A new and highly anticipated Ford Bronco is just around the corner, but for Bronco purists, it’s hard to get past the original American legend. Bryan Brooks’ fully restored 1995 Ford Bronco may be 25 years old, but when you slide behind the wheel, it looks and feels like an all-new SUV.
There’s something about a classic off-roader that ignites our spirit of adventure. The burble of a V8 and the raw ruggedness act as sensory triggers and thoughts of casually rambling through deserts or white knuckle rides up sheer cliff faces.
We may be getting a little ahead of ourselves to suggest a 1995 Ford Bronco is a classic car, but there’s no doubting the Bronco’s off-roading pedigree, and this 1995 model is an immaculate example. AutoNation Mobile Service Technician Drew Serotta has done an extraordinary job restoring Bryan’s Bronco, using impeccable craftsmanship to reinstate the Bronco’s original rugged luxury while adding a twist of modern performance.
Behind the Build
The steering and suspension setup was a focal point of this project. In off-roading situations, steering response time and suspension setup have played a crucial role in how the vehicle performs while traversing extreme terrain, so it’s essential to dial it in perfectly. A good suspension setup with the right amount of steering feedback will prevent steering and suspension components from wear and the vehicle from wandering. To ensure a razor-sharp steering response, we fitted brand new inner tie rod ends.
To help the Bronco absorb bumps, reduce body roll, and eliminate the chance of a rollover when tackling tough terrain, we fitted coil spring buckets and front and rear stabilizer bar bushings. This was especially important to get right because of the Pro Comp heavy-duty lift kit and upgraded leaf springs to improve the Bronco’s ground clearance and allow for greater approach and departure angles.
To make the Bronco comfortable and help it ride like a new 4×4, we replaced upper and lower ball joints along with the front axle pivot and strut rod bushings. We also replaced and recalibrated the wheel speed sensors, realigned the wheels, and flushed the brake system to ensure it can handle the tough combination suspension and steering setup.
One area where Bryan figured stock is better is with the Ford 302 engine. The power was enough to meet to owners’ needs, so we focused on improving reliability with a new water pump, radiator core support, engine oil cooler, and thermostat that will keep the Bronco cool even in the most rugged environment.
While we were working on the Bronco, we tackled some of the more difficult jobs including fitting a new oil pan gasket and timing cover reseal. These are labor-intensive jobs that most people generally don’t think to do, but they make a huge difference in prolonging the life of the engine. Over time, these components can dry out and crack, causing oil leaks and making the engine run roughly and robbing it of power.
Some other miscellaneous parts we replaced include:
- Intake manifold gaskets
- Spark plugs
- Hood release cable
- Fuel hose and vent hose
- Temperature gauge
After 25 years, any vehicle will start to show signs of wear and tear, particularly a 4×4 that’s been used exactly how the manufacturer intended. To correct this, we had to perform a rust mitigation process. When rust starts to affect a vehicle, often the only solution is removal, but thankfully we have dedicated partners who were able to perfectly paint match and respray over the areas that were repaired. The resulting paintwork looks phenomenal.
The Dream Team
This 1995 Bronco almost looks like it did when it left the factory, but performs better than ever thanks to our dedicated AutoNation Mobile Service Technician Drew who meticulously put in over 90 hours of work to restore it. Typically a restoration project like this would take around 4-6 months if it was trusted to another shop, but Drew had the project wrapped up in less than 5 weeks.
Drew is an extremely popular technician and is the first choice for a lot of our customers who request him by name. He has a near-encyclopedic knowledge of engines and vehicles, so he was the ideal choice to handle this restoration which is now back in the hands of its happy owner.
Bryan Brooks, the lucky owner of this unique Ford Bronco entrusts all his vehicles to AutoNation Mobile Service and our Technician Drew Serotta because of his consistently high quality of workmanship. Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of this particular project is that Bryan trusted Drew to manage the entire project, giving him a budget to work with and allowing him the freedom to restore his Bronco to the highest level and turn his vision into a reality.
A restoration is only as good as the people working on it, so we must give a special shoutout and thanks to our talented and incredibly helpful support team: Abraham B., Kevin S., Abraham Y., and Adrian H. Everyone on the team went above and beyond in assisting Drew to give this unique restoration the attention it deserves.
Abraham B. and Kevin assisted Drew whenever they got the chance to provide an extra pair of skilled helping hands, while Abraham Y. and Adrian were instrumental in locating and ordering the very specific and sometimes hard-to-find parts that were needed for the job. In the end, we are so proud of our team for working together to execute this one-of-a-kind restoration job.