Beach Cruiser Bronco

(Marc)>> You're watching Powernation!

[ engine revving ]

(Katie)>> Welcome to Powernation Builds. When it comes to s-u-vs, yeah, there's a lot to like, but when it comes to an old school first gen there's a whole lot to love. Here's Music City Trucks.

[ Music ]

(Marc)>>> Hey everybody, welcome to Music City Trucks. It's a big day for us because we get to introduce our newest build.

(Brandon)>> This is probably our favorite project of the season, not only because it's a first gen Bronco and they're super hot, but Marc and I are huge Bronco fans.

(Marc)>>> Yep, I've got my '73 and my '74 here.

(Brandon)>> I have my '82 bull nose. It's pretty much a woods toy.

(Marc)>> So needless to say we are super excited to tackle this project. Well Brandon, what do you think of this thing?

(Brandon)>> This is only the second time I've ever been in a first gen. The first time was our intro.

(Marc)>> And this is a lot different too, no top.

(Brandon)>> This one's definitely different. No top, no doors, a little bit rougher.

(Marc)>> Yeah but it's character. Let's just hammer it out. What do you want to do to this thing?

(Brandon)>> I'll be honest I'm more traditional in the Bronco sense of the of the full top, the s-u-v. I would do that but I like having no top. So, I would say half roadster with the full top. I know this isn't a roadster body, it just has no doors.

(Marc)>> Or top.

(Brandon)>> But this is cool.

(Marc)>> Do you have a list of musts, must haves?

(Brandon)>> A must have list. Something overhead cam.

(Marc)>> Wow you're throwing that out there first. I would buy a chassis and I would build the chassis up ground up, full running drivetrain before I would do anything. Let's build a bucket list Bronco then.

(Brandon)>> Well good thing it's missing some parts.

(Marc)>> These bolts weren't even in anything. They were just sitting in there.

(Brandon)>> That piece helicoptered into my thumb and almost broke it. [ Music ]

(Brandon)>> You got it?

(Marc)>> Yep! [ torch hissing ] [ mechanical humming ]

(Marc)>> You can say things are getting pretty serious now.

(Brandon)>> Well, that was easy.

(Marc)>> Let's just leave that thing right there and get it out of our minds for now, because we've got enough here to focus on.

(Brandon)>> Man this tub's pretty rough. I think the next thing to do is get it squared, put it on the rotisserie and blast this thing.

(Marc)>> Well Brandon, I'm going to give you my seal of approval on your dustless blasting job you did on this thing, but unfortunately it revealed what we feared the most, and that was more rust than we had originally anticipated. But that's why you blast right?

(Brandon)>> Yeah, this body is extremely rough. Now, anything's rebuildable but, with so few parts that are good that's left on this thing it just doesn't make any sense to tear it apart and put it back together, especially when new parts are readily available and super cheap. So, I say ditch this tub of Swiss cheese and move on to something else.

(Marc)>> So, that means we're going to be building our own tub basically from a Bronco in a box, and we're going to start with everything you that see here on the floor that we got from Dennis Carpenter.

(Brandon)>> So why do we care so much about building such a nice Bronco?

(Marc)>> Sea Foam's been a great partner of ours here at Powernation for a long time and we've done some really cool builds over the years, but now it's time to take it to the next level. We're excited to call this project "The Beach Cruiser Bronco". It's going to be the perfect blend of classic styling and modern technology that will be able to cruise the beach, scream down the interstate, and everything in between. And the coolest part is when it's all done, it's going to auction with the proceeds going to Sea Foam's charity of choice, Warriors Heart. This is exciting huh?

(Brandon)>> Yeah, I'm stoked! After getting the front floor mounted we mount the rear brace to lay in the bed floor. [ welder beeping ]

(Mark)>> Let's let it down.

(Marc)>> Let's pull it out. [hammer tapping]

(Marc)>> This really gives you an appreciation for how simple these trucks are. [ Music ]

(Marc)>> Dang, this one's almost flush up against here. Well, we've been busy doing a bunch of welding on our Bronco here. We've got the a-pillars welded in completely, along with a bunch of other structural stuff. We don't have the firewall and cowl completely welded in yet, but we can get to that later.

