I purchased my first Bronco at age 15. I remember this day better than I do my own birthday. It was November 19, 1982. Many hours were spent fixing all the “normal Bronco” needs like patching floor pans and fixing brakes. Unfortunately to report, a house fire in ‘98 claimed this Bronco. However, my passion for Broncos stuck with me! When my son turned 15 we fixed up a 1983 CJ7 - I know, i know a Jeep, BUT during this build I shared with my Son all the stories I had wheeling with my father when I was younger. This lead to my son calling me one day that he had found, and I must buy this 1973 Bronco for sale. Much to everyone’s surprise, back then it was for sale for $1,000. Unheard of today! Well, we bought that Bronco, built it to be a wheeling Bronco and a year and half later, we set journey to Moab, Utah with my Dad, Uncle and Brother. We played it safe on the easy trails but as more trips progressed, that “Bronco-itch” had me pressing the limits of the Broncos capabilities. This lead to a new build years later where I had convinced myself I “needed” 1 ton axles, bigger tires and a wider stance with a longer wheel base. This build was complete and registered for Bronco Safari for the first time. During this event and many after, I met several others that shared similar passions for Broncos and hard-core wheeling.

It was at my first OCBR event that my wheeling would hsift to a new level. After the first day out and back from trails, I was told I needed to be wheeling with a different group. During lunch, this gentleman brought me over to another table and told me this was the group I needed to be wheeling with, Gordan Bailie with Bailie Bilt. A new adventure began that day. I was introduced to wheeling at a whole new level and I loved it and the people. During the next few years I found myself wheeling with Todd from Fossilized Customs and Jesse Ornelas with Hella Bad Broncos, Lauren Healy and Dusty Sexton with Sexton Offroad. And haave been truly inspried by thier passion for wheeling. While wheeling with all these guys, I began to understand the importance of suspension, geometry, wheelbase, coil-over shock placement, sticky tires, and so much more. With all this importance running through my brain, I quickly realized I needed to do another buil to apply this knowledge to. This is where BrockoJo began.

So it began. I knew it needed to be light, but I didn;t want to sacrifice power. This resulted in ordering a Ford 2.3 liter eco-boost from Moores auto Salvage. Big Mistake. What I expected to be a 3 month turn around, ended up being a 13 month wait! After some legal threats, I finally received my motor and transmission so I could finally begin the build.

I sat down on my computer and began pluggin in numbers into suspension calculator adjusting them until I came up with the squat values I was looking for that I thought would be ideal for the type of wheeling I like to do. Then it was build the chassis process. I wanted it to perform like a buggy, but still look like a Bronco. Of course I had to make some compromises, however, overall it turned out quite well.

Here’s a short list of some goals I had when I started this build:

• Narrow the body.

• Lower center of gravity.

• Shave off about 1,000 lbs from my previous build.

• 42” sticky tires

• Direct electronic suspension

• Gear, work, HP, 10 front and rear

• Branik 300 M axles

• Atlas T case

• Hinge dash panel to access wiring and fuses.

• Bent lower links for ground clearance.

• Custom made 3/16” thick fenders.

• Recessed toolbox in floor.

• Dash and interior fab out of aluminum

• Integrated wiper motors.

• Heated seats - I like to wheel all year round!