Restomod 1974 Bronco

Just outside Salem, Oregon, is a small shop that has been producing stainless steel twin-stick shifters for domestic gear-driven transfer cases since 1995. Since then, they’ve brought a few very special Broncos to life. The shop, JB Custom Fabrication, is owned and operated by Jon and Rhonda Barricklow. The couple are very into Ford Broncos, now with six in their herd, none the same and all custom, or waiting to be customized.

Every 5-6 years the couple builds another Bronco, but doesn’t seem to ever sell any. In 2019 they had a bare frame behind the barn and Rhonda declared it was time for another build. When asked what she wanted, the reply was “something that will get out of its own way” and “if I want to drive a tractor, I’ll go to the barn.” (The couple’s last two builds had diesel powerplants.)

This 1974 half-cab twin-turbo V8 powered Bronco build took about 2 years to complete and was entirely done in house, with the exception of the Line-X and final exterior paint. It made its public debut in the Ridestyler booth at the SEMA Show 2021, and was shown again in 2022, where it caught our eye.

The build took on the name “Bad Pony” because of its short wheelbase and monster 427W twin turbo under the hood, as it would no doubt be quite a handfull to rein in. Even “BAD PNY” Oregon license plates were secured for the build.

“A Dennis Carpenter steel replacement body has been super customized to make everything work on this vehicle, but kept as stock looking as possible because the Barricklows ‘wanted to retain the un-cut look’ of the classic Bronco.”

Look Closely

From a bare stock 1974 Bronco frame, the Barricklows took their decades of experience building custom Broncos and threw a ton of ideas at it. While nearly everything is either bespoke or heavily customized, no corners were cut in this top level restomod project.

From afar this build just looks like a clean, and bright orange, half-cab ‘74 Bronco. That look is by design, but as you get closer you quickly realize this is no ordinary classic American 4×4. The big 35-inch A/T tires wrapped around 17-inch Hutchinson double-bead-lock aluminum wheels are probably the first giveaway. But, then you realize literally nothing on this build has gone untouched.

Small Pony, Big Heart

At the heart of this project is a very custom Dart SHP 427 Ford small block V8 that has been twin-turboed. What struck us the most was how tidy the engine bay is, especially with the trick custom charge-air plumbing and plenum.

This build, set at a mild six pounds of boost, puts down a massive 640hp and 650 lb-ft of torque at the wheels. With the completed build only weighing in at 5,800 pounds, this pony can run! And, the sound of the straight piped exhaust with custom headers will get your heart racing before you ever even roll your foot into the skinny pedal.

Drivetrain

All that power is sent to the wheels through a Stage 4 Gearstar Ford E4OD transmission with a 3,200 rpm-stall billet torque converter. It is controlled by an HGM Electronics’ Compushift and RADesigns’ customizable Winters shifter, which has a selectable bump-shift. A stout Atlas II Pro 3.8:1 transfer case is mounted behind that custom built transmission and, of course, operated with a JB Custom Fabrication twin-stick cable shifter.

“With seven other super capable and heavily modified Broncos in the stable, but none as nice as Bad Pony, we’re pretty sure the Barricklows won’t hesitate to enjoy the skinny pedal on this machine but at the same time keep this one shiny.”

A pair of Tom Woods custom off-road drive shafts, fitted with 1350 CV joints, move the power further down the drivetrain to the axles. RuffStuff Specialties’ Ford 9-inch housings have been fitted with Dana 60 full-float outers, which are running 35-spline Dutchman USA Chromoly axles, and have Wavetrack 4.86:1 gears. From there the front and rear are modified further with torque biasing differentials, armor, trussing, and eight-lug flanges. Strength, even with the high horsepower motor, is not a concern with these axles.

Classic Lines, Modern Capability

The heavily modified frame got a parallel four-link up front and a double-trianglulated four-link in the rear. ORI struts, 12-inch remote reservoir in the front and 14-inch in the rear, keep this machine running smooth across any terrain, without the use of traditional springs. 4-inch Fox nitrogen bump stops up front also ensure smooth landings if this Bronco gets a little wild.

A Dennis Carpenter steel replacement body has been super customized to make everything work on this vehicle, but kept as stock looking as possible because the Barricklows “wanted to retain the un-cut look” of the classic Bronco.

Rhonda has been doing collision repair/bodywork/paint since she was 13 and is the shop manager and production welder for all the stainless steel products at JB Custom Fabrication. She, with Jon’s helpful hands,  reworked the metal quarter panels by widening the wheel openings and flaring them carefully to maintain the un-cut appearance, in order for the 35-inch tires to properly fit. Then she made them perfect with hours of careful blocking. Jeff’s Bronco Graveyard HD Front Fenders were also heavily massaged to make the truck look just right, and the 35s have full travel without rubbing.

