How many Early Bronco owners have dreamed of working for someone like the
legendary Bill Stroppe?
For one Arizona Classic Bronco member, Brad Searer, that dream became a
reality nearly twenty five
years ago when he left Tucson, Arizona and headed west to seek his
fortune in the automotive mecca that
was, and is, southern California. The years Brad spent in Long Beach are
still firmly etched in his mind
today and form the basis of his love for the early Ford Bronco.
While working in the parts department at a local Ford dealership, Brad
decided to leave Tucson in in the
mid 1970's and headed west to the Los Angeles area. He says he simply
walked into Stroppe's shop and
asked for a job. He started with the most menial tasks around the shop
but soon Stroppe discovered the
young lad knew his stuff and before he knew it, he was Stroppe's parts
man at the shop. In addition to
procuring parts for the various off road racing vehicles in the shop,
Brad was also responsible for keeping
the other project needs fulfilled as well. In addition to the off road
racing vehicles, Stroppe was also
responsible for maintaining Ford's West Coast Test Fleet. And so, for
the next eight years, in various
capacities, Brad enjoyed a close working relationship with Bill Stroppe
and a close personal friendship as
well.
So the usual first question that comes up when you meet Brad is, "what
about all the cool Broncos around
the shop?". The truth is, he missed the glory years of Bronco racing.
Big Oly had been retired a year or
two before when Stroppe and Parnelli Jones crashed and killed a spectator
in Mexico in the 1974 Baja
race. The Baja Broncos had all been built by the time he started. Brad
did get to race in an early Bronco,
though, in the 1976 Baja 1000. As a Stroppe employee, Brad went to most
of the races as a pit crew member
and helped chase the race vehicles during the race and help with any
mechanical repairs that were
needed. In the 1976 1000, Brad was at the Stroppe pit about 150 miles
into the race. One of the Broncos
racing that year was driven by a Mexican named Alfonso Barbosa. When
Barbosa came into the pits at the
150 mile mark, Jaime Martinez (Stroppe's crew chief), handed Brad a
driving suit and helmet and told him to
get in the truck. "What, me?" replied Brad, in disbelief. "Yes, you're
the new co-driver", replied
Martinez. Apparently the original co-driver wanted no part of off-road
racing after 150 miles of pounding
and Brad was to take his place. "After I learned to relax and not tense
up for every bump," Brad said, "it
wasn't so bad". He ended up riding for most of the race. In following
years he co-drive in numerous F-
Series trucks prepped by Stroppe. These races are still recalled
fondly by Brad and after twenty years
he can still remember faces, conversations, and speeds on the dry lake
beds (130 mph +) like they
happened yesterday. He says, "I have to pinch myself sometimes to remind
myself that here I was, a little
ol' boy from Tucson, riding with and hanging out with the big stars of
off road racing".
I asked Brad what the secrets were behind Stroppe's success in the desert
for so many years. He told that
Stroppe was a stickler for preparation and every nut and bolt was checked
before every race. Each truck
was torn down and inspected between races. "Stroppe's trucks were always
heavy and perhaps slower
than a lot of the other vehicles out there, but they didn't break down",
replied Brad. His Broncos didn't
have anything special or 'trick' done to them in terms of modifications.
"McCarthy's (Mike McCarthy, ACB
member) truck has a far more advanced suspension system on it than Bill's
trucks ever did," Searer stated.
Stroppe was a workaholic who worked seven days a week and demanded a lot
from his employees but he
inspired you to do your best and work hard too according to Brad. He
recalled how Stroppe helped out
numerous people, particularly needy friends south of the border that he
had come in contact with over the
years.
Now almost two decades after returning to slower pace in southern
Arizona, Brad still recalls his days spent
at Bill Stroppe & Son with fondness. And perhaps most telling of
Stroppe's influence, he still drives an
early Bronco and works in sales at a local Ford dealership. His '66 is a
familiar sight at Arizona Classic
Bronco runs and it's in a constant state of improvement and constantly
evolving; a tribute to his favorite
former employer.
