1979 Ford Bronco

THE TRUCK This is a 1979 Ford Bronco, previously owned by UFC Hall of Fame member and former UFC Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin. The Bronco has been the subject of a comprehensive nut-and-bolt, frame-off rotisserie restoration, with only 2,800 miles accumulated since the build was completed. It spent most of its life in Las Vegas, which is exactly the climate you want for a classic Bronco to have lived in. The truck is powered by a correct-family 400 cubic inch Ford V8, professionally built by Faults Machine Shop of Las Vegas and rated at 380 horsepower, backed by a C6 three-speed automatic. Fuel delivery is handled by a FiTech electronic fuel injection system, which turns a carbureted classic into a truck that starts cold, idles clean, and drives like a modern vehicle. The truck sits on a six-inch body lift with a Rough Country suspension system, riding on 17-inch Black Rock Series matte black wheels. This isn't a survivor. It isn't a driver-grade restoration either. This is a full-envelope build with celebrity provenance, and it presents accordingly. WHAT IT HAS The 400 was built by Faults Machine Shop in Las Vegas to 380 horsepower, with the FiTech EFI conversion handling fuel delivery for reliable cold starts and modern driveability. The C6 automatic is one of the strongest transmissions Ford ever built and pairs naturally with the 400's torque. The truck runs four-wheel power disc brakes - a serious upgrade over the factory disc/drum setup - with power steering to make the lifted setup manageable in a parking lot. The six-inch body lift with Rough Country suspension sets the stance. Wild Horses 4x4 front-end components (tie rods, drag link, and related pieces) address the known weak points of the factory Bronco steering setup and let it drive tight with the taller ride height. This is the correct way to build one of these - Wild Horses is the specialist that Bronco builders go to when they want the truck to actually work at speed. Inside, the truck runs a Vintage Air system supplied by Nostalgic AC Parts, a Dakota Digital dash cluster, a tilt steering column, heated seats, a Kenwood Bluetooth stereo, and a full American Autowire wiring harness. LED lighting under the truck lights the ground at night. Every one of these upgrades is a name-brand piece - no bargain-bin electronics, no wire nuts, no compromise components. WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW The Rich Franklin ownership provenance is a real part of this truck's story and its value. If you're a buyer for whom that matters, we can walk you through what documentation supports it. The 400 CID Ford V8 is not the original engine to this Bronco (factory '79 Broncos came with 351 Windsor or 400M as available options - the ''400M'' is the tall-deck Cleveland-family 400, which is the correct engine family for this build). The engine was professionally built by Faults Machine Shop in Las Vegas to 380 horsepower. The six-inch body lift, larger wheels, and lifted suspension change the truck's driving character from stock. A modern Bronco enthusiast will appreciate the stance and capability; a purist looking for a stock-height factory-original Bronco will not find that here. The mileage on the odometer reflects post-restoration miles (approximately 2,800), not total lifetime miles of the vehicle. THE BIGGER PICTURE The 1978-1979 Bronco is the shortest production run of any generation of the Bronco - Ford built the second-generation ''big Bronco'' for only these two years before switching to the 1980-1986 body. That short production window makes the '78-'79 trucks genuinely uncommon, and the market has responded accordingly over the last decade. Clean examples that were $15,000 trucks a decade ago are now $40,000-$60,000 trucks, and heavily restored builds bring more than that. This one is a heavily restored build with celebrity provenance. Rich Franklin is a UFC Hall of Fame inductee and a former UFC Middleweight Champion - one of the most recognizable fighters of the s