B2 Krawler
InstallLong ago we learned to steer clear of anything Ford Motor Co produced with a Roman numeral two after it. Take, for instance, the Mustang II or the Bronco II. Neither of these vehicles has ever been called a pinnacle of engineering. Shawn Heywood, however, has built a Bronco II that has made us reconsider.
Heywood bought his '85 Bronco II 12 years ago for a daily driver because it was what he could afford at the time. Living in Tahoe City, CA and seeing modified Jeeps and Toyotas coming and going on the Rubicon Trail made him yearn for one of those rigs. But they were out of his budget. So, as time went by and money became available, Shawn modified his Bronco into the “B2Krawler” you see before you. In 1997 the stock drivetrain came out to make way for a 4.0L V6 and C4 transmission. The 4.0L was sourced from a ’94 Explorer and is outfitted with Hedman headers and a custom exhaust. A custom intake system is fed an air and fuel mixture controlled via a Ford Racing Performance Parts chip. The fuel is supplied from a Summit Racing aluminum fuel cell. A B&M shift kit firms up the C4 and a 5:1 Advance Adapters Atlas II transfer case was recently added for strength and gear reduction. From the transfer case, power is split to a high pinion Dana 44 in the front and a Ford 9" in the rear, sourced from a 70s era F-150. The front axle uses Warn chromoly axle shafts, Longfield u-joints, 5.13 gears, and a Detroit locker. The rear axle is a 31 spline, big bearing unit with a heavily trussed housing, disc brakes from a Lincoln Versailles, and a nodular third member filled with 5.13 gears and a spool.
Like the drivetrain, the stock suspension was scrapped. Heywood and Big Water Welding built a full custom lift that provides far more travel than the factory ever offered. The front is sprung via 16” travel Sway-a-Way coilovers and Eibach 200 pound over 250 pound springs along with a tender spring. The axle is located by way of a three link setup. The rear suspension currently uses Rubicon Express coils with a triangulated four link that also incorporates a panhard bar. Heywood is still dialing in the suspension for the best combination of flex and stability. All the links were made from .375 wall 2” DOM tubing and incorporate a combination of heim joints and polyurethane bushings. The new suspension pushes the wheelbase out to 101” and provides room for 39” bias ply Super Swamper IROKs mounted on 15x10 Champion beadlock wheels. Hydraulic assist steering turns the big meats using a stock box, a Saginaw pump, and an industrial Chief ram.
Even with the Bronco II’s small dimensions, Heywood felt that less sheetmetal would be an advantage on the trail. The front fenders and hood were narrowed and a custom grille fabricated from aluminum to fill the void. In the rear, the top was cut behind the B pillar and a custom cage was designed to take its place. Unable to convince his wife or mother to help with his project, Heywood purchased an old sewing machine and made his own top from marine fabric to enclose the cab for winter runs. While the Sawzall was out, Heywood cut the fenders to help fit tires that are now a foot taller than stock as well as accommodate the added wheelbase. Once the body modifications were complete, the exterior was coated in Durabak bed liner for abrasion resistance. The interior was gutted and replaced with a simple combination of Porsche seats, a Grant steering wheel, and Autometer gauges in a custom carbon fiber (yes, the real thing) dash.
The end result is a vehicle that is light-weight with good horsepower, low gearing, and plenty of ground clearance and articulation. However, Heywood is not done yet. He plans to add a hybrid Ford 9”/Dana 60 front axle in the future and revise the rear suspension further. While he once wished for a Jeep or Toyota, Shawn Heywood is now proud of his Bronco II and the fact that it can wheel as well as any other make or model on the trail.