Bronco Cryptozoology #27: The Northlander Savage Bronco

Cryptozoology is the study of mythical creatures that may or may not exist.

This applies to Broncos how? Well, there is a lot of mystery and myths surrounding certain Bronco models and specialty-built Broncos.

So, this new segment at the blog will focus on these prototypes, one of a kind, special editions and the most historical Broncos ever built.

To keep the posts short, we will include only a brief story of each

We will try to separate fact from fiction and possibly come up with more questions than answers.

At first, I was going to compile this into one post, but it got waaay too long. 

In 1976 Ford was scrambling, Bronco sales were waning and without the Baja Bronco Ford was having trouble getting people excited about a model that had not changed much since its introduction 10 years prior.

The Ford marketing team reached out to custom truck and van builders and found some that were interested in working with Ford on some special regional models.

This time it was a conversion van company called Waldoch Crafts in Forest Lake Minnesota. 

They created what they called the "Northlander Savage" edition. These should not be confused with the "Northland" option package that Ford offered for the northern states, which included a heavy-duty battery, upgraded alternator and a block heater. Those items may have been included on these Northlander Savage Edition Broncos and the option package may have even been the inspiration for the name.

Waldoch started with standard U-15 wagons equipped with power steering, power disc brakes and automatic transmissions. Waldoch then added yellow paint (Ford offered a lot of color options in 1976, but not bright yellow) with wavy flame inspired graphics. The fenders were cut, and larger tires added, off-road lights and brush guard rounded out the outside mods. On the inside they added a roll bar for safety and a sunroof (very popular in the late 1970s).

They also offered extra options like headers, dual exhaust, winches and tow hooks. 

This is an actual model, only 50-60 of them were built. Combined with the low build count and the salted roads in Minnesota means that any survivors are quite rare.