Transforming the Juice - Project Ford Bronco - Part 1

Part 1 Exterior Interior Start Suspension Bedsides

Part 1 Exterior Interior Start Suspension Custom Ford Bronco

1. The Juice, fresh out of the paint shop. This is the first time we’ve seen this truck look so fresh and so clean.

1. The Juice, fresh out of the paint shop. This is the first time we’ve seen this truck lo

We’re betting you’ve seen our project Bronco, often referred to as "The Juice." After all, we’ve been building and abusing it in the pages of this magazine for more than three years. We started out simple - a lift kit and some 35s enabled us to have some great fun, and encouraged us to continue working on the project. As the months rolled on, we slowly but surely replaced just about every conceivable part on or within The Juice. Now, the thing runs like a charm, and we’re ready to get into the more custom mods. This month, we’re going to show you how we transformed both the interior and the exterior, and we’re going to give you a sneak peak at the next step of the build.

Part 1 Exterior Interior Start Suspension Leddy And Hall Auto Car Center

2. We’re sure glad we found these two. Leddy & Hall Auto Care Center in Hawthorne, California, is where we go when The Juice needs specialty work. These guys fixed a sticky power window, figured out a thermostat problem, and repaired the shifter column (which had snapped) without breaking a sweat. Thanks, fellas—we’re sure to be back before too long.

2. We’re sure glad we found these two. Leddy & Hall Auto Care Center in Hawthorne, Califor

The Juice has been built in stages, utilizing more sophisticated parts and fabrication as time went on. We did this because we figure most of you are like us, and we certainly don’t have enough coin to go to a custom shop and have a high-dollar vehicle built to completion at the drop of a hat. Nope - most of us modify only as much as budgets and time constraints allow.

That being said, we’ve been working on this project for a damned long time, so we’ve been able to pretty much create the truck we daydreamed about when we started. There’s been a lot of frustration mixed in with the fun. Many of the modifications were the result of near-catastrophic failures. We’ve utilized the ol’ AAA tow service more times than we care to count. It was all worth it however, and this Bronco has turned out to be one of our best project vehicles.

Part 1 Exterior Interior Start Suspension Ford Bronco

3. We run 37-inch tires on The Juice, which is about 5 inches taller than stock. As a result, we had to constantly deal with clearance and tire-rubbing issues. In this photo, a hard landing after a launch in the sand actually bent the rear of the stock bedsides. It was time for fiberglass.

3. We run 37-inch tires on The Juice, which is about 5 inches taller than stock. As a resu

We’ve been planning to skin The Juice in fiberglass since we bought it, and thanks to Perry’s Fab N Fiber, our Bronco now dons a wicked combination of ’glassed fenders, hood, and bedsides. We then turned to our attention to the truck’s interior and installed jet-black Corbeau seats in the front, and had the rear bench reupholstered in the same material to match. We also enlisted the help of two of our favorite mechanics at the neighborhood repair shop (Leddy & Hall Auto Repair in Hawthorne, California) to rid The Juice of some nagging problems.

Our beloved black Bronco is finally becoming a performance-oriented machine. Check out the photos for details, and stay tuned for the next installment - we take The Juice over to Camburg Engineering to finally get the long-travel suspension installed. Don’t miss it!

4. We’ve always liked the fiberglass body panels that Perry’s Fab N Fiber produces. Perry (who also heads up McNeil Racing) greeted us personally and had his team get started right away. Here, the stock fenders have been removed in preparation for the fiberglass replacements. Because Broncos utilize their stock inner fenderwells for body rigidity and support, it was necessary to fabricate a tube skeleton that would reside under the new fiberglass fenders and hood.
4. We’ve always liked the fiberglass body panels that Perry’s Fab N Fiber produces. Perry
5. Getting fiberglass bedsides mounted on a Bronco is a bit more complicated than installing them on a pickup truck. In this case, the stock sides needed to be cut out with a torch in order to make room for the ‘glass. We’re glad the gang at Perry’s knows what they’re doing—that’s a big piece of sheet metal being removed!
5. Getting fiberglass bedsides mounted on a Bronco is a bit more complicated than installi
6. We snapped this quick photo just as The Juice was about to go into paint. We dropped the Bronco off at our local Maaco, and had them paint the body gloss black, and the rear shell satin black. For the first time, we were about to be proud of the Juice’s finish.
6. We snapped this quick photo just as The Juice was about to go into paint. We dropped th

Part 1 Exterior Interior Start Suspension Corbeau Seat

7. In the meantime, we had ordered up a new pair of seats from Corbeau. The Bronco’s stock leather seats had been nice at some point in the truck’s life, but those days were long gone. We chose to replace them with Corbeau’s wide-version LG1 recliner seats, in black Microsuede. We’ve used these seats in a few of our project vehicles already and really like them—they provide the support we need for high-speed desert runs, but are extremely comfortable at all times (even during long highway drives). Plus, they recline to an almost flat position—when we’ve had to spend the night in vehicles outfitted with LG1s, we’ve reclined them to the maxed-out position and slept pretty comfortably.

