If you’re the type to do donuts in a snowy parking lot, then this Ford Bronco Badlands build is for you. We took this modular beast of a vehicle and made it into a stealthy snow leopard that prowls the cold winter streets. If you want inspiration on creating a Bronco build like no other take a look at this one!
Making this lifted Bronco build, required us to install some quality offroad accessories and custom style elements. These Bronco mods included a transparent arctic camo wrap, blackout emblems, and offroad LED lighting among other alterations. In this article we take a look at each upgrade that we made to this 2022 Ford Bronco and how they change the vehicle.
| PART LIST | |
|---|---|
| 3M Premium Window Tint | Tinted Ford Emblem |
| Painted Calipers | Powder Coated Tow Hooks |
| Transparent Camo Vinyl Wrap | RC Vertex 2.5-Inch Lift Kit |
| White Out Tire Lettering | KC Hilite Round LED Fog Lights |
| Baja Designs 2″ LED Fog Lights |
Transparent Vinyl Wrap
Viny wraps can enhance a vehicle with a whole new look. The vinyl wrap we used on this custom Bronco is unique since it’s made to be slightly transparent. Having transparency over the original white body paint leaves subtle camo print details that aren’t overpowering. The powdery snow effect it creates improves the appeal of the arctic camos appearance.
There are a ton of cool things you can do with vinyl wraps like color flips, satin finishes, and even metallic options. What’s really great is they aren’t as permanent or expensive as a new coat of paint.
Most vinyl wraps last around 5 years, but if you take good care of your wrap it can last up to 8 years. If you neglect your wrap or don’t let someone with experience install it, then it won’t last as long. For more information on vinyl wraps and the best tips on caring for them ask whoever helped you wrap it or visit 3M vinyl.
BFGoodrich All Terrain Tires White Out Lettering
Most tires are all black with raised manufacturer lettering. We painted some white out lettering on these tires to give it a unique custom look. This appearance started with race cars but was popularized on commercial vehicles through muscle car culture. Having white lettering on tires creates strong contrast that highlights the manufacturer and is a good way to spark conversation over your build.
The style that comes with this white out lettering can give off a bit of nostalgia as well. In this case the white lettering on the tires ended up fitting the color scheme of the build so it made sense to add them on.
2.5-Inch Lift Kit
Another way we bolstered the look of this Bronco is by installing a 2.5-inch lift kit. Attaching a Bronco lift kit provides more ground clearance to overcome larger obstacles when you take it offroad. Aftermarket Bronco accessories like this one allow you to improve your Bronco’s performance and traverse rougher terrain.
A lift kit like the 2.5-inch one we got from Rough Country will free up more space at the base of the vehicle. This is a good thing if you ever want to swap over to some bigger wheels and tires. The jump between 35-inch standard tires on the Badlands to a new set of 37-inch tires does take up a bit of space. Once the Bronco is lifted it has a far more assertive presence as it takes up more space.
Lift kits usually come with a large instruction manual but can be a pain to install. If you haven’t done anything like this before we recommend going to a professional so you can have it installed correctly and protect your investment. If you install the Bronco lift kit on your own, just be mindful of any harsh scraping noises or tire rubbing that would tell you something’s wrong.
Baja Design LED Fog Lights
To make this build more offroad friendly we started to add some LEDs. Baja Designs makes some LED fog lights that are great for offroad use. They hook up in each corner pocket of the front bumper area. These 2-inch white and amber square LED flood lights give off a ton of brightness that light up the road. Along with their impressive brightness comes some seriously strong build quality. They are brilliant addition to the durable front bumper section.
KC Hilite Fog lights
Of course, you can’t have too much lighting… That’s why we also installed a set of KC Hilite Fog lights on the top of the front bumper. Bright lights like these illuminate the landscape yards ahead of your vehicle. Every attached piece of lighting is hooked up to a switch control panel up between the visors. The same panel can accommodate any future lighting additions like ditch lights or a light bar on the roof.
There is another piece of lighting that makes a great addition to your Bronco, which is rock lights. There are a lot of great options out there like these rock lights you can buy right from Amazon. Just make sure your rock lights are durable and pack some serious brightness to shine through the muck. If you want to see rock lights on the vehicle, check out this lifted green and bronze Bronco build that we worked on.
Yellow Painted Calipers
Because the caps of the KC Hilite fog lights have a vibrant yellow color, we incorporated a few subtle yellow accents into the build. The first of which was yellow painted brake calipers behind the big 35-inch wheel and tire setup!
Painted calipers are an excellent and easy mod to make on your vehicle. Not only does the paint help protect the integrity of caliper over time it also adds a layer of depth to the design that really pops. Yellow and red in particular are the most common colors to paint calipers because of their association with speed.
With painted calipers it’s highly important to use a durable and heat resistant paint. To further protect your caliper and its paint from wear and tear on the road we suggest using a ceramic coating. Ceramic coatings are very durable and make cleaning super easy. When you coat your wheels and calipers then it makes things like removing built up brake dust a much quicker process. You can also ceramic coat your entire vehicle to make cleaning a complete breeze.
Powder Coated Tow Hooks
Another opportunity to add a bit of yellow was when we applied a powder coating to the tow hooks. Powder coating is another way to increase the fortitude of a piece while customizing it. Most of the time we do black powder coatings on wheels to complete blackout builds. However, powder coat finishes can be customized to nearly any color for many parts.
Blackout Emblems
The factory chrome emblems of this build felt cheap and had to go. To fully blackout the oval Ford emblem we used a 5% tinted film to erase any trace of the original blue and chrome. If you want a super easy way to swap out the factory Bronco icon, then you can pick up a blackout Bronco emblem on amazon.
Having all new blackout emblems contrasted well with the white and matched the other black trim. These new blackout touches help to provide a bold and stern demeanor to this custom Bronco along with the last added feature.
Tinted Windows
The final touch of this Bronco was tinted windows. You probably heard that window tint gets a bad reputation, but did you know there are a lot of benefits to tinting your windows? Applying a legal tinted film to your windows protects your interior, your valuables, and most importantly you from the sun’s rays. On top of that you get some added privacy and a stealthy new look for your ride. Tinted windows tend to look really good with the black hardtops or soft tops like the one this Bronco has too.
Tint films vary in their darkness with the lowest percentage VLT (visual light transference) being the darkest. Our shop uses a high-quality 3M Premium FX tint film that that we used to tint this Bronco’s windows to 35% on the front windows and a 20% tint on the back windows according to Missouri’s law. Rear windows can sometimes be darker when they leave factory and don’t always require an additional tint, it just depends on the make and model.
When you go to select your tint, you need to keep in mind your local laws so that you don’t get ticketed. We always recommend a professional install for this modification. Poor tint jobs will bubble and discolor over time which then ends up looking pretty awful. Make sure your window tint installer has a good warranty to protect your hard-earned money!
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Looking to customize your Ford Bronco? We offer aftermarket accessories internationally and services across the contiguous U.S. to help you get your car exactly how you want it. Reach out if you’d like a quote for your custom vehicle build!
