Dennis Carpenter Ford Restoration Auto Parts

10/27/2026

10/27/2026

THIS WEEK IN FORD HISTORY: WHEN FORD WENT FREE WHEELIN'

Remember when a factory pickup could look like it had just driven straight out of a 1970s sunset?

In 1977, Ford introduced the Free Wheelin' appearance package for its trucks—and subtle was definitely not the assignment.

Black grilles. Bold multicolor stripes. Sporty wheels. Special interior trim. These trucks looked nothing like the plain work pickups many people associate with the era.

But here's what makes the Free Wheelin' Fords interesting to restorers:

🔧 THE DETAILS MATTER.

The graphics weren't identical across every model and year. The F-Series pickups, Broncos, Econoline vans and Courier pickups had their own variations.

Some pickups wore distinctive orange tailgate accents. Certain interiors featured orange dash trim and red-orange seat piping. Bronco versions offered their own stripe combinations and wheel choices.

And the story didn't stop there. Ford even used the Free Wheelin' look as inspiration for its 1979 Indianapolis Speedway Official Truck Package.

These weren't performance monsters with a secret extra 100 horsepower. Their appeal was something different: factory personality, period-correct styling and a look that captured an era when automakers weren't afraid to have some fun.

Today, that makes identifying an original truck—and restoring the right details—part of the challenge.

10/26/2026

Before the modern off-road performance truck, there was a little Bronco with a serious racing pedigree.

In 1971, Ford teamed up with legendary off-road racer and builder Bill Stroppe to offer the Baja Bronco, a limited-production version of the first-generation Bronco inspired by Stroppe's desert-racing machines.

Stroppe wasn't just putting stripes on trucks. His Long Beach, California, operation transformed Broncos with equipment built for rough country.

🔧 WHAT MADE THE BAJA BRONCO SPECIAL?

🇺🇸 The distinctive Poppy Red, Wimbledon White and metallic blue paint scheme, with a black hood.

💪 A 302-cubic-inch V8.

🛠️ Dual shocks at all four corners, heavy-duty suspension, modified fenders and off-road tires.

🛡️ A padded roll bar, reinforced front bumper mounts and other trail-focused equipment.

⛽ An auxiliary fuel tank for longer stretches away from civilization.

Here's a detail many people don't realize: early Baja Broncos could also be ordered with a C4 automatic transmission and Saginaw power steering through Stroppe's conversion work. Those weren't simply standard features on every regular Bronco in 1971 and 1972.

The Baja Bronco was produced from 1971 through 1975, with roughly 450–500 believed to have been built. Exact production totals remain uncertain.

And remember, the production Baja Bronco wasn't the same vehicle as Big Oly, the radical, purpose-built race Bronco driven by Parnelli Jones and associated with Stroppe's legendary racing program.

Today, these trucks represent a fascinating piece of Ford's off-road history—and an important reminder that some of the best factory-era performance vehicles came from partnerships between automakers and independent specialists.