(Brandon)>> We have enough of the truck welded together that is structurally sound. So, while we still have Steven we're going hang all that new sheet metal, including that top. [ metal clanging ] [ Music ]

(Marc)>> Can you go over and fix that? [ Music ] Very exciting! [ Music ] I think for now that's…

(Brandon)>> That's not bad. Before we put the top on we need to get that windshield frame installed. Then we can get the top side panel pieces clamped in.

(Jeremy)>> I still can't believe you guys put a whole Bronco together. Dude you're sitting in it. You're sitting in it. [ Music ]

(Brandon)>> Smell that? That's a new car smell.

(Jeremy)>> That's a new car smell?

(Marc)>> When we started this and we put the first piece of sheet metal on here I did not see us being this far this soon.

(Brandon)>> No, and I have to thank Steven and all the help we had. This thing wouldn't have came together as fast as it did if we didn't have this awesome team.

(Marc)>> And that amazing machine and the right sheet metal. Everything came together the way it's supposed to and just look at the finished product. It speaks for itself.

(Brandon)>> A brand new '74 Bronco with no rust.

(Marc)>> I didn't think we would be doing this, but here we are.

(Katie)>> Now there's still plenty to do before the Mecum showdown, but the guys are getting so close.

(Brandon)>> We've got the Bronco cut off the fab table and over here on the lift. Now it's time to make this Bronco a roller, and that means mounting and installing our suspension and we've got "Monster" Mike from James Duff here to help us out. Thanks man for coming.

(Michael)>> Hey Guys! Man, look at the mess you guys made over here. It's a good thing I showed up. [ drill humming ]

(Marc)>> Yep! [ Music ]

(Brandon)>> We've got the radius arms on our crate axle, and now it's time to get it on the frame. [ Music ] Keep going! [ mechanical humming ]

(Brandon)>> Now with the buckets tacked in place we move on to the front link mounts. [ hammer tapping ]

(Brandon)>> Got the axle set where we want it, got the links in, all the brackets tacked into the frame. Now we just got to get the coils in.

(Marc)>> Let's do it. You good? Alright come on down Brandon. That will hold it up. This kit actually comes standard with two shocks in the rear, but you can upgrade to this quad shock setup, which is what we choose.

(Michael)>> Put that bolt in for me.

(Marc)>> The last piece of the puzzle is the anti-roll bar, which is actually a really cool piece. Once we get it tacked in we'll put the arms on for the links. [ Music ] Well, you guys probably got a little sneak peek at our wheel and tire earlier, but let's talk about exactly what we chose. Now since we went with that nice big lift from James Duff, we're able to fit a 35-inch tire under our Bronco which is pretty cool. For our wheel, we went to Custom Wheel Outlet for a set of Methods. Methods are kind of the go to nowadays. They're the modern version of a classic wheel. This is a cast wheel, this is a 305 NV. So, it's actually an off the shelf wheel, but it looks really nice. It's got a matte black lip with a machine face, and then for our tires General Grabber X-3. This is the latest version of the mud terrain from General. It's kind of a tire that does a little bit of everything, and plus it looks really nice. How could we not run those red letters out? This is just a great looking tire, 35x12.50 R17. I think this is gonna to be a winner. Let's get them on here and get this thing on the ground. Well, we obviously wanted to set the bar really high with a build like this and we're going to do that with all the components, and the engine is no exception. We went with Edelbrock's supercharged Coyote Crate engine. This thing has 785 horsepower, 660-pound feet of torque. This thing is no joke, but it's not just a Coyote crate engine that they slapped the supercharger on. This is a fully built bottom end, forged cranked, forged H-beam rods, forged pistons, and of course, it's got the 26-50 TVS Edelbrock supercharger on top. It's got a full 8 ribbed belt drive. So, you don't have to worry about anything like belt slippage, and then it comes with all the other components that you need to get this thing installed. The controls, and the wiring, and everything like that. So, you just hook up a few wires, add some fuel, and this thing is going to make our Bronco scream. But we're not stopping with just this engine.

(Brandon)>> Like I said, we went with a 6-R-80. Ford's been putting these behind Coyotes since 2011 and they're great transmissions, but this one's a little special. This one's a level 10 bulletproof 1,000 horsepower transmission. So, it's going to be able to take all the power that our supercharged Coyote can give this. Snug them down.

