Photo: Fat Fender Garage
Does anyone else feel like there's something not quite right with the sixth-gen Ford Bronco? Not that there's necessarily anything wrong with it, chip shortages notwithstanding. We can't help but get the feeling there's something "missing," even with the fancy twin-turbo V6 Raptor version. Oh yeah, it hasn't got a V8 under the hood. Let us introduce you to Fat Fender Garage.
This Arizona-based team builds old-school Gen-V Broncos the way things used to be done, with cubic displacement and not much of anything else. Although, to say that without a hint of embellishment would be a little unfair. Because their latest 1996 Bronco build isn't just another Coyote swap, it's a hell of a lot more refined. It's to the point where we don't mind that it's only got a gen-II Coyote V8 to play with, the rest of what's on display more than compensates. Most fifth-gen Broncos still on the road today look pretty worse for wear, so seeing how this example with a 2.5-inch suspension lift and Method MR305 17-inch wheels is a sight for sore eyes.
Every angle of this truck feels like a time warp back to when OJ Simpson was riding shotgun in one down the streets of Los Angeles on live TV. Granted, that one was a 1993 model, and this one's from 1996. But enough semantics, what's the deets on the engine? Well, as we said, this is a gen-II Coyote V8. So the team was going to have to fabricate a set of custom mounts for the thumping great modern drivetrain to sit where a practically-paleolithic Ford 302 or 351 Windsor engine would have sat from the factory. In its new digs, this gen-II Coyote runs a beefy 2.5-inch performance exhaust with an OEM Ford electronic throttle control.
The motor is lovingly paired like fine wine to filet mignon to a Ford 6R80 six-speed automatic gearbox most known for its use in mid-to-late 2000s F-150 trucks and a couple of Ford and Mercury SUVs as well. There's also an F-150 transfer case mounted underneath this hulking beast of a truck. It's all held together visually by a set of Nitto Ridge Grappler 285/75 tires and nitrogen-charged shock absorbers which add that hint of modernity that melds the worlds of the last-gen Bronco and the one on sale today. Moving to the interior, this Bronco traded its stock front seats for a set from a late-model Mustang with white accents across the dashboard for a little added flare.
Add it all up, and this is one of the cleanest fifth-gen Bronco builds we've seen in a long time. We'd tell you how much this build would cost to buy, but it's not for sale. We lament this fact endlessly but appreciate the fact this build exists even so.
Every angle of this truck feels like a time warp back to when OJ Simpson was riding shotgun in one down the streets of Los Angeles on live TV. Granted, that one was a 1993 model, and this one's from 1996. But enough semantics, what's the deets on the engine? Well, as we said, this is a gen-II Coyote V8. So the team was going to have to fabricate a set of custom mounts for the thumping great modern drivetrain to sit where a practically-paleolithic Ford 302 or 351 Windsor engine would have sat from the factory. In its new digs, this gen-II Coyote runs a beefy 2.5-inch performance exhaust with an OEM Ford electronic throttle control.
The motor is lovingly paired like fine wine to filet mignon to a Ford 6R80 six-speed automatic gearbox most known for its use in mid-to-late 2000s F-150 trucks and a couple of Ford and Mercury SUVs as well. There's also an F-150 transfer case mounted underneath this hulking beast of a truck. It's all held together visually by a set of Nitto Ridge Grappler 285/75 tires and nitrogen-charged shock absorbers which add that hint of modernity that melds the worlds of the last-gen Bronco and the one on sale today. Moving to the interior, this Bronco traded its stock front seats for a set from a late-model Mustang with white accents across the dashboard for a little added flare.
Add it all up, and this is one of the cleanest fifth-gen Bronco builds we've seen in a long time. We'd tell you how much this build would cost to buy, but it's not for sale. We lament this fact endlessly but appreciate the fact this build exists even so.
Google News