SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
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A WILD BRONCO Steve Lewis of Vildosola Racing spent this past year reliving a childhood dream By Larry Saavedra Photography by Dan Sanchez SCORE 2022 Manager of the Year, Steve Lewis, has a thing for the ‘80s and ‘90s model Ford Broncos, which became immediately apparent the day the SCORE Journal staff visited with him at Vildosola Racing in San Diego, California. On display between Gustavo and Tavo Vildósola’s million-dollar SCORE Trophy Trucks was an eye-catching red Ford Bronco, which Lewis referred to as a special project that took a year to finish. “That might seem excessive for a restoration, but restoring it was never in the plans,” Lewis said. He wanted a resto-mod with all the benefits of modern technology wrapped around an old-school vibe. A Desert Find Lewis discovered the ‘90 Bronco buried axle-deep on a dirt lot in Ocotillo, California. He knew he had to save it. The fact is, he actually found two in the area that same day, and he trailered both back to the shop. Lewis wasted no time in contacting his friend, Viktor Doktor, to take the lead on the build, and together they started to draw up the plans. “I was hands-on the entire time,” he said. The intent was to have Doktor build it to a “rolling chassis” and then have it trailered to Vildosola Racing to be outfitted with plumbing and wiring and final assembly. Those initial plans, though, morphed into something bigger. Lewis decided to transform it into a Vildosola Racing support vehicle for the upcoming 56th BFGoodrich Tires SCORE Baja 1000 and as an occasional race vehicle for his wife, Fernanda Vildósola, who is a competitive off-road racer like her father and brother. With a healthy amount of skepticism adrift in Doktor’s shop when the project first arrived, the disassembly began piece by piece. All Lewis had to start with was a battered cab, some odd parts, and a rusted-out chassis. But none of this mattered because they knew the majority of it would be scrapped anyway. “All we needed was the original cab and some of the rear shell of the Bronco, and everything else was engineered from the ground up,” said Lewis. “Much like any race vehicle build.” What’s notable is the new length of the Bronco, which is a full 17 inches longer than stock thanks to Doktor. Then there are the custom body panels made by Jason McNeil of FiberwerX and the smooth-as-glass paint applied by Loose Cannon Customs. Lifelong Passion Lewis’s fascination with Broncos started before he could legally drive. “I grew up getting rides to school in a Bronco,” he said. “My friend Scott Kell and I were driven to school by his mother in an early model Bronco. Scott works for us today as a team specialist and we have fun reminiscing about those days. I have loved the Bronco ever since.” The Details “This Bronco has the same suspension travel as a SCORE Trophy Truck,” he added. While the engine is not going to compete with a TT, the LS3 was bored and stroked to a 427, and it makes 650 horsepower. It was built by Turn Key Engine Supply in Oceanside, California. It’s mated to a Culhane TH400 transmission that uses a Setrab cooler. A TubeWorks rear-end housing, and Gear Works third member uses 5.29 gears. The electronics include an ECU Masters power management system. Doktor built custom headers for the engine and paired them to a Borla exhaust. A Pyrotect 80-gallon fuel cell was added at the final stage. “It’s a unique vehicle,” he said. “But we wanted to keep some of the originality and used a twin-traction front-end four-wheel drive system.” Doktor and Lewis tackled the suspension system like they would a TT design, using Ohcho fabrication, fully fabricated TTB front suspension arms that are 6 inches longer over stock with 20 inches of travel. Up front, they designed a King Shocks 3.0 coil-over system with a 4.0, 5-tube bypass tuned by SDG Suspension. In the rear King Shocks 3.0 coil-overs with 4.5, 7-tube bypass were used and tuned by SDG. Billet aluminum trailing arms were designed in-house at Vildosola Racing. Jamar six-piston race calipers with 14-inch rotors were installed on all four corners. The Bronco rides on Method 103 beadlock wheels wrapped in Toyo 40-inch Open Country M/T race tires. The interior uses Impact HS1 seats and restraints to complement the upholstery design handled by AR-Jay’s out of San Diego. Then there’s the PCI intercom with Bose headsets, flip-up rear window (designed in-house at Vildosola Racing), Fiberwerx dash and carbon inserts, Kenwood Tk-7360 race radio, and race-grade keypads. Lowrance HDS 12 GPS is mounted on the passenger’s side and a Lowrance Elite GPS is mounted on the driver’s side. Final Touches The wiring was designed by Javi Valenzuela, Tavo Vildosola’s SCORE Trophy Truck navigator, and the build of the wiring harness was handled by Lewis and Vildosola Racing’s Omar Cabrera. Two 40-inch Baja Design hybrid light bars and two 10-inch Baja Design hybrid light bars turn night into day. According to Lewis many of the components are available to any early Bronco owner, although they are still considered custom-made. Look for this bright red Bronco at the 56th SCORE Baja 1000, but rest assured once the race starts it will be gone in a flash.