(Marc)>> Let's see how much of the inner fenders we need to clearance. Watch the radiator support too.

(Brandon)>> Let's just go down a little bit and see what happens. [ metal clanging ]

(Marc)>> Let's make some marks of where we want to cut. [ saw buzzing ]

(Marc)>> Go ahead down.

(Brandon)>> With the engine in place, the header slides right in. [ metal clanging ]

(Marc)>> Oh yeah, with room to spare too. Everything else looks good. Power steering pump clears.

(Brandon)>> Valve covers don't touch.

(Marc)>> Headers are free and doesn't hit the firewall.

(Brandon)>> It's tight, but it fits. [ grinding buzzing ] [ Music ]

(Brandon)>> So I'm working on our pre-bent cage for the Bronco, and this is specifically made for early Broncos, but it is a you-weld-it kit. So, you have to do some measuring, trimming, and you can tell by the door bars that obviously it's a little long. So, we're just going to have to take some measurements and start cutting. I'm starting out with the mounting plates and main hoop, getting it centered in the truck. Then I'm going to tack the plates in so they don't move while I measure for the rest of the tubes. Hope this works. Since no two Broncos are alike, some of the tubes are left long so you can fit it how you want in your truck. [ welder crackling ]

(Brandon)>> The windshield's still kind of floppy. [ welder crackling ]

(Brandon)>> Now that I've got all the tubes tacked in place and everything where I want it, I'm going to let Marc finish weld this because I've got other stuff to do.

(Katie)>> Coming up, our Beach Cruiser gets one cool color. Plus, we're keeping it cool!

(Brandon)>> Now the last time you guys saw the Bronco we put it on the frame, got all the panels hung. Now it's time to get it from epoxy into body work and prime, and at the end of the week paint and clear. So, to help us do that we brought Chris Ryan and his crew. You guys know them. They do excellent work. Thanks for Coming out.

(Chris)>> Anytime, we appreciate you having us here.

(Brandon)>> First we're going over the epoxy with 180 grit.

(Chris)>> With the epoxy we're in the window now, and we don't have to sand it before we apply our filler on top of it, but we did not personally assemble this vehicle. So, I want to make sure how straight it is. So, it's kinda giving us an idea of how straight it is. So, when we go over a pattern you can see some of the shiny sticking through. That means we're low right here already. So, we know we're gonna need some filler in this area right here. It will promote adhesion, although we don't have to do this since we have an epoxy on it right now. [ sander buzzing ] [ paint mixer vibrating ]

(Marc)>> While I'm mixing the primer the guys are spreading the last bit of needed filler using a lightweight glazing putty. [ Music ]

Man, that looks good! I'm sure glad I didn't have to do that.

(Brandon)>> Now we've got to guide coat it, block it down, and make this thing straight. So, let's not waste any time and get this thing going. [ Music ] What Dolph is spraying right now is finish sand. It's a hybrid polyester primer. It's less heavy than the super build but still a polyester. So, it's gonna give us that nice finish, not as much orange peel to sand off like the high build. During final sanding you really want to focus on not flattening any of your radiuses or edges and keeping those body lines crisp. [ spray gun hissing ]

(Dolph)>> Now that the sealer's dry we're gonna mix up some of this Caribbean Turquoise chroma base and get Chris back in the booth spraying, turn this thing green.

(Chris)>> Don't spill any!

(Brandon)>> And finally this is the moment where a concept of the build becomes reality. [ Music ] [ spray gun hissing ]

(Brandon)>> The clear coat we're using is as good as it gets. It's a high solids clear, which is gonna give us more u/v protection and a deeper appearance than other clears.

(Marc)>> When you look really closely at the paint surface, which sometimes requires using a light, you can start to see the imperfections and the rough surface, which we call orange peel. That's when you can get a rough idea of how much work it will take to get to the finished product. Sanding can be a tedious process but it's necessary so we can move on to the compound and polish to ultimately reach that beautiful finish we all want to achieve. It doesn't matter the color of the paint, dark or light, the orange peel will be there, and here we have a chance to really make our top color pop. [ buffer buzzing ] [ Music ]

(Brandon)>> Careful with the firewall Marc.

