Earlier this year we acquired a 1972 Bronco Explorer Sport that Monster Mike has named Huck. Funny name? Sure. It’s very close to a Huckleberry Blue (it is actually Daytona Metallic Blue) but the name also spins off the character, Doc Holiday from the movie tombstone when Doc gives the infamous line, “I’m your Huckleberry”. A quote Monster Mike plans on using over and over again to challenge the other Broncos in the stable once he has it dialed in and to also show that silly Bronco called The Duck, there’s a new sheriff in town. Monster Mike will be taking this Bronco through its paces and putting all the parts already on it & that have been upgraded to the test.
Huck – verb
/ˈhək/ hucked; hucking; hucks transitive, informal : to throw or toss
Here’s a quick rundown on Huck. It is a great example of a good driver and it came equipped with the following modifications already done to it.
Exterior – Daytona Metallic Blue with Argent Silver hardtop, grille, belt line, and rocker trim – Solid 20-footer.
Interior – Corbeau Baja SS seats front and rear, raptor-lined floors, 6-point roll cage.
Engine – 302 with cam, heads, Edelbrock 1406 600 CFM carb, Duffy’s Long Tube Torquer Headers. When it was purchased it had a dual-side exit exhaust with Magnaflow mufflers. It sounded good but was loud with the window down the exhaust fumes always found their way into the cab. It’s been replaced with a Duff Dual exhaust system with Magnaflow mufflers.
Transmission – Tremec T170 Aluminum case, *spoiler* it’s awful for a 4×4. The gearing in this transmission is too tall. We have some ideas on how to overcome that and we’ll be covering that in the video series.
Transfercase – Stock Dana 20 T-Shift
Axles – Dana 44 Front with a GM Disc Brake upgrade // Ford 9″ big bearing Rear Axle with stock 11″ drum brakes. We will be re-gearing this very soon to help with the transmission issue. It currently has 3:55s in it, with a Detroit locker in the rear. The locker is definitely a light switch and until you get some seat time driving it, it can be unsettling. We’ll be replacing it with a Detroit Tru-Trac limited slip locker.
Suspension – James Duff System G – 3.5″ Lift with 70/30 shocks.
Steering – Factory tie rod & drag link, upgraded to factory power steering with a ford pump. Upgraded Ididit tilt steering column.
Wheel and Tires – Mickey Thompson 33″ x 12.50″ Baja Claws mounted on Dick Cepek Wheels sized 16×10″
Special Decor – Explorer Sport – More to geek out on this as this is the only year you could get an Explorer and a Sport combined.
In future posts and on the youtube channel, we’ll be covering how someone can have the best plan of attack when purchasing a good running driver off of the marketplace for a fair price and how to correctly figure out what modifications the Bronco needs without breaking the bank having to do a full tear down. These vehicles deserve to be driven and shown why they are special, not left in a thousand pieces tucked away for no one to see and perhaps sold off. With the correct modifications on your Bronco, you can enjoy it without bad handling or worrying about handing the keys to a family member or friend to take it for a spin.
Make sure you subscribe to Bronco Garage to stay up to date on the entire video series where Monster Mike will show the viewers what to look for when acquiring a Bronco. What common issues exist and what to inspect, when purchasing your first Bronco and how to get it running and driving great with parts that your Bronco may already have on it and/or needs? Then he will methodically take the Bronco through its paces and find the weak links. Every Bronco is different and that’s what makes them fun and unique in their own right.
Have questions about this build or the parts we plan on using on it? Leave us a comment below.
