GoFastBronco from the early days

[toddz69]

I've posted this on other forums as well, but thought perhaps some of you would be interested in a GoFastBronco from the early days.

I co-own the Bronco with Andrew Norton (bajabronco.com) - a good friend of mine. This past weekend I delivered it to Complete Fabrication in El Cajon,CA, where Chris Wilson (baja-chris) and Glen Straightiff will be refurbing/repairing/prepping the truck to run in the NORRA 1000 in April 2010. Chris and Glen will be doing all the driving/co-driving and Andrew and I and a few others will be chasing for them. Look for the truck to be in the livery shown in the attached photo ('72 1000) for the race.

This is a Stroppe racing Bronco that was raced most frequently by the team of Rod Hall and Jim Fricker from 1972 until about 1975. It's a '68 model that was originally an engineering model for Ford that made its way to Stroppe's shop where we believe it was built into a race truck in 1969. It was raced by a number of different drivers including Larry Minor and Rod Hall, Carl Jackson, Rodger Ward, Mel Larsen, and Jess Hinkle.

We're happy to be its caretakers for as long as possible and are excited about the upcoming NORRA event.

Todd Z.

[Nick]

Thank you for posting those. It's cool to see racing history!

[Rednek Renegade]

Just curious, what does the nameplate say on the drivers side?

[nobronco]

I've posted this on other forums as well, but thought perhaps some of you would be interested in a GoFastBronco from the early days.

I co-own the Bronco with Andrew Norton (bajabronco.com) - a good friend of mine. This past weekend I delivered it to Complete Fabrication in El Cajon,CA, where Chris Wilson (baja-chris) and Glen Straightiff will be refurbing/repairing/prepping the truck to run in the NORRA 1000 in April 2010. Chris and Glen will be doing all the driving/co-driving and Andrew and I and a few others will be chasing for them. Look for the truck to be in the livery shown in the attached photo ('72 1000) for the race.

This is a Stroppe racing Bronco that was raced most frequently by the team of Rod Hall and Jim Fricker from 1972 until about 1975. It's a '68 model that was originally an engineering model for Ford that made its way to Stroppe's shop where we believe it was built into a race truck in 1969. It was raced by a number of different drivers including Larry Minor and Rod Hall, Carl Jackson, Rodger Ward, Mel Larsen, and Jess Hinkle.

We're happy to be its caretakers for as long as possible and are excited about the upcoming NORRA event.

Todd Z.

Cool, look forward to seeing it in the NORRA 1000 in April 2010!

[toddz69]

Just curious, what does the nameplate say on the drivers side?

I believe it says, "Trucks are like other men's wives: look but don't TOUCH". That was courtesy of the previous owner . We kept it on there because we thought it was so cheezy, along with the "Sit Down, Shut Up, and Hang On" license plate hanging off the back. Obviously that stuff will be coming off soon.....

Todd Z.

[bajascott]

simply put, awsome.
i love the small body bronco desert racers.always been a favorate of mine since i was a kid.

[Rednek Renegade]

Just curious, what does the nameplate say on the drivers side?

I believe it says, "Trucks are like other men's wives: look but don't TOUCH". That was courtesy of the previous owner . We kept it on there because we thought it was so cheezy, along with the "Sit Down, Shut Up, and Hang On" license plate hanging off the back. Obviously that stuff will be coming off soon.....

Todd Z.

Hell, Dont scrap it thats kinda funny!

[PBR]

i can't wait to see it when chris and glen are done with it!

[offroadaction]

Looking great Andrew! That last photo looks familar...

[tcm glx]

Man that is freakin cool! Can not wait to see it at the NORRA race

[toddz69]

Looking great Andrew! That last photo looks familar...

Yes . Photo credit to Offroad Action! We also have a copy of that shot from Jim Fricker's son, Bob. One of our favorites.

Todd Z.

[JoseBronco]

Super cool historic ride man. It will be painted like the early days?

[toddz69]

Super cool historic ride man. It will be painted like the early days?

Yes, we're planning on having it painted in the colors shown in the 3rd photo ('72 1000).

Todd Z.