8. Installing the seats was an easy task thanks to Corbeau’s vehicle-specific mounting brackets. After the stock seats were unbolted, a few turns of the wrench secured the brackets, which utilized the factory mounting points on the floorpan.
8. Installing the seats was an easy task thanks to Corbeau’s vehicle-specific mounting bra
9. The seats simply bolted to the brackets using four bolts each. Seats play a large part in the driver’s interface with a vehicle, and this may have been the easiest and fastest way we’ve ever made such an improvement to the driver’s experience behind the wheel of this Bronco.
9. The seats simply bolted to the brackets using four bolts each. Seats play a large part
10. The Bronco’s old rear bench had seen better days. We’re not even sure if this particular bench originally came with the truck, as it was a different color than the rest of the interior. However, we like the functionality provided by the seats design—it can be folded and stowed in the front of the Bronco’s cargo area, just as Ford intended. For this reason, we chose to reupholster this bench, rather than replacing it.
10. The Bronco’s old rear bench had seen better days. We’re not even sure if this particul

Part 1 Exterior Interior Start Suspension Recovered Rear Seat

11. Corbeau had us covered, literally. We wanted the rear bench to match the new Microsuede front seats, and Corbeau makes matching fabric and sew-in logos available to customers for just this purpose. We then went to a local upholstery shop, and they re-covered the rear seat using the Corbeau materials. The result was fantastic, and we were extremely pleased. Now, we retain the functionality of the stock bench, but it looks and feels much better. Corbeau makes seat materials available to consumers for this very reason.

12. It’s a matching set! The seats and bench made a drastic change to the inside of The Juice, and from this point on, occupants will enjoy the safety, comfort, and style provided by our Corbeau setup. We also ordered and received racing harnesses from Corbeau. These will be installed in the near future when the interior rollcage is built.
12. It’s a matching set! The seats and bench made a drastic change to the inside of The Ju
13. The Juice emerged from paint looking like a million bucks. We had to stop and admire the paintjob, which had been laid down flawlessly by Maaco. The front fenders from Perry’s Fab & Fiber add a 6-inch bulge on each side, and the bedsides add a 3-inch flare on each side. The fiberglass panels also provide larger diameter wheel well openings, giving the tires more room. It’s our hope that the 37-inch tires will no longer rub when the suspension is compressed. We’ll report back to you soon after we test it—there seems to be a big fitment difference between 35s and 37s on fullsize Broncos with long-travel suspensions.
13. The Juice emerged from paint looking like a million bucks. We had to stop and admire t
14. We love the look of this hood—it was what had originally convinced us to get our fiberglass from Perry’s Fab N Fiber. Although we still have to cut out the hole in the scoop, the hood’s aggressive styling seems to match the whole vehicle’s theme; this is a Bronco gets driven hard and fast, and it now looks the part.
14. We love the look of this hood—it was what had originally convinced us to get our fiber

15. The bedsides attach with the help of Autofab rivets. They’re good and thick—no flimsy fiberglass panels here. With fresh paint applied, the bedsides look so smooth and natural that you might miss them at first glance. But make no mistake—they provide a lot more room for clearance when the tires are stuffed.
15. The bedsides attach with the help of Autofab rivets. They’re good and thick—no flimsy
16. The edges of the fiberglass hood and fenders mimic that of the original sheet metal, with good results. The gap between the hood and fenders was even and thin. Good fitment is a must when fiberglass body panels are chosen and installed—if this isn’t right, the vehicle will look terrible. The crew at Perry’s Fab N Fiber knows just what to do to create and install fiberglass panels that fit perfectly.
16. The edges of the fiberglass hood and fenders mimic that of the original sheet metal, w
17. Once the ’glass was on, we drove directly to Camburg Engineering in Huntington Beach, California. We’ve been waiting a long time to get a long-travel suspension on The Juice, and the moment had finally arrived. Don’t miss our next installment—we’ll show you everything that went down at Camburg—and you’ll want to see it!
17. Once the ’glass was on, we drove directly to Camburg Engineering in Huntington Beach,

Sources
CAMBURG ENGINEERING 7409 Slater Ave. Huntington Beach CA 92647 714-848-8880 www.camburg.com	Maaco Collision Repair And Auto Painting 610 Freedom Business Center, Suite 200 King Of Prussia PA 19406 310-533-6023 www.maaco.com
Corbeau Seats PO Box 708038 Sandy UT 84070 801-255-3737 www.corbeau.com	Perry's Fab N Fiber/McNeil Racing n/a San Diego CA 619-463-1361 www.perrysfabnfiber.com
Leddy & Hall Auto Care Center n/a 310-644-1142