Jeff’s Bronco Graveyard and the 1966 Ford Bronco with Crusader Camper

By Dusty Rhodes and Laura Zielinski

In 1980, Jeff Trapp bought his first early Bronco, a 1975 Rangoon Red wagon for hunting, and quickly discovered its go-anywhere “Built Ford Tough” capabilities. The next year, he upgraded his Bronco using parts from a spare vehicle and in doing so, found an untapped parts market. Jeff turned his hobby into a full-time business, opening Bronco Graveyard in 1985. Over the next 40 years, Jeff has grown it into one of the world’s largest classic Bronco parts distributors.

To expand his offerings, Jeff has added parts for Ford F100-F350s, as well as Ford Racing and Performance Parts. This relationship with Ford Racing and Performance parts will open the door to incredible upgrades for the all-new 2021 and beyond Bronco.

Thankfully, the Bronco community has an abundance of terrific parts suppliers who provide outstanding service and quality parts. With the abundance of online tools and marketplaces, gone are the days of searching newspapers or Hemmings for the hard-to-find parts. With Gen 1 through Gen 5 Broncos skyrocketing in values, the parts options should continue to grow.

For a taste of another one of Jeff’s projects, check out his ’66 Bronco he displayed in the Bronco Corral at the 2021 Woodward Dream Cruise. In the 40+ years he’s been in business, it remains the only hard-shell camper Bronco he has ever seen.

1966 Ford Bronco with Crusader Camper

This truck, produced in October of 1965, was purchased in the Denver, Colorado area at a Ford dealer in the late fall of 1965 by two brothers. The dealer, also owning a RV dealership next door, decided to remove the hardtop and tailgate from the Bronco and install the Crusader Camper in their place.

The brothers bought this Bronco to use for their hunting and fishing trips in the nearby Rocky Mountains. Due to the Bronco’s small size, they would sleep in a tent, and the camper ended up being used for emergency shelter and them to cook in.

Inside, the interior of the camper is finished with fold-down benches, a table, stove, sink, and storage –– including the brothers’ rifle rack. Jeff purchased this Bronco in 2008 and says it ran pretty well. He’s since replaced the tires, muffler, and tailpipe as well as added the retro carpeting, but the rest of the truck remains untouched and original. Even the camper’s cabinets and drawers are still stocked with kitchenware items from the men, and situated under the hood are their tire chains and a longer cable for the winch.

The Bronco had just about 56,000 on the odometer at the Dream Cruise. But, as miles are added and time ticks on, we can imagine this piece of history will have no problem being maintained with Jeff’s stock of bumper-to-bumper Bronco parts so close at hand!