Hey guys. Been wanting to share this with you all. I have had this 1973 Bronco since I was 16, I am now 20. It is the only car I have ever owned. Despite its age, it always pulls through, and it has taught me more about cars than any shop class will.
[SORRY IF PICS ARE OUT OF ORDER OR DO NOT MATCH UP WELL. I AM NOT GOOD AT THE UPLOADING SETUP ON THIS FORUM]
My dream has been to turn it into the ultimate back country hunting truck for hunting the west. I was initially inspired by a magazine article written by Remi Warren.
I wanted to share my build with you guys, and also try to get feedback for features that I should add. I am taking this with me when I move from my current home in Northern California out to Reno, Nevada, to attend UNR. This thing is gonna be what gets me in and out of my hunts.
Check it out and let me know what you think. Its not perfect by any means, but its what I have to work with, and I never wanna get rid of it; therefore, it is going to me my back country base camp globe trotter big game hunt vehicle until I am out of college and can afford another truck.
It is a 1973 Bronco, it was stock when I got it. It has a 302 and an automatic c4 transmission. I installed every modification you see. I also just finished doing a motor swap on it. I installed a freshly rebuilt stock 302. Along with that, I have basically replaced every major part in this thing within the last 4 years, many of which I did during my motor swap. Everything is pretty basic on this truck, I will probably put on a 4 barrel carb soon, but other than that, it will stay the same for the most part. The Bronco houses two gas tanks for longer range travel, but I have avid storage for more gas.
As you can see I put on the hard top as opposed to the soft top. I bed lined it inside an out, as are the floor boards. I recently carpeted the interior of the top to provide insulation for loud wind noise along with temperatures. the carpet will also fight off condensation and icicles forming on my ceiling.
The interior is just big enough to sleep in if I pivot my body at an angle (I am not a big dude- 5'11" 165lbs), Although I will only need to be in such a position if it is raining... I know this because I had slept in the back of it due to rain. It used to have bad leaks, but overtime I have sealed it up. If the weather is fair, I can leave the entire back open and sleep very comfortably, due to the foam/rubber mats I put in the back. Another option would be to string up a heavy waterproof tarp to the rack on top at the rear of the truck. this will let me lay down while keeping me dry.
I have installed a few luxuries such as the two 12 volt chargers under the dash (much like you would see on a modern car) and a fan to keep me cool. Its got a great heater too! I installed a cubby, under the dash, to store any small items like glasses or my wallet. Not to mention the fire extinguisher overhead (lets hop I will never need it).
The bucket seats arent all that comfortable when driving long distances but they will due for now.
In addition to the power source from the battery, I also keep a jumper box style power source, capable of being used as a power inverter. I keep a solar panel stashed away just in case I need to trickle charge any of these, in a pinch. I have a first aid kit and a cb radio setup ready to install in case of bizarre emergencies.I also like to keep a variety of simple tools, straps, jumper cables, rain gear, and pretty much anything that could be used if I ever found myself broken down. Everything on this car can be fixed with bailing wire, band aids, and chewed bubble gum. I have found myself doing many roadside/trail fixes that got me home, however with all the new components, I hope to not see that happening.
Moving on to the exterior, I put on the safari style rack for extra storage. I can put a spare tire up there, and still have room for a variety of bags and equipment. I mounted a light on the back of the rack for either backing up the truck or even skinning out an animal at night. I may upgrade to LED soon but it will work for now, as I keep a lot of lights in the rig. On the front of the rack there are two Cree LED lights for offroad use. I also like to use the two LED flood lights on the bumper as well.
On the side of the rack, I store a hi-lift jack. I made the mounts to fit to the yakima bars rather than the rack. The bars are much sturdier. The jack is locked on with a bike chain lock. This is a great repair and recovery tool to have around.
Space and storage is a very important asset to many hunters, which is why many hunters might use larger trucks and possible trailers. Being a very small vehicle, I need to maximize any storage I can. Coolers, dead animals, bows, rifles, archery targets, and all the other necessary gear can compromise some serious space; and if you are planning on sleeping in that vehicle...YIKES. I have made a few modifications to my bronco that may make it a bit more spacious. I have the safari rack, and I also have a plug-in hitch tray that allows room for a few coolers, a mountain bike, or other light weight gear. It also sits high enough off the ground that it does not hinder any off road capabilities.
A big issue on these old broncos is the cooling system. The 302 under the hood produces some serious heat, especially off those headers. I installed a new cooling system, but also added some features to keep the engine extra cool of those long hauls in the heat of western states. I applies heat shield header wrap to both headers. This keeps most of the heat out of the engine bay, thus allowing the air cleaner to pick up cooler air. I also recently installed inner fender vents. These allow any hot air under the hood to blow right out. Keeping cool clean air in the system is key to having maximum power and efficiency when the going gets tough.
If there any any unique features that I forgot to add, I will go ahead and comment a short paragraph. Also I will add any other pics I can. I worked really hard to make this thing reliable and perfect for a young hunter to explore the western states. I may have to put up with some old car problems, but it is worth it to run around the mountains in this thing. Please let me know what you think and give me any suggestions to make this thing the ultimate Cross Country hunting rig!
