FEATURE – Ford Bronco and Bronco Sport by 4 Wheel Parts
A long-standing and highly-respected parts supplier for the four-wheel drive market in the US and beyond, 4 Wheel Parts were one of three companies invited by Ford to customise an all-new Bronco for this year’s Easter Jeep Safari in the US. But instead of building one custom Bronco, 4 Wheel Parts built two!
With a history dating back to 1961, 4 Wheel Parts know the four-wheel drive and off-road market back to front. What started as a one-man operation now boasts 94 stores in North America alone, with outlets and stockists overseas, too.
Their range is huge, covering performance parts, suspension and lift kits, lighting, winches and recovery gear, sidesteps and bumpers, wheels and tyres, tonneau covers, sound systems and instrumentation, as well as rooftop tents, trailers and other gear required for overlanding.
“To date, we’ve already added more than 30 new 4 Wheel Parts brand products that take advantage of the Bronco’s modular design,” said Kathryn Reinhardt, senior marketing manager, 4 Wheel Parts.
“We expect that list to grow as we aim to give our customers innovative products for every type of off-road lifestyle.”
To a Bronco four-door Black Diamond base, 4 Wheel Parts added a mix of their own brand parts, plus other lines they stock. For the former, there is a modular front bumper, skid plate and winch platform, heavy-duty suspension components, custom roof rack and light mounts.
On the latter, 4 Wheel Parts have added a Smittybilt overhead tent and camping gear, awning and refrigerator/air system.
The Black Diamond rides on 17-inch Method alloy wheels shod with 37-inch BF Goodrich mud-terrain tyres.
Doubling up on their involvement with Ford’s Moab programme, 4 Wheel Parts also kitted out a Bronco Sport. While this model may not be as hard-core as the Bronco, it still comes with four-wheel drive as standard and can tackle a variety of off-road conditions. In the Badlands variant, a twin-clutch rear-drive ‘advanced 4x4’ system is standard, along with Trail Control and Electronic Traction Control that isn’t standard on other Bronco Sport variants.
To this Badlands base (all Bronco Sports are four-door SUVs), 4 Wheel Parts added 17-inch Raceline beadlock wheels with BF Goodrich All Terrain T/A tyres, an external spare wheel mount and Smittybilt rooftop tent with awning.
Additionally, Rigid auxiliary lighting has been added to the roof rack at the front and on the near side. For cooking at the campsite, there’s also a Coleman propane stove with its own stand and integral food prep area, Arctic fridge/freezer and rear drawer storage.
The new Bronco and related Bronco Sport will not be coming to Australia as a factory product, apparently due to Ford’s number crunchers predicting that sales in RHD markets would not be enough to cover the cost of engineering a right-hand drive version.
However, there is hope for Australian Bronco aficionados, with Crossover Car Conversions in Melbourne announcing earlier this year they were taking expressions of interest from local buyers for RHD versions.
With over 30 years’ experience in RHD conversions on all types of American LHD vehicles, Crossover Car Conversions have the ability produce a factory-look and factory-quality RHD Bronco.
Local demand will determine if and when an RHD Bronco will be available through Crossover Car Conversions
