After picking up an issue of Mini Truckin' magazine for the very first time, readers fall into one of two categories. The first is the "Why would anyone do that to their truck?" category. The second - obviously better - category is the "I need to do that to my truck!" group. Bill Shear from New Phila, Ohio, began to casually read Mini Truckin' and attend local truck shows a few years back. From the looks of his truck today, he definitely fell into the second category and learned a little something along the way. Bill began things by purchasing a '93 Ford Ranger in August 1995. With some high aspirations from the very beginning, he knew it wouldn't take long before he was draggin' rocker down the highway.
After driving the stock truck around for a while and planning out his project so he wouldn't make too many costly mistakes, Bill decided to get down to business. He began with the suspension, knowing that an adjustable air system was the essential backbone for reaching his goal of laying the body flat on the floor. He installed a set of Belltech 3-inch dropped I-beams, along with a set of Firestone airbags and Toxic shocks up front. For the rear setup, Bill decided to rework the frame from the cab back by building a custom subframe boxed with 12-gauge steel. He also installed Firestone airbags, Toxic shocks, and an AIM ladder-bar setup to get the rear suspension up to par. After the air system was plumbed, a set of 17x7-inch Boyd Coddington billet wheels was bolted up, and Bill aired the truck out to see how much lower he wanted to go. Since he already had a body drop in mind, he jumped right in and started cutting.
Bill cut out the floor and took all the proper measurements to lay his cab smack on the pavement. When the tools were put down, he ended up with a 3-1/8-inch body drop. After the body drop, he cruised the truck around again to get a feel for his new slammed mini. However, it wasn't long before Bill tore back into the truck; he wasn't going to stop until this ride resembled the imaginary picture he'd drawn in his head. This meant that the Ranger was in for a complete shave with the help of Ron Casebeer and Zach Hawthorne. While the three worked to smooth the body, Bill chose Auto Color's Viper Blue for the paintjob. Completely smoothed and painted, the truck looked almost as good as Bill had imagined. The engine and interior, however, still needed some sprucing up to complete the package.
The engine block was painted before a few bolt-on performance products were added to improve the Ranger's power output. At the same time, Bill enlisted some outside help from DJ's in Dover, Ohio, to upholster his dash, seats, headliner, and anything else the crew could get to with a combination of blue and black tweed. The stock seats were cut down 6 inches, and flames were stitched into the seats and headliner. After Bill installed an Alpine CD player and mids and highs, and finished up the last touches here and there, it was time to reap the rewards from all his efforts. What could be better than draggin' some fresh virgin rocker down the road? You think there's actually something better? Well there's not, so he did just that.
The LowdownWheels/Tires Boyd Coddington 17x7-inch billet wheels with 5-1/2-inch backspacing wrapped in 205/40R17 Nitto tires
Suspension/Chassis Suspension modifications by owner / Belltech 3-inch dropped I-beams / Toxic shocks at all four corners / 'bagged all the way around using Firestone airbags / custom rear subