Ford’s reinvented sixth-generation Bronco gets so much hype simply because his ancestors are the stuff of legend. Some of them quite literally, as they were turned into literal unicorns with help from little-known companies.
In between tons of different projects – from shows to shop visits and from vintage camper road trip preps to personal restomod creations – Solomon Lunger, the affable and knowledgeable host of the Ford Era channel on YouTube still finds a little time for new “What The Truck” episodes. And the latest one does not focus on his traditional F-Series exposure but rather turns into a cool Bronco treat.
One of his all-time favorite classic Ford Bronco sleepers is the renowned 1978 Cruisaire edition belonging to the folks behind montanabroncos, which has turned into one of the most hunted vintage Blue Oval SUVs out there. Imagine that everyone wants it, so much so that an April Fools’ hoax involved its listing on a famous auction portal... Alas, Lunger knows very well this Bronco is there to stay in the family.
It is best to hear all about the story behind this odd-striped patina Bronco from the owner himself. So, do chime in at the 1:55 and 5:14 marks because Solomon obviously said “I wanna’ hear everything.” Anyway, for those who want the highlights, in a nutshell, this is an original 1978 Ford Bronco with a Cruiseair (a company based out of Gardena, California) conversion package and original funky stripes to mix and match with the Bahama Blue patina paintjob.
The interior is a new Scottish blue plaid and the suspension got Rancho shocks to cope with the sleeper powertrain and rough patches of Montana nature. Not much work needs to be done in the future, just some new brakes and a little bit of steering work as the owner does not mind the inherent Ford flaws – like the non-functional taillight or the broken Dakota Digital (!) instrument cluster.
Well, those minute details obviously do not matter too much when there is a Gen 2 Coyote V8 engine under the hood, complete with a Ford 6R80 automatic transmission. Both are lighter and send about twice the power to the wheels, right?
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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