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New Ford Patent Shows Fully Removable Roof and Cage Like Original Bronco

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Patent Filings:

Vehicle Roof Joint Assembly - http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-...19".PGNR.&OS=DN/20190366819&RS=DN/20190366819

Removable Roof Structure - http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-...20".PGNR.&OS=DN/20190366820&RS=DN/20190366820

New Ford Bronco May Have Removable Roof Just Like Original


If Ford uses the tech in these patents, fully open-air motoring in the new Bronco would be possible.

1966-ford-bronco-roadster.jpg


Newly published patent filings from Ford lend further credence that the company might offer the new Bronco with a fully removable roof and roll cage. The applications are for a Removable Roof Structure and Vehicle Roof Joint Assembly. The accompanying drawings suggest these ideas are related.

Gallery: Ford Removable Roof Patent
Ford's applications say that these drawings apply to "specifically a five-door sport utility vehicle." There would be lower and upper B-pillars that could slot into each other and a similar attachment for the C-pillar. For additional security, there would be holes in the insertable portions that bolts with nuts or some other fastener would go into. A hinge on the A-pillar would connect to another portion of the roof assembly.

More Ford Patents With Possible Ties To The Bronco:
The patent application for a Vehicle Roof Joint Assembly is largely the same as the other one but goes into greater detail about the fastening process. For example, the A-pillar attachment would include a sleeve that would connect to a bracket on the roof piece.

One of Ford's patent applications includes a graph that compares the strength of this removable top to a fixed roof (see it in the gallery above). The test pushes a metal plate against them from the side "at a slow but constant speed," and engineers stop the process when the roof crushes inward 5 inches. A good result happens when the piece can withstand a force of at least four times the vehicle's weight. In the evaluation, the removable top performs well within this range, although not quite as well as the fixed roof.

From its introduction for the 1966 model year through 1968, the Bronco was available as a roofless Roadster model, in addition to other body styles. Even afterward, it was still possible to remove the hardtop from the SUV to enjoy open-air driving.

The patent filing is never a guarantee of technology entering production. For example, these applications don't answer the question of how the Bronco could have adequate performance in a rollover.

ford-removable-roof-patent-1.jpg
ford-removable-roof-patent-2.jpg
ford-removable-roof-patent-3.jpg
ford-removable-roof-patent-4.jpg
ford-removable-roof-patent-5.jpg
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TopRecon

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I'd be surprised if there wasn't a fixed B-Pillar for rollover support like on a Targa, but this looks leagues better than the Wrangler's fixed cage, and for someone hauling stuff, removing the cage will grant a lot more interior space.
 

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OH HECK YAH! (as my kids would say)
 

78CreamBrownie

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Personally I am not a fan of a fully removable roof and cage. Accidents will happen and I will be the one who is side swiped and killed when I remove mine for the first time. Call me soft, but I do like to live and enjoy my bronco.
 

jimbo92

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I would bet money this thing is NOT going to have a removable cage. The cage is modular for easy assembly of the truck. Not for intentional removal. A jeep is the same way.
 

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I would bet money this thing is NOT going to have a removable cage. The cage is modular for easy assembly of the truck. Not for intentional removal. A jeep is the same way.
With the previous patent like this my buddy over at Ford stated the same thing. Said to take the patents with a grain of salt, automakers file a lot of patents.
 

Stampede.Offroad

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If nothing else, this along with most of the others suggest Ford is bypassing the silly fold down windshield Jeep keeps around for all the people who want to pretend they're a battlefield ambulance. Unfortunately the Troller cartoon doesn't really tell us if there will be some curvature or greater rake too.
 

OX1

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Fully removable top AND "easily" removable cage is not going to happen in this day and age.

I could see a partially removable rear cage section, with semi permanent part covering A and B pillars.
Kind of like the front crash beams on newer Stangs. It bolts on, but you can't just unbolt it
without grinding off some minimal welding. That way you'd have to be really deliberate about
replacing that forward section with something better, but it wouldn't be dam near impossible
either.

Could be cool to make your own "half cab" out of a 4 door by removing rear seats permanently
and using alternate roof for front seats only.
 

Dirty Bronco

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Would love for this to be an "option" but as others have said... I don't know how likely this is to actually happen. I DO hope that Ford comes out with some sort of removable top and not just the pop out panels. Hopefully whatever they do is safe and provides a good enough open air experience that isn't a complete PITA to convert over to.
 

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BHShaman

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Personally I am not a fan of a fully removable roof and cage. Accidents will happen and I will be the one who is side swiped and killed when I remove mine for the first time. Call me soft, but I do like to live and enjoy my bronco.
I want it to help save the lives of cyclist who will launch into my lap instead of into a pillar.

All kidding aside, risk is relative.
I would prefer a 85 4Runner option.
We'll see.
 

BroncoMike

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Would love for this to be an "option" but as others have said... I don't know how likely this is to actually happen. I DO hope that Ford comes out with some sort of removable top and not just the pop out panels. Hopefully whatever they do is safe and provides a good enough open air experience that isn't a complete PITA to convert over to.
I don't care about "safe". I drive a doorless, topless '71 Bronco or a variety of motorcycles most of the time. Anything built within the last 20 years is going to be an order of magnitude more safe than either of those options, even if I cut the top off with a sawzall.
 

Stampede.Offroad

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I don't care about "safe". I drive a doorless, topless '71 Bronco or a variety of motorcycles most of the time. Anything built within the last 20 years is going to be an order of magnitude more safe than either of those options, even if I cut the top off with a sawzall.
I knew a few people who did that to old sedans in highschool. It didn't kill them.

Hell, I drove a car with no floor, no brakes, the transmission held up with an old snowchain, and the gas tank mounted on the roof because the fuel pump stopped working over 80mph in the dark with the headlights off ... I'm not dead yet either. :turkey: (100% literal) _ All the bubble wrap in the world won't keep you alive forever, and would the experience really be worth it if you did?

No roll cage is one of the more appealing versions of a removable roof vehicle for me if it's going to be a cruiser.

Plenty of people driving Wranglers manage to do so without having safety-related panic attacks every day, and those get some of the worst safety ratings in their age. The bar for safety that Ford needs the Bronco to exceed is pretty damn low.
 

Dirty Bronco

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As with motorcycles.. my concern isnt my driving skills, it’s the others around me. Here in Ohio we have some brutally awful drivers.
 

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