Chuck Most Posted September 30, 2023 Share Posted September 30, 2023 Bruce Campbell (no,no... not THAT Bruce Campbell) owned a couple of Mobilgas service stations, the first of which opened in 1954. After being fired as a mechanic from the local Oldsmobile dealership, he was able to take ownership of a struggling shop on Ash Street (the tree, not Bruce Campbell's character in The Evil Dead series... but these parallels are weird...), he turned the operation around. The Campbell family still owns a number of gas stations across the state, although they're all convenience stores and don't perform auto repairs. From 1966 to 1974, the original Campbell station and the new location just off the 127 off ramp each got a light blue Bronco for snow plowing and parts chasing duties. Both new locations got a 1966 model. The Ash Street location traded in their '66 for a new 1972 model. The 127 stations Bronco was destroyed in a rear end collision in 1970. Fortunately the Bronco was the only casualty, and it was replaced with a new 1970 model three days later. Bruce's grandson Sam tracked down that one years ago and restored it, but the whereabouts of the 1972 and the two original 1966 models are unknown. Two significant things happened in 2021. Ford has launched a new Bronco, and the year marked Bruce Campbell's 100th Birthday, although he had sadly passed away in 2018. Allison Jordan, Bruce's granddaughter and the CEO of Campbell Convenience Stores LLC, wanted to lift spirits during COVID and maybe remind people of happier times. Allie's best friend's husband just so happened to be the sales manager at the local Ford dealership. A Bronco was ordered, and a plan was in place. The Campbell Convenience color is kind of a light blue. The brand new Bronc was resprayed in this color by the Ford dealership body shop staff. Shane, one of the body men, made the half cab and tonneau himself, having a good deal of experience working with fiberglass. He made the top so that the original rear window could be used. Some Campbell lettering and modern Mobil logos were made at the local sign and graphics shop. The plow was an old Western found on Facebook Marketplace. It was torn apart, refurbished and repainted. The plow is fully functional, although the Bronco will never be used to actually plow snow. It's just there for nostalgia, to make it more closely resemble the original Campbell Broncos. The Bronco spent the next year bouncing around to the various Campbell stations. The Bronco proved to be quite an attention getter, and more than a few customers immediately remembered the classic Broncos Campbell used to run. Since then, the plow has been removed and the grille guard and front skid plate have been reattached. Allie uses the truck as a daily driver, with the door lettering and Shane's pickup top still in place. Speaking of, Shane ended up with a decent side hustle making duplicates of the pickup top for sale. Model is, of course, the new AMT kit. The plow is from Moebius. No, you can't push snow with a real 2021 Bronco. The frame will fold like a futon. But it's a model, why not fantasize a little? Paint is Tamiya Light Blue and Pure White. Aside from the addition of the plow, modified top, and scratch built tonneau cover, and some obvious omissions of things like the back seat, it's straight out of the box. I'm still not a fan of the new Bronco, but I felt compelled to try the kit. They're growing on me, even though I think they look more like an updated Scout II than an updated early Bronco. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuilderX Posted October 1, 2023 Share Posted October 1, 2023 Sweet build! just like the old....... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slusher Posted October 1, 2023 Share Posted October 1, 2023 Great build Chuck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim B Posted October 1, 2023 Share Posted October 1, 2023 Nice build. I like the concept. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ewetwo Posted October 1, 2023 Share Posted October 1, 2023 Very cool Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espo Posted October 1, 2023 Share Posted October 1, 2023 The photos almost look like a real Broncho. You seem to have a higher opinion of the new Broncho than many, but they still sell for over MSRP if you want one so there is that. The paint finish and body details look very realistic as does the snowplow. Great background info, is it all true? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ncbuckeye67 Posted October 3, 2023 Share Posted October 3, 2023 Awesome build of a modern plow vehicle! