We’ve delivered our first Broncos. Now that they’re out in the wild, we think people should know more about us, what we do, and how we do it. We’ve been fielding questions from countless people via social, email, phone call, at events, at the gas pump (or EV Charger), and we have answers.

What you should know first is that we pride ourselves on doing things differently – and doing it the right way. We’re re-imagining what it means to build vintage and build vintage better. No one out there is modernizing vintage cars quite like we do at Kindred. What we’re doing at our Mare Island HQ makes our operation different from the rest of the pack, and a lot of that begins with the team of experts – engineers, designers, and technicians – we’ve assembled.

Without further ado…

(If you have other questions about our Kindred Broncos we would love to hear from you! Submit your questions to our team.)

"Is this a vintage Bronco?"

Answered by: Juan Segarra, Engineer and Director of Business Development

Every Kindred Motorworks Bronco is an original vintage Ford Bronco that’s been re-built from the frame up.

Ford produced over 225,000 first-generation Broncos between 1966-1977. Our process starts by searching all around the country for surviving original Ford Broncos that meet our criteria, with a focus on those with fully intact frames. From there, we strip the car down, sandblast, inspect, and reinforce it, add reengineered suspension mounts, and install all new components until it rolls off our production line. This allows us to maintain the highest quality and consistency of every build while retaining the original 1966-1977 Ford frame and VIN for all of our Broncos.

"How is Kindred modernizing vintage Broncos?"

Answered by: Juan Segarra, Engineer and Director of Business Development

We build the Kindred Bronco from inside out, leaning on a thoughtful integration of modern technology to optimize convenience and performance.

Every nut, bolt, mechanical and electrical component, color, finish, and material is hand selected and curated by our in-house Engineering and Design teams. We spend tens of thousands of hours refining each and every part to meet our exact specifications. This involves running simulations to optimize parts, and thoroughly testing all of our custom and off the shelf parts past their breaking point to ensure top performance and reliability for years to come. When you buy a Kindred Motorworks Bronco, you get a vehicle that is both modern and true to the original design. We update them with features and systems for an improved and more reliable drive experience, including:

• All-new transmission and drivetrain powered by a Gen 3 Coyote 5.0 Liter Engine

• Custom exhaust system, including catalytic converters

• Modern HVAC

• Proprietary suspension design

• Custom-engineered electrical system

"How is a Kindred Bronco serviced?"

Answered by: Tony Degrassi, VP of Supply Chain

All Kindred owners have access to our staff technicians for service, and if they live outside the Bay Area, they're set up with a fully-vetted service partner.

The fun of owning a vintage automobile can easily be spoiled by breakdowns and the never ending search for reliable service. With this in mind, our team has designed and built a Bronco with reliability as one of the main priorities.

[But in the event something does happen, our team is thinking about service before our Broncos leave our facility so their owners don’t have to.]

We have in-house technicians dedicated to working with our customers and customer vehicles after they’ve left our facility to assist with service and general ownership of these vehicles. For Kindred owners that don’t live near our home base in the Bay Area, we partner with top-end mechanics across the country, ensuring that trusted and convenient service is available to our customers wherever they are.

"What is the timeline for getting a Kindred Bronco?"

Answered by: Marc De Smidt, VP of Operations & Engineering

For customers that order a Bronco right now (April-May 2024), they can expect to have it by early 2025.

We currently have a waitlist for our Broncos but once a customer’s build slot opens up, our team will spend 2-3 months working on your Bronco. This timeline includes weeks spent restoring the frame, fabrication, paint, assembly, and testing — both on and off the road.

As we grow and are able to devote more man-hours to our restoration process, we expect this timeline to become shorter. We have a goal to double our production capacity in the near future.

"I have an old Bronco. Can you restore it for me?"

Answered by: Tony Degrassi, VP of Supply Chain

While we source Broncos that fit our exact needs, your Bronco could always be a good fit.

All of our Broncos are disassembled and rebuilt from the ground up to meet our design, performance, and safety expectations, so the overall process is a bit different from a typical restoration. We try to purchase our Broncos well in advance, ensuring that we have time to strip them down and prep them for a rebuild. With that said, we're open to using your Bronco as the starting point if it meets our criteria.

"Can I customize a Bronco?"

Answered by: Joe Fernandez, Director of Design

We chose a curated approach vs. custom to ensure quality and consistency. Our Bronco retains the original spirit of the Bronco while being distinctly Kindred.

Rather than go crazy on customizations, we found that building a blueprint and sticking to it was the most important factor in developing a high-quality Bronco that will last. With that said, not every Kindred Bronco is the same.

We offer five colors and two package options — Heritage and Trail. Those decisions are up to the customer. By keeping things simple, we’re able to keep costs down and maintain an efficiency that allows more Broncos to leave Mare Island and get out into the wild, as they’re meant to be.

"How do you source your Broncos?"

Answered by: Tony Degrassi, VP of Supply Chain

We source through the typical channels like dealerships and online marketplaces, as well as a network of collectors who buy and sell vintage cars and trucks. When we look for Broncos to restore, we try to find ones with good bones that we know can be restored to their maximum potential.

Want to know more? Give us a shout. We’re always down to talk shop.