- Joined
- May 28, 2021
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- 55
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- 160
- Location
- Sierra Nevada
- Vehicle(s)
- 1971 Triumph Spitfire
- Your Bronco Model
- Base
- Thread starter
- #1
So, we reserved our Bronco in May '21, using our friend's dealership in Maryland. As it does, life happened, and we no longer live in Maryland. With all that was going on, the consensus was "Don't change anything!" So we didn't. Truck got built 03/09/2023 and I went back to Maryland to take delivery. I probably could have shipped it west for around $1400, but decided to just drive it across the country as an adventure. After delivery, I parked it at my Uncle's nearby hot rod shop on the Wye River.
There were a few key mods I wanted to do prior to the trip west that would be easier in the heated shop with all the right tools: underbody coat to hide and protect the pinch welds, dash speakers and sub/amp addition since mine got deleted (thanks @RagnarKon and @JimV), @Mabett console and glove box organizers, paracord grab handles, mudflaps to stop rock chips, gas struts for the hood, etc.
I flew back to Maryland on Wednesday with a bag full of mods to do. All went well, except I could not get my Uncle's laptop to play well with ForScan, so I could not actually activate the amp and sub (Note: the new dash speakers and stock kick panel speakers worked just fine on the trip), and as 0200 approached, I decided not to do the rear mud flaps.
Even after the late night in the shop, I woke up Thursday with the sun as I always do, and decided to hit the road.
The general plan to start the trip was to give the engine a good break in for the first 1000 miles, rather than drone along Interstate highways with cruise control set. US 50 is a significant roadway in our lives, both on the east and west coast, so I more or less decided to start off following that route, letting traffic and stoplights, etc. give the engine a good bit of variable loads for the break in.
This break in plan and my timing put me right in the middle of rush hour traffic as I headed straight through DC, but it was not as bad as it could have been: I stayed away from the Cherry Blossom nuttiness near the Tidal Basin!
Taking the non-interstate route was actually quite interesting. You gain an appreciation for the fact that people found the easy way to get from A to B, usually following riverbeds, first on foot or horseback, but then eventually with cars, which then established the US highway routes. Plus, you get to see cool attractions along the way.
I pressed on US 50 through the middle of West Virginia, and got as far as Cincinnati Thursday evening, where my wife was able to fly in after a work trip to join me. The trip got much better!
We hit the same US 50 route Friday morning, sharing the drive time. Once again, points of interest would just throw themselves at us, necessitating a turnaround for the appropriate picture.
We were having a good old time, discovering the even limited features of our base model (the center console window switches will take a WHILE to become natural).
As we passed the St. Louis area, the odometer tripped over 1,000 miles, so we started gravitating to some interstate driving. In the middle of Missouri, we saw the forecast weather on the horizon. Suddenly, lots of brake lights ahead of us on the interstate. As we got towards that area, we saw why: hail the size of golf balls piled up everywhere! Several cars were pulled over with damage to their windshields. "Good thing we missed that, eh, dear?" I was driving, and decided to exit to the access road to get around the stopped traffic on the interstate. At the top of the off ramp, another deluge of rain started, so I just pulled over to sit it out.
And then it happened. Another hailstorm. Our three week old Bronco, with all of 1,200 miles. And all we could do is just sit there and listen to the carnage. What a gut punch.
We pressed on and stopped for the night in Kansas City. There were a couple of tall, quality bourbon pours paid for Friday night as we wallowed in our sorrow.
But then, we saw the news, and realized that same line of storms that hit us was doing far worse to other folks, and our attitude changed. A truck is just a thing, we were lucky.
We woke up and continued on Saturday morning. There were some serious prairie winds in Kansas and eastern Colorado, but we got through that and enjoyed the scenery west of Denver as we headed up and over the Rockies. We were VERY happy not to be in the stop and go eastbound traffic on I70 going back to Denver from the ski resorts. We made it to Grand Junction, Colorado for the night.
My wife had to go back to work today, so I left her early this Sunday morning at the hotel to fly out of Grand Junction, and made the final push home alone. Since the trip started on US 50, I decided to finish it that way.
Cruising along in the middle of Utah, just after sunrise, I passed an unmarked trailhead. After continuing on a bit, I decided I could spare 30 minutes to initiate our Bronco to the off road life, and turned around to hit the trail! I was pretty sure that I could find a good photo op in the process. I was right.
So, yes kids, a Base Bronco on steelies with road tires can, in fact, do some good work in the dirt (not that it will keep me from looking for some big ol' take off's and a 2" lift
).
I got home late this afternoon, here is the summary since I picked up the truck from the dealer:
It is, I believe, an honest 20 mpg vehicle on a road trip. But once you start trying to push this flat-plate design through greater than 80 mph air (either wind or throttle induced), it really starts to suck down the petrol!
