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Back yard find! The HMS/Sealund race bronco

76 bronco J

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It doesn't? ;) The original Steal tub was destroyed in shipping many years ago. The fiberglass sides where bought from Fairway Ford by Mr. Sealund.

>>>>>>>> okay , I gotcha....... I never got a ton of details on that truck & would have never guessed that was the same truck on the old stroppe catalog cover.................
 

76 bronco J

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Here is a run down written by My good friend Hal Sealund.

Then in 1985 I sold the Bronco to John and a group and I retained some shares in Thunder, Inc until that ended and the rig came back for storage in my shop in Borrego Springs. John called me one day and said a customer of his, Scooter Holder in Houston had a interest in Thunder and he thought we should sell it. John & I made the trip and delivered it to Scooter.

>>>>>> man , my story is all wrong on the first page......I had forgot it was delivered & the video of scooter picking up this truck I was talking about on the first page must have not been in the KbarS shop....... the video I'm thinking of must have been when scooter went to first look at it in Sealunds shop pre-delivery............
 

66Bronco

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...I bought it from Ed Perry for $1,800 after the 1969 race, but didn't get the cloth top or cloth doors...

Was this the KbarS Bronco that was raced in the '69 Mexican 1000 that was yellow in color? For that race I believe the Driver was Charlie Dias and the co-driver was Duane Kennedy.

Just wondering if it was the same Bronco? Duane told me that during the race they ran it into the back of a dune buggy.


-Terry
 

76 bronco J

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>>>>>>>> speaking of race broncos ,what's the story on these now....... [youtube]<object width="640" height="505"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-VRqzAhTS_4&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-VRqzAhTS_4&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="505"></embed></object>[/youtube]
 

76 bronco J

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>>>>>>>>> a little more vintage footage [youtube]<object width="660" height="525"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hCRu59GYbc0&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hCRu59GYbc0&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="660" height="525"></embed></object>[/youtube]
 

toddz69

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I believe Andrew has elaborated in another thread or two on here about his suspicions as to where Minor/Bayer's truck is now.

Todd Z.
 

BajaBronco

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Garner's Bronco, #59 has not been found yet. MInor/Bayer , #3 is likely the Unser Bronco that is here in my driveway. Stroppe/Jones #83, could be one of a couple trucks, one of which exists today.
 
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BajaBronco

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Was this the KbarS Bronco that was raced in the '69 Mexican 1000 that was yellow in color? For that race I believe the Driver was Charlie Dias and the co-driver was Duane Kennedy.

Just wondering if it was the same Bronco? Duane told me that during the race they ran it into the back of a dune buggy.


-Terry

Terry, the cage in the red/blue pics of the HMS/Hearst/KBarS/Sealund/Scooter (what the heck are we call this truck?) Bronco looks like your yellow pics. Post it again!
 
OP
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Gud Racing

Gud Racing

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Terry, the cage in the red/blue pics of the HMS/Hearst/KBarS/Sealund/Scooter (what the heck are we call this truck?) Bronco looks like your yellow pics. Post it again!

I have been stood corrected! The bronco never really had a name. When my brother and I were kids we called it the Bandag Retread bronco. Hal did come up with a name name I really like "Thunder Gypsy" The bronco raced under Thunder Inc. for many years.

In the old early 70's Off-Road mag article they refer to it as El Gitano. I had totally for got this but, "El Gitano" was Hal's old Heep. It is a fun article to read but the writer got many things wrong.

It was originally the HMS Hearst bronco. But, I have a hard time calling it that because that was such a small part of the history on this bronco.

But, I think it should be known as the HMS/KbarS bronco.
 
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Gud Racing

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Was this the KbarS Bronco that was raced in the '69 Mexican 1000 that was yellow in color? For that race I believe the Driver was Charlie Dias and the co-driver was Duane Kennedy.

Just wondering if it was the same Bronco? Duane told me that during the race they ran it into the back of a dune buggy.


-Terry

From Hal Sealund

No,
The yellow bronco was John's personal toy, the Bronco had the Cobra 289 that had been used by him, combined into K BarS and then driven by Ray Harvick at Ascot Stadium. For the 1969 Baja race, it was painted yellow, Drick loved that color, and driven by Johnny Diaz and Dewayne Kennedy. Yes the front axle was taken out after they hit a buggy at Camalu. The rest of us hurried the 90 miles and with the help of some Mexican bystanders hoisted the old front end out and a new one was installed. John and some of the others took off by plane, but it was overloaded to the point that they came back down and threw out some unneeded items, including 5 gallons of gas to be able to take off safely. John drove that Bronco back from LaPaz. It was raced once more at Ascot then sold. I would like to know who has it.

I drove the HMS-Perry 200 C.I. 6 Bronco #254 back from La Paz in 1968. Dann drove again in the 1969 race #230, and after that race, I purchased it from Dann's Dad, Ed Perry. That should do it, but just so it is known, the yellow Bronco in question was not the HMS Bronco. It is fun trying to keep it all straight, but after 40 years? This is correct to the best of my knowledge, but don't ask me what I had for dinner last night!!! Best wishes,



Hal
 

toddz69

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It doesn't? ;) The original Steal tub was destroyed in shipping many years ago. The fiberglass sides where bought from Fairway Ford by Mr. Sealund.

Ed:

In my quick look at the pix last night, it looks like one of the front fenders is crunched and bent like a steel fender, but those are glass sides, right?

Todd Z.
 

toddz69

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The fiberglass sides where bought from Fairway Ford by Mr. Sealund.

Ed:

I have a hunch the original source of those body panels was Fillmore Motors/Ford as noted in the El Gitano article. They appear to be identical, or nearly identical to those on Don Barlow's second Bronco, which was run out of the Fillmore stable.

Todd Z.
 
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Gud Racing

Gud Racing

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Ed:

I have a hunch the original source of those body panels was Fillmore Motors/Ford as noted in the El Gitano article. They appear to be identical, or nearly identical to those on Don Barlow's second Bronco, which was run out of the Fillmore stable.

Todd Z.

Wasn't Fillmore and Fairway owned by the same man?
 
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Gud Racing

Gud Racing

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Ed:

In my quick look at the pix last night, it looks like one of the front fenders is crunched and bent like a steel fender, but those are glass sides, right?

Todd Z.

It is crunched. The truck was rolled and never fixed. Yes, it is all fiberglass but the grille. Some of the thickest fiberglass I have ever seen! I think at this point metal would be lighter.
 

toddz69

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So does it run and move under its own power? What kind of shape is the drivetrain in? I'm looking forward to all your pics from underneath and what cool things are on it!

Todd Z.
 
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