whimsical thoughts, or, Expedition into a "Bronco"..

[Thunderbirdsport]

Was thinking how could it would've been had Ford offered a Bronco based on the Expedition EL.
2 door, 3 passenger bench, 2 seat bench in the back and on a shortened wheel base Expedition EL chassis.

I'm contemplating whipping such a creature up in photoshop, to get a sort of an idea what one might have looked like.

I know they'd probably have sold about 362 of 'em, but still, it would've been a neat thing. The modern bronco that's forthcoming is cool and all and I appreciate the throwback to the original, but I would've preferred a version that was, well, more truck like.

I won't even comment on that thing that's based off of the escape....the fact that a car has a bronco emblem on it sacrilege.

I think the 70's through '96 Bronco were the best. Truck frame, V8 torque, and whatever one could do to an F150, could do to the same gen Bronco.

Better days, long past.

Anyway....gonna put my photo editing skills through the wringer I think.

 

[mnachreiner86]

Yeah, the Expedition is what replaced the Bronco and the Expedition EL replaced the Excursion. The new Bronco is...something. It’s cool to see the nameplate revived, but it’s not for me. Looks to much like the little Jeep Renegade.


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[ExplorerTom]

Looks to much like the little Jeep Renegade.

the Bronco Sport is like a Jeep Renegade. The new Bronco (not yet available) is a totally different animal. If you think the new Bronco is like the Jeep Renegade, then I can’t help you and we can’t be friends.

 

[mnachreiner86]

the Bronco Sport is like a Jeep Renegade. The new Bronco (not yet available) is a totally different animal. If you think the new Bronco is like the Jeep Renegade, then I can’t help you and we can’t be friends.

lol I gotcha. I wasn’t aware there was another one. That’s good news because that little thing is terrible.


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[Plati]

Yeah I see those Bronco Sport's driving around and I think they are just an an Exploder

 

[tommyddsr]

This post is hilarious for us old enough to remember people paying high dollar for a conversion Bronco 4 door before there was an Expedition. After 6 years (1990 - 1996) Ford decided they could take your money instead. Centurion Vehicles is the more recognizable name, having produced more four-door Broncos over the years; somewhere south of 5,000 total. To create their version of the four-door Bronco, Centurion started with an F-Series chassis, either from an F-150 or F-350, with a wheelbase shortened to 140 inches. They then mated the F-Series crew-cab body to the rear portion of a Ford Bronco, starting just behind the rear doors. And voila – a four door Bronco was born! And now we want to go back

 

[Thunderbirdsport]

Yeah I see those Bronco Sport's driving around and I think they are just an an Exploder

The sport is a reskinned Escape, but I'm not sure what the powerplant(s) are...I just don't care enough to look it up, LOL.

These days, I need bigger, anything smaller than my '06 Explorer ain't gonna cut it, and at that, the Explorer is barely adequate for daily needs...hence my Expy..

This post is hilarious for us old enough to remember people paying high dollar for a conversion Bronco 4 door before there was an Expedition. After 6 years (1990 - 1996) Ford decided they could take your money instead. Centurion Vehicles is the more recognizable name, having produced more four-door Broncos over the years; somewhere south of 5,000 total. To create their version of the four-door Bronco, Centurion started with an F-Series chassis, either from an F-150 or F-350, with a wheelbase shortened to 140 inches. They then mated the F-Series crew-cab body to the rear portion of a Ford Bronco, starting just behind the rear doors. And voila – a four door Bronco was born! And now we want to go back

A friend of mine's brother owns a Centurion conversion, it's been local since it was new in 1993. A guy bought it new, he worked at the local Ford dealer, shop supervisor and a huge Ford nut.
My whimsy was actually going the other way, take a 3rd gen Expy, cut out the second row of doors and seats, shorten the body, frame, and whatnot, and putting a Bronco emblem the back, of course the lift gate would have to be addressed, I'd rather have a tailgate with a rollup window like the '87-'96 years, that's where my inspiration comes from.

It would be as if the Bronco was kept in production, mirroring the 1/2t truck line....I tell ya guys, if money wasn't an object, I'd be driving such a creature, rather than just dreaming about it and giving it prose on a forum.

I'm still not done with the "photochop", but it's getting there. Ther removable top (ala broncs of old) would be tough to accomplish in real life, though. The rest, hell, any custom auto body shop could handle that pretty easily.

 

[Kevin08]

Could keep the hatch back as is but swing out the spare tire carrier before lifting it up. Question being would it have the Expedition front end or the Raptor with wide body? Bumper covers or F-150 steel? I could picture it either way.

 

[Thunderbirdsport]

That's a good set of questions!

Currently my photoshop is of my own Expy, so for the sake of my exercise it's going to have an '11 Expy front.

I'm currently having a hard time with the rear, the shell. I suppose if this was a real life, actual build, I'd either have to measure the width of an '87-'96 Bronco shell and make that fit if it's wide enough, or custom build one, plus the rear hatch issue. With a hatch, there's not a way to have the removable top. Would it be a one off custom made "Bronco" if the top wasn't removable? LOL....