View attachment 13395
View attachment 13389View attachment 13390View attachment 13391View attachment 13392View attachment 13393
[SORRY IF PICS ARE OUT OF ORDER OR DO NOT MATCH UP WELL. I AM NOT GOOD AT THE UPLOADING SETUP ON THIS FORUM]
My dream has been to turn it into the ultimate back country hunting truck for hunting the west. I was initially inspired by a magazine article written by Remi Warren.
I wanted to share my build with you guys, and also try to get feedback for features that I should add. I am taking this with me when I move from my current home in Northern California out to Reno, Nevada, to attend UNR. This thing is gonna be what gets me in and out of my hunts.
Check it out and let me know what you think. Its not perfect by any means, but its what I have to work with, and I never wanna get rid of it; therefore, it is going to me my back country base camp globe trotter big game hunt vehicle until I am out of college and can afford another truck.
It is a 1973 Bronco, it was stock when I got it. It has a 302 and an automatic c4 transmission. I installed every modification you see. I also just finished doing a motor swap on it. I installed a freshly rebuilt stock 302. Along with that, I have basically replaced every major part in this thing within the last 4 years, many of which I did during my motor swap. Everything is pretty basic on this truck, I will probably put on a 4 barrel carb soon, but other than that, it will stay the same for the most part. The Bronco houses two gas tanks for longer range travel, but I have avid storage for more gas.
As you can see I put on the hard top as opposed to the soft top. I bed lined it inside an out, as are the floor boards. I recently carpeted the interior of the top to provide insulation for loud wind noise along with temperatures. the carpet will also fight off condensation and icicles forming on my ceiling.
The interior is just big enough to sleep in if I pivot my body at an angle (I am not a big dude- 5'11" 165lbs), Although I will only need to be in such a position if it is raining... I know this because I had slept in the back of it due to rain. It used to have bad leaks, but overtime I have sealed it up. If the weather is fair, I can leave the entire back open and sleep very comfortably, due to the foam/rubber mats I put in the back. Another option would be to string up a heavy waterproof tarp to the rack on top at the rear of the truck. this will let me lay down while keeping me dry.
I have installed a few luxuries such as the two 12 volt chargers under the dash (much like you would see on a modern car) and a fan to keep me cool. Its got a great heater too! I installed a cubby, under the dash, to store any small items like glasses or my wallet. Not to mention the fire extinguisher overhead (lets hop I will never need it).
The bucket seats arent all that comfortable when driving long distances but they will due for now.
In addition to the power source from the battery, I also keep a jumper box style power source, capable of being used as a power inverter. I keep a solar panel stashed away just in case I need to trickle charge any of these, in a pinch. I have a first aid kit and a cb radio setup ready to install in case of bizarre emergencies.I also like to keep a variety of simple tools, straps, jumper cables, rain gear, and pretty much anything that could be used if I ever found myself broken down. Everything on this car can be fixed with bailing wire, band aids, and chewed bubble gum. I have found myself doing many roadside/trail fixes that got me home, however with all the new components, I hope to not see that happening.
Moving on to the exterior, I put on the safari style rack for extra storage. I can put a spare tire up there, and still have room for a variety of bags and equipment. I mounted a light on the back of the rack for either backing up the truck or even skinning out an animal at night. I may upgrade to LED soon but it will work for now, as I keep a lot of lights in the rig. On the front of the rack there are two Cree LED lights for offroad use. I also like to use the two LED flood lights on the bumper as well.
On the side of the rack, I store a hi-lift jack. I made the mounts to fit to the yakima bars rather than the rack. The bars are much sturdier. The jack is locked on with a bike chain lock. This is a great repair and recovery tool to have around.
Space and storage is a very important asset to many hunters, which is why many hunters might use larger trucks and possible trailers. Being a very small vehicle, I need to maximize any storage I can. Coolers, dead animals, bows, rifles, archery targets, and all the other necessary gear can compromise some serious space; and if you are planning on sleeping in that vehicle...YIKES. I have made a few modifications to my bronco that may make it a bit more spacious. I have the safari rack, and I also have a plug-in hitch tray that allows room for a few coolers, a mountain bike, or other light weight gear. It also sits high enough off the ground that it does not hinder any off road capabilities.
A big issue on these old broncos is the cooling system. The 302 under the hood produces some serious heat, especially off those headers. I installed a new cooling system, but also added some features to keep the engine extra cool of those long hauls in the heat of western states. I applies heat shield header wrap to both headers. This keeps most of the heat out of the engine bay, thus allowing the air cleaner to pick up cooler air. I also recently installed inner fender vents. These allow any hot air under the hood to blow right out. Keeping cool clean air in the system is key to having maximum power and efficiency when the going gets tough.
If there any any unique features that I forgot to add, I will go ahead and comment a short paragraph. Also I will add any other pics I can. I worked really hard to make this thing reliable and perfect for a young hunter to explore the western states. I may have to put up with some old car problems, but it is worth it to run around the mountains in this thing. Please let me know what you think and give me any suggestions to make this thing the ultimate Cross Country hunting rig!
View attachment 13395
View attachment 13389View attachment 13390View attachment 13391View attachment 13392View attachment 13393
Last edited:
