheel hub, glove box out of one of my other '66s but those are trivial to the big question you raise.

What the Petersen's article did not go into detail on (they focus on the done rig and show shots of that), was the amount of time spent starting with ALL BRONCO SHEETMETAL to make the mold for the skins. I know personally, some guys who have had ebs restored by high end hot rod shops and I know the hours they were billed for, what was done to their bodies to achieve the final product etc... There are MORE hours in the rig than any of them on body work. Unfortunately, when the shop was doing the metal work, the digital pics taken were at low resolution so they are not large enough to be reproduced other than email attachments. I have attached one of the rear taillight section in metal to show what was done to use correct bronco sheetmetal to achieve the finished product. We wanted to make a buggy styled rig that was as close to the correct lines of a bronco as we could. If you see the rig, you will notice it is not a rig with a narrowed grille and fenders with smooth sides put on behind them in fiberglass or thin sheet metal (I like these as well). The entire body is not only correct in the bronco curves/bronco specific, but it is proportional throughout including the hood which was also modified to fit the overall lines of the build. I think he was successful.

 

[fdezone]

Are you kidding? That's a Bronco! I mean sure, it's a skinned buggy but what you see is a "simple," no nonsense Early Bronco. As long as the drivetrain is solid, I'm no purist. In addition to staying true to all of the bodylines, there are tons of subtle refrences. I can appreciate them all, from stock to mild and especially to wild!!!

 

[TTTGOWYO]

Whatever it is.. It's bad ass...

 

[4lofun]

its a bronco !!!!!!!! anything is better then a stupid A** HeeP!!!!! i love it ,perfect bronco
resemblance.

 

[ucbronco]

I've seen this Bronco Buggy in person and it looks great. I personally think what you ended up with is a Buggy that looks like a Bronco, but it's still a Buggy in the end. I think the Bronco ends when you switch to the custom frame myself because it will no longer react the same when wheeling (I'm sure it greatly improves) and this is all part of the original EB's. Just my thoughts.

Butch

 

[Perry Brady]

Bronco for sure. If it looks like a Bronco, the others view it as a Bronco, and the owner built it as a Bronco, it's a Bronco. I'm sure all of us that have been around Broncos awhile, have cut fenders, added a rollcage, bumpers, soft top and swapped axles, doesn't make it less of a Bronco. Just personallized. We all would like to have an uncut stock Bronco to drive around, who would want to damage one of those on the trail? I guess if I took all the body off and drove it around, it wouldn't be a Bronco, but while the body is on, it's a Bronco. Just like any of ours. Another nice Bronco, Karl!

 

[1sicbronconut]

I've seen it in person also and know the guy that built it and it is a Early Bronco without a doubt. Think what you want but some folks on here don't even own a early Bronco so what's the big deal about it anyhow.

 

[Heus33]

Its a bronco. If the owner takes the time to skin it like a bronco, thats enough for me.

If he skinned the same exact vehicle with jeep skins, then its a jeep.

Its whatever the owner decides to pay homage to.

Now if he skinned it with aluminum and slapped a bronco emblem on it - thats a little harder to defend.

 

[rustbucket]

That thing looks awesome, and I would love to have it parked in my garage. As far as it being a Bronco, or not, from the title description above it looks like it's a Bronco because somebody decided to call it that. It's a 2011 model "Custom". I.e., it's no longer considered a Ford. Yeah, it has a Bronco engine and transmission, but if I put a Chevy engine and transmission in a Bronco, it's still considered a Ford Bronco by DMV standards. I don't think you would be able to title it as a Chevy Blazer. I can go out and buy a Lamborghini Kit Car, drop a original Lamborghini engine in it, and it would still not be considered a Lamborghini.

 

[Rustytruck]

For me if I can see it was once a Bronco from 250 feet away its a Bronco. otherwise it is something else. If I have to get up close and count parts its not a Bronco.

 

[2Broncos2Go]

Looks like a BRONCO to me.................lots of Broncos have
been modified in all sorts of way. Title is a different issue.
I'm not going into all the points of this conversation...

I appreciate that kb6677 took the time to correct and
answer questions. But...EB owners are like that...
Thanks kb6677 and your RIG looks AWESOME!!!!!

 

[stock1970]

Its a bronco but not a ford bronco.. kinda like a kit car ac cobra is not a ford cobra .. once the stamped part of the frame with the vin is removed it is no longer a bronco that the dmv could verify/trace back to ford motor company. . So yes it is a bronco but not from ford.
at least that is my thinking .. and I have nothing against bronco buggies at all. Wish I could afford one.

 

[Apogee]

The heart and soul of that rig is all Bronco...and a damn nice one at that.

It could be a lot less Bronco and it would still be a "Bronco" in my book. I really appreciate all of the extra effort involved to make Karl's buggy as authentic as it is...I'd love to see it in person as I'm sure it's even more impressive up close and personal.

