1998 Turbo Ranger Doesn't Care About Cargo Space
Check out this unique Ranger that has something going on in every part of the pickup.
It's for racing and riding
This Ranger has been a project for over a decade and is a mixed use vehicle. What do I mean by that? Well, the truck has been built for performance but can do drag racing, jaunts around town and pose as a show vehicle. The Ranger doesn't fall victim to the trend of putting a four-cylinder 4BT Cummins inside and instead of going with six-cylinders. Joe Arnold, the owner claims that the modified truck gets him 25 mpg on the highway and can hit 131 mph in the quarter-mile. With speed like that and aspirations to go faster, it's a good thing that the air conditioning is still working like when it was factory fresh.
Well that's a hefty engine
In order to fit the six-cylinder, the front of the Ranger was stretched half a foot more with the hood and fenders getting lengthened. With the 1,000 pound 5.9-liter engine in place, the stock rear end got tossed out for a Ford 9-inch with a 2.80 gear ratio, 35-spline axles, a Detroit Locker and disc brakes. The front got updated as well with 12-inch brake rotors and calipers straight off an F-150.
A little Cummins, a little GM and a heaping of Blue Oval
The use of the stock transmission just wasn't an option for this build since it wouldn't be tough enough to handle the power so a GM 4L80E four-speed with billet shafts was built by ATF. After the GM 4L80E was put together it was fitted with a Precision Industries triple disc lockup converter.
What's that in the bed?!
That big heavy Cummins I mentioned has been completely rebuilt with super-performance in mind. The powerplant has been balanced and blueprinted, and the pistons have been coated along with the crankshaft being cut away to improve oiling. The injection system was fabricated by Columbus Diesel and has a giant P7100-based, 13mm injection pump, and matching injectors. To place the cherry on top of all this there is a custom exhaust header and a 62mm turbo that is placed right in the engine bay that fuels a giant 82mm turbocharger that sits comfortably right in the bed of the Ranger.
Radical Ranger
The setup in the pickup put Joe's Ranger at an owner estimated 1,200 horsepower and 1,800 lb-ft of torque, but it still needed tuning and traction. So looking at the setup again Joe went and abandoned the remote mount for the compound turbo and went with a more traditional placement. With the new mount location came a Bullseye Power's BatMoWheel turbocharger that will be run at 70 psi of boost.
Look out for Joe's boosted Ranger and if you see him ask about his jet-powered street legal F-650!
For help with service of your truck, check out the how to section of Ford-Trucks.com