Kevin Jones’ Badass Bronco

When building a 1990s Bronco, you have so many visions in mind. Prerunner? Rock crawler? Cruiser? Restomod? The options you have for yourself are endless. Motor options? Where do I even start?! Bluey is a Bronco of many different genres of motorsports that breaks necks and raises eyebrows everywhere. There’s nothing short of craziness when it comes to this build, and it features some big names in the off-road industry to help make Bluey what it is.

Meet Kevin Jones, a California family man who many may know as Ultra4Jones from his years of racing in the Ultra4 world. He developed a vast fanbase that spreads across the U.S. and beyond! This is his vision of a 1996 Ford Bronco XL Bluey. This Bronco’s original purpose was to compete in the onX Offroad Build Challenge and be selected as the Wildcard Build of the challenge. Let’s take a walk around this build and look at the key features that make Bluey so special.

Starting up front, Kevin is running an OEM Bronco grille, and tucked behind it is a Baja Designs Onx6 30-inch light bar to help with those darker times on the desert trails. Aside from that Baja Designs light bar, Bluey is running the stock OEM headlights to keep a timeless, clean appearance at the front end. Protecting this rig in the front is a Wild Horses 4×4 winch bumper that shows the necessary beef that is needed to protect these beauties from anything in front of them. To protect the rear, Kevin threw on a Lorney Davis-built rear bumper to keep that strong yet sleek look going for the Bronco. The ground is lit up by 6 Baja Designs rock lights in the wheel wells.

This Bronco is painted in OEM Portofino Blue, and features custom graphics by Rusty Young at Wasteland Printworks. Diving a little deeper into the build, we looked at what makes this Bronco buck. There’s an eye-catcher under the hood—a 1996 Power Stroke 7.3L out of a 1996 Ford Super Duty. Kevin put everything from this donor truck into Bluey to keep it ‘96. The radiator support, dash harness, motor mounts, transmission, and transfer case are all being used in this badass Bronco. Behind the 7.3 is an 80 hp chip to make it move a little stronger.

Want to know of another part of this Bronco that makes it stand out from the rest? It’s a solid axle swap in the front! Bluey is running a ‘97 Dana 60 out of an F-350 and a matching Sterling 10.25 rear axle to give this a proper stance on one-ton axles. Inside these one-tons, Kevin is running Yukon Gear & Axle parts, from its 4.10 gearing ratios front and rear to Yukon’s Grizzly Lockers. When it comes to strength in your drivetrain, you can always count on Yukon to supply the goods.

Speaking about what’s underneath this magnificent rig, let’s look closely at the suspension that’s making Bleuy stay comfortable through its off-road adventures around the United States. Starting off in the front, it’s stretched to a 107-inch wheelbase with a RuffStuff Specialties 3-Link kit paired with a set of 2.5×12-inch coilovers. Sitting in the rear is a mixed set of F-250 and Bronco leaf springs to make a singular leaf pack. On top of that is a set of F-250 rear shocks to help stiffen up that rear. The steering on this front end is also a custom RuffStuff Specialties High Steer kit to get some clearance in the draglink, tie rod, and more.

Keeping this beast in contact with the trail is a set of 37×12.50R17 Mickey Thompson Baja Boss tires. Anyone in the off-road scene knows that if there’s a brand you want to trust with your tires, it’s Mickey Thompson due to its years of experience and the testing that goes into each and every tire. Paired with this rubber is a set of 17×9 Raceline Ryno beadlock wheels to give it the perfect stance and look with the functionality to pair with it.

Let’s open the doors and take a look inside to see what Kevin has done with the Bronco’s interior. Starting off, there’s a Switch-Pros SP9100 for all his auxiliary needs, and his center console is a custom fridge, because you can never go wrong with an ice-cold beverage when cruising the beaches of California or driving up those rocky trails. The cockpit is also set up with radios and communications to be able to talk with the other rigs around and to ensure everyone is in line and in order for their run at the trails.

We caught up with Kevin and asked him some questions, and I think we got the exact answers that we were hoping to hear. What events and trails has Bluey been to? Kevin’s response was, “the onX Offroad Build Challenge, SEMA, and local trails.” SEMA is the show of all shows, and to get a rig in there, you have to be somebody or have a truck that does the talking for you. Oh, did I mention it took him 2 months to build this rig from start to finish? As builders we know that is impressive to comprehend.

Kevin is an outstanding gentleman in the off-road community who continues to educate others and share his experiences through his YouTube, Instagram, and other social media platforms. We thank Mr. Jones for allowing us to know so much about his beautiful creation, Bluey the Bronco. We hope to see this Bronco at events in the future and be able to see what else Kevin may be up to with his future builds. Until next time, get out and Tread on!

UPGRADES

1996 Ford Bronco

Owner: Kevin Jones

Arroyo Grande, CA

Engine & Drivetrain: 7.3L Power Stroke; 80 hp chip; ZF5 transmission; NP271 transfer case; Dana 60 front axle and Sterling 10.25 rear axle with Yukon Gear & Axle parts

Chassis & Suspension: 107-inch wheelbase; RuffStuff Specialities front 3-link kit and High Steer kit; Custom leaf spring pack; 2.5×12-inch front coilovers; F-250 rear shocks

Wheels, Tires & Brakes: 17×9 Raceline Ryno beadlock wheels with 3.75-inch backspace; 37×12.50R17 Mickey Thompson Baja Boss XS; Stock Ford one-ton brakes

Body & Paint: Factory Portofino Blue paint; Graphics by Rusty Young at Wasteland Printworks

Interior: Factory seats; Blue vinyl by Sunshine Upholstery