ROD HALL RETURNS TO BAJA WITH HISTORIC BRONCO
SPARKS (April 17) — SamCo Fabrication is a busy place these days with various off-road racing trucks being built or repaired. But owner Sam Cothrun and his staff are really thrashing to ready a historic Ford Bronco for an event in Baja California at the end of the month.
It’s the same one that Reno resident Rod Hall and his co-driver Larry Minor won in 1969. At that time it was called the Mexican 1000 but now is the Baja 1000.
Rod Hall stands by the Ford Bronco he and Larry Minor drove to an overall victory in the 1969 Mexican 1000 off road race.
“This is the Bronco, we’ve verified that as there’s been a little confusion on which Bronco it was but this is the one and we know that as a fact,” Hall said.
NORA, National Off Road Association was the original organization staging the races in Baja.
“NORA started in 1967 and put on the very first Mexican 1000. A friend of mine, Ed Pearlman was the key guy behind that,” he said. “There were other people involved, just like in other organizations but Ed was the guy that was the head of it and he started it as far as I know.”
Hall added this event began as a vintage off-road car race about five or six years ago and Ed’s son Mike Pearlman is the guy that started it.
After talking with friends, Hall got interested in competing in the event and brought the Bronco out from its spot at the Rod Hall Off Road Hall of Fame located in the Harrah’s National Auto Museum.
“Larry Minor and I won the Mexican 1000 overall in 1969 and we beat the motorcycles by 10 minutes. That was a feat in itself but this Bronco is the only 4-wheel drive vehicle to win an overall in the Mexican 1000,” he said. “And another fact is that I’m the only man that did the first race in 1967 and I’ve done every race since.”
Asked about competing in the 50th anniversary race, now called the Baja 1000, Hall wasn’t sure since he’s 78 now and that anniversary is a few years away.
However this event will be very different from that original race.
“It’s a rally so we’ll go two to three hundred miles a day then get a room, a good dinner, maybe a shower and some sleep,” he said. And it’s going to end up in San Jose del Cabo, which is right on the tip so it’s probably going to be a good 1,200 miles.”
Hall explained he’s got a lot of his resources invested in prepping the Bronco. But he’s grateful for the sponsors and companies that have contributed parts and other accessories to the project or it might not have happened.
As Rod Hall looks on Alex Baker works on the interior while SamCo Fabrication owner Sam Cathrun and a staff member work on the engine compartment.
Hall explained that one of the shop’s staff, Alex Baker had done quite a lot of research on what was needed for the project. One was that American Racing Wheels had some with the same pattern as the Bronco originally had and they gifted the team with a set of them.
There are so many companies that want to be a part of this project Hall can’t remember all of them. But among the sponsors and suppliers of parts, many of whom want to be part of this project, are Ford Motor Company, Summit Racing, Mastercraft Safety Seats, Fox Shocks, K.C. Hilites and Wild Horse front and rear springs.
Rod Hall watches as Sam Cathrun and a staff member work on the historic Ford Bronco that wont he 1969 Mexican 1000 race.
“We have the same kind of shocks we had back in the day but they’re not the high tech that are bypass and three inches big,” he said. “It’s going to be as close to the production as we could make it.
“The only thing we did on purpose was to take the 4-speed NASCAR transmission stick shift out, cause I’m not sure I could do that anymore, and now it has a C4 automatic transmission that is built a little bit.”
The goal is to have it as close to what the Bronco was like when it originally rolled out of Bill Stroppe’s shop. And that includes leaf springs in the rear and coil springs in the front.
Once on the ground the racer will be shod with B.F. Goodrich radial tires as Hall explained they only had bias ply back then.
“I’ve got a couple of miles on me so I don’t need all that high tech stuff,” he said. “KC Lites are important because at my age I’ve got to have good lights. And I’m the longest sponsored driver in BF Goodrich’s history.”
While Hall and Minor start the event they won’t be in the seats for all of it.
“My granddaughter Shelby is going to drive part of the race with me. I’ll drive probably to Bahia Los Angeles,” he said. “But when we need a load of fuel Shelby and Baker can get in and we can get out.”
When the Bronco is at the starting line it will be the result of a lot of hard work by the staff at SamCo Fabrication and those companies that have contributed to the project.
As for the Bronco, the event in Baja will be the first of several road trips planned for this historic racer.
“It might be in the museum for a short period of time but its already got places to go as Ford wants it and Summit wants it over at their place for a show and tell,” he said. “So I imagine it will be pretty busy being on the road.”
Alex Baker is working on a wheel while Mad Media is taping a video about the restoration project on the Ford Bronco.
But now the focus is doing interviews, helping with a video Mad Media out of San Diego is doing on the project. And of course finishing the preparation so the Bronco can be loaded up and taken down to Baja.
Then it will be time to take to the desert for a high-speed trip down memory lane.
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