Thank you James Duff for 50 years of excellence

[Monster Mike]

I want to take a minute and celebrate a profound moment in Bronco History with you all.

This year we celebrate 50 years of James Duff providing after market parts for our beloved Broncos. Honestly I have to say that it is so much more than that though. For all those years James, Judy and Suzy Duff have been incredibly active with the Bronco community. Going to events, sponsoring raffles providing tech and customer support but most important of all creating relationships with their customers. They have inspired so many of us to get out there and chase our dreams, build something cool and in the process learn something new then pass that knowledge on to our friends and of course our children.

As many of you know I work for James Duff Inc. and in the last two and a half years I have received an incredible education about almost everything Bronco related. Some of the shining moments I will keep with me always is the quiet time I've shared with Mr. and Mrs. Duff at the dinner table. Talking and sharing stories about the good old days and the trials and tribulations they went through to get to where they are now. I leave the table pumped to go to the shop and build something cool or I want to suit up and take Pony Express and race Baja! Of course they are retired now and have passed the torch on to their Daughter Suzy but they are both still very active in keeping the business running strong.

To give 50 years of your time to anything is a monumental feat that I personally can't even fathom. Heck I haven't even lived for that long!

So, please help me celebrate this incredible milestone. Share with everyone a memory or a story you have about James Duff that inspired you in some way.


Thank you,

Michael

 

[Yeller]

I had the pleasure of spending a full day with James at Windrock last fall. Its a day that I will cherish for the rest of my life. The stories of Baja, the wisdom of business, ideas of builds and experiences with other champions of my youth. We got to brainstorm some about parts and design. What I will always remember most was listening to him giggle the few times I got to wick it up and drift around a corner or make a crazy climb. It was one of the best days I've spent building a friendship.

 

[hyghlndr]

Congrats and thanks for all your contributions to the Bronco world. I will never forget sharing a meal at my first MEB Bronco roundup with the Duffs, like dining with royalty. My daughter and wife were lucky enough to ride with Suzy on their first ever trail day....very fond memories of great people!

 

[jmangi62]

My best memory of the James Duff name was when I was a a little kid, reading off road magazines and always seeing that name and the pic of the moustached cowboy driving the Pony Express Early Bronco, and I noticed they always had their location as Bellingham Wa. ( I think that was it lol.) Back then it was only them and K Bar S. Learned a lot from those old magazine articles, I'm older now and putting that great knowledge into my builds. Thank You to the Duff family for all their hard work over the years, and helping make the Bronco community what it is today, can't imagine doing any of it without them.

 

[DirtDonk]

My best memory of the James Duff name was when I was a a little kid,reading off road magazines and always seeing that name and the pic of the moustashed cowboy driving the Early Bronco,and I noticed they always had their location as Bellingham Wa. ( I think that was it lol.) ...

Sequim (squim) WA. And down in southern CA before that.
Pretty sure that cowboy with the big 'stache is James hisownself.

Congrats to the Duff empire! And thanks to Mike for posting up such a great tribute.

Paul

 

[jmangi62]

That's it Sequim WA, thanks Donk.

 

[tasker]

out of body experience was a few years ago when James was nice enough to give me a hell ride in the Pony Express....not only is he a truly great guy, but was giggling like a young kid who just got his license as were ripping 6000 RPM's going across the show field. AND was even kind enough to sign the glove box for my project rig... THANKS for years of service guys!!

 

[Whoaa]

I've been doing business with Duffy for 30+ years....

In the mid 80's I used to call for help, advice, and parts and talk to Mr. Duff. At the time there weren't many aftermarket parts available so he'd send me the best used stuff to get me going again.

Looking forward to the next decade!

 

[romegadave]

Sequim (squim) WA. And down in southern CA before that.
Pretty sure that cowboy with the big 'stache is James hisownself.

Congrats to the Duff empire! And thanks to Mike for posting up such a great tribute.

Paul

Well said Paul--very knowledgeable folks and thanks to Mike for his patience when I call. One of the many fine vendors found on this forum and I'm a proud customer.

 

[5001craig]

Thanks Mike for this thread.

I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Duff (and MM and Suzy) last year at the Bronco Takeover at Silver Lake Sand Dunes. I could have listened to him all day. Loved hearing his reason for building the Pony Express and what all went into that rig. Trust me, stuffing a 351W into an EB then lowering the body on the frame (considerably--isn't the body lowered 4" in the front Mike?) makes my head spin. I want to know what fits. Mr. Duff wanted to figure out how to lower the body after making it fit. And how long ago did he do that???

