The Monument Refined
The final modifications to General Joe, our 1974 Ford Bronco, have concluded at last and he is exactly how we envisioned him existing for the next 40 years. As a quick follow-up to our original Journal Entry, we searched for quite some time to find the right early Bronco, and the search concluded with this splendid example that we secured through Bronco Hut in Castle Rock, Colorado. It was one of those classic stories of a woman in Wyoming who purchased Joe off the showroom floor in 1974 and kept him in pristine condition throughout her lifetime. We were able to get our hands on a unicorn Bronco that when not on the road, was kept in a garage during its lifetime with everything remaining in sound, original stock condition. After she passed and left it to her son, he reached out to Dana and Melissa of Bronco Hut for a quick sell to knowledgeable people. Dana came, saw, and drove it away straight to Castle Rock. Long story short, the quest for the perfect vintage shop truck was over, and the refinement process to make it a part of the Division Road unit had just begun.
Very little restoration was necessary as the Copper Metallic original paint color was perfectly “on brand,” and there were no signs of any significant rust issues. The original and numbers-matching 302 Windsor V8 was well maintained, and the interior was in alarmingly perfect condition. It had power steering and brakes, dealer added air and heat, stock radio; all of the seals on the top and windows were in good condition, and even the tires were the right size and fairly new. We had Bronco Hut put on their custom headers and exhaust system for some proper rumble, as well as a Bilstein suspension system that yielded a 2.5” lift. The only major additional work required was to rebuild the fairly burnt out transmission and restore the carburetor. We proceeded to do just that, and outside of those upgrades we discovered that this Bronco was in damn good condition for a 43-year-old.
Aesthetics became top priority after the mechanical list was thoroughly concluded. Being a stock LUBR now, as it’s known to collectors (short for Lifted Uncut Bronco), we had to be very deliberate in our approach as any adaptation should honor the time capsule features of a classic stock vehicle, and any wrong move could take the historic appeal completely away. We proceeded to work with Andy Luce to dial in the logo applications, placement, scale, and overall composition. Reid Signs once again executed the signage with exacting detail. Window tinting to protect the interior and add a little imposition to Joe’s presence was done by Northwest Auto Salon, along with an excellent detailing job. Finally, we recreated the original tire cover with Rich’s Custom Upholstery in custom Division Road markings.
We are now quite pleased with the completion of this project, as it has afforded us the ability to bring this beast back with subtle yet effectively modern touches while preserving the original nature of the vehicle. Now looking like a fine timepiece of automobilia, General Joe often can be found parked in front of the shop, driving around downtown and surrounding Seattle, and when time permits, on a quick expedition to the islands and mountains. For us and you to enjoy for years to come, we present General Joe in his full glory!
