/ View in format

For Enthusiasts by Enthusiasts
Fabulous Fords Forever
Gates’ Broncos
Issue #10
July/August 2004
Kinny Humbert’s ‘76 appears
to be just another nice Bronco...
at first glance.
$4.95 US • $6.95 Canada/AU
0001-0088_BDJune04
6/14/04
12:24 PM
Page 34
HISTORY LESSON
Chasing
a
Piece
of
History
The Balloon Chase Bronco and the Limited Edition Sail
BY ANDREW NORTON, BAJABRONCO.COM
If you find yourself reading this, you
probably already know that the Early
Bronco is an excellent off-road vehicle. The
Bronco’s awesome power and reasonable
size give it the ability to climb rocks and
travel the toughest backwoods trails in both
stock and modified form. However, the
Early Bronco has merits that reach beyond
its off-road ability. In recent years, collecting, restoring, and showing Broncos have
become very popular. In the 12 years of
production some rare and interesting models
were produced and are now highly collectible. Some examples include: the
Roadster, Denver Edition Bronco, and the
Baja Bronco by Stroppe. Most of these
models are more rare than Shelby Mustangs
and Yenko Camaros, but since little is
known about them, they are not as popular
as their muscle car counterparts. While the
Baja Bronco history is fast becoming complete and values are rising, the history of the
Balloon Chase Bronco leaves many ques34
tions to be answered.
Most enthusiasts know a Balloon Chase
Bronco when they see one, and know it is
rare, but a detailed look at them has yet to
be put forth. The “word” in the Bronco
hobby for many years was that there were
only two Balloon Chase Broncos produced
and both are alive and well today.
However, new clues have come to light in
the recent years that suggest otherwise.
THE LIMITED EDITION “SAIL”
Late in 1976, Ford’s advertising executives came up with a promotional event
called The Limited Edition Sail. The idea
was to sponsor Karl Thomas, a young
adventurer and skilled hot air balloon pilot
on his attempt at the record for a transcontinental hot air balloon trip. Ford’s advertising agency had it in their minds that by promoting the “sail” they would be getting
exposure across the country to aid in the
“sale” of their 1977 model cars. Ford spon-
sored the
event by providing the
balloon,
which was
made to look like Ford’s “Better Idea” light
bulb, a popular ad campaign at the time.
They also hired Bill Stroppe to gather a
chase crew. Stroppe had a fleet of Ford
vehicles at his disposal for the chase and
hired experienced help from his friends
from his Baja racing experience. Since
Stroppe was no longer producing the Baja
Bronco and had his hands full with logistics,
a custom van company in Torrance, CA
called R.V.I. (Recreational Vehicles
Incorporated), prepared the vehicles. The
fleet reportedly consisted of 2 Broncos, 3
vans, and 3 Ford pickups used in the chase.
The outcome of the balloon event is
covered in detail in Tom Madigan’s book
“Boss, the Bill Stroppe Story”. I highly
recommend the book for an entertaining
account of the details of the chase and general information about Stroppe’s life and
career. Overall, the sail was successful, but
wasn’t without its difficult moments, most
of which were overcome by Stroppe and his
excellent chase crew. Ford got their press
and media coverage and the vehicles served
their purpose well, especially the Bronco.
B ro n c o D r i v e r M a g a z i n e • “ f o r e n t h u s i a s t s , b y e n t h u s i a s t s ”
0001-0088_BDJune04
6/14/04
12:25 PM
Page 35
HISTORY LESSON
Being the lightest and most versatile vehicles in the chase, the Broncos
played an important role in the chase. One of the two Broncos in the chase
was equipped as an ambulance. The ambulance Bronco had a stretcher and all
the paramedic supplies on board. It carried two members of the Los Angeles
Fire Department should their expertise be needed. Luckily their special services were not needed and the Bronco served only as an additional chase vehicle.
The other Bronco, driven by Willie Stroppe, Bill’s son, was a high-speed
chaser.
Despite being versatile 4x4s, the Broncos didn’t escape the full custom
van treatment during their preparation at R.V.I. The list of modifications was
not your normal fare for Broncos even back then: the paint job consisted of a
base coat of orange paint and a wild black and yellow stripe scheme starting on
the center of the hood and pushing back down over the fenders and onto the
flanks of the body. For rolling stock, they received U.S. Indy Mag wheels with
10-15LT Formula Desert Dog tires to deal with the tough terrain. The interior
was modified with a special simulated gold-leaf headliner, and high grade automotive cut-pile carpeting. On the exterior the Broncos received non-functional
sidepipe exhaust systems, chrome grill guards and auxiliary lighting. Special
tire covers were sewn up for the event in black naugahyde with a yellow patch
in the shape of a lightbulb. The overall package gave the vehicles a truly ‘70s
custom van look that starts to grow on you.
