John Parks’ 1987 Ford Bronco II is the kind of 4×4 that makes you do a double take. Bronco IIs are a rare sight these days, and trail-prepped beasts like John’s, packing a V8 swap, Atlas T-case, and full-width axles, are even rarer.
Quick Bronco II History
The Bronco II’s place in compact SUV history began with the 1984 model year, when Ford rolled out the all-new SUV built on Ranger pickup bones. The Bronco II was designed to go head-to-head with rigs like the Jeep Cherokee XJ and Chevy S-10. Over its seven-year run, its said that over 700,000 Bronco IIs were sold.
Crafted From A Bone-Stock Bronco II
John works in construction and serves as the admin of the Broncos R Us YouTube channel as well as associated social media fan pages alongside his son. He bought the Bronco II from a private seller in 2019. At the time, the SUV was bone stock and still running its original 2.9-liter Cologne V6 backed by a manual transmission. He wasted no time getting started and dove into the build with a clear plan. The initial phase lasted about seven months. A few years later, he rolled the rig back into his shop for a four-month round of upgrades that brought it to the form you see here.
Stroker V8, C4 Transmission, Atlas T-Case
Under the Bronco II’s hood sits a 347 stroker V8. The block started life in a 1990 Mustang GT and now features Flotek aluminum heads, a GT40 upper and lower intake, custom headers, and a single 2.5-inch-diameter exhaust. John picked up the short block from an engine builder and finished the build himself.
Power runs through a C4 three-speed automatic with a reverse manual valve body kit. From there, it flows into an Advance Adapters Atlas 2 transfer case with 3.8:1 gearing. The transfer case is controlled by Advance Adapters twin-stick shifters. John says the Atlas is one of his favorite features of the rig. “It was a game changer.”
Locked Full-Width Axles
John pirated a Dana 44 from a 1977 full-size Bronco and slid it under the front of the Bronco II, keeping it full width. Upgrades include RCV Performance chromoly axle shafts, Reid Racing knuckles, and a pneumatic-operated Yukon Gear & Axle Zip Locker fed by a Yukon compressor. The rig also runs Blue Top steering gears and a GM Saginaw pump, with hydro-assist planned.
Out back is a full-width Ford 9-inch axle from an F-150. It’s fitted with a Yukon Grizzly Locker and 35-spline chromoly axle shafts. Both axles run 4.56:1 gears.
Struts Up Front, Leaves In The Back
John scored a pair of lightly used ORI 12-inch-travel struts. They’re combined with a three-link setup that he designed and fabricated, and each link bar runs Heim joints.
Out back, the Bronco II rides on Deaver leaf springs with pivot eye bolts and bushings along with Fox monotube shocks.
John says the suspension delivers about 9 inches of lift and, combined with roughly 5 to 6 inches of wheel arch trimming, lets the big 40×13.5R17LT Maxxis Razr MT tires cycle freely during suspension uptravel. The meats are mounted to 9-inch-wide Raceline bead lock wheels.
A Litany Of Other Mods
Other modifications include a boxed frame, custom removable rocker protection, and a custom grille built from a Bronco II grille. Mounted to it are a pair of first-gen Bronco turn signals, and the headlight buckets housing the LED headlights are also from a first-gen Bronco. John removed and smoothed the factory turn signal locations under the headlights. Up front sits a 12,000-pound-capacity Smittybilt winch on a custom bumper, complimented by a contingent of TYRI lights to illuminate the trail after dusk. Out back is a modified James Duff bumper, and John ditched the rear tire carrier before filling and smoothing the fiberglass liftgate.
Inside, the cabin features an ATOTO head unit with a forward-facing camera, Speedhut gauges, and a gated shifter for the transmission.
Hat Tip To Friends
John is quick to point out that building his Bronco II was a team effort. He gives a hat tip to his buddies Dan at Build It – Wheel It – Explore It, Brad at Riding Shotgun Adventures, and Brian at Randum Adventures for the help along the way.
Photos: John Parks
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