1979 Ford Bronco – Phil H.

When I first purchased this Bronco in 2009, it was not just another Bronco. It was my third ’79 Bronco, but this one is the one I have always wanted for a restoration project. It came from California with no rust. The journey just begun once I got it home. I started buying parts little at a time and stored them in my cargo trailer for safe keeping. Ironically, I found the turbine wheels in California and had them shipped to me. I didn’t drive the Bronco much, but I talked about it and showed pictures of it. People started calling it the Sasquatch, because they never saw it but heard about it. I was accused of stealing pictures from the internet saying the Bronco was mine. Time to start design planning and the build. First thing to get freshened up is this 400 engine. What is taking so long to build this engine?? Three years later, I get Sasquatch back. It is then scheduled for body and paint with my good friends at Schneider Auto Body of Columbia, MO. Greg, Colleen, Nick, and crew did an outstanding job on her. Stripped down to bare metal, put a roof skin from another ’79 to get rid of the aftermarket sunroof, and they had many hours of prep to give her the shine she has now. Including making the fiberglass top smooth like glass. See’s Upholstery was called in to work their magic on the interior. While it was in the shop, I built a 1:24 scale model for the rendering of the project I had designed for them. The build was almost done with the exception of the transmission was a little sluggish. Called for a roll back for a delivery to Fosters of Jeff City. The drive from the tranny shop was not good. The engine was not performing as it should. I had to put the fine tuning off until the final touches at the body shop was completed. June 2023, I was able to attempt to drive it home. “She sure is pretty” was the saying around the house. She just wouldn’t run. The first car show is in 2 weeks and the engine has fallen on its face. I was throwing parts on it trying to get her to run and it was not working. I called on a couple reputable friends to assist with trouble shooting. I was at my wits’ end. One of them being a master technician and the other an engine builder, they ran several tests on the engine and concluded it needed an overhaul. Upon inspection, the previous build was a fail. My son and I pulled the engine and it was built again. Now she is running strong and appearing at the car shows. She is now called JADE and no longer Sasquatch. Thank you LMC for having the parts for my journey when I needed them the most.