Maintaining the classic look of the Early Bronco while creating a vehicle that has the driving characteristics of a modern SUV was our goal for this one of a kind custom TWC creation.

We purchased a 2008 Ford Explorer as the donor for the heart of the build. (Complete chassis, electronics, dash and seating where used)

After removing the body we fit the body of a 1974 Ford Bronco (our second donor) to the explorer chassis. 900 man hours later this Hybrid Bronco/Explorer was completed.

Once complete we preformed a 500+ mile shake down, registered the Vehicle as a 1974 Bronco and now offer it for sale. Visit our For Sale page or Contact Don at TWC for more information.

Bronco prices will start at $120K

For a build like this we need two donor vehicles, the Classic (1974 Ford Bronco) and the modern (2008 Ford Explorer). We purchased the Bronco for the body. The Explorer is really the heart of the project. The Explorer has 68,600 miles on it. We changed all the fluids, belts, and hoses, upgraded the brakes with new drilled and slotted front and rear rotors and pads, installed new CV axles, new plugs, and air filters, and installed a new MBRP exhaust system. (Suspension, wheels/tires, and lights also new)

 We have kept as much of the functionality offered in the Explorer as we could. The dash and steering wheel functions, four wheel drive, seating and chassis of the vehicle are Explorer. We’ve redone the interior with a custom design to blend the new and old. We have documented the build so you can see what went into the integration of these two Fords. As you will see in the photos it wasn’t a matter of just taking off the Explorer body and putting the Bronco body on the Explorer chassis.

 After a few days of measurement and planning we started out by cutting away the parts of the Explorer that we were not going to need. What remained was the complete Chassis including the frame, suspension, and running gear. On the inside we kept the floor pan, firewall, dash, steering and pedal assembly, center console, the front and third row seating. Before we start to fit the Bronco body we need to address the differences in the two wheelbases. The Explorer is 32” longer and 2” wider then the Bronco was. The width was resolved with trimming and installing front and rear fender flares. (This also supports the added room we needed to fit 35” tires.)

 To address the wheelbase issue we cut the frame and removed the unneeded inches, we sleeved it and welded in back together, than shortened lines, exhaust, and the rear driveshaft. We had to modify the gas tank and move it from the driver’s side of the Explorer to the rear. It was now time to start fitting the Bronco body. We started with the front cowl and windshield. To get the positioning we were looking for, we needed to cut the Explorer dash and reroute the heat and air ducts. After a few days of cutting and plumbing we had our fixed point to build from. Things under the hood fit but had to be repositioned a bit. We trimmed the inner fenders and built new inner fenders that we integrated with the Explorers chassis. Than we re-mounted the under the hood components along the new inner fender wells.

 Although we tried to keep the Bronco look and feel as close to stock as possible, we liked the fact that the Explorer has front and rear independent suspension. However we didn’t want to see the  I/S as that would clearly show that this was not a traditional Bronco. We fabricated frame mounts and purchase custom Jeep XJ front and rear bumpers that would help obscure the axles. We finished the front end off with a custom built skid plate and a S/B 9.5K synthetic rope winch providing an integrated look with the front grill. We then turned our attention to the engine compartment. We fabricated panels and purchased an engine dress up kit that helped complete the finished look and feel we were looking for.

 We feel that this new Bronco/Explorer should be as comfortable on the inside as possible. That’s why it was out with the old and in with the new including Seats, door panels, headliner, floor mats and seat belt upgrades. Unlike the early broncos we wanted to create a high end fit and finish, with the comfort to drive on a long trip and use as a daily driver. All panels were sound dampened and covered with custom made panels. The hardtop has a custom headliner and the wiper assembly was concealed. All new rubber weather stripping was installed on all windows and doors, as well as new felt for the door windows. We replaced all the glass and removed the vent windows on the doors with a single piece of glass.

 Once completely dry fit if was time to disassemble and send out for paint and interior. We had the paint and bodywork completed in pieces rather than assembled. This allowed us to paint all surfaces and reassemble with rubber gaskets and seals where required. The rear bumper was equipped with a multi use swing out spare tire carrier. In addition to the full size spare wheel and tire we added a high lift jack and a five gallon Gerry can.

 It was now time to fill the gas tank and start our 500-mile shake down. We have put over 900 man hours into this build and have created a custom Bronco/Explorer that looks and drives like a new vehicle.

 

​​​Classic Bronco