[JoseBronco]

It will be memorable!

[baja-chris]

Here's a few pics from today.

[baja-chris]

A few more from today.

[baja-chris]

1968 Rod Hall / Jim Fricker Stroppe Racing Bronco

Below are some highlights of the races including the 1969 overall win.

1st 1969 NORRA Mexican 1000
1st 1970 NORRA Baja 500
2nd 1972 NORRA Baja 1000
1st 1973 DAM 500
1st 1973 MINT 400
1st 1973 Riverside Grand Prix
1st 1974 Parker 400
1st 1974 Baja 500
2nd 1974 Riverside Grand Prix
2nd 1975 MINT 400

The 1968 Rod Hall / Jim Fricker Stroppe Racing Bronco is owned by Todd Zeucher and Andrew Norton.

This historic vehicle is entered in the NORRA 1000 to be held April 28 thru May 1, 2010. The NORRA 1000 is a vintage rally that runs from Mexicali to La Paz. The entry will be driven by Chris Wilson and Glen Straightiff. Chris is a former Baja 1000 winner in class 8.

[PaulW]

Todd, tell us techy guys about the truck. Eng, tranny, shocks, diffs, transfer, shocks, etc.
Any upgrades or just renew everything?
PW

[toddz69]

Todd, tell us techy guys about the truck. Eng, tranny, shocks, diffs, transfer, shocks, etc.
Any upgrades or just renew everything?
PW

Pretty much just renew everything - no real upgrades planned at this point other than trying to make things a little more historically correct and functional at this point. For example, right now the front end has a single RS9000 shock on it. There are mounts for 3 shocks so Glen and Chris will install 3 twin-tube hydraulic shocks in those locations. We have shocks for duals in the rear. The coil springs (stiff!) have Air Lift air bags in them that probably don't hold air anymore but we'll probably keep them in there just for historical appearance if nothing else. The Air Lifts that were on the rear are long gone.

The engine is a hybrid of old and new. The block is either a late '70s or early '80s (can't remember which) 302 that was bored .030 over and built with a lot of goodies: forged pistons, moly rings, Clevite bearings, stainless valves, etc. The assembly was balanced and blueprinted. In looking through the documentation from the previous owner, I'm unsure of the compression ratio but I don't think it was real low . The heads are HP289 units from the original engine that was used in the truck. This is all topped by an Edelbrock single plane manifold, Edelbrock carb and DUI HEI distributor. We have the original HP289 block and internals and hope to someday return it to the truck assuming everything checks out OK. As Chris says, the thing sounds like an old Trans Am car.

The trans is a manual, reverse pattern C4 that was installed in the truck back in the early '70s before C4s were available from the factory. The adapter between the trans and t-case is one of the earliest pieces cast by Stroppe before he added his name to the casting for the '71-'72 Baja Broncos. Transfer case is the garden variety EB Dana 20 with 2.46:1 low range. The rear axle is a big bearing unit with a nodular 3rd member. The housing was trussed at Stroppes and the drums are drilled per ancient stock car practice. I can't remember the axle ratios - either 4.56s or 4.88. I'm not sure if it has 28 or 31 spline axles and what kind of TAD it has in it.

The front axle is a D44 that is BENT from Rod Hall jumping it a few too many times. The tabs are there one of Stroppe's cable trusses but the truss is long gone. The front end also has an early disc brake conversion kit on it from Vic Hickey that used late '60s Dodge car calipers. Steering is via a Saginaw steering box that Stroppe installed via some work to the frame rail. Similar to the setup used in the '71-'72 Baja Broncos but with some additional bracketry beefing for racing. Some of the bolts in this setup are still safety wired from the racing days. Chris and Glen will probably have Tom Lee go through the box as it is a leaker.

The cage is as-constructed at Stroppe's. The main hoop goes through the body and is tied to the frame via outriggers. The down bars up front go down to the floor and are attached to large pads on the floor to distribute stresses.

A ton more neat little details from back in the day that we could write a book about but suffice to say we think it's all pretty cool.

Todd Z.

[offroadaction]

Looks great Todd. I can't wait to see the progress.