1971 F250 '76 Baja 1000 winner PrOjEcT

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BurkeBajaF250
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1971 F250 '76 Baja 1000 winner PrOjEcT

Post by BurkeBajaF250 »

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Believe it or not, this old F250 won the Baja 1000 for class 8 in 1976! I'm really into old Ford Broncos and desert racing, and when I found this hulk of a bumpside racer lanquishing in the Arizona desert, I had to have it. I immediately noticed it was an old build, with many authentic old school cues. Before I even bought it, I researched it's history through comparing photos, and figured out the truck's pedigree. From there, I found names, googled them, found some dead ends, but also eventually talked to many folks who knew the truck and figured out it's complete history back to '75.

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It was originally built into a racer in '75, by a well-known motorcycle racer and shop owner out of Van Nuys, CA, Mike Burke. Mike won many motorcycle races in the late 60s and early 70s and was a member of the highly respected Checkers group. I believe he was rated 9th, which considering how many motorcyclers were racing....thats pretty good. He built the truck in his Van Nuys shop with much help from the top fabricator at Bill Stroppe and Associates, who up through that time, had prepared more winning Baja trucks, Broncos, and mini trucks than any other shop. Bill Stroppe and the Bronco really helped Baja racing get started and was arguably the first really big Baja team back in the day. The signature work of the fabricator from Stroppe can be seen in the gussets and use of the light gold interior and cage paint throughout. Even the finishing paint breaks on the outer body match the Stroppe team, only different colors. Rumor has it, the fabricator received a Triumph TR6 motorcycle that Burke won the first Vegas to Reno motorcycle race with. I'm not sure what it's first race was, but I do know it raced the '76 Baja 500(beat by Scoop Vessels shortbed black stepside), and won the '76 Baja 1000. It also raced the '77 Baja 500 and 1000, but I'm not sure of the results.

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Burke kept the truck til '79 when he sold to Ron Clyborne, who was a racer of buggies and other Baja trucks. It was prepped and maintained by Clyborne's shop, RAC under the supervision of Brian Lowe. Ron and co-driver Jim Hayes shipped it all the way to Australia for the Repco Reliability Trial in '79, which covered 12000 miles all around Australia! They also used it in the Golden West Rally in Reno, NV in '80. Other than that it was used mainly as a prerunner for many many miles in Baja. Thanks to Brian for much of the info I have on it and several old pictures.

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After they sold it in 83 or 84 it ended up in Arizona and was only raced one or two times, once in Laughlin by Steve McEachern. After that race it was put aside and changed hands only as a disassembled project. At this point it needs just about everything, but it's a survivor from a long-passed style of Baja racing where fairly stock rigs were out there racing......and winning! Someone has added a bunch of extra tubing and changed the suspension. I plan to reverse thos modifications first and get a bed back on it. Back in the day, this truck was street registered, and I plan on getting it back on the road soon. Although it looks rough, it does currently run and go into gear. The first orders of business will be removing the aforementioned extra tubing and continuing the research!
Andrew

1971 F250, Mike Burke's old Baja truck, 1976 Baja 1000 class 8 winner
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robroy
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Re: 1971 F250 '76 Baja 1000 winner PrOjEcT

Post by robroy »

Good evening Andrew,

That's one of the most interesting and researched project thread first posts I've seen! The amount of effort you've put in to studying this truck is really impressive.

It's fun to imagine all the intense experiences this truck has had over the decades.

Thanks very much for the awesome story and the classic photos,
Robroy
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Re: 1971 F250 '76 Baja 1000 winner PrOjEcT

Post by westco »

That's awesome!!!...my favorite type of motorsports, Off road racing, good luck with the build and please post pics of your progress.
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Re: 1971 F250 '76 Baja 1000 winner PrOjEcT

Post by tylerb43 »

Subscribed! Awesome project and great research! Learning and knowing the history of a project makes it so much more interesting, and especially racing history! That's great man, good luck, and please keep us updated on the progress!
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BurkeBajaF250
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Re: 1971 F250 '76 Baja 1000 winner PrOjEcT

Post by BurkeBajaF250 »

Thanks for the words of encouragement guys. For me alot of the fun is doing the research, whether it's on a relatively common vehicle or a rare one. There's always something unique about every old car/truck still existing today - how else would it have survived!? I've found some more old pics in the magazines that I'll try and post. Hopefully soon....I can actually find the time to get it rolling and wash it off, etc. I'm halfheartedly looking for a complete parts truck too. More to come!
Andrew

1971 F250, Mike Burke's old Baja truck, 1976 Baja 1000 class 8 winner
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Re: 1971 F250 '76 Baja 1000 winner PrOjEcT

Post by CrypticRacer13 »

Looks like a sweet project. Where abouts in saratoga are you? Im just around the corner
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BurkeBajaF250
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Re: 1971 F250 '76 Baja 1000 winner PrOjEcT

Post by BurkeBajaF250 »

I'm over near the Quito corners shopping center, near the border of San Jose/Saratoga.
Andrew

1971 F250, Mike Burke's old Baja truck, 1976 Baja 1000 class 8 winner
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Re: 1971 F250 '76 Baja 1000 winner PrOjEcT

Post by CrypticRacer13 »

Awww yeah right off Cox right? I know that area. Im down south off cottle an santa teresa
-Mike-
ECV 1849
Build>http://fordification.com/forum/viewtopi ... 22&t=68225
69' F250 Highboy 390ci.,NP435,Dana 24,HPD44,D60
67' Dodge Coronet R/T 440ci.4speed,D60, all numbers correct
72' Dodge Dart 440ci.727,D60,10ptcage street strip on meth 10.40s
05' Chevy Tahoe LT loaded for the wife an the baby duty
12' Ford Focus Titanium Hatch Back, Gas saver for the work week
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BurkeBajaF250
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Re: 1971 F250 '76 Baja 1000 winner PrOjEcT

Post by BurkeBajaF250 »

I got my truck finally. When I started this thread I hadn't actually taken delivery of it, but had a friend take pictures, and I had completed all my research. Having gotten a good deal on shipping, I had to end up waiting a while for it to be delivered as it was given a low priority...I guess....

Anyway, it's here and I have it safely tucked in covered storage for now. I'm realizing this is going to be a huge undertaking as it needs alot of stuff, and the party who installed new rear springs/hangers, and did various other mods, really wasn't much of a welder or fabricator...so their stuff needs to be cut off and recycled.

I think the smartest thing I can do is buy a parts truck to get the following parts: bed, doors, fenders, hood, grill, parts of the cab, windshield, rear spring hangers.
I have a question for all of you: Are the factory leaf spring hangers on the frame different from F100-F250-F350? Or is just the shackle and leafspring different? I need to know if I'd be okay buying an F100 rather than an F250 parts truck....
Andrew

1971 F250, Mike Burke's old Baja truck, 1976 Baja 1000 class 8 winner
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Re: 1971 F250 '76 Baja 1000 winner PrOjEcT

Post by made4baby »

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