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Hi All, I’m new around here, but wanted to share a cool build: a very custom “Super Bronco”. It’s my dad’s build though I helped with some parts. The result was an awesome and very unique truck.
My dad, while not quite the Porsche fan that I am, really took Ferry Porsche’s idea to heart when he said “I looked around and could not find quite the car I dreamed of. So I decided to build it myself.” The result was a VERY custom “Super Bronco”.
The truck you see in the pictures is actually version 2.0 of my Dad’s Bronco. The first iteration was a 96 “OJ” Bronco that dad swapped a 7.3 Power Stroke Diesel from a 91 F350 into. It was a good truck and even got 30 mpg on the highway, but ultimately Dad wanted something a little more modern.
Version 2.0 has been a much larger project encompassing another Diesel engine, this time a 6.0 Power Stroke, as well as a completely custom body. In designing the body, Dad had a few criterion that dictated much of the design: first, it had to be very maneuverable and relatively easy to parallel park downtown; second it needed a backseat that was easily accessible but that also folded down so he could carry large items in the back; lastly, and most importantly, it had to be unique.
The Build
As I imagine most build’s do, this build started on paper. Dad spent weeks printing pictures of F250s and Excursions and cutting and pasting them together. Eventually he moved to Microsoft paint and finally, after hundreds of attempts, he arrived at the desired look. With the vision on paper, Dad started acquiring parts for the build.
The first acquisition was a 2005 F250 Crew Cab diesel. Dad found a guy whose business was parting out Super Duty pickups that he bought at auction and convinced the guy to sell him a donor chassis. This particular one was missing the front clip, interior, bumpers, and bed, but still had the 6.0 Power Stroke that wouldn’t start. It was perfect for the build. Dad also acquired a 2001 Excursion body from Craigslist to use for the rear half of the build
Dad was able to diagnose the 6.0’s starting issue as a bad timing cover that wouldn’t allow the low side oil pump to build up enough pressure. He then proceeded to completely rebuild and “bullet proof” it. He also added a stage 1 cam and a tune and while it hasn’t been dynoed, we expect it puts out something north of 400 horsepower.
Another of the build criteria was that the truck had to be 4-wheel drive. Because the donor truck was a 2-wheel drive specimen, Dad bought a 2012 F250 4-wheel drive front axle and electric locker rear end to mount in the truck. They both had 3.31 gears to keep the rpms low at speed in hopes of better fuel economy.
Part of Dad’s design criteria was a useable backseat for passengers. To make the backseats accessible, he incorporated suicide half doors into the design of the truck. For these he purchased the remains of an F250 extended cab truck from a salvage yard and went about adapting the rear doors to the Super Bronco. He narrowed the doors, and then reshaped them to match the curvature of the Excursion side windows. Then it was just a matter of mounting the door jambs out of the extended cab truck in the excursion body. Once the doors were mounted Dad cut the Excursion body in half and removed the rear half from the frame.
Because of the way the Excursion body was designed, Dad decided to mate the rear frame of the Excursion to the front frame of the F250 donor. After careful study and measuring, he created his own design to mate them that included welding and bolting them for added strength and security.
With a completed frame, it was now time to mate the bodies together. Dad cut the excursion so that the roof extended nearly to the windshield but cut the rest of the body away behind the front doors. He cut the donor F250 just behind the front doors then set the two bodies on the custom short frame and welded them together. The resulting Franken-truck began to look like a Bronco.
Next on the list was to make a modern-looking front end for the Truck. Dad acquired a 2008 hood and fenders from Craigslist to start with. He then modified a 2017 grill it to fit between the 2008-10 headlights and then reshaped the hood to match. The 2008 hood originally had a grill mounted to it so he cut the front end off of a 1999 hood, modified it, welded it on and then shaped it using body filler. Dad also deleted the side vents from the fenders and mounted them on the hood on each side of the added hood scoop.
After modernizing the front end, Dad decided the rear of the excursion could use an update as well. He started by replacing the dated excursion taillights with 2017 F150 taillights that he mounted upside down. He also added a King Ranch tailgate insert to the back. This had to be cut and shortened due to the width of the truck and the way that the Excursion rear doors opened. Finally, Dad also added a center taillight that spans the length of the King Ranch tailgate insert and applied “Super Bronco” lettering.
With the outside of the truck completed, the last step was to build a custom interior. To continue with the modern theme, Dad purchased a 2017 dash panel to install. He also built a custom mount for a Samsung tablet in the center. For the seats, Dad found a virtually new King Ranch leather upholstery set on Craigslist and adapted a set of Lincoln MKX seats that were heated and cooled. To tie it all together, Dad also built a wood center console using Aromatic Cedar because he loves the colors.
The whole thing came together really well and since he finished it late in 2019, Dad has already put 15,000 miles on it. The reactions the truck has received have been overwhelmingly positive. The truck seems to appeal to all kinds of people: young, old, male, female, you name it, they like it. People are constantly chasing Dad down on the highway and coming up to him at the gas stations to look at the truck. For Dad though, it drives well and ticks all the boxes he set out for his dream truck. And to top it all off, it’s a dead ringer for the picture he designed at the start.