Tobin

 

[itsabronco]

There are lots of others out there with fiberglass body's , chopped , hacked, lifted, what ever else you can imagine, and we ALL still say " look at that Bronco !" That thing there, definitely, as my name on here says, ITS A BRONCO. Modified in the sweetest way I could imagine. That is exactly how i would do it using every bit of the OEM parts I could but not being afraid to change stuff for the better.

 

[miikee73]

Here's one out of Sacramento area,it was at the Unevent on the Oregon coast in August. It also is powered by a 383. It was brand new built,maiden run.It had a few minor problems,but it ran like a stripped ass ape.

 

[Steve83]

I'm NOT suggesting that there's something wrong with that truck, regardless what it's called. It just brought this question to the forefront, and I used it as an example. I'm not picking on it per se - it's just a really good example of what I'm asking about.

If I made some mistakes, I apologize - I was skimming back over the article, and I guess my dyslexia kicked in on the engine size.

These highlight the point I wanted opinions on:

...what you ended up with is a Buggy that looks like a Bronco, but it's still a Buggy in the end.

if I took all the body off and drove it around, it wouldn't be a Bronco, but while the body is on, it's a Bronco.

If he skinned the same exact vehicle with jeep skins, then its a jeep.

...it's a Bronco because somebody decided to call it that.

If I have to get up close and count parts its not a Bronco.

I don't consider those quotes to be "negative" or "against" any vehicle (least of all the one in the article) - they just hit on the topic.

Is "Bronco" only skin-deep? Is a skin on a buggy enough? What if it had absolutely NO original eB parts? What if it had NO Ford parts but looked vaguely like an eB? What if it had a true Bronco chassis, but was skinned so it looked nothing whatsoever like a Bronco?

I'm thinking more & more about how I might build onto my '76 frame, and I guess I'm having a hard time deciding which direction to go, and what limits to put on myself to keep it a "Bronco" since right now, it's nothing but a frame w/o a title.

 

[kb6677]

I'm NOT suggesting that there's something wrong with that truck, regardless what it's called. It just brought this question to the forefront, and I used it as an example. I'm not picking on it per se - it's just a really good example of what I'm asking about.

If I made some mistakes, I apologize - I was skimming back over the article, and I guess my dyslexia kicked in on the engine size.

These highlight the point I wanted opinions on:I don't consider those quotes to be "negative" or "against" any vehicle (least of all the one in the article) - they just hit on the topic.

Is "Bronco" only skin-deep? Is a skin on a buggy enough? What if it had absolutely NO original eB parts? What if it had NO Ford parts but looked vaguely like an eB? What if it had a true Bronco chassis, but was skinned so it looked nothing whatsoever like a Bronco?

I'm thinking more & more about how I might build onto my '76 frame, and I guess I'm having a hard time deciding which direction to go, and what limits to put on myself to keep it a "Bronco" since right now, it's nothing but a frame w/o a title.

That question would have to be answered on a personal level. The "bronco" in question happens to be one on which, countless hours were spent working to achieve a specific goal, why, because it belongs to a guy who considers a bronco to be a bronco if it has correct eb lines through as much of the body as possible, a Ford drivetrain and as many eb specific accessories as can be put on and used efficiently in the vehicle. For comparison, my white '68 which has been around a few years now, has an aftermarket frame,392sefi Windsor,C4, AtlasII, stretched metal body, custom dash with NO eb gauge cluster(autometer guages), beard seats.., 60's front and rear bla, bla, bla, Is it not a bronco? Some of the criteria/questions you raised would disqualify numerous broncos on this forum as being real broncos........!?

 

[lockmup68]

What's funny to me is if you knew Karl personally, you would know he is all Ford, all bronco, all the time. Karl has so many broncos, parts, parts, parts, around you would think he is opening up a shop. Not only that, Karl is a true Ford diehard, bleeds blue, and all that. The best pic is the one with the buggy on the left and the halfcab on the right. That was the inspiration and that was what was not cut up to make a trailrig. More power to him for that. I want that halfcab in a bad way. My daughters want that halfcab...

That said, one important point is it is not a total tube buggy. Just like the original, the main frame rails are 2x4 with the cage and mounts built off of this foundation--just like many of our rigs. It uses an EB wiring harness, is powered by Ford, lots of EB parts, etc. IMO the sand rail bronco above actually looks like a sand rail with bronco skins on it. They don't quite "fit." Whereas Karl's buggy actually looks and "feels" like a bronco. Maybe it is just me.

For example, my '68 is still original frame and tub, but just about everything else has been modified (60 fr, 70 rear, 4link, coilovers, stretched, fuelie 5.0, etc. However, Karl's bronco buggy looks more like a bronco than mine does, even though I have stock frame and tub. Yes, I have a VIN on top the frame, but don't have a glovebox door (hits the cage and had to take it off). Karl has a glovebox door with VIN, but not stamped on top of the frame from factory. Which one is a bronco? Potatoe, potato--still tastes like a potato, then it's a potato. So Karl's buggy is a Bronco.

Now back to the gorgeous factory 289 half cab...

Have fun, go wheelin',
Shannon