Duff has pioneered some stuff that is not offered elsewhere.

Mike, please bring Mr. Duff and Suzy to SLSD again this year. Oh, and you can come too. ;D

 

[Jdgephar]

Thanks Duffs! I appreciate the free shipping to Silver Lake last summer and the ride in the Pony Express. Did you ever get the paddles dialed in right for the soft sand?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[bronconut73]

When I was a kid I watched cartoons on Saturday mornings. After the cartoons Wide World of Sports would come on.
That was my first exposure to Baja and James Duff, and Parnelli, and Garner, etc....
I was enthralled with it. Fast trucks just did it for me as a kid....
The Duff name and that mustache like my Dad's was easy to remember for a little kid.
So then about 5 years later....I'm about 13 I get my eb at a city auction....
First catalog I get is a Duff catalog. I can't believe my eyes, it's James Duff.

My formative teen age years were often spent dreaming about Baja and wheeling my eb. In fact I'm still dreaming about Baja and wheeling my eb .....Lol....
All this time Mr. Duff has been in the back of my mind..."The grandfather of the modified eb"

Never thought I would ever speak to him....Then once in the late 80's I am on the phone with Suzy asking her questions...She pauses and says, "Let me get somebody else for you to ask that question of", I said, " Ok..."

Next thing I know Mr. Duff is on the phone. Suzy didn't give me any warning...I talked to her regularly later in the late 80's and 90's...So there I am stuttering, stammering, ....Mr. Duff says, "Calm down, I can't understand you"...
I asked my question, which he answered perfectly. I then told him how I had been a fan for a really long time....Since I was a kid.
I'm nobody special, just a redneck, central Florida engineer that loves eb's. Back then I was just a redneck surfer country kid.
Looking back with more experienced, adult eyes I see that
Mr. Duff was super patient, genuinely kind, and very gracious with his time with me.
That experience made me believe "all" eb people are really cool. A belief that stands today.

Thank you Mr. Duff, Judy, Suzy, Richard, Ben and the latest Duff Ruff, oh...And Bebo too, as well as my Buddy Monster Mike.

Your support of this hobby has kept me involved. You are more likely the reason I never sold my eb over anything else. I never worried about getting in a jamb because I always knew I could call Suzy and if she couldn't handle it, "The eb grandfather always could".

 

[sprdv1]

Thanks for all y'all do. Definitely a great Supporter and fanatic like the rest of us

 

[uncletom]

My wife and I attended Duffs open house during last years "Super cellabration". I was standing at the doorway to their shop and a man walked up to me held out his hand and said "Hi, I'm James Duff". I shook his hand with my mouth open and my eyes bugged! He showed me everything in their display room and some of the shop. Then we sat and had lunch with James & Judy and they told us all about their life. It was the best part of our trip. They made us feel at home with friends. They are truly special people.

 

[NGABronco]

Ditto on all the great things said!!!! My greatest memory (like tasker) was the ride around the field in the "Pony Express" with the man himself!!!;D;D;D

Congrats on the 50 and many more!!! See y'all at SC!!!;D;D;D

 

[House]

This is one of my favorite vintage pics.
A good friend of mine bought his first new car from Walker Buerge Ford too...

 

[WILDHORSES]

What can you say about the guy who as far as I’m concerned started it all. I remember driving the 77 Bronco 16 hours from Stockton CA to Sequim WA to pick up hoods, flares and all kinds of other parts in the early 90s.

There was the time I drove the Nightmare off the ramp and onto its side at Sand Lake. James coundn't get to his truck quick enough to help get the mare back on it’s feet. I’m sure he has a pic of that somewhere.

I received a lot of good advise from talks with James at many events over the years. Congratulations, keep up the great work.

Jim

 

[stout22]

I can remember the first time I personally met James Duff. I was in awe (still am). I was surprised that he actually took the time to talk with me and share his Bronco wisdom.
Congratulations to a group of top quality folks!

 

[Yeller]

Jim's comments about Sand Lake brought back a memory I had forgotten about.

Sometime in the very early 80's I met James at an event there I remembered seeing their ad in a 4x4 mag (can't remember which one) and thought it was cool to meet the guy that owned the company, I was maybe 9 or 10.

 

[No Hay]

Congrats to James Duff and the whole family. Thanks for having all the passion and enthusiasm for these vehicles over the years.

I wish I had been aware of the Duffs back in the day, when they were in Sequim, and visiting Sand Lake. That would have been fun, but keep the stories coming.