toddz69
05-03-2008, 07:12 AM
Stroppe Baja Racer sees the light of day
Last Sunday, Stroppe Baja Bronco guru Andrew Norton (www.bajabronco.com) and I became the proud co-owners of one of the original Stroppe racing Broncos. This particular one carries the VIN of U13FLC00001. Today we learned via a Marti report that this was the first Ford truck of any kind (and the first Bronco) off the assembly line for the 1968 model year.
Becoming the eventual owners of this truck took patience and persistence. I first learned of and saw the truck in the early '90s when its former owner re-assembled it and built it up as a Glamis dune Bronco and play toy for the Cinders (near Flagstaff, AZ) where we held the AZ Classic Bronco Stampede for many years. I knew it was a Stroppe race truck, but frankly, I wasn't in the salivating mode for them like I am today. As the years passed, I became more interested in the Stroppe race trucks and the former owner participated in the club less and less - finally leaving for good in the late 1990s. As the years progressed, I stayed in touch. I occasionally called, would drop by his work and say hello, occasionally traded emails, etc. I basically let him know that I was interested.
I told Andrew about the truck years ago and it essentially became our little secret. Other Bajas came along to tempt me from time to time but I always held out hope that this truck might someday be for sale. About 4 years ago, Andrew and I decided that the chances of PJ adopting us as his 3rd and 4th sons and giving Big Oly to us was probably just a dream so we decided that if this truck became available, and the price and timing was right, we'd buy it.
An email landed in my inbox about a month ago and I knew what it was about before I even opened it. The price was right and so we made the deal. We know of 5-6 racers still in existence and we believe this is one of two that is a running example of the breed.
The truck obviously has some changes on it. Paddle tires, red paint, a Duff/K-Bar-S hood, and Beard seats were not part of its original livery. We will be receiving the original Bostrom seats and the original hood shortly. It needs clean-up; I've already vacuumed about 10 lb. of Glamis sand out of it. It now has 4 slots with 33" radials for rolling stock. We'll get a Stroppe steering wheel back on it. The engine is a dyno'd 450hp 302 backed by a C4. It has headers and straight pipes. It's loud - I awoke my next door neighbors from their Sunday naps last weekend during a show and tell session with some buddies.
We have boxes of parts to sift through. We have the original fuel cell to refurbish. Yesterday I found the original tach, horsecollar harnesses, SW "police" speedo and some other cool goodies.
I'm also discovering new and interesting things on the truck every time I look at it. A few nights ago I discovered drilled rear brake drums and an unusual rear bump stop arrangement. Tomorrow we'll probably discover something else.
Yes, we're trying to figure out its history too. But that's hard. Stroppe built, rebuilt, and rebuilt his race trucks. They had different drivers, different sponsors, and different paint jobs through the years. Between us, Andrew and I probably have the largest collection of Stroppe pictures on the planet and we're still scratching our heads. Today, with a lot of help from Willie Stroppe and some great pictures from Bob Fricker, we believe we've nailed down that this was Rod Hall's "Hall's Ass" Bronco for several years. All those magazines out in the shed certainly help.
For now, we're happy that its safe in the hands of some serious enthusiasts who appreciate its significance. We hope to be able to show it at the Fabulous Fords Forever Show next year at Knotts Berry Farm and perhaps some other shows and share it with as many people as possible. I like to think it's another variant of NOS - New Old Stroppe.
Attached are a few pix to show you what it looks like. The "R2" tag was affixed many years ago by Willie Stroppe when he did an inventory of the race vehicles for his father at their shop. I also included a shot of the truck "back in the day".
And no, we didn't get a smokin' deal like Ron did with his Hickey truck! :-).
Todd Z.
Last Sunday, Stroppe Baja Bronco guru Andrew Norton (www.bajabronco.com) and I became the proud co-owners of one of the original Stroppe racing Broncos. This particular one carries the VIN of U13FLC00001. Today we learned via a Marti report that this was the first Ford truck of any kind (and the first Bronco) off the assembly line for the 1968 model year.
Becoming the eventual owners of this truck took patience and persistence. I first learned of and saw the truck in the early '90s when its former owner re-assembled it and built it up as a Glamis dune Bronco and play toy for the Cinders (near Flagstaff, AZ) where we held the AZ Classic Bronco Stampede for many years. I knew it was a Stroppe race truck, but frankly, I wasn't in the salivating mode for them like I am today. As the years passed, I became more interested in the Stroppe race trucks and the former owner participated in the club less and less - finally leaving for good in the late 1990s. As the years progressed, I stayed in touch. I occasionally called, would drop by his work and say hello, occasionally traded emails, etc. I basically let him know that I was interested.
I told Andrew about the truck years ago and it essentially became our little secret. Other Bajas came along to tempt me from time to time but I always held out hope that this truck might someday be for sale. About 4 years ago, Andrew and I decided that the chances of PJ adopting us as his 3rd and 4th sons and giving Big Oly to us was probably just a dream so we decided that if this truck became available, and the price and timing was right, we'd buy it.
An email landed in my inbox about a month ago and I knew what it was about before I even opened it. The price was right and so we made the deal. We know of 5-6 racers still in existence and we believe this is one of two that is a running example of the breed.
The truck obviously has some changes on it. Paddle tires, red paint, a Duff/K-Bar-S hood, and Beard seats were not part of its original livery. We will be receiving the original Bostrom seats and the original hood shortly. It needs clean-up; I've already vacuumed about 10 lb. of Glamis sand out of it. It now has 4 slots with 33" radials for rolling stock. We'll get a Stroppe steering wheel back on it. The engine is a dyno'd 450hp 302 backed by a C4. It has headers and straight pipes. It's loud - I awoke my next door neighbors from their Sunday naps last weekend during a show and tell session with some buddies.
We have boxes of parts to sift through. We have the original fuel cell to refurbish. Yesterday I found the original tach, horsecollar harnesses, SW "police" speedo and some other cool goodies.
I'm also discovering new and interesting things on the truck every time I look at it. A few nights ago I discovered drilled rear brake drums and an unusual rear bump stop arrangement. Tomorrow we'll probably discover something else.
Yes, we're trying to figure out its history too. But that's hard. Stroppe built, rebuilt, and rebuilt his race trucks. They had different drivers, different sponsors, and different paint jobs through the years. Between us, Andrew and I probably have the largest collection of Stroppe pictures on the planet and we're still scratching our heads. Today, with a lot of help from Willie Stroppe and some great pictures from Bob Fricker, we believe we've nailed down that this was Rod Hall's "Hall's Ass" Bronco for several years. All those magazines out in the shed certainly help.
For now, we're happy that its safe in the hands of some serious enthusiasts who appreciate its significance. We hope to be able to show it at the Fabulous Fords Forever Show next year at Knotts Berry Farm and perhaps some other shows and share it with as many people as possible. I like to think it's another variant of NOS - New Old Stroppe.
Attached are a few pix to show you what it looks like. The "R2" tag was affixed many years ago by Willie Stroppe when he did an inventory of the race vehicles for his father at their shop. I also included a shot of the truck "back in the day".
And no, we didn't get a smokin' deal like Ron did with his Hickey truck! :-).
Todd Z.