1997 Ford Ranger - A Shore Thing

Kenneth Foley had always wanted to own a custom truck, so when he saw his opportunity to pick up a '97 Ranger standard cab in September 2002, he jumped at the chance. Not wanting to waste any time, Kenneth went right to it and selected the best people to work on his truck to make the biggest custom statement in the shortest period of time. Kenneth is in the Navy, so his truck could sit in shops while he was stationed at sea. Still, he didn't want the project to take forever. Eventually, he wanted to go out and show what he'd built.

One of the first items addressed was slamming Kenneth's Ranger to the ground. He did this with the help of the crew at Jacksonville, Florida's own Sled Shed custom shop. The guys 'bagged his truck all the way around and added a set of dropped I-beams to get the Ford to lay flat on its frame front to back. Kenneth loved the new stance of his Ford, but he was nowhere near ready to call it quits on the custom work he had planned.

Once the suspension had been installed, the Sled Shed moved on to dial in the body of the Ranger. Quick work was made of smoothing out the truck's unneeded items such as door handles, a functioning tailgate, original mirror mounts, factory emblems, and cab seams. Once it was shaved to Kenneth's satisfaction, the crew massaged the truck all over in prep of a fresh coat of paint that would serve to get the truck noticed.

After rolling the truck into the paint booth, the Sled Shed crew sprayed the new coat onto the truck's surface using a two-tone gray-and-silver paint scheme separated by a copper pinstripe. This made the truck classy, yet custom; subtle, yet not overstated in appearance. As soon as the truck left the confines of the Sled Shed facility, it was time to address the truck's interior needs and to get the mobile electronics installed that Kenneth needed to feel his truck was up to par.

The next stop on the tour to completing the truck to the point you see it at today was to pull the truck into the Larry's Trim Shop, where the interior was revamped. Several interior pieces had already been painted, but there was more that needed to be done to set the truck apart from the inside, now that the exterior looked the part of show truck. Larry's Trim Shop went to work reupholstering the interior using three shades of vinyl that complemented the exterior. The shop even brought piping into the interior, mimicking the exterior pinstripe that separates the two-tone paint.

When all was said and done, Kenneth had spent the better part of a year getting his truck into shape. By most people's understanding, this had been a lightning-quick buildup, but you can rest assured that there will be more in store for this Ranger in the near future. We understand that a stock-floor body drop is being planned for the Ford, as well as more interior work to make it stand out from the crowd.

The Lowdown
Wheels/Tires 17x8-inch Center Line wheels with 235/45R17 Kumho tires

Suspension Suspension work performed by the Sled Shed in Jacksonville, Florida / 3-inch dropped I-beams / custom airbag mounts front and rear / Toxic shocks all around / Slammed Specialties' Slam 'Bags installed front (RS67) and rear (RS72) / cantilever two-link rear suspension in rear / 1/2-inch air lines / 3/8-inch valves / 7-gallon air supply tank / 3/4hp compressor / Sled Shed custom 19-gallon fuel cell

Body Modifications Shaved door handles / shaved mirror mounts / shaved emblems / shaved third brake light / shaved cab seams / smoothed tailgate skin and roll pan combo / angled license plate box / tubbed bed floor

Miscellaneous Clear taillights painted with candy-red clear / billet side mirrors

Paint Jay Crews painted the Ranger using House of Kolor's Gray and Orion Silver with a Katch Me Kopper stripe separating the two hues

Stereo Kenwood head unit / dual 8-inch Rockford Fosgate subwoofers in center console / Audiobahn and Blaupunkt amplifiers / Blaupunkt speakers in doors and kick panels

Interior Larry's Trim Shop did all upholstery inside the S-10 / center console wrapped to match the rest of the interior using three shades of vinyl and copper piping, bringing the pinstripe on the exterior to the interior of the truck

Engine/Performance SSD intake / detailed '92 Ranger 3.0L V-6

Special Thanks Jamie and Rob Futch for the suspension work / Jay Crews and Jamie McClanahan for paint and bodywork / Larry's Trim Shop for interior modifications

Future Plans Stock-floor body drop by the Sled Shed / more smoothed and painted interior panels