TredWear Brawnco - 79 Ford Bronco on Shortened Navigator Chassis

This is a ’79 Ford Bronco on a shortened 2003/2004 Lincoln Navigator chassis. And it’s yet another creative concoction brought to you by the boys at TredWear.

It’s easy to forget in the modern landscape of high-priced SUVs…

But when luxury SUVs like the Navigator & Escalade first started hitting the scene in the late 90s, they were a new segment… and a big deal. Flashy, excessive, and unapologetic… they were MORE than they needed to be. So when Ford/Lincoln came out with the 2nd-generation Navigator in 2003, they gave it some big improvements over the 1st-gen. In terms of chassis design, the ’03 went to a hydro-formed steel ladder frame with beefy aluminum control arms. Most are AWD. And additionally, the 03+ went to a fully-independent rear end. It was arguably overbuilt & over-engineered for the time… but Ford was flexing their flagship model.

And on the same note, the 03/04 Lincoln Navigator used a 32-valve 4-cam 5.4 V-8. It was an exclusive engine for the Navigator… also used in the 1st-gen Navi, but not in Ford’s sister Expedition. Basically, it was an iron-block (truck) version of a pretty darn potent & progressive Ford engine. In some respects, a precursor to the Coyote, and it even shares some architecture with the Ford GT engine. Then for 05, Ford/Lincoln reeled it in, and moved to the more corporate, money-saving, 3-valve, single-cam engine (that had cam phaser problems). So with that brief Navigator history in mind, TredWear’s mission was to find an 03/04 Navigator for the ‘Brawnco’ donor chassis. They found a running example with some body damage for cheap, and it was game-on.

Obviously, a Lincoln Navigator has a longer wheelbase than a 79 Bronco…

So for the first task – TredWear shortened the Navigator frame by cutting out a 15-inch section of the chassis (see the last 3 photos above). Once that was done, the 79 Bronco body was removed from its original chassis & set on the shortened Navigator (below). The photos tell the story here, but TredWear essentially uses the Ford Bronco body from the a-pillars and/or cowl back… and retains most of the Navigator’s front structure from the firewall-forward. Fun Fact: In shortening the Navigator chassis, Tredwear removed 1,000lbs from the SUV. It’s still a porky 5,000lb vehicle, but losing 1,000lbs from 15-inches is something.

Lifting the body from the original Bronco chassis

Setting the Bronco body on the Navigator chassis

The shortened chassis…

Shortening the Navigator chassis meant that TredWear lost the section where the Navigator’s gas tank was originally located. Not sure how they knew this, but a Jeep Wrangler (TJ) 19-gallon tank conveniently accepts the fuel pump & sending unit straight from the Navigator, making it essentially plug & play. They just had to extend the fuel lines & wiring a few feet… and they were able to mount the TJ tank under the rear of the Bronco. They’re even still able to use the Bronco’s original fuel door.

When it comes to the Bronco’s body modifications…

This ain’t TredWear’s first rodeo doing a body-swap. But – what you’re seeing is basically just home-brewed hot-rodder trial & error… and combinations of little tricks learned along the way. The Bronco sits at the stock Navigator height – no lift kit; no lowering kit. But the body-swapped proportions are further exaggerated with in-house custom fender flares made with conduit & sheetmetal. It’s all about using craftiness & creativity over credit cards. The flares cover 20×12 wheels with 12.5”-wide 33” tires. Paint is basic ol’ hardware store enamel rolled on generously. And then it’s taped-off & striped with spray paint before being artistically sanded & decal’d to a period-correct patina.

For more on how Tredwear approaches these body-swapped project cars…

Check out TredWear’s Youtube channel and/or Instagram page. As someone who admittedly watches little Youtube (aside from Whitesnake videos), I find TredWear to be incredibly inspiring, relatable, and down-to-earth from a car-culture perspective. As mentioned, these aren’t high-budget, self-celebrating status builds. Rather, these are highly-creative, budget-minded builds – with the intention of inspiring over ‘influencing’. It’s all about taking what the masses tossed aside… and creating new treasures. Seeing potential in the discarded… and defying our modern throwaway/consumer culture. All while bringing unfiltered childhood dreams to life.