Diehards covet
the Series IIA’s
metal dash; later
models received
safer but less
sexy plastic
surfaces.
Icon’s inaugural Derelict Bronco came with an appropri-
ately rich backstory and patina to drool for: dulled paint,
a hazy smattering of surface rust accumulated during a
half-century under the central Texas sun, and a dented right
fender that betrays a life of utility. The sculpted wheelwells
remain uncut, helping the Bronco retain its original pro-
portions. “This truck is like a great pair of flip-flops you’ve
owned for an irresponsible number of decades,” Ward says.
“You put them on, and you feel like you walk better in them.”
There are human artifacts, too. Snapshots of the owner’s
son with the car when it was delivered new. Later photos
of the son with a teenage girl who would become his wife.
Handwritten maintenance notes on the engine box. “The
story was so cool,” Ward says. “I was giddy about it.” He
wasn’t the only one. After Ward shared a snapshot on Icon’s
Instagram account, an interested buyer stepped forward in
less than an hour. The Derelict Bronco was greenlit, and
the buyer consulted with Ward on a variety of creative
decisions throughout the process.
Transforming a battered vehicle into a Derelict requires
a delicate balance of preservation and renovation—and
often more work than a full-on restoration. For starters,
it took time to figure out the process of effectively seal-
ing in the sheetmetal’s rust and imperfections. “I’d been
researching hydrophobic and oleophobic coatings for
years,” Ward says. “I’m a coating geek.” His search led him
to a product called Nano Tech manufactured by Ceramic
Pro, a firm whose work is usually found on personal jets
and exotic cars. Collaborating with the firm’s chief chem-
ist, a formulation was tested on sample body panels and
fine-tuned, yielding a solution that worked with old sheet-
metal’s porosity and irregular surfaces. Surface treatments
and additive materials played several roles in the project.
In addition to sound deadening and heat insulation tactics,
Ward also tended to unlikely areas, including the wind-
shield, where adding a hydrophobic coating enabled him
to retain the old vacuum wiper system because a modern
one would have “ruined the aesthetic.”
Certain features are no-brainers, like the hand-scrawled
maintenance notes in the engine bay he chose to preserve.
Others became mechanical, geometric, and aesthetic puz-
zles that required careful consideration. Ward’s fondness
for Brembo brakes necessitated bigger wheels to house
what he calls “those big-ass football calipers.” The wheels,
18-inch forged aluminum pieces designed by Icon and
manufactured by Wheel Pros, required reworking because
it’s easy to push them too far outward, creating an “over-
stanced” look. Although Ward says it pains him to even say
the words “faux patina,” the wheels, steering column, and
inner fender ECU enclosure needed to be manually worn
in order to match the rest of the vehicle. “Oh, and the gas
cap’s bullshit, too,” he adds.
The Bronco’s ragged, dented skin serves as the ultimate
low-fi decoy for the hardware lurking beneath that contem-
porizes its road manners. As with all of Ward’s creations,
the frame is mandrel-bent, boxed, and powder-coated by
Art Morrison. Tucked into the engine bay is that mainstay