Lone Stang: 1993 Ford Ranger V8
Compact trucks are a thing of past here in the US despite the ongoing SUV and truck boom. Ford pulled the plug on the Ranger after the 2011 model year. Rangers were made from 1983-2011 and were only available with four cylinder or V6 engines. Ford’s 302 5.0 push rod V8 is a popular engine swap option into a host of cars because of its compact dimensions. Today’s Ranger sports a 5.0 V8 transplant and can likely light up its rear tires for days with the lightweight unloaded rear end. The truck’s 3200 lb curb weight is actually very comparable to a same year Fox body ‘Stang. Find this 1993 Ford Ranger for sale in Ellenburg Center, NY for $4,000 via craigslist.
The seller seller is light on details and it is unknown if they were the builder of the car. They do provide these details:
93 ford ranger 302 swap carbed 302 aftermarket cam new rockers pushrods
and cam auto with b&m floorshifter posi rearend with 3.55 gears
truck runs and drives great
The seller notes these issues: needs a headliner, needs center of steering wheel horn button, and shifter cover is missing. The picture below shows the front end sporting a different grill and a late model Cobra front bumper extension. It appears to be at lower ride height than a standard Ranger and looks the business with the late model SN95 Mustang wheels.
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Cory is awaiting the arrival of the Mercedes 5 speed trans swap kit from the UK
I miss my old Ranger. This looks super fun.
Both my sons owned Rangers: one had its transmission replaced (common problem), the other had the V-6 and got terrible gas mileage.
The ranger is still sold in other markets. I did hear rumors that they were coming back, but that was some time ago. The Canyon/Colorado seems to be selling well without much competition even though they are expensive and relatively the size of a full size truck from 1993.
Ford confirmed recently they are bringing back the Ranger to the US in 2019. It's a midsize truck now, closer in size to a Tacoma or Canyorado. Bronco is also returning, presumably based on the new Ranger.
Here's the current rest-of-world Ranger – it's better looking in person. I saw one in Mexico last year and checked it out for a few minutes.
[image src=" cnet3.cbsistatic.com/img/wkLj-AezR52XEbWnedL06vy8SJU=/770×433/2017/01/09/09506d1a-1223-4176-afea-3a0e11f4a89b/2016-ford-ranger-2.jpg" width="400px"/]
That truck was likely built at the Twin Cities assembly plant in St. Paul, Minnesota. That factory has since been demolished to make way for condos in coffee shops. Such is life in modern America.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twin_Cities_Assembly_Plant
The story is that Mr. Ford started a bidding war between several communities for the location of the factory. The offer to build a dam for cheap electricity and the presence of sandstone that could be mined for a glass manufacture (this was the largest auto glass producer in the world at one time) swung the deal to St Paul.
I'm not a fan of American fords at all. Other than crown vics and turbo t birds. That being said, I would totally drive this.
I'm not a fan of American fords at all. Other than crown vics and turbo t birds. That being said, I would totally drive this.