Vehicle Description
1973 Ford Bronco
One of the most technical four-wheel-drive roads in Utah, Elephant
Hill presents drivers and mountain bikers with steep grades, loose
rock, stair-step drops, tight turns, and tricky backing. Once over
the hill, equally challenging roads lead to various features as
well as BLM lands south of the park. Maximum vehicle length,
including racks and trailers, is 21 feet. Oh, and bring your
groover if you are going to camp as there is no water at the
campsites!
For consignment, a 1973 Ford Bronco which our consignor describes
as a resto-mod. I'd describe it as a dirt digger, rock climber and
an unstoppable force against anything nature can throw at it. A
body and suspension lifted 4x4 with a beefy 4.6 liter DOHC 32 valve
V8 w EFI, a "family roll bar setup", and some serious meats on all
4 corners. Military grade? Well, read on my trailblazing friends
and campers.
Exterior
The beneficiary of a frame off restoration and the typical Bronco
was thrown out the window, baby, bathwater and all, and now only
the frame, front and rear axles were reused for this build, and it
has a virtually all new steel body. This was lifted 2 inches and
the suspension was lifted 3.5 inches, so there is plenty of ground
clearance to take on even the deepest of crevices or the most mondo
of rocks. The original top was removed and a "family roll bar" was
installed which basically protects the entire passenger compartment
occupants in case of a roll over. A custom canvas straight roof top
was fabricated and installed above the roll cage. All steel is rust
free with new emblems and has well minded gaps, and it's all bathed
in the deep end of the pool black paint, even the taillights have a
black covering over them. The front and rear bumpers are HD tubing
and or a steel bar. The rear bumper has a tow package and the front
bumper a push bar. LED front headlights, Bully side steps to aid in
your climb inside before making your climb up the hill, and
blackened trimmings make this a truly menacing Bronco if there ever
was one! And lest I forget the 35 inch Nitto Grabbers wrapping
Black Fuel wheels on all 4 tall corners.Hang on...this IS a bucking
Bronco fer sur!
Interior
A climb inside reveals like new doors painted full metal jackets in
black with a textured vinyl insert panel housing the black vinyl
armrest, and black anodized aluminum billet window cranks. Inside
we rattlesnake, (well it sounds like the outdoors?!), our way
through the full roll cage and slip on to the high back buckets
wrapped in gray broadcloth. Between these tall chairs is a custom 3
tier console with a padded armrest on top and cascading levels down
to the cupholder on the hump. In front of this is the dual transfer
case shift levers well within the driver's reach. A rally steering
wheel covered in leather with 3 black open spokes in the center
front custom dash which is also...wait for it...black! To the
drivers left is a digital and analog round cluster with blackface
and white readouts. This one gauge houses the speedo, tachometer,
oil, temp, fuel level and volts. The odometer is a digital LED
unit. Moving across we see more billet knobs and pulls in satin
machine aluminum and a Sony AM/FM/CD stereo. Speakers are mounted
throughout. The gear shift lever has a billet topper and is located
on the tilt wheel column. In front of the passenger is a small
glove box. In the back is a utilitarian but effective bench for
extra tagalongs. This can be folded down to add to the rear small
plastic over steel lined ribbed bed. A tailgate provides easy
access to this area. With this interior you'll be one happy
camper.
Drivetrain
A complete restoration and upgrading and the original mill was also
thrown out with the baby and the bathwater and now a powerful 4.6
liter DOHC 32 Valve V8 with EFI powers this classic truck. A
4-speed automatic 4R70W 4-speed automatic is on the back of this
new mill, and a 3.50 Trac Loc rear axle is spinning the rear meats.
All is well under this custom molded engine covered bay.
Undercarriage
Frame off is serious stuff and there's no fooling around with this
undercarriage. There is also no rust, just strong pristine looking
black painted structural steel everywhere. Floor pans are as solid
as the rocks you'll climb and upfront some radius arms and coil
springs soften the blows and on back leaf springs. Power disc
braking courtesy Wilwood are on all 4 corners. There is now an
electronic E-brake installed and you can see the controller
underneath. Also, dual Flowmaster exhaust is working its way
rearward and is looking like new.
Drive-Ability
In Morgantown PA there are not a lot of rocks to climb, so I just
climbed in and fired it up and off to the test track I went. It has
great acceleration, plenty of power and the dual shift levers allow
many options for gearing in 4WD. There was no granny with a walker
so I could not test to see if it was a true granny gear, but it's a
true crawler. I tried to climb the side of the building, but the
owner came out and poo pooed it! All functions were working and
solid as a rock.
A passionate build makes for some serious 4 wheeling and rock
climbing (see the intro). This restored frame off Bronco is a real
powerhouse and a classic as well. A truly serious and fun truck
right out of 1973 (well...no more!)
VIN DECODE
U15GLR48039
U15-Bronco 4x4 Wagon
G-302ci V8
L-Detroit, MI Assy Plant
R45039-Sequential Unit Number
DOOR STICKER
COLOR Y-Burnt Orange
MODEL U151-Bronco Wagon GVW 4500lbs
TRANS G-C4 Automatic
AXLE B8J-3.50 TracLoc, Power Steering
DSO 17-Washington
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 850 vehicles for sale
with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle
barn find collection is on display. This vehicle is located in our
showroom in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, conveniently located just
1-hour west of Philadelphia on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The
website is www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888)
227-0914. Please contact us anytime for more information or to come
see the vehicle in person.