Mean Green build… time will tell

[Mean Green]

Hi my name is Bill and I took delivery of my 2023 Eruption Green 2 door Bronco Badlands Sasquatch on 1/5/2023. It has the 2.7 v6 with the 10 speed. Equipment group 334A and the Sasquatch package. She was built 12/18/2023 and I did not directly order her, as I had heard many of the stories of how that was going. I have visited most of the Ford dealerships within a 100+ miles of my home many times over the last three years. I refused to pay the “availability” fee they were getting with each Bronco that showed up. After weekly visits (it was becoming a fun game to me) of over a year, they were starting to know me. Finally one of the dealers was willing to see if they could get what I was looking for on their next order. I’m sure all of you know better then I how all this works, but on 12/27/2023, they called me and said they had a truck that matched my request in transit and if I wanted it, I should come in and work out my deal. We came to an agreement and all that was left was to see how long it would take to get there. She showed up on 1/4/2023 and I picked her up 1/5/2023. The one mistake I made was in thinking that the Badlands still comes with the modular bumper. Mine has the steel bumper…

I was heavily involved in the Hummer H3 scene for 13 years, but I am older now and my health is not what it used to be. The warranty is a bit more important to me at this point and I have not been able to find out what modifications will void the warrant. I’m not sure I will get back on the trails, but I want to be able to if I want to.

I would like to add LoD frame braces, Buckle up winch bracket, a Badlands winch with a bull bar and trans skid plate (not sure which one yet). Thinking mud flaps are a requirement as rooster tails were a problem on my H3

Storage as I’m sure you are all aware is limited, so I’ve added a few convenience items to try to help. I put a safe in the console as well. I hate any kind of steps hanging down below the sliders, but I need them at this point. I install a set along with some soft grab handles to ease getting in and out.

I’m having fun reading through all the information and figuring out what Green Green will look like as I go forwar.

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[Tdub0527]

Persistence pays off! Have fun building up your rig.

 

[Mean Green]

No bitching, just an observation… first I want to say I love the Bronco, so please don’t hate me for these early observation. I think my Bronco wants to be a garage queen… her roof has leaked every time it has rained so far... First snow storm and none of the body sensors worked because of ice. Every time I stopped, she screamed at me that I was going to “hit” something… and… when I picked her up, she had 3 miles on her… the MPG read 11 and the best I have been able to get in the first 500 miles is 15.6 mpg… that is highway with cruse control on…

That said, I love driving her! A few more mods have showed up on the door step…

 

[Mean Green]

Couple of the easy ones…

 

[Mean Green]

Yea, mud flaps are in my future… anyone have suggestions for a set of four? I’ve been looking and they run the gambit.

 

[the poacher]

Yahoo, glad to read that your journey to get your Bronco was not as long, nor twisted as many of us experienced.
You have a beauty and I hope your health improves so that you can enjoy the Bronco as you envision it to be enjoyed.
Interim, just know that every day you climb behind the wheel, a smile will appear on your face!

 

[tock13]

No bitching, just an observation… first I want to say I love the Bronco, so please don’t hate me for these early observation. I think my Bronco wants to be a garage queen… her roof has leaked every time it has rained so far... First snow storm and none of the body sensors worked because of ice. Every time I stopped, she screamed at me that I was going to “hit” something… and… when I picked her up, she had 3 miles on her… the MPG read 11 and the best I have been able to get in the first 500 miles is 15.6 mpg… that is highway with cruse control on…

That said, I love driving her! A few more mods have showed up on the door step…

There are those here that will defend Ford and the Bronco come hell or high water and get cranky with anyone calling Ford or the Bronco out as being subpar at times. I think overall the Bronco is a really cool vehicle that Ford just went seriously cheap on in a few places. It is sad they did that but it is what it is I suppose. There is absolutely no reason yours should leak so take it in and have the dealer look at it. There is no shortage of posts on this forum talking about the MIC top and issues with it. Unfortunately buying a Bronco seems it a crap-shoot. Some get lucky some don't, I honestly think the ratio leans to more having good experiences than bad.

I am one of the unlucky ones, Ford bought back my 2023 Bronco because they could not get it running. I promptly ordered an exact replacement in a 2024 even before they finalized the buyback. I could be back at square one with this replacement or I could be one of the many here that talk about owning a flawless reliable example of a Bronco.

I loved driving my '23, it was a 4 dr SAS Big Bend with the 2.3 auto. I was getting 20.1 mpg average on the 2 tanks of gas I got to put in it before Ford took it back, I am never in a rush to get anywhere so I drive it easy I guess. I am currently tracking my '24 that is on a train heading my way as I type this.

Enjoy yours, it is a beautiful looking truck and I bet you get years of enjoyment out of it!! (tons of compliments on it too I bet!)

 

[Mean Green]

I put a smaller lock box in the center console and was able to add a shelf above it to gain some quick access space back. I’ll be taking it back out after this trial fit to remove the bottom for access to the fob

 

[Mean Green]

Not the nicest looking, but the steps are functional, they were cheap enough that I don’t care about them and two screws to take them off. I can see me upgrading to frame mounted rock sliders at some point…

 

[Shrek27]

I put a smaller lock box in the center console and was able to add a shelf above it to gain some quick access space back. I’ll be taking it back out after this trial fit to remove the bottom for access to the fob

Do you have a link for this safe? I like how it allows the top organizer and use of the cig lighter adapter. Keep up the build, lookin great!

 

[Mean Green]

Thank you for the kind words. It is just a cheap flea bay lock box. It is a tight fit getting it in there. The bottom is sealed and if left as is, blocks the remote socket in the bottom of the console. I intend to cut the bottom off. Hope the links work…

Console short lock box

Short eBay console tray

 

[Mean Green]

Well, I discovered eco mode… mpg using adaptive cruse control in eco mode is creeping up… currently at 16.3 and rising… lol. I am struggling with this small gas tank though. Twice a week fill ups vs. once every eight days in the old PU. Now the good news, only costs half as much each fill up! LOL…

Small upgrades are piling up waiting for the weather to break.

 

[ksdon]

A beautiful color! And sounds like you will soon get it dialed in for your needs.
I am a person who did not want steps. Our Black Diamond was just fine with the factory rock sliders......for about 2 weeks. We knew we needed steps.

Long story short. We installed Rock Slide Engineering rock slides. It gave us as much and most likely more protection than the factory slides and gave us a very helpful step!! The length of our step is perfect for knees or shorter legs. And they won't ever snag on anything.

 

[Mean Green]

Thanks for the kind words and understanding. I learned with my Hummer that you spend more time on road, then off road. Steps and mud flaps come off easy when you are scheduling an off road trip. On the occasional unscheduled off road trips, I only bent one step in 13 years on the Hummer and it was easy enough to fix when I got home. My wife is small in stature and at this point I’m on a cane. More pictures of the driveway upgrades to come. Might be a while before I get into any of the heavier upgrade stuff…

 

[Mean Green]

Not sure this picture makes sense, but I cut the bottom of the lock box out to gain access to the remote area under it. I also heated and stretched (widened) the tray a little. As noted by another member on a different thread, the sides on this aftermarket short tray were just a little in. If you pushed down too hard it would fall. The heat gun really did the trick. Works perfectly now.

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