We've shot some of the coolest rides owned by some of the toughest, and in this case, meanest MMA brawlers in the world and we have yet to run into a UFC fighter who wasn't behind the wheel of some type of beefed-up, vicious truck. When it came time to meet up with Keith "Mean 1" Jardine and his '96 Ford Bronco 4WD, we weren't disappointed with its do-anything look and don't-piss-me-off, blacked-out attitude. We don't see enough full-custom Broncos out there on the streets, so you can imagine the element of surprise we experienced when laying our eyes on this one-it was shock at first sight.
The Bronco's build started the exact same way most others do, endless amounts of heavy brainstorming and a hell of a lot of sleepless nights spent searching for inspiration. Luckily, The Mean 1 was in good company while trying to get his project off the ground as Jaime Torrez, owner and head installer for Demented Customs, in Hobbs, New Mexico, was also along for the ride. The first step taken to build a ride truly fit for a full-time fighter was jacking the Bronco six inches upward with rock solid components from Pro Comp and Fox Racing. Sand To Street Off-Road, in Reno, Nevada, handled this portion of the Bronco's rebirth, and with it now half a foot higher in the sky, Hankook off-road rubber wrapped 20x10-inch RBP R95 wheels and now serve as the suspension's rough and rugged finishing touch.
While The Bronco was off getting its posture worked on, Jaime was anxiously sitting on the sidelines waiting for his crew's chance to apply a few creative cosmetic touches of their own. In what seemed like no time at all, the freshly-lifted truck was delivered to the Demented Customs compound, where Andrew Puente massaged the Blue Oval metal back to full health before Jaime sprayed the custom mixed House of Kolor black paint. The stock headlights and taillights were slightly tinted, and the original bumpers and door handles were restored before they were dipped in a fresh coat of black as well. A few items sport a flat-black complexion to further accentuate the shiny, saturated paintjob such as the grille shell, which has been sufficiently stuffed with a one-off RBP mesh grille. As soon as the Bronco was rolled out of the paint booth and its new skin was cut and buffed to a glistening shine, the Demented Customs gang devised a game plan for the interior and began gutting the cab.
The 20x10-inch RBP wheels...
The 20x10-inch RBP wheels feature custom cut 'Mean 1' plates on each and every spoke—that’s a total of 40 pieces for those not keeping count. Now that's some serious attention to detail. And yes, we did include the fullsize spare in that figure.