Registered vehicle
1996 Ford Bronco “Desert prerunner”
About the 1992–1996 Ford Bronco
from the generation archive
The fifth-generation Ford Bronco ran from 1992 through 1996 and was the last full-size Bronco before the nameplate went dormant until 2021. For 1992 Ford restyled the truck with the rounded sheet metal it shared with the redesigned 1992-1996 F-series, the body enthusiasts later nicknamed OBS for Old Body Style after the 1997 trucks arrived. It kept the removable fiberglass rear roof, a single rear liftgate with roll-down glass, and a 104.7-inch wheelbase carried over from the prior generation. Power came from Ford small-block V8s, the 5.0L (302) and the 5.8L (351 Windsor), both fuel injected; the 4.9L inline-six that earlier full-size Broncos offered was not part of this run. Trim levels were XL, XLT, and the top Eddie Bauer. A standard center high-mounted stop lamp arrived with the 1992 redesign, rear-wheel anti-lock brakes carried over from the previous generation and were standard throughout, and a driver-side airbag was added for 1994. Ford ended the Bronco after 1996 and replaced it with the four-door Expedition for 1997.
The story
The 96 Bronco came from the desert valley of CA and had no rust. I started to build a combo truck that was good for the CO mountains and for the desert. This was a failure because the Bronco is way to big for the tight trails in CO so I bought a 72 Bronco for CO and had the 96 redone for the desert. I ran it for 4 years in the desert with a great suspension by Spirit, but no cage. I got real tired of replacing the leaf springs every year. So I had Glen at Complete fab to put links and coilovers on the rear. At that time I also decided it would be prudent to have a full cage. Good thing because the front fenders were all full of cracks from the constant pounding of the bad roads in Baja. In order to get the rear geometry correct with the long E4OD tranny it was nercessary to extend the wheel base by 17+" At this writing the stretch is 2 years old and only superficial mods have been required.
The truck is instumented with Lowrance 7200C GPS and 2 race radios. It has a custom 52 gallon fuel tank and a CruzPro fuel gauge. The tank has a trap with three doors and has dual Walbro fuel pumps.
It has 5 point harness for the front seats as well as the stock 3 point belts for casual driving. The rear seat is stock with 2-3point belts and a lap belt for the center position.
In back I have a large box for essentials and an inside spare and a rear bumper with a spare and a place for 2 5ers. — PWMTN
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