(Marc)>> I see it right there. Okay, throttle body's gonna get in the way now. We're gonna have to tilt it back.

(Brandon)>> You want me to get under it?

(Marc)>> Yeah, go down.

(Brandon)>> What was that?

(Mark)>> I think it was just the spring. So, it's just sitting on the front crossmember.

(Marc)>> The track bar's kicking everything cause it's not sitting…

(Mark)>> I think it's sliding on this power steering pump, or sorry, the a/c.

(Brandon)>> I'm good on the driver.

(Marc)>> Declare victory. Well, it's nice having some good help around here for a change. Now we move on to our transmission and transfer case. We going up?

(Brandon)>> Yep! This thing's going in pretty easy. Bring it down. Seems kinda heavy duty.

(Marc)>> It is really heavy.

(Brandon)>> Alright that's it.

(Marc)>> Well all the drivetrain's in.

(Brandon)>> Axles, suspension, body's on the frame, roll cage is in.

(Marc)>> All we have to do now is just put the thing together.

(Brandon)>> Seats, and wiring, and air conditioning, radiator, lights!

(Katie)>> Finally, from the inside out it's show and go for our Beach Cruising Bronco.

(Marc)>> Pretty nice huh?

(Tommy)>> Oh yeah!

(Brandon)>> Now when I say everyone put their hands on this build I mean everyone.

(Marc)>> And when it comes to fit and finish Tommy is as good as you can get, and even though he's busy working on his own SEMA build he took the time to come help us out. [ Music ]

Well, it's done!

(Brandon)>> Done!

(Marc)>> Like for real! This has been what seemed to be an insurmountable build. Just from the beginning things didn't really go well.

(Brandon)>> We pretty much threw everything away.

(Marc)>> And regrouped and look at the finished product.

(Brandon)>> This is the biggest and most intense build that I have ever done, and I don't think we could have done it without all the help we've had. You know, Jimmy, Jeremy, Tommy, everybody before them. I mean everybody who's put their hands on this has made my dream come true of building a dream Bronco.

(Marc)>> We've got a transport coming. So, I think we should get it out there and get it loaded up! [ Music ]

(Brandon)>> This truck was born in our shop and now it makes its maiden voyage.

(Marc)>> It's really amazing to see it drive out under its own power and as a complete vehicle. [ Music ]

(Announcer)>> Here's L-128.1, a 1974 Ford Bronco. This vehicle has been donated by the seller with proceeds to benefit Warriors Heart Foundation. Built by Music City Trucks, sheet metal from Dennis Carpenter, Throttle Down custom chassis, suspension by James Duff, crate Currie axles. It features a 6-R-80 transmission, TMI interior, Vintage air, and it's offered today with the proceeds to benefit the charity at no reserve. [ Auctioneer chanting ] [ Music ] [ Auctioneer chanting ]

(Marc)>> All of the little pieces that went into this all stack up. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts, right? So, this is the true moment where we're gonna find out exactly how much it is. They're asking for $80,000 right now, $85,000, $90,000, $95,000, it's going up. We broke $100,000, $105,000. [ Auctioneer chanting ]

(Marc)>> This is where it's gonna really get exciting. So, you've got some people that are players. You've got people that are players at the $100,000 to $110,000 range, and they fall off, and then other guys start picking it up, and that's where things start really get exciting.

(Brian)>> You're asking what we thought, and I'll tell you in five minutes.

(Marc)>> Now it's gonna start going up again. See how it stalled. Stalled at $130,000, jumps up a little bit. So, you just hope it keeps getting another run you know? I mean honestly at that number.

(Jamey)>> The number of people that that's gonna help right there, that number, it's amazing. It's gonna save lives. What you guys have done is saving lives.

(Marc)>> $135,000!

(Brandon)>> It's amazing.

(Jamey)>> Thank you guys so much for everything you've done.

(Marc)>> It was our pleasure.

(Jamey)>> Brian, Seafoam, thank you for everything that you guys have done to make this happen.

(Marc)>> Quick right, and just like that it's over!

(Katie)>> And just like that we went from a vision to an all-out dream ride. Great job guys! Remember you can always catch all of our latest projects right here on Powernation Builds.