Besides massaging the body, Rhonda also spent an insane amount of time smoothing out all the welds on the cage, bumpers, and more. This was all in prep for the body to be finished in “Go Mango” and cage and bumpers in satin black paint, by Todd Hollis Auto Body. The rugged Line-X Liner was done by Wade Starbuck at Mid Valley Line-X.

Cabin

Speaking of the cage, the custom half-cab roll cage was designed and built by Jon and bolts to the frame at six-points. It is fully custom, and offers impressive safety and a super clean look. Keeping passengers inside the cage are five-point Simpson racing harnesses on custom Tom’s Off-Road deluxe high-back bucket seats.

Inside this Bronco is just as nice as the exterior. A custom center console and dash was hand built to hold all the switches, gauges, and screens. Custom Speedhut gauges provide all the critical data to both monitor and control the plethora of accessories on this Bad Pony: Rigid LED lights, an ARB twin air compressor, a Wet Sounds 10-speaker sound bar, and so much more. While the sound system is impressive, it is rarely used, as the throaty V8 from the side exit straight exhaust just sounds too good to drown out with tunes.

Roaming Broncos

When asked what the future holds for this custom ‘74 Bronco, Jon’s reply was, “drive it like we stole it…” With seven other super capable and heavily modified Broncos in the stable – but none as nice as Bad Pony – we’re pretty sure the Barricklows won’t hesitate to enjoy the skinny pedal on this machine, while at the same time keeping it shiny. Jon told us that the others regularly get exercised in the forest and rocky trails around Oregon, and show the scars from such outings, but Bad Pony will likely only be fully exercised in the dunes on the Oregon coast.

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UPGRADES

Body/Chassis: Heavily Modified 1974 Bronco Frame, Customized Jeff’s Bronco Graveyard Heavy Duty Front Fenders, Customized Dennis Carpenter Steel Replacement Body

Engine: Rotating assembly by Springer Engine, 427 Windsor Dart SHP Iron Block, Dart Pro 1 Aluminum Heads, Scat Crank Forged Crank, Scat H-Beam Rods, Ross Pistons 8.9:1,Bullet Custom Ground Camshaft, Scorpion Roller Rockers/Rocker Studs, Precision Turbo T-3 Turbocharger PT5862 CEA (2X), Tial Wastegate & Blow-Off Valves, Turbosmart Dual Range Boost Controller, ARP Head-Studs/Fasteners, Edelbrock Performer RPM Intake Manifold, Edelbrock Water Pump, MSD Billet Distributor, Custom Charge-Air Plumbing & Plenum, Fitech GoEFI-8 1200 HP Power Adder Plus, Derale Engine Oil Cooler, Ron Davis Custom Dual-Pass Aluminum Radiator

Drivetrain: Gearstar Ford 4R100 Stage 4, Billet Torque Converter, HGM Compushift Controller, RADesigns Transmission w/ Selectable Bumpshift, Derale Transmission Cooler, Atlas II Pro-Case 3.8:1 w/ JB Custom Fabrication Cable Shifters, Tom Woods Drive Shafts w/ 1350 CV

Axles: Front- RuffStuff Ford 9” w/ D60 Outers, Strange Nodular Iron Center Section, Tru-Track 4.86:1 Gears, Dutchman 35 Spline USA Chromo Axles, Solid Axle Knuckles, Teraflex Hubs; Rear- RuffStuff Ford 9” w/ D60 Full Float Outers, True High 9 Nodular Center Section w/ Wavetrack 4:86:1 Gears, Dutchman 35 Spline USA Chromo Axles

Suspension: Front- Parallel Four Link w/ Panhard Bar, Wild Horses Steering Box & Hydraulic Assist, 12” ORI Struts w/ Remote Reservoirs, Fox 4” Nitrogen Bump-Stops; Rear- Double Triangulated Four-Link, 14” ORI Struts w/ Remote Reservoirs

Wheels & Tires: 17” Aluminum DOT Compliant Hutchinson Double Bead-Lock Wheels w/ Goodyear Wrangler 35 x 12.5 x 17 Tires

The Rest: AMP Research Power Steps, Custom Bumpers, Custom Stainless Steel Headers, Tom’s Bronco Parts Deluxe Seats, Wet Sounds 10-Speaker Sound Bar, Flaming River Steering Column, Custom Center Console w/ Color Matched Custom Switches, Custom Speedhut Gauges/Instrument Clusters, Lux Lighting Programmable Auxiliary Lighting, Rigid Lights Front & Rear, BC Broncos Half-Cab Soft Top, Simpson Harnesses, Custom Half-Cab Roll Cage, Wild Horses Stainless Steel Fuel Tank, Fitech Dual In-Tank High Volume Fuel Pumps, Stainless Steel Fuel/Brake Lines, Wild Horses Wilwood Hydroboost Brake Master Cylinder/Booster (MOAB brake kit), ARB Twin Air Compressor, Rotopax

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