Tech SpecsEngine: Ford 460, Holley 750 Double Pumper, polished ported 1971 heads, 11:1 compression, L&L headers to 3-inch Flowmaster Exhaust
Transmission: Pro-Trans-built C6 with low First gear and 3,500-stall converterTransfer Case: NP205
Front Axle: Dynatrac high-pinion Dana 60 built to '78-'79 Ford specs, Powr-Lok, 4.56 gears, Spicer hubs, Knoll Racing 35-spline stubs
Rear Axle: 14-bolt
Tires & Wheels: 44-inch Super Swamper Boggers on Eaton Beadlocks in rear, 44-inch Super Swamper TSLs on Eaton Beadlocks in front
Suspension: Custom 9-inch coil in front with 13-inch-longer radius arms from All-4-Fun, Rancho RS 9000 shocks, and Skyjacker 6-inch leaves in rear with shackle flip
Ten years ago John Hughbanks bought this '79 Bronco on 33-inch tires with a strategy to build a clean truck for street cruising and light wheeling. Then his plans changed. Over those 10 years John went from being a single guy to a father and family man, and his Bronco went from a sentence of shiny asphalt mall-hauler to the fun-loving 4x4 machine you see here. We cringe whenever we consider the life of a street truck-never to get dirty, always babied and fussed over, and destined never to realize its full potential. Lucky for this '79, Hughbanks saw the error of his ways, and realized that a part street cruiser, part mad wheeler is a near impossibility, and really too much stress.
John swings wrenches for a living, so it's no small feat that he found the time and fortitude to come home from working on customers' rigs all day and then bust his knuckles on his own truck. Where most guys would rather take up a hobby like golf or beer, John knew that the reward of a solid built truck could be worth the long nights in the garage. In the end, his big Bronco became a burly wheeling monster and has something that no show truck ever had...style. The paint is perfectly faded, the seats are worn in just right, and the drivetrain was built by an experienced mechanic to get worked hard and make it home on time. Plus, it's big enough to get little kids excited and scare old ladies. In our eyes, this Blue Oval deserves a blue ribbon.