This Bronco Bronze 1990 FJ62 came to us the way a lot of great projects do, tired but worth saving. A blue and silver survivor with good bones and a lot of road behind it, it was exactly the kind of 60 Series Land Cruiser that deserves a second life. What it became is one of our favorite custom restomods to date.
We started by stripping it down to bare metal and getting the foundation right. The entire undercarriage was power washed and treated with Rust Bullet and a rubberized topcoat to protect it for the long haul. Only once the truck was solid underneath did we start putting it back together.
The heart of this restomod is the drivetrain. We pulled the original setup and dropped in a 6.2L LS3 V8 backed by a 6L80E automatic transmission, the same combination that gives this 60 Series the power and reliability the factory never offered. The swap was done right, with a new wiring harness, a clean fuse box mounted in the engine bay, a new A/C compressor and alternator, and a separate transmission cooling system mounted ahead of the radiator. Both driveshafts were custom cut and balanced, and a new Advanced Adapters transfer case adapter ties the whole system together.
Underneath, a full Old Man Emu suspension on heavy springs levels the truck and handles the added capability, sitting it about two inches above factory height. We rebuilt both front Birfield knuckles, ran all new brake lines, added a new Bosch booster and master cylinder, and fitted new rotors, calipers, and pads front and rear so the stopping and steering match the new power. It rolls on US Wheels rims wrapped in Cooper S/T Maxx tires.
Inside, every surface is custom. The seats are wrapped in fresh leather, paired with custom door panels, custom cargo panels, new carpet and padding throughout, and our custom center console finished in black to match. We added Speedhut gauges, a modern double DIN head unit with navigation and a backup camera, all new speakers, and full sound deadening across the floor, doors, wheel wells, and firewall so the cabin is as quiet as it is good looking.
Now about that color. When we first laid the Bronco Bronze down in the engine bay, we will be honest, the whole shop was not sold on it. But we build to suit, so we pushed on and trusted the vision. By the time the truck wore it from bumper to bumper, it had won everyone over. Today Bronco Bronze is one of our favorite colors we have ever sprayed. OEM chrome front and rear bumpers, a new grille and headlight bezels, four Grote LED headlights, and our custom rock sliders powder coated in smooth black finish the look. The result turns heads at a show and still drives like something you would actually want to live with.
Every detail on this custom build was handled in our shop in Belle Plaine, Kansas, then road tested before it went home to its owner. This is what a true 60 Series restomod looks like when it is done right, vintage character meeting modern muscle. Watch the full build come together and hear that LS3 run in the video below.