I am pretty sure the really heavy snow is done for this 75-year winter (now that is April!) and I can take my time to get things tire-wise set up for next winter. And then, of course, there are the rock sliders to install. And the seat covers with heaters. And a bumper with a winch. And rear deck for the grand-dog. And, and, . . .
There were a few key mods I wanted to do prior to the trip west that would be easier in the heated shop with all the right tools: underbody coat to hide and protect the pinch welds, dash speakers and sub/amp addition since mine got deleted (thanks @RagnarKon and @JimV), @Mabett console and glove box organizers, paracord grab handles, mudflaps to stop rock chips, gas struts for the hood, etc.
I flew back to Maryland on Wednesday with a bag full of mods to do. All went well, except I could not get my Uncle's laptop to play well with ForScan, so I could not actually activate the amp and sub (Note: the new dash speakers and stock kick panel speakers worked just fine on the trip), and as 0200 approached, I decided not to do the rear mud flaps.
Even after the late night in the shop, I woke up Thursday with the sun as I always do, and decided to hit the road.
The general plan to start the trip was to give the engine a good break in for the first 1000 miles, rather than drone along Interstate highways with cruise control set. US 50 is a significant roadway in our lives, both on the east and west coast, so I more or less decided to start off following that route, letting traffic and stoplights, etc. give the engine a good bit of variable loads for the break in.
This break in plan and my timing put me right in the middle of rush hour traffic as I headed straight through DC, but it was not as bad as it could have been: I stayed away from the Cherry Blossom nuttiness near the Tidal Basin!
Taking the non-interstate route was actually quite interesting. You gain an appreciation for the fact that people found the easy way to get from A to B, usually following riverbeds, first on foot or horseback, but then eventually with cars, which then established the US highway routes. Plus, you get to see cool attractions along the way.
I pressed on US 50 through the middle of West Virginia, and got as far as Cincinnati Thursday evening, where my wife was able to fly in after a work trip to join me. The trip got much better!
We hit the same US 50 route Friday morning, sharing the drive time. Once again, points of interest would just throw themselves at us, necessitating a turnaround for the appropriate picture.
We were having a good old time, discovering the even limited features of our base model (the center console window switches will take a WHILE to become natural).
As we passed the St. Louis area, the odometer tripped over 1,000 miles, so we started gravitating to some interstate driving. In the middle of Missouri, we saw the forecast weather on the horizon. Suddenly, lots of brake lights ahead of us on the interstate. As we got towards that area, we saw why: hail the size of golf balls piled up everywhere! Several cars were pulled over with damage to their windshields. "Good thing we missed that, eh, dear?" I was driving, and decided to exit to the access road to get around the stopped traffic on the interstate. At the top of the off ramp, another deluge of rain started, so I just pulled over to sit it out.
And then it happened. Another hailstorm. Our three week old Bronco, with all of 1,200 miles. And all we could do is just sit there and listen to the carnage. What a gut punch.
We pressed on and stopped for the night in Kansas City. There were a couple of tall, quality bourbon pours paid for Friday night as we wallowed in our sorrow.
But then, we saw the news, and realized that same line of storms that hit us was doing far worse to other folks, and our attitude changed. A truck is just a thing, we were lucky.
We woke up and continued on Saturday morning. There were some serious prairie winds in Kansas and eastern Colorado, but we got through that and enjoyed the scenery west of Denver as we headed up and over the Rockies. We were VERY happy not to be in the stop and go eastbound traffic on I70 going back to Denver from the ski resorts. We made it to Grand Junction, Colorado for the night.
My wife had to go back to work today, so I left her early this Sunday morning at the hotel to fly out of Grand Junction, and made the final push home alone. Since the trip started on US 50, I decided to finish it that way.
Cruising along in the middle of Utah, just after sunrise, I passed an unmarked trailhead. After continuing on a bit, I decided I could spare 30 minutes to initiate our Bronco to the off road life, and turned around to hit the trail! I was pretty sure that I could find a good photo op in the process. I was right.
So, yes kids, a Base Bronco on steelies with road tires can, in fact, do some good work in the dirt (not that it will keep me from looking for some big ol' take off's and a 2" lift
).I got home late this afternoon, here is the summary since I picked up the truck from the dealer:
It is, I believe, an honest 20 mpg vehicle on a road trip. But once you start trying to push this flat-plate design through greater than 80 mph air (either wind or throttle induced), it really starts to suck down the petrol!
I am pretty sure the really heavy snow is done for this 75-year winter (now that is April!) and I can take my time to get things tire-wise set up for next winter. And then, of course, there are the rock sliders to install. And the seat covers with heaters. And a bumper with a winch. And rear deck for the grand-dog. And, and, . . .
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