- Joined
- Nov 28, 2001
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- 10,256
OK, it wasn't resting in a barn, because we really don't have a lot of barns here in AZ. And I'm sure the ones we have don't have Broncos in them. However, like much of home-equity financed America, we do have trailers - lots of them. And this particular Bronco has been sitting in a trailer for the last 4-5 years.
On Sunday, Andrew Norton (bajabronco) and I became the proud co-owners of one of the original Stroppe racing Broncos. This particular one carries the VIN of U13FLC00001. No, we couldn't find it in any of '66-'67 VIN charts either. EDIT - '66 expert Terry Marvel has pointed out that C00001 would indicate an August '67 build (early '68). So we're thinking at this point that it's an early '68 truck.
Becoming the eventual owners of this truck took patience and persistence. I first learned of, and saw the truck in the early '90s when its former owner re-assembled it and built it up as a Glamis dune Bronco and play toy for the Cinders where we held the ACB Stampede for many years. I knew it was a Stroppe race truck but frankly, I wasn't in the salivating mode for them like I am today. As the years passed, I became more interested in the Stroppe race trucks and the former owner participated in the club less and less - finally leaving for good in the late 1990s. As the years progressed, I stayed in touch. I occasionally called, would drop by his work and say hello, occasionally traded emails, etc. I basically let him know that I was interested.
I told Andrew about the truck years ago and it essentially became our little secret. Other Bajas came along to tempt me from time to time but I always held out hope that this truck might someday be for sale. About 4 years ago, Andrew and I decided that the chances of PJ adopting us as his 3rd and 4th sons and giving Big Oly to us was probably just a dream so we decided that if this truck became available, and the price and timing was right, we'd buy it.
An email landed in my inbox about a month ago and I knew what it was about before I even opened it. The price was right and so we made the deal. We know of 5-6 racers still in existence and we believe this is one of two that is a running example of the breed.
The truck obviously has some changes on it. Paddle tires, red paint, a Duff/K-Bar-S hood, and Beard seats were not part of its original livery. We will be receiving the original Bostrom seats and the original hood shortly. It needs clean-up; I've already vacuumed about 10 lb. of Glamis sand out of it. We have 4 slots with 33" radials for rolling stock. We'll get a Stroppe steering wheel back on it. The engine is a dyno'd 450hp 302 backed by a C4. It has headers and straight pipes. It's loud - I awoke my next door neighbors from their Sunday naps yesterday during a show and tell session with some buddies.
We have boxes of parts to sift through. We have the original fuel cell to refurbish. This truck ran on propane for at least one season and we have some of that hardware too.
I'm discovering new and interesting things on it every time I look at it. Tonight I discovered drilled rear brake drums and an unusual rear bump stop arrangement. Tomorrow we'll probably discover something else.
Yes, we're trying to figure out its history too. But that's hard. Stroppe built, rebuilt, and rebuilt his race trucks. They had different drivers, different sponsors, and different paint jobs through the years. Between us, Andrew and I probably have the largest collection of Stroppe pictures on the planet and we're still scratching our heads. We'll have to decide how it will eventually be repainted at some point.
For now, we're happy that its safe in the hands of some serious enthusiasts who appreciate its significance. We hope to be able to show it at Fab Fords next year and perhaps some other shows and share it with as many people as possible. There's plenty to share with this truck and we'll be posting pictures of this time capsule as time permits and as we discover things. We call it the "Red Racer". I like to think it's another variant of NOS - New Old Stroppe.
Todd Z.
Attached are a few pix to show you what it looks like. The "R2" tag was affixed many years ago by Willie Stroppe when he did an inventory of the race vehicles for his father at their shop.
On Sunday, Andrew Norton (bajabronco) and I became the proud co-owners of one of the original Stroppe racing Broncos. This particular one carries the VIN of U13FLC00001. No, we couldn't find it in any of '66-'67 VIN charts either. EDIT - '66 expert Terry Marvel has pointed out that C00001 would indicate an August '67 build (early '68). So we're thinking at this point that it's an early '68 truck.
Becoming the eventual owners of this truck took patience and persistence. I first learned of, and saw the truck in the early '90s when its former owner re-assembled it and built it up as a Glamis dune Bronco and play toy for the Cinders where we held the ACB Stampede for many years. I knew it was a Stroppe race truck but frankly, I wasn't in the salivating mode for them like I am today. As the years passed, I became more interested in the Stroppe race trucks and the former owner participated in the club less and less - finally leaving for good in the late 1990s. As the years progressed, I stayed in touch. I occasionally called, would drop by his work and say hello, occasionally traded emails, etc. I basically let him know that I was interested.
I told Andrew about the truck years ago and it essentially became our little secret. Other Bajas came along to tempt me from time to time but I always held out hope that this truck might someday be for sale. About 4 years ago, Andrew and I decided that the chances of PJ adopting us as his 3rd and 4th sons and giving Big Oly to us was probably just a dream so we decided that if this truck became available, and the price and timing was right, we'd buy it.
An email landed in my inbox about a month ago and I knew what it was about before I even opened it. The price was right and so we made the deal. We know of 5-6 racers still in existence and we believe this is one of two that is a running example of the breed.
The truck obviously has some changes on it. Paddle tires, red paint, a Duff/K-Bar-S hood, and Beard seats were not part of its original livery. We will be receiving the original Bostrom seats and the original hood shortly. It needs clean-up; I've already vacuumed about 10 lb. of Glamis sand out of it. We have 4 slots with 33" radials for rolling stock. We'll get a Stroppe steering wheel back on it. The engine is a dyno'd 450hp 302 backed by a C4. It has headers and straight pipes. It's loud - I awoke my next door neighbors from their Sunday naps yesterday during a show and tell session with some buddies.
We have boxes of parts to sift through. We have the original fuel cell to refurbish. This truck ran on propane for at least one season and we have some of that hardware too.
I'm discovering new and interesting things on it every time I look at it. Tonight I discovered drilled rear brake drums and an unusual rear bump stop arrangement. Tomorrow we'll probably discover something else.
Yes, we're trying to figure out its history too. But that's hard. Stroppe built, rebuilt, and rebuilt his race trucks. They had different drivers, different sponsors, and different paint jobs through the years. Between us, Andrew and I probably have the largest collection of Stroppe pictures on the planet and we're still scratching our heads. We'll have to decide how it will eventually be repainted at some point.
For now, we're happy that its safe in the hands of some serious enthusiasts who appreciate its significance. We hope to be able to show it at Fab Fords next year and perhaps some other shows and share it with as many people as possible. There's plenty to share with this truck and we'll be posting pictures of this time capsule as time permits and as we discover things. We call it the "Red Racer". I like to think it's another variant of NOS - New Old Stroppe.
Todd Z.
Attached are a few pix to show you what it looks like. The "R2" tag was affixed many years ago by Willie Stroppe when he did an inventory of the race vehicles for his father at their shop.
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