THE BALLOON CHASE AMBULANCE:
By now you may be asking: “Where are these two Broncos now?” Let’s
start with the easy one: the Balloon Chase Ambulance. Stroppe actually never
gave the Ambulance back to Ford; he decided to keep it and use it as part of his
support fleet for Baja and off-road racing. The truck served them well while
they were supporting desert racing in the 1980s. After that, the Bronco sat dormant in their large warehouse. Some enthusiasts that visited Stroppe’s during
the late ‘80s report having seen the truck stored in the rafters of the shop. On
my visit to Stroppe and Son in 1995, I found that the Ambulance was kept
clean, safely inside the building but looking very lonely. It was the only real
Bronco item left except for some pictures on the walls.
In 1998 Willie Stroppe sold the Balloon Chase Ambulance to long-time
friend James Duff of James Duff Enterprises in Sequim, WA. The Bronco was
sold complete with gurney and all the gear including a paramedics driving suit.
The Ambulance is now on display in the Duff’s showroom and even makes it
out to the occasional Bronco event. In November of 2003, the Duff’s were
kind enough to let us photograph the Balloon Chase Ambulance and pour over
it to get all the details.
Included in the sale of the Bronco was the original invoice for it from
Parker Motors in Parker, Arizona. This was the dealer that Stroppe to pull
whatever trucks he needed for the press. Back in the ‘70s when a Ford was
needed for any publication or show, Stroppe would attain that vehicle from the
dealer and make sure it was first rate in all aspects and ran perfectly so the
B ro n c o D r i v e r M a g a z i n e • w w w . B r o n c o D r i v e r . c o m & w w w . C l a s s i c B r o n c o s . c o m
35
0001-0088_BDJune04
6/14/04
12:25 PM
Page 36
HISTORY LESSON
press would have an excellent example of
Ford’s products. The invoice for the
Bronco shows that it was pulled from the
lot new, and was a red ‘77 wagon with the
Ranger package. During our inspection we
noticed the paint inside of the glovebox still
shows the original red hue. Another paperwork oddity is that the Balloon Chase
Ambulance was never titled; it is a “new”
30k mile Bronco!
Studying old pictures of the ambulance
shows that it had sidepipes and RVI badges
when it was on the chase. During its time
at Stroppe’s it was probably spot painted in
several places because some of the paint
lines are different and some panels are
slightly off shade. The side pipes are now
missing but under the truck, but the tabs of
metal they used to hang from are still there.
Also absent are the original RVI badges that
go below the front sidemarker lights on the
front fenders. A few decals were added to
it, including a Baja Bronco fender decal on
the driver’s side fender. Nearly everything
else looks original and unchanged and if it
was changed, Stroppe did it! Still in place
and in excellent condition are the winch,
correct older Hella lights, spotlights, and all
the rescue gear. The truck even has the gurney and a rare early portable difibulator still
stored in the back. The gold jumpsuit for
the paramedics was there but Richard Duff
wasn’t around, so there was no one to
model it for us.
The mechanicals on Balloon Chase
Ambulance are original with the exception
of an early prototype lift kit and shock
absorber set up that was developed by
Rancho and Stroppe. This was installed in
the early to mid ‘80s we believe. Some
clues of the Baja Bronco heritage are evident on the Ambulance. The Ambulance
sports the Baja Bronco deluxe rollbar, front
bumper braces, and dual shock mounts.
The bumper braces on the Ambulance use
larger diameter tubing than the stock Baja
Bronco pieces, but are similar in design.
The shock mounts are probably identical
though I didn’t have a Baja Bronco on hand
to compare with. It appears that the ambulance was the only Balloon Chase Bronco to
get the Stroppe rollbar as all other photos
show a bar similar to the current offering
from Smittbuilt.
The other Bronco believed to be on the
chase wasn’t kept by Stroppe and therefore
was a little harder to keep track of. One
post-Balloon Chase photo we have seen
shows it with Willie Stroppe’s two-seat
unlimited buggy prior to the ‘77 Mint 400.
This Balloon Chase Bronco was used to
pre-run this event. Soon after that we
believe it was sold. From there the history
is a little vague...
36
THE K BAR S
BALLOON
CHASER
In the late
‘70s, the nowdefunct K Bar S
Bronco
Specialties in
Las Vegas,
Nevada, came
across the R.V.I.
truck you see
pictured here.
