1988 Ford Ranger – Kyle M.

In 2008 I bought an 87’’ super cab 2WD v6, 5-speed manual Ranger. I was 17 at the time of purchase. The previous owner had beat it pretty bad. I painted it blue with a silver stripe around the entire trucks’ body line. Took it to NC for school at Universal Technical Institute. Unfortunately in May of 2010 the truck was totaled. I had spotted another first generation Ranger in a friends neighborhood in 2014. He didn’t want to sell. He was the original owner, bought it in California in 87’ moved to Virginia and finally back home to Long Island NY. The truck had been sitting for at least 13 years he said. I made another offer in May of 2018, and he accepted. I have some BIG plans for this one. 99% sure it will be painted like my 87’. It will remain a 6 cylinder, but instead of a V6 it will have an inline 6. I’m big on keeping Ford parts on Ford vehicles, so I’ve bought a Ford Barra from Australia. Ford’s 4.0L version the Toyota JZ series and the Nissan RB series. I’ve never been one to have (never mind like) something that is common. I deeply enjoy standing out and making a statement. Sure I have SEVERAL 302’s or 351’s (I even have a 429) I could swap into the truck. Everyone and their mom is doing LS / Cummins / JZ swaps. No thanks. I want a something NOBODY has. As of yet I haven’t seen a Ford Barra in anything in the US. (Technically not EPA legal) a company in Australia I reached out to has stated they’ve shipped a number of their HIGH HP Barra builds here, but haven’t heard about anything else. This truck, just like my 87’ will be my pride and joy. I will one day pass it on down to my kids. Hopefully they’ll pass it down further. I hope to be able to build it so it is SEMA worthy. A little help from my dad, and I think well SET the bar. You guys are awesome! Keep up the great work!!!