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I bought the Bronco II in the fall of 2010, but it sat here pretty much untouched until June of 2011. I already had (2) 4x4 off-road Rangers, and I was helping my wife build another. The idea of building another off-road truck just didn't appeal to me. I wanted to do something completely different with this vehicle. I had purchased a 1990 Ford SSP Police Mustang, and had been spending a lot of time doing research on these cars. I had even contemplated selling the Bronco II so I could add a 1985 SSP Mustang to my collection. My wife suggested that I keep it, because my son commented one day that he'd drive it when he got his license. So I pulled the damaged V8 out of the Bronco II and began prepping the donor V8 I had to go in it. As I worked on the Bronco II, I thought about the 1983-1993 SSP Mustangs and how Ford even produced a mid-size SSP LTD, and SSP Explorers. I began imagining what if Ford had built a small SSP SUV before the Explorer. You can smell where this is going can't you.... Ford Special Service Vehicles: Ford sold a SSP Mustang to law enforcement agencies from 1983-1993.. In 1984, Ford offered a SSP mid-size LTD based off the 1984-1985 Ford 5.0 LTD. Ford has even produced a Special Service Ford Explorer since 1993.
(1993 Ford Explorer Special Service Package)
(1994 Ford Explorer Special Service Package) These vehicles were not 'Interceptors', and were not even considered 'Police Package' vehicles. The Mustang and LTD were basically V8 cars with features added and a few upgrades to accommodate the needs of law enforcement agencies. The Explorer was still a 4.0L V6 designed with provisions for emergency services related equipment such as radios, lightbars and sirens. Fords Disclaimer on Special Service Vehicles: ALL the new Ford Special Service vehicles have this disclaimer: "May not be used as an ambulance or as a pursuit vehicle (no excessive speed)." Actually, if you look at the current Special Service Vehicles offered by Ford, this is how they are described:
A Special Service Bronco II? So think about it? Can't you see how a Law Enforcement agency could benefit from a compact 4-wheel drive SUV? It's not to crazy of a thought. Bronco II's have been used by law enforcement agencies as see in the photo below:
(Panama City Beach Police Bronco II) Choosing The Look: Now comes the hard part. What should it look like?? I wanted to replicate a state level agency. I searched through photos of different state agencies until I found a look I liked. I found (2) looks that I like, and both are very similar: Agency #1 - Nevada Highway Patrol:
Agency #2 - Georgia State Patrol:
So after an extensive search, I finally stumbled across a photo of a Georgia State Patrol Bronco II. The Bronco II has a winch on the front and was equipped with a blue Whelen Edge lightbar and orange lettering. If anyone knows anything about this vehicle, or has more photos, please contact me.
(This is the style plate that would have been on a GSP unit in 1984) Paint Differences: The Nevada Highway Patrol, and Georgia State Patrol both used blue and silver vehicles. The biggest difference is that Georgia used a silver hood, and Nevada used a blue hood. No big deal. These hoods are cheap and easy to swap. I may just paint one silver, and one blue, and switching them if I feel the desire. So what kind of factory features should it have? Heavy duty oil cooler Additional transmission cooler Swaybars Electronic release for rear hatch (may be difficult to do...) A window in the rear hatch that opens separately A heavy duty tire carrier on the rear to free up interior space for equipment A 5.0L V-8 (What the heck. It already has one, so why not?) Instrument gauge cluster:
(In the 80's, Ford LTD Crown Vic police cars had a factory gauge cluster on the right side of the dash for water temp, oil pressure, and volts.) Factory warning stickers Emergency Equipment: No, the Bronco II will not have a light bar. It will be a slick top vehicle with a light in the windshield, lights in the rear window, and lights on a front grill guard. It will be equipped with dual spotlights that will have light covers over them when not being displayed as a SSP Bronco II. The lights in the rear window will be covered or removed, and any decals placed on the sides will be magnetic so they can be removed. Bizarre: This will probably be the most bizarre Bronco II you'll ever see. But you can't wait to see how this all turns out, right? Click HERE to return to The Bronco II Project Main page.
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