Brothers With Broncos - 1971 - 1972 Ford Bronco

The Herman brothers love to hit the dirt whenever they can. They grew up exploring the desert in their mom’s ’79 Scout. From there, a love of off-roading led them to other 4WDs and at one point they each had lifted fullsize trucks for trail and backcountry exploring. However, they soon realized that they needed vehicles other than their daily drivers if they wanted to pursue more aggressive play in the dirt.

Both agreed on getting early Broncos and they soon had two of the classics in hand. From there, they’ve built on the Broncos over the years to get them to what you see today. The brothers also like to mix up their wheeling from running on the Baja Peninsula to crawling some of the rock canyons near Phoenix, Arizona, or the slickrock of Moab, Utah. They’ve chosen their powerplants to produce copious amounts of ponies but maintain good low end torque as well. They’ve also combined it with the gearing to go slow or fast, getting results that speak more of versatility than of compromise.

Both rigs have morphed from steel-body-on-frame classics to more skins-on-tubular-chassis, although underneath these hybrids is still some considerable Bronco heritage. The front of the bodies have been narrowed for visibility and clearance, and the back ends have been dove-tailed as well. The two Broncos are quite similar in many proven aspects but do differ where each brother expressed some specific preference.

Much of the chassis and suspension fabrication was left to master fabricator Rob Bonney at 4Wheelers Supply in Phoenix. The Hermans wanted Rob to fashion suspensions that could soak up some serious terrain and handle at speed, but also be predictable and stable when boulder crawling in washes. Rob brought his rock racing background to bear when doing the designs, and the results are impressive. Both Broncos are linked front and rear. They are set up with coilovers, bypass shocks and air bumps to manage spring and damping chores over a wide range of conditions.

We’ve run the desert and wheeled with George and Paul, and seen the Broncos in action. They’ve now got rigs built to go fast, and to go slow.

Specs

Vehicle:	1971 Ford Bronco
Owner/Hometown:	George Herman/Chandler, Arizona
Engine:	Ford 392ci V-8
Induction:	Edelbrock Pro-Tuner fuel injection
Transmission/Transfer case:	NV4500/Atlas 5:1
Front axle:	Currie 9-inch, ARB air locker, 4.86 gears, alloy shafts
Rear axle:	Trussed Currie 9-inch, Detroit Locker, 4.86 gears, Strange third member & 35-spline shafts
Front suspension:	King 2.5 coilovers, bypass shocks, airbumps, three-link using modified James Duff arms
Rear Suspension:	King 2.5 coilovers, bypass shocks, airbumps, double-triangulated four-link, Currie Antirock sway bar
Steering:	Benchworks power steering box, hydro assist, custom pitman arm
Brakes:	11-inch rotor disc brakes on all corners, cutting brakes
Tires/Wheels:	39-inch BFG Krawlers on 17x9 Walker Evans beadlocks
Interior:	Mastercraft seats, custom dash, Flaming River steering column

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Engine power passes through an NV4500 five-speed tranny and 5:1 Atlas transfer case. Bonney took a Currie 9-inch axle housing and trussed it for strength and then popped in a Strange Engineering third member.

Up front is a Currie 9-inch axle running 4.86:1 gearing spinning on an ARB air locker. James Duff suspension arms were modified and Bonney created a three-link setup utilizing King coilovers, triple-bypass shocks, and King airbumps to yield about 14 inches of front travel. Hydro assist was added to the pitman arm to help the frame mounted power steering box turn big tires.

Under the fiberglass hood of George’s Bronco you’ll find a lumpy Ford 392 cranking out a dyno tested 323 horses at the 39-inch BFG Krawlers on Walker Evans beadlocks. Charlie and Jason at Pro Dyno in Phoenix tuned the built motor to have a broad powerband.

A full engine cage is tied into the chassis and runs to a Warn 9500-equipped custom front bumper. The narrowed and tubed front end provides an excellent approach angle and great visibility over the tires.

Inside the third member was added a 35-spline Detroit Locker, heavy-duty ring-and-pinion set, and a pair of Strange Hy-Tuf alloy shafts. Disc brakes are used on all four corners.

King airbumps are mounted outboard of the tube chassis in back to limit the upward movement of the axle. Backing that up is a Currie Antirock sway bar as well.

The rear suspension is completely custom using long trailing links in a triangulated four-link configuration. Here, King coilovers, bypasses and airbumps keep the 20 inches of travel in check. Wheelbase sits at 104.5 inches.

Step rails/rock sliders are built into the chassis and show some of the cool fabrication detail on these rigs. George fabricated aluminum skins to finish out the rear body on his Bronco.

Driver and passenger are cradled in Mastercraft suspension seats and held secure with five-point harnesses. A Rugged race radio and on-board intercom makes it easy to communicate over the wind and exhaust noise when flying through the desert.

George and friend Steve went to work narrowing the Bronco and reworked the entire floorboard so it could be boat-sided. Bonney can be credited with all the tube work to complete the revamped chassis. A 24-gallon Fuel Safe cell is mounted over the rear axle and under the tail mounted spare tire.

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Specs

Vehicle:	1972 Ford Bronco
Owner/Hometown:	Paul Herman/Cave Creek, Arizona
Engine:	Ford 392ci V-8
Induction:	FAST multiport fuel injection
Transmission/Transfer Case:	NV4500/Atlas 2 4:1
Front Axle:	Currie 9-inch, Dana 60 knuckles, ARB air locker, 4.86 gears, 35-spline alloy shafts
Rear Axle:	Currie 9-inch, ARB air locker, 4.86 gears, 35-spline alloy shafts
Front Suspension:	King 2.5 coilovers, bypass shocks, airbumps, three-link using modified James Duff arms
Rear Suspension:	King 2.5 coilovers, bypass shocks, airbumps, double-triangulated four-link, Currie Antirock sway bar
Steering:	Benchworks power steering box, hydro assist, custom pitman arm
Brakes:	Disc brakes on all corners, cutting brakes
Tires/Wheels:	39-inch BFG Krawlers on 17x9 Walker Evans beadlocks
Interior:	Mastercraft seats, custom dash, Dakota Digital gauges, Flaming River steering column