Ex neighbor's business seems to be doing well

[99 pewtercoupe]

I lived three houses down the street from him until we moved to Florida last year. Nice guy. We used to talk cars frequently. He had just started this business not too long before we moved but it was already growing. Evidently there is market for these and people are paying big bucks for them

https://jalopnik.com/an-illinois-com...sed-1830970324

An Illinois Company is Building Brand New Ford-Licensed First-Gen Broncos

David Tracy
Sunday 5:00pmFiled to: FORD BRONCO

Everyone’s excited about the upcoming 2020 Ford Bronco, in part, because of what the nameplate means to American culture: adventure, ruggedness, and fun. It was the first-gen model that created this meaning, so it’s cool that one Illinois company is now building those old Broncos from the ground up as a Ford-licensed product. But they’re not cheap.

A company out of Illinois, Gateway Bronco has been finding pristine early Broncos and restomodding them for a couple of years now, getting its start in 2016. Recently, the outfit that “reimagines” Broncos announced that it’s the first builder officially licensed from Ford to create first-gen Ford Broncos from scratch, and also the first certified to recondition used Broncos according to Ford standards.

CEO and President Seth Burgett told me over the phone that his company offers three main types of Bronco builds: originals that have been restored, new bodies on original frames with VINs and titles, and new Broncos from the ground up including both a new frame and body.


The company describes the new Ford agreement in a press release, saying Gateway will build 1966 to 1977 Broncos thanks to the “Low Volume Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Act of 2015,” a program that makes it easier for low-volume manufacturers to get past safety and emissions barriers-to-entry. One way that the Act does this is that it allows low-volume automakers to “install engines from vehicles that have been issued certificates of conformity.”

And on that front, Gateway Bronco says it’s using 5.0-liter Coyotes as its primary power plants, with plenty of bolt-on options, like twin turbos, a Borla fuel injection system, or even a Shelby supercharger.


Burgett told me Gateway gets its body panels from supplier Wild horse 4x4, who sources the sheetmetal from a distributor somewhere, going on to say Gateway adds structural enhancements throughout. Here’s what he told me about the new bodies’ fitment:

We have pulled data from so many untouched, original paint Broncos with original production markings still intact that we have developed our own database of dimensions and a process to ensure the integrity of our gaps and fitment every time. We have applied modern manufacturing techniques in the USA to assemble our bodies which has gained the attention of Ford and in part, enabled our bodies to be Officially Licensed Ford Product.

The frame, Burgett told me, comes from a subcontractor, and either comes to Gateway’s Illinois facility complete, or as just the rails. That frame can be modified, Burgett told me, to facilitate either a solid front axle or an independent suspension setup.


Gateway’s website shows three main models ranging in price from $120,000 to $180,000, and offering both automatic or manual options, and warranties as long as five years.


I don’t know much about Gateway as a company, but I do know that the Broncos in these pictures look lovely, and if they’ve got Ford’s stamp of approval and a warranty, that also sounds lovely, even if the price tag doesn’t.

[Sea Six]

A few years ago you could buy a brand new 1957 Chevy. Either with a modern drivetrain or with a retro one, just as off the factory floor.

[Mike Mercury]

I loved the early Broncos; well... until I rode in one. A jaw-breaking rattle-fest type of drive; with sparse interior.

[BADRACR1]

Sea Six There is a company called http://brandnewmusclecar.com/models.html that "recreates" many classics, including Broncos and '57 Chevies. That may be the one you were thinking of.
This one does new steel Camaro shells. http://dynacornbodies.com/body-shells/camaro/

I first saw them here: https://www.hotrod.com/articles/hrdp...camaro-bodies/

At a World of Wheels show here a few years ago they had a '69 Camaro and a Corvette (don't remember the year) and they looked damn good.

[mrvette]

HOW in hell they get past that EPA bullshit??? and for 150k??

[Black94lt1]

Originally Posted by mrvette

HOW in hell they get past that EPA bullshit??? and for 150k??

I know GM offers a emissions compliant LS/LT kit with engine, ECM, cats, etc. I’d emagine ford offers the same with the coyote