Rockin' Horse

Occasionally, we run across a very clean old Ford Bronco that really turns our heads. Steve Miller's '73 Bronco is no exception. This rig was restored and put together with considerable thought and quality craftsmanship. Steve and his friends have been wrenching on this vehicle for the last five years and have it just about where he wants it. But is a project vehicle ever really finished?

Muscle and Force
Steve wanted to build a vehicle with dependable power that he could take on the toughest trails, yet would still look great sitting at the trailhead. Being heavily involved in the automotive industry, Steve knows his way around an engine compartment. Sticking with the original manufacturer, Steve found a 347ci engine from a '95 Mustang and dropped it in. To increase the powerplant's horsepower and torque, Steve installed a Kenne Bell supercharger. He keeps the supercharger set at 6 pounds of boost. The engine is coupled to a Ford four-speed AOD transmission, featuring a custom valvebody, a 1,200-rpm-stall torque converter, a Setrab cooler, a lockup eliminator kit, and oversize servos. The transmission was built by Transworks in Huntington Beach, California. An Atlas II transfer case with a 4.3:1 gear ratio feeds the torque to the axles. Steve also installed custom-built driveshafts by Driveshaft Service in Pomona, California.

Suspension Tricks
The suspension modifications were completed by David Phillips of Glendora, California. The front build consisted of installing Rock Krawler coil springs, Wild Horses spindles, and dual Rancho RS9000 shocks. The rear suspension sports trick King racing shocks with Eibach coils and a custom four-link system. The Bronco received a little more height with a 2-inch body lift.

Axles
The Ford 9-inch custom rear axle was built by Currie Enterprises located in Anaheim, California, and was fit with a Strange Engineering nodular differential housing, Detroit Locker, and Precision Gear ring-and-pinion with a 4:56 ratio. The front Dana 44 axle is also geared at 4:56 and uses an ARB Air Locker for traction. Both front and rear axles were fit with disc brakes. The Bronco rolls on American Racing 15x8-inch wheels and 35x12.5R15LT Goodyear Wranglers.

Cosmetic Surgery
The custom bodywork was completed by South County Auto Body in Lake Forest, California. The shop meticulously shaved all four corners and the gas-filler neck door, filled the rear spare-tire carrier holes, and then did a great job shooting the Bronco with very cool '00 Honda Spa Pearl Yellow paint. The dash was reworked with a custom aluminum overlay and VDO gauges. For safety, a custom interior 'cage was crafted and installed, then Scat Procar seats were bolted in and fit with Deist four-point harnesses. ProtoFab bumpers were bolted on stem to stern, and the rear features a spare-tire carrier, jerrycan, and cooler carrier.

Steve has invested some hard-earned cash into this clean-looking and very functional Bronco. We won't tell you the exact amount, but we feel that they were greenbacks well spent.