V8-Powered Ford Ranger is a Work of Art Five Years in the Making

This 1999 truck features 2011 body work, parts from a Lightning and Mustang, and painstaking attention to detail.

Anyone who has the technical know-how and takes the time to put a V8 into a Ford Ranger has admirable amounts of intelligence and perseverance. Doing that takes enormous quantities of planning, research, adjusting on the fly, and troubleshooting. However, there are levels to Ford Ranger V8 conversions. Not all of them are created equal. Just putting a 5.0 into a Ranger is one thing; what you see here is on an entirely different level.

A man named Jeff Brown created a V8-powered Ranger that’s as visually attractive as it is impressively detailed. He went far beyond just throwing a V8 under the hood. Over the course of five years, he completely remade his truck to his exacting standards. He removed every body panel and stripped the Ranger down to its frame so he could media blast it. Brown’s truck started life as a 1999, but he switched parts of the body out for 2011 panels. He sanded every one of those, then covered them in a gleaming, mirror-like coat of Tuxedo Black Metallic from Ford’s 2011 color catalog.

Down low, Brown added a set of shiny five-spoke wheels that bring the 2003-2004 Mustang SVT Cobra to mind. The custom Ranger V8 Sport badges hint at what’s under the hood. Brown yanked out the old 3.0-liter V6 and replaced it with a “mild” 306 cubic-inch V8 that features 24-pound injectors and significantly ported heads. Output at the crank is an estimated 360 horsepower.

The inside is equally impressive. Just like he did with the exterior, Brown spent his time making the inside of his truck just the way he wanted it. He removed every plastic panel, sanded it, and sprayed it with black paint. He threw out the original front seats for a heated pair from Katzkin Leather whose headrests were embroidered to echo the words on the exterior badges. Luckily, he was able to find an elusive from-the-factory F-150 SVT Lightning steering wheel. Above that is an Alcantara headliner; below is a trio of Shelby GT500 Mustang pedals.

As cool as this Ranger looks, it’s not a show truck. Brown uses it for work six to seven days a week. That’s fitting because this is one helluva job well done.

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Derek Shiekhi

Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.

After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.

While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.

Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.

In addition to writing for a variety of Internet Brands sites, including JK Forum, H-D Forums, The Mustang Source, Mustang Forums, LS1Tech, HondaTech, Jaguar Forums, YotaTech, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts. Derek also started There Will Be Cars on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

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