Pre-runner. It’s a term we hear a lot in the 4×4 world, particularly if you follow the US off-road scene, but what does it mean? What is a pre-runner? 

Pre-runners are the vehicles off-road race teams and drivers use to reconnoitre the race course ahead of the start. The vehicles used for pre-running can be anything from state-of-the-art race trucks to older race vehicles, built recreational 4x4s and off-the-shelf side-by-side ATVs. Some of the more elaborate vehicles used for pre-running are Trophy Trucks decked out with a sealed cabin, more comfortable seats, air-con, sound systems and interior trim to make the job of recon easier on the team. 

In the USA, these reconfigured race vehicles often wear licence plates and it’s not uncommon to see them driven on the road. Pre-runners are super capable, fast and look cool, and as a result the style has migrated to road-going vehicles, something that is easier to do in the USA than it is here in Australia. But the look is creeping in at various levels and one of the best examples we’ve seen to date is this Ford Bronco from Richie Clunes. 

Richie is the man behind Radius Fabrications (↗), where they make everything from stainless steel snorkels and airboxes to complete hot rods and off-road race buggies. So it’s safe to say Richie is handy with a welder and a pile of steel tube and sheet.

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Richie Clunes’ Ford Bronco build

Richie put his talents to the test in turning this 1984 Ford Bronco into the pre-runner you see now, and it’s one of the best examples of the style we’ve seen in Australia to date.

The Ford Bronco has a long history in off-road racing in the Americas, extending back to the first generation of Ford’s sports truck in 1966 through to the current T6-based Broncos; the T6 platform, incidentally, was developed in Australia and is shared with our Ford Ranger and Everest vehicles.

The Bronco was only ever sold here by Ford Australia in the 1980s, and this was the fourth generation of the iconic model. Richie’s Bronco is from that era, being a 1984 model, although it now wears a ’96 front end.

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Bodywork and exterior details

Other obvious body modifications include huge pumped mudguards from US company Fiberwerx. They perpetuate the pre-runner look, while also being required to cover the massive wheels, tyres and long-travel suspension fitted underneath.

Richie says there was a lot of work getting the ’guards to fit to this standard of finish, as they are designed for race trucks where fit and finish isn’t so important and they are likely to get swiped off on the first cactus. The bodywork and paint on the Bronco are now more street machine than race truck, and the looks speak for themselves.

There are some brands that are as entwined in American off-road racing as the Bronco itself, and some of the most recognisable are Method Race Wheels, King Shocks and KC HiLiTES. Of course, you’ll find each of these products on Richie’s rig.

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Suspension and chassis setup

The Twin Traction Beam independent front suspension debuted on the third-gen Bronco and was carried over to the fourth-gen vehicles. It was the first IFS set-up for the model, but became known for the good wheel articulation afforded by the unique design.

Richie’s Bronco retains the TTB front-end design, but it is suspended on a set of King 2.5 x 12-inch coilovers with remote reservoirs, backed up by King 2.5 x 12-inch three-tube bypass shocks with King hydro bump stops to soak up the heaviest of landings. Richie remade the front arms of the TTB to be much stronger than the OEM product and able to cope with jumps in the desert or the bush.

The Bronco’s rear end is a more conventional live-axle design and again you find the finest King equipment absorbing the roughest terrain. A sheetmetal Ford 9-inch diff housing, fabricated by you know who, swings off custom Radius Fab trailing arms and sway bar, while 2.5 x 14-inch King coilovers with remote reservoirs, King 2.5 x 16-inch three-tube bypass shocks with piggyback reservoirs and King hydro bump stops smooth out the ride.

This is state-of-the-art off-road suspension at the level you’ll find on full-race vehicles, but adapted for the road on the Bronco.

The other big American brands are represented in the polished Method beadlock wheels wrapped in 37-inch Toyo tyres and the five KC HiLiTES mounted on the custom-made front bumper.

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Power to burn

Turning those 37-inch hoops over sand and through silt beds requires plenty of horsepower and Richie didn’t hold back on the drivetrain. 

The 351ci Ford V8 was stroked out to 408 cubes and makes around 500hp. It is backed by a built C6 automatic transmission, with the driveshaft running back to a Strange spool, 35-spline axles and 2.5-inch floating hubs. The heavily braced diff housing was again fabricated in-house at Radius Fab.

While the underside of the Bronco is strictly business, inside is another story. There’s tan leather trim throughout, Velo bucket seats in Radius Fab mounts, a fridge in the console, and a flat dash full of AutoMeter gauges covered in more of that tan leather. The suede roof lining over the roll cage sums up the mix of race and luxe that defines the Bronco.

A race truck for the road or a Bronco for the beach? Whatever way you look at Richie’s Bronco pre-runner, there’s no denying it is one cool truck that was built to take on tough tracks at speed, then turn heads on the Gold Coast strip as it rumbles back home.

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Features list

  • Radius Fabrications custom build work
  • Huge pumped Fibrewerx mudguards
  • Long-travel suspension setup
  • Method Race Wheels beadlock wheels
  • 37-inch Toyo tyres
  • KC HiLiTES (five mounted on custom front bumper)
  • Retained Twin Traction Beam (TTB) independent front suspension
  • King 2.5 x 12-inch coilovers with remote reservoirs (front)
  • King 2.5 x 12-inch three-tube bypass shocks (front)
  • King hydro bump stops (front)
  • Custom heavy-duty TTB front suspension arms
  • Live-axle rear end
  • Sheetmetal Ford 9-inch diff housing (fabricated)
  • Custom Radius Fab trailing arms (rear)
  • Custom sway bar (rear)
  • King 2.5 x 14-inch coilovers with remote reservoirs (rear)
  • King 2.5 x 16-inch three-tube bypass shocks with piggyback reservoirs (rear)
  • King hydro bump stops (rear)
  • Strange spool rear driveline component
  • 35-spline axles
  • 2.5-inch floating hubs
  • Built C6 automatic transmission
  • Stroked 351ci Ford V8 (408ci, ~500hp)
  • Custom fabricated diff housing (Radius Fabrications)
  • Velo bucket seats
  • Radius Fab seat mounts
  • AutoMeter gauges
MORE Bronco news and reviews!