I've posted a few threads now looking for information on the Free Wheeling edition '81 Broncos with the chromatic tape stripes. After a couple years of searching, it's finally paid off and I have one in my possession! Unfortunately it needs a ton of work - but it's solid, and original.

The truck is one of 509 (according to the Marti Report) built with the 351W and a 4sp. It's also one of 1170 with the "Free Wheeling Package A" kit, although I'm not sure how many of those were tri-color striped trucks vs. Chromatic stripes. I've got good intelligence that there could be less than 500 or so total trucks ever built with the chromatic kit, according to someone who owned the contract to make them for Ford. This truck has the roll bar, fog lights, thick-rimmed wheel, Posi units front and back, and is black over black.

This picture is before the previous owner painted the truck black. Sadly, he sanded the stripes down to paint it.



So – I’ve been on an absolute mad hunt to find an NOS stripe kit to have the stripes redone for those who need them. I’ve been in touch with a gentleman named Lance (SteelSteeds) on other boards, who has had them done for ’79 and I can use the same place to have them done for the ‘81s but I need a good pattern. Greene Sales sold their last one 3 weeks before I called, so dead end. And another gentleman with an ’81 Chromatic truck I connected with has the upper door piece, but we are missing the rest.

So, this is where the story gets crazy. I send him pictures of this truck, which I found online a year or so ago in another thread. This is an ’81 Trailer Special, (potentially not a free wheeler, as the stripes –could- be ordered separately as an option):


I figured these would help as good photos to send to have the stripes redone. About a week later (this is two weeks ago or so), I’m doing a madman search for ‘81s on craigslist and I find this truck, which happens to be that same exact truck, and purchase it on the spot – it’s about 8 states away.



It took me about 4 days to realize it was the same truck, some unique scratches in the stripes and a carfax proved it to be the same vehicle. Now, it’s on the way back to Texas to live a pampered life, and allow me to stencil the kit to have it reproduced for my black truck and others who may need them.

These trucks have intrigued me for a while, I’m glad I was finally able to find the black unicorn to restore, and this brown one to help me do that as well as be a great stable mate and pattern for the black one. I’ll keep this thread updated with resto progress and any new information I find on them. Ideally this thread will help un-bury a couple more from the haystack as well!

 

Cool! Hats off to you for taking this on.

 

Did Ford do the free-wheelin' packages in 2-configurations?
Yous, I see, has the "color change vertically, (front to rear)
Didn't they make the stickers also with the color change horizontally, Top to bottom?

 

These are '81s, the configuration is a little different than the '79s. 79s color-changed top to bottom, where '81s changed front to rear.

Ford did the free wheeling stripes for broncos in two configurations in 1981, these "chromatic" stripes, and the tri-color bands (the tri-color was also used on the '80 Free Wheelers).

 

Nice finds. Can we get more pics of the black one? Front and interior? You going to paint the wagons wheels white again on the brown one? Thanks.

 

Great story and nice finds! Keep us posted on your progress!

Side question......was that a Bricklin parked next to the black Bronco? You hardly ever see those!

Did you buy it also?!?!?

 

Both trucks will get the correct white wagon wheels back on them. The Brown one actually has the original wheels, someone just painted them black unfortunately. So at least the correct ones are there.

I'll get some more pictures of the black one to post up. I bought that truck out of California (I'm in texas) so I didn't get to see the Bricklin, unfortunately. They are neat cars though!

 

Here's another neat piece of info. This is one of my others, an '81 Styleside. Neat thing about this truck, according to the Marti report I got yesterday, it's one of only 365 "Free Wheeling Package B" trucks built in '81. I figured it would be no where near that rare. So you can see the factory stripes, fog lamps, it has the handling package and the thick rim wheel. I was thinking about selling it, but now it may be staying with me. It's a factory big six truck with a C6 behind it, 2WD.

 

Interesting that it has the blackout grille but not windshield trim. Was that part of the Freewheeling package?

 

Blackout grill and headlight buckets was part of the Free Wheeling package. No blacked out stainless on the '80 and '81 vehicles, it was always bright. I think the '78/9 Free Wheelers had blackout trim treatments.

 

Ok. I've considered doing the blacked-out grille and headlight door treatment on Rusty as I have a perfect grille, although the paint is flaking, so could paint it black. Now I know that it would be similar to a Freewheeling truck. In fact, that's almost for sure what I would have done for Dad's truck had I not found the NOS chrome grille. Too pretty not to use.

 

I thought factory fog lights mounted below the bumper, do you have the fog light switch on the bezel?

 

The black one did have the factory fog lights, has the switch, it is a Free Wheeling package truck.

The Brown one is not a factory free wheeling truck, it was ordered with the Chromatic Stripes as a stand-alone option. And it was not ordered with fog lights, so they (nor the switch) are there. Does that help?

 

Here's a couple more shots of the black Free Wheeling truck. It's pretty rough, but it's not rusty and it's the genuine article. You can see the correct Marchal front lights and brackets are missing ( I have backups) and the stripes were painted over. Fog light switch is there.

 

I was referring to your truck, not the broncos. The fog lights mounted on top of the bumper are aftermarket, correct?