If one wanted a Raptor-esque Bronco recreation, it'd likely be best to start with a Raptor, throw a shell on the bed, cut the back of the cab and the rear doors, 'glass (or sheetmetal fab) it all together as one solid body, and that would give an option for a removable top, perhaps.

I'm not quite ready to show what I've done so far, not that it's crap, I just want it to look like it takes direct inspiration from that last generation of truck-based Broncs....the '96 and down years....specifically the 9th gens...those are my favorite. (I had a '94 that I bought sans driveline...plans were for a 460/ZF manual...had some life shit land on my shoulders and some toys had to go. Thankfully, it went to a guy who put a 351w drivetrain from a rusted clapped out 4x4 in it and he still has it to this day, we talk here and there...he loves it and takes good care of it.)

I'm nitpicky..lol. I may just 'chop in the top from the 9th gen Bronco and call it done...

 

[Tocapet]

Yeah, the Expedition is what replaced the Bronco and the Expedition EL replaced the Excursion. The new Bronco is...something. It’s cool to see the nameplate revived, but it’s not for me. Looks to much like the little Jeep Renegade.


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I wish they still made the Excursion. I would like to have one. '06 was the last one. I still see them around though. Some guys are putting Cummins diesel engines in them.

 

[Langer]

I wish they still made the Excursion. I would like to have one. '06 was the last one. I still see them around though. Some guys are putting Cummins diesel engines in them.

I’d love an excursion, too. Maybe one day.

 

[Mike Norrell]

In fact, Ford DID produce a limited 4 door Broncos (I read somewhere they were shipped to Mexico). I WOULD HAVE LOVED TO HAVE ONE!!! A 4 door Bronco with a 351 V8, 4bbl carb, a good cam, a BigStick 4 speed and lock in hubs would have been A BEAST...ah well, wishing won't get me one.

 

[tommyddsr]

In fact, Ford DID produce a limited 4 door Broncos (I read somewhere they were shipped to Mexico). I WOULD HAVE LOVED TO HAVE ONE!!! A 4 door Bronco with a 351 V8, 4bbl carb, a good cam, a BigStick 4 speed and lock in hubs would have been A BEAST...ah well, wishing won't get me one.

View attachment 41797

That is one of the aftermarket conversions. They do look nice.

 

[Thunderbirdsport]

In fact, Ford DID produce a limited 4 door Broncos (I read somewhere they were shipped to Mexico). I WOULD HAVE LOVED TO HAVE ONE!!! A 4 door Bronco with a 351 V8, 4bbl carb, a good cam, a BigStick 4 speed and lock in hubs would have been A BEAST...ah well, wishing won't get me one.

View attachment 41797

Yeah, that's one of the Centurion conversions. While you can't see it in the pic, under the Bronco emblem is a smaller badge that says Centurion. Ford didn't build anything like these, other than possibly a prototype and I really doubt they even did that. The last few years of Broncos used tamper proof Torx bolts to hold the top on and they removed the wording from the owner's manual on how to safely take it off due to insurance reasons. If they were planning on keeping the Bronco in that removable top layout, they would've figured out a way to appease the attorneys AND the bean counters and keep it, alas, no, the Expedition was in the pipeline. Everyone wanted more doors and seats, and big SUVs were coming....

 

[Moose McClatchie]

Yeah I see those Bronco Sport's driving around and I think they are just an an Exploder

They don't even compare to the Explorer, my wife has one and its twice the size of the Bronco Sport. The new Explorer are much better than their predecessors.

 

[Thunderbirdsport]

Bronco Sport is just a re-skinned Escape. No idea on powerplants.

The last 2 gens of Exploder have been unibody. I test drove a '13 Sport before I drove the Expy. That ************* felt like an AWD Taurus that needed every suspension part replaced.

You can have that unibody crap. Give me a ladder frame and V8 so it'll pull it's own weight. Ecoboom is nice and all, but sometimes a feller needs to move stuff.

 

[Grizguy]

Even my wife liked our Bronko.. I don't remember the year.. One of the last years they made. I wanted an Excursion with a diesel.. But did not know it until after they quit making them. I was in Florida and needed a ride home to PA bought an expedition.. I liked it. Bought a new 18 expy MAX. Just a big car. They advertised BIG.. POWERFUL.. Sure lacks the power of the OLD expy or Bronko. Real unhappy with the electronics

 

[Trainmaster]

Best truck I owned was a 2000 Excursion.

 

[Plati]

They should remove Bronco from the model name and just call it "Sport". You know, like when the High School bully would call somebody "Sport". As in "hey Sport ... those are nice sneakers". Then he would step on them and get them all muddy.

 

[Thunderbirdsport]

Since Ford is all about bringing back old nameplates....think they'd have had the Bronco, and....drumroll....Bronco II.

Guess all the marketing folks are just kids who weren't born until after the Bronco Deuce was disco'd. Bastards..

I want a II...Coyote and some mud tires...can you say mud ripper?