My dad, while not quite the Porsche fan that I am, really took Ferry Porsche’s idea to heart when he said “I looked around and could not find quite the car I dreamed of. So I decided to build it myself.” The result was a VERY custom “Super Bronco”.
The truck you see in the pictures is actually version 2.0 of my Dad’s Bronco. The first iteration was a 96 “OJ” Bronco that dad swapped a 7.3 Power Stroke Diesel from a 91 F350 into. It was a good truck and even got 30 mpg on the highway, but ultimately Dad wanted something a little more modern.
Version 2.0 has been a much larger project encompassing another Diesel engine, this time a 6.0 Power Stroke, as well as a completely custom body. In designing the body, Dad had a few criterion that dictated much of the design: first, it had to be very maneuverable and relatively easy to parallel park downtown; second it needed a backseat that was easily accessible but that also folded down so he could carry large items in the back; lastly, and most importantly, it had to be unique.
The Build
As I imagine most build’s do, this build started on paper. Dad spent weeks printing pictures of F250s and Excursions and cutting and pasting them together. Eventually he moved to Microsoft paint and finally, after hundreds of attempts, he arrived at the desired look. With the vision on paper, Dad started acquiring parts for the build.
The first acquisition was a 2005 F250 Crew Cab diesel. Dad found a guy whose business was parting out Super Duty pickups that he bought at auction and convinced the guy to sell him a donor chassis. This particular one was missing the front clip, interior, bumpers, and bed, but still had the 6.0 Power Stroke that wouldn’t start. It was perfect for the build. Dad also acquired a 2001 Excursion body from Craigslist to use for the rear half of the build
Dad was able to diagnose the 6.0’s starting issue as a bad timing cover that wouldn’t allow the low side oil pump to build up enough pressure. He then proceeded to completely rebuild and “bullet proof” it. He also added a stage 1 cam and a tune and while it hasn’t been dynoed, we expect it puts out something north of 400 horsepower.
Another of the build criteria was that the truck had to be 4-wheel drive. Because the donor truck was a 2-wheel drive specimen, Dad bought a 2012 F250 4-wheel drive front axle and electric locker rear end to mount in the truck. They both had 3.31 gears to keep the rpms low at speed in hopes of better fuel economy.
Part of Dad’s design criteria was a useable backseat for passengers. To make the backseats accessible, he incorporated suicide half doors into the design of the truck. For these he purchased the remains of an F250 extended cab truck from a salvage yard and went about adapting the rear doors to the Super Bronco. He narrowed the doors, and then reshaped them to match the curvature of the Excursion side windows. Then it was just a matter of mounting the door jambs out of the extended cab truck in the excursion body. Once the doors were mounted Dad cut the Excursion body in half and removed the rear half from the frame.
Because of the way the Excursion body was designed, Dad decided to mate the rear frame of the Excursion to the front frame of the F250 donor. After careful study and measuring, he created his own design to mate them that included welding and bolting them for added strength and security.
With a completed frame, it was now time to mate the bodies together. Dad cut the excursion so that the roof extended nearly to the windshield but cut the rest of the body away behind the front doors. He cut the donor F250 just behind the front doors then set the two bodies on the custom short frame and welded them together. The resulting Franken-truck began to look like a Bronco.
Next on the list was to make a modern-looking front end for the Truck. Dad acquired a 2008 hood and fenders from Craigslist to start with. He then modified a 2017 grill it to fit between the 2008-10 headlights and then reshaped the hood to match. The 2008 hood originally had a grill mounted to it so he cut the front end off of a 1999 hood, modified it, welded it on and then shaped it using body filler. Dad also deleted the side vents from the fenders and mounted them on the hood on each side of the added hood scoop.
After modernizing the front end, Dad decided the rear of the excursion could use an update as well. He started by replacing the dated excursion taillights with 2017 F150 taillights that he mounted upside down. He also added a King Ranch tailgate insert to the back. This had to be cut and shortened due to the width of the truck and the way that the Excursion rear doors opened. Finally, Dad also added a center taillight that spans the length of the King Ranch tailgate insert and applied “Super Bronco” lettering.
With the outside of the truck completed, the last step was to build a custom interior. To continue with the modern theme, Dad purchased a 2017 dash panel to install. He also built a custom mount for a Samsung tablet in the center. For the seats, Dad found a virtually new King Ranch leather upholstery set on Craigslist and adapted a set of Lincoln MKX seats that were heated and cooled. To tie it all together, Dad also built a wood center console using Aromatic Cedar because he loves the colors.
The whole thing came together really well and since he finished it late in 2019, Dad has already put 15,000 miles on it. The reactions the truck has received have been overwhelmingly positive. The truck seems to appeal to all kinds of people: young, old, male, female, you name it, they like it. People are constantly chasing Dad down on the highway and coming up to him at the gas stations to look at the truck. For Dad though, it drives well and ticks all the boxes he set out for his dream truck. And to top it all off, it’s a dead ringer for the picture he designed at the start.
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