They were aware of the Balloon Chase that
Ford sponsored and recognized it as the
missing Balloon Chase Bronco. They lovingly restored it and added a few items such
as a new black and gray interior with
upgraded seats from an early 80s Mustang.
They also (details from article) added 4.11
gears and lockers to replace the factory 3.50
limited slip. K Bar S started to fade from
the Bronco scene in the early to mid ‘90s
and the truck was sold sometime during that
period. Finally in 1998, the truck surfaced
in Chicago, Ill. Bronco collector John
Kupstys in Elk Grove Village had acquired
the Bronco sans engine from someone in
the Chicago area. He knew the Bronco was
the Balloon Chase Bronco formerly owned
by K Bar S, since it still had all the K Bar S
items installed and the person he purchased
it from had bought it directly from K Bar S.
The truck had an unpainted fiberglass hood
and the engine compartment had been
stripped of everything including the black
plastic air boxes and factory seam-sealer.
John wasted no time in getting the
Bronco back on the road. He bought an ‘88
5.0 motor and placed it in the Bronco with a
tall K&N filter on top of a Holley carburetor and headers. The Bronco still had the
K Bar S Balloon Chaser was seen in their catalog
This is how the Bronco looked when Edwin Ghiselli purchased it.
Desert Cooler radiator from K Bar S. In
1999, John sold the Balloon Chase Bronco
to make room for some other projects.
Although it was now up and running it
B ro n c o D r i v e r M a g a z i n e • “ f o r e n t h u s i a s t s , b y e n t h u s i a s t s ”
0001-0088_BDJune04
6/14/04
12:26 PM
Page 37
HISTORY LESSON
Since the original motor was long gone, the current owner, Edwin Ghiselli, opted for a ‘91 5.0 to help it pass California emissions testing.
Fabulous Fords Forever showing in 2001.
needed to be finished. The Bronco was on
the market for almost a year but finally sold
late in ‘99 to Edwin Ghiselli from
Cupertino, CA. Ed is a good friend of mine
and often helped me appraise and work on
early Broncos. Ed had wanted an early
Bronco for some time and really fell in love
with the looks of the Balloon Chase Bronco
paint job and grill guard. For less than ten
thousand dollars, it seemed like a great deal
for a very rare Bronco. A deal was struck
with John and the Bronco was shipped to
California.
In California, at the time the truck was
brought back west, vehicles 1974 and up
had to be emissions tested and also be visually stock under the hood. The large K&N
filtered carburetor and 5.0 motor wouldn’t
pass inspection. After squeezing by with a
2bbl carburetor for 2 years, Edwin pulled
the 5.0 motor and installed a fuel injected
‘91 5.0 with Cobra intake, Powerheads,
B ro n c o D r i v e r M a g a z i n e • w w w . B r o n c o D r i v e r . c o m & w w w . C l a s s i c B r o n c o s . c o m
E303 cam, and 65mm throttle body. A
wiring harness from Ron Morris
Performance was custom tailored to the
engine bay and all the emissions systems
from the Mustang, including the catalytic
converters made it all California “Smog
legal” as a complete conversion. Other
improvements made under Ed’s ownership
have been: 2.5" lift to replace K Bar S
“The Force” shocks and stiff springs, 32"
BFG Mud Terrain tires with Mickey
Thompson Classic 15x10 wheels, WH staggered 4 core radiator, WH/JBA Shorty
Headers, and 8 Rancho RS9000 shocks.
Just before Fabulous Fords Forever at
Knott’s Berry Farm, we added 3.50 gears
and new body mounts. The Bronco is currently undergoing a conversion to hydroboost brakes.
Since I am a good friend of Ed’s I’ve
had plenty of time to look the truck over
and gather historic details. The Bronco had
the following items still in place when Ed
received it: RVI badges, paint job a shade
darker than original thanks to K Bar S, dual
shocks, and signs of a different grill guard.
The grill guard currently on the truck is a
Smittybuilt guard installed by K Bar S.
Under the diamond tufted headliner is the
original simulated gold-lame headliner from
the R.V.I. Balloon Chase package. The
shock mounts are identical to those of some
of the later 73-75 Stroppe Baja Broncos I
have owned. The Smittbuilt rollbar was
still in place at the time too, but Ed has
since replaced it with an original Stroppe
bar. Some items were missing though like
the spotlights, auxiliary driving lights and
sidepipes. Where had those gone? Why
weren’t there holes in the top and windshield frame where they’d been? There
were also no signs that the sidepipes were
ever installed. Was this really the “other”
Balloon Chase Bronco? These questions
regarding the missing items prompted me to
do more research on the Balloon Chase
Broncos.
