Multi-year rebuild at Krapohl Ford will result in a one-of-a-kind vehicle
Ed Peters’ vision for the perfect Bronco is in the homestretch. For more than two years, the Krapohl Ford Body Shop and service department have followed Ed’s wish list for his 1974 Ford Bronco.
It’s been stripped to its smallest parts and rebuilt from the ground up. In the end, Ed will have a candy-apple-red Bronco with a custom engine.
“I’d been looking for one for years,” said Ed, an oil and gas and real estate businessman who grew up in Mt. Pleasant and owns Petro-Vest, Inc. and is president of Apollo Exploration and Development, Inc. “I tried to buy the red Bronco Krapohl has, but they didn’t want to sell.”
At one point, Ed took lifelong friend and Rise Machine Company owner K.C. Rise to look at an old Bronco that was for sale. Both agreed it wasn’t a fit.
“What do you want?” K.C. said.
“The one I really want is your dad’s,” Ed said. “Why not sell it to me?’ He called me back later that night and said, ‘I know you’ll take care of it.’ ”
The vehicle is extra-special to Ed because K.C.’s father ordered the Bronco from Krapohl in late 1973. In fact, the original window sticker was still in the glove box.
Ed owned several Broncos over the years, but he always admired the one stored by K.C. in a warehouse. He knew it hadn’t been driven in about 20 years, and it had just around 60,000 miles on it. When he turned it over to the Krapohl Body Shop, Ed told them he wanted a unique vehicle.
Body Shop Manager Kevin Telfor said the project would take a long time and that he’d provide regular updates. He made long-time technician Jay Shook the point person.
“It will be one-of-a-kind when it’s finished,” Telfor said. “These projects are fun, but in a high-volume shop like this, they take longer. We’ve had some take three years. But when they are complete, the customer has something special.”
Telfor hopes to have Ed driving his bright red Bronco by spring 2026, complete with updates to provide the comforts of modern vehicles. It also has a custom engine from Roush Performance and a custom hood that has enough room for the engine.
“This is a bucket list thing,” Ed said. “I’m just going to putz around with it.”
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