So I know it's only a decade old but... It's different and being that difference is something we all love and celebrate on here I though sod it I'll post this up. It's also been superseded by 3 newer models now...
So After a long history of nothing but Japanese cars, some fast.. some not. My country style took over and basically Tim McGraw made me sell up all my fast vehicles and buy a pick up truck. The conditions that had to be met were;
Be American or at least be from an American manufacturer
Have a full crew cab
Not cost the earth to run...
Well I matched two criteria ish...
I looked at everything, including the Navara which in my eyes was a lovely looking truck but the horror stories from owners really put me off them. I also looked at getting an F-150 but the lack of crew cab models in the UK meant that was a no go... shame!
So as bought from a friends dealership back in February this year I got this old beast... A 2004 Ford Ranger thunder, I knew stuff all about trucks in general but after much research my sources told me that if I wanted something solid and reliable the Ranger was the one to have. It was also the "slowest" with a power output of just 109bhp but it is a workhorse after all;
Here she is on the forecourt as bought;
Came with a FSH, 89k on the clock, everything working and pretty much all the panels straight and minimal rust surface rust on the underbelly.. This was promptly cleaned off, rust treated and waxoyl'd (Sorry no pics of that...)
However... Her face is ugly! Looks like it had been driven into a wall and flattened. I looks at many options for bull bars, brush guards and A bars...
Queue eBay and an absolute score, a US only option from a special edition model called the Hurricane;
BAM!
Much more American.
Followed with a full refurb of the wheels (sadly no close up before pics), personally I really like these stock rims. So a subtle change from Peeled lacquer silver to a more manly Gunmetal Grey;
Getting there....
Green lane sessions ensued, and proved that this Truck really is bloody awesome off road!
Tailgate BBQ's then ensued! And continued through the summertime, definitely one of the best parts of owning the truck (note the ladder rack behind the window... it's days are numbered!);
Next up... more Americanizing! So it was back off to eBay for some suitable decals to Redneck it up Queue the Sticker bombing!
The Ladder rack was also removed with the aid of Mr Angle grinder which opened up the rear window nicely... So I moved the sticker bombing to the window and fitted a US sized plate to the rear continuing the American love..
Then I got to thinking... The front looks awesome... The rear is a bit... well normal and bland.. So Much surfing of the webs turned up a common mod in the States of fitting a "Roll Pan" which sits below the tailgate... So I took a massive gamble and ordered one from the US of A.. would it fit? It cost nearly as much to ship as the Roll pan so it was a big gamble...
So off to a friends body-shop it went for some fettling...
Yup that'll do it
This resulted in the following...
Finally I removed the old brackets for the rear chrome bar as it can't fit with the valance in place, and tidied it all up...
Mission complete!
So that's it up to date more or less.. The only other change was to have the beast Re-Mapped which has taken it from a wimpy 109Bhp to a more manly 150Bhp, it's resulted in 4 extra MPG and a shed load more torque making it much nicer to drive on and off road
So there you have it... Someone's actually modified a Ford Ranger! Hope some people enjoy the thread as it's taken me best part of an hour to write and find pictures
The future plans....
Exhaust system of some sort, either stacks or side exit
Full vinyl wrap in Red
Vinyl wrap the tailgate with an American flag...
Seats from a newer Model as mine are starting to wear...
Jack it up
Get another set of wheels with M/T Tyres for more serious off-road sessions
So After a long history of nothing but Japanese cars, some fast.. some not. My country style took over and basically Tim McGraw made me sell up all my fast vehicles and buy a pick up truck. The conditions that had to be met were;
Be American or at least be from an American manufacturer
Have a full crew cab
Not cost the earth to run...
Well I matched two criteria ish...
I looked at everything, including the Navara which in my eyes was a lovely looking truck but the horror stories from owners really put me off them. I also looked at getting an F-150 but the lack of crew cab models in the UK meant that was a no go... shame!
So as bought from a friends dealership back in February this year I got this old beast... A 2004 Ford Ranger thunder, I knew stuff all about trucks in general but after much research my sources told me that if I wanted something solid and reliable the Ranger was the one to have. It was also the "slowest" with a power output of just 109bhp but it is a workhorse after all;
Here she is on the forecourt as bought;
Came with a FSH, 89k on the clock, everything working and pretty much all the panels straight and minimal rust surface rust on the underbelly.. This was promptly cleaned off, rust treated and waxoyl'd (Sorry no pics of that...)
However... Her face is ugly! Looks like it had been driven into a wall and flattened. I looks at many options for bull bars, brush guards and A bars...
Queue eBay and an absolute score, a US only option from a special edition model called the Hurricane;
BAM!
Much more American.
Followed with a full refurb of the wheels (sadly no close up before pics), personally I really like these stock rims. So a subtle change from Peeled lacquer silver to a more manly Gunmetal Grey;
Getting there....
Green lane sessions ensued, and proved that this Truck really is bloody awesome off road!
Tailgate BBQ's then ensued! And continued through the summertime, definitely one of the best parts of owning the truck (note the ladder rack behind the window... it's days are numbered!);
Next up... more Americanizing! So it was back off to eBay for some suitable decals to Redneck it up Queue the Sticker bombing!
The Ladder rack was also removed with the aid of Mr Angle grinder which opened up the rear window nicely... So I moved the sticker bombing to the window and fitted a US sized plate to the rear continuing the American love..
Then I got to thinking... The front looks awesome... The rear is a bit... well normal and bland.. So Much surfing of the webs turned up a common mod in the States of fitting a "Roll Pan" which sits below the tailgate... So I took a massive gamble and ordered one from the US of A.. would it fit? It cost nearly as much to ship as the Roll pan so it was a big gamble...
So off to a friends body-shop it went for some fettling...
Yup that'll do it
This resulted in the following...
Finally I removed the old brackets for the rear chrome bar as it can't fit with the valance in place, and tidied it all up...
Mission complete!
So that's it up to date more or less.. The only other change was to have the beast Re-Mapped which has taken it from a wimpy 109Bhp to a more manly 150Bhp, it's resulted in 4 extra MPG and a shed load more torque making it much nicer to drive on and off road
So there you have it... Someone's actually modified a Ford Ranger! Hope some people enjoy the thread as it's taken me best part of an hour to write and find pictures
The future plans....
Exhaust system of some sort, either stacks or side exit
Full vinyl wrap in Red
Vinyl wrap the tailgate with an American flag...
Seats from a newer Model as mine are starting to wear...
Jack it up
Get another set of wheels with M/T Tyres for more serious off-road sessions