MORE BALLOON CHASERS
The first thing I found very interesting
about this Bronco is that it has a special
identification sticker from Recreational
Vehicles Inc. located in the door jamb. The
identification sticker has the VIN stamped
into it as well as the weight and other information. Checking the data plate on the
glovebox also shows that this Bronco left
the Ford factory as a special order truck
with special paint and a trim designation of
“RV4”. It has a 6 digit DSO code and a
blank color code just like a Baja Bronco.
This means that the K Bar S Balloon Chaser
left the Ford Production line specially
equipped and ordered specifically for con37
0001-0088_BDJune04
6/14/04
12:26 PM
Page 38
HISTORY LESSON
Before, during and after photos of the restoration of a Balloon
Chase Bronco undertaken by Rocky Roads.
version into an R.V.I. Balloon Chase
Bronco. Knowing that the Balloon Chase
Ambulance had been pulled from dealer
stock made me wonder why this truck had
been specially ordered. A clue came to me
by checking the production dates of both
trucks: The Limited Edition Sail was held
in February of 1977, the Balloon Chase
Ambulance has a build date from Ford of
September 1976, and the K Bar S Balloon
Chaser has a Ford build date of April 1977.
So obviously, the former K Bar S Balloon
Chaser is not one of the Broncos from the
actual chase since it was built 2 months
after the chase. It is however, an authentic
Balloon Chase Bronco converted by R.V.I.
The truck’s R.V.I. production date is July of
1977, almost at the last few weeks of Ford’s
production of regular early Broncos.
Another less subtle clue that the K Bar
S Balloon Chaser was not on the chase was
the surfacing of some other Balloon Chase
Broncos. Ron and John Blaser from West
Coast Broncos advertised one for sale that
they had found back in 1999 claiming that it
was one of only two made. We’ve also
heard from Jim at Wild Horses that a customer of theirs claims to also have an origi38
nal Balloon Chase Bronco in original and
worn condition. The picture I saw showed
it was equipped similar to the K Bar S
Balloon Chase Bronco and the one offered
by West Coast Broncos. They all appear to
have the paint job, brush guard, badges, and
flares, but don’t have the sidepipes, lights,
and wheels that the ones on the chase had.
Finally, another Balloon Chase Bronco
was used as a canvas for one of Rocky
Roads International’s high-zoot Bronco
Restorations. Pictures of it before teardown
show it was very good original example. In
one picture on their website, the R.V.I. door
tag is even visible. It is now in Chicago
and the owner probably has no idea he’s
driving a Bronco that is probably one of 15
or 20 ever made!
BALLOON CHASE BRONCO
PRODUCTION NUMBER
That figure of 15 or 20 is just a guess
at this time. So far I can count 5 that have
surfaced to date: the Duff-owned ambulance, the former K Bar S, The Blasers’,
The Wild Horses customer’s, and the Rocky
Roads Restoration. Of those, only one is
known to have been on the chase. I believe
that after the success of the Limited Edition
Sail, Ford produced some models with the
help of R.V.I. that were available for promotion. Production numbers are non-existent of course because R.V.I. is no longer in
business. However, I would bet the VINs
are all sequential, like those of the Stroppe
Baja Broncos. They were likely all produced together and sent as an order from
Ford to RVI. This would mean they’d all
have the same six digit DSO code, starting
with “86”, much like the Baja Broncos.
While it may not be the rarest Bronco
with only two existing, the Balloon Chase
Bronco is among the rarest. It is pretty
clear there were more than two built, and
with only a handful known to exist today, I
would say they are among the most collectible Broncos. Perhaps one day more
will be known about the Balloon Chase
Bronco, but for now it will remain a puzzle
with a few pieces we need to chase down.
In the meantime, I’ll be starting a Balloon
Chase Bronco Registry at
www.BajaBronco.com. If you know of any
Balloon Chase Broncos please contact me
so I can add them to the list.
SOURCES:
James and Suzy Duff. Conversations with
the author. Sept. 1999, Nov. 2003
Willie Stroppe. Conversations with the
author. July 1999, April 2002
Boss: The Bill Stroppe Story. Tim
Madigan. Darwin Publications. 1984
“1977 Bronco: This old friend goes out in
style” Mike Anson. Four Wheeler. June 1977
B ro n c o D r i v e r M a g a z i n e • “ f o r e n t h u s i a s t s , b y e n t h u s i a s t s ”