Sidewinder

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ReggieZ

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Does anyone know anything about a Sidewinder package that was offered by the dealer in '78

 

miesk5

96 Bronco 5.0
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Yo,

Welcome!

It was most likely a dealer installed "package".

Can you give us any details or pics?

Fyi,

1978 Bronco Brochure

http://www.lov2xlr8.no/brochures/ford/78br/78br.html

1978-1988 Bronco Book, ; "...There isn't any doubt that the Bronco was a major milestone in the history of sport-utility vehicles. Before its introduction in August 1965, the sport utility market was really the domain of just two specialist manufacturers, International Harvester and Jeep. Ford was the first of the majors to try its hand and although the Bronco was in many ways a blatant copy of IH's Scout, it immediately established the Dearborn company as a major player in the market. The first Broncos came only with a 105bhp, 170 cubic inch six, but from March 1966 a 200bhp 289 V8 was made optional, and thus became the first V8 engine in a sport-utility vehicle. The V8 option switched to the 302 motor in 1968 and then from 1973 a 200ci six replaced the 170ci type. Lastly, the 302 V8 was standardised from 1975. Ford learned a lot as the sport utility market developed around the Bronco. The original three models, roadster, wagon and pick-up, had interchangeable body sections so that one could easily be converted to the other. This idea had been pioneered by the Scout, but by 1971 the market had changed and only pick-up and wagon derivatives were on offer. Two years later, the pick-up also disappeared, leaving the final Broncos as wagons with optional Sport (intermediate) and Ranger (high-line) levels. For 1978, the Bronco was redesigned on Ford抯 104-inch wheelbase truck platform, and became a rather different vehicle. The cheeky, bobtailed original has nevertheless retained a place in the affections of 4x4 enthusiasts and I am sure that the articles in this book will appeal to them enormously. This is a book of contemporary road & comparison tests, specification & technical data, model intros & owner's survey. Models covered: XLT, Auto V8, Bronco II & XL Sport. 100 pages 250 illus. SB. SKU: FOB78 ISBN: 9781855200371..." by Brooklands Books

1978-1979 Bronco Sketch; a designer named **** Nesbitt, who was one of the original designers of the full-size Bronco, came up with an ingenious idea of a wrap-around Targa style roof band which ultimately shaped the unique design of all full-size Broncos from 1978 to 1996. The wrap-around Targa design allowed for a fixed-roof cab that allowed the use of the F-100 doors and solved one of the main problems with the Blazer which was leaks that developed along the thick rubber seal on the removable top. There was more than just one proposed design for the new Bronco top, however. The picture to the right shows some of the proposed designs, including an opera window design, the targa-style design which is similar to the production version, a plain pointed corner design that is very similar to the design used on the '80 & up models, and a plain rounded corner design that was incorporated into the targa-style design that was used on the production version. Testing centers at Ford determined that the targa-style design was best to seal the top to the cab and that the rounded corner glass design was best for resisting stress-related cracks. Another engineering obstacle that had to be overcome was finding the proper location to mount the radius arms that held the front axle in place. Several ill-handling prototypes were built and tested before the engineers at Ford got it right.

 

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