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fshoemake Posted October 4, 2023 Share Posted October 4, 2023 Very nice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Most Posted October 4, 2023 Author Share Posted October 4, 2023 On 10/1/2023 at 1:21 PM, espo said: Great background info, is it all true? Not a word 🤣 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happy grumpy Posted October 4, 2023 Share Posted October 4, 2023 Like you I am not a fan of the new Bronco but I'm glad you built it because your model really shines and the plow adds appeal to the whole thing. Great photography too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PappyD340 Posted October 7, 2023 Share Posted October 7, 2023 Very cool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alison Posted October 17, 2023 Share Posted October 17, 2023 Looks great Chuck, I always enjoy your builds and backstories. Allison Jordan was named after the engine and transmission manufacturer, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zippi Posted November 1, 2023 Share Posted November 1, 2023 Oh yeah. Nice looking little work horse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Most Posted November 1, 2023 Author Share Posted November 1, 2023 On 10/17/2023 at 10:19 AM, Alison said: Looks great Chuck, I always enjoy your builds and backstories. Allison Jordan was named after the engine and transmission manufacturer, right? Probably the Elvis Costello song. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim boyd Posted November 5, 2023 Share Posted November 5, 2023 On 9/30/2023 at 7:42 PM, Chuck Most said: Bruce Campbell (no,no... not THAT Bruce Campbell) owned a couple of Mobilgas service stations, the first of which opened in 1954. After being fired as a mechanic from the local Oldsmobile dealership, he was able to take ownership of a struggling shop on Ash Street (the tree, not Bruce Campbell's character in The Evil Dead series... but these parallels are weird...), he turned the operation around. The Campbell family still owns a number of gas stations across the state, although they're all convenience stores and don't perform auto repairs. From 1966 to 1974, the original Campbell station and the new location just off the 127 off ramp each got a light blue Bronco for snow plowing and parts chasing duties. Both new locations got a 1966 model. The Ash Street location traded in their '66 for a new 1972 model. The 127 stations Bronco was destroyed in a rear end collision in 1970. Fortunately the Bronco was the only casualty, and it was replaced with a new 1970 model three days later. Bruce's grandson Sam tracked down that one years ago and restored it, but the whereabouts of the 1972 and the two original 1966 models are unknown. Two significant things happened in 2021. Ford has launched a new Bronco, and the year marked Bruce Campbell's 100th Birthday, although he had sadly passed away in 2018. Allison Jordan, Bruce's granddaughter and the CEO of Campbell Convenience Stores LLC, wanted to lift spirits during COVID and maybe remind people of happier times. Allie's best friend's husband just so happened to be the sales manager at the local Ford dealership. A Bronco was ordered, and a plan was in place. The Campbell Convenience color is kind of a light blue. The brand new Bronc was resprayed in this color by the Ford dealership body shop staff. Shane, one of the body men, made the half cab and tonneau himself, having a good deal of experience working with fiberglass. He made the top so that the original rear window could be used. Some Campbell lettering and modern Mobil logos were made at the local sign and graphics shop. The plow was an old Western found on Facebook Marketplace. It was torn apart, refurbished and repainted. The plow is fully functional, although the Bronco will never be used to actually plow snow. It's just there for nostalgia, to make it more closely resemble the original Campbell Broncos. The Bronco spent the next year bouncing around to the various Campbell stations. The Bronco proved to be quite an attention getter, and more than a few customers immediately remembered the classic Broncos Campbell used to run. Since then, the plow has been removed and the grille guard and front skid plate have been reattached. Allie uses the truck as a daily driver, with the door lettering and Shane's pickup top still in place. Speaking of, Shane ended up with a decent side hustle making duplicates of the pickup top for sale. Model is, of course, the new AMT kit. The plow is from Moebius. No, you can't push snow with a real 2021 Bronco. The frame will fold like a futon. But it's a model, why not fantasize a little? Paint is Tamiya Light Blue and Pure White. Aside from the addition of the plow, modified top, and scratch built tonneau cover, and some obvious omissions of things like the back seat, it's straight out of the box. I'm still not a fan of the new Bronco, but I felt compelled to try the kit. They're growing on me, even though I think they look more like an updated Scout II than an updated early Bronco. Very, very cool Chuck!!!! TB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dino246gt Posted December 3, 2023 Share Posted December 3, 2023 Very nicely done! I was wondering what a half cab would look like, now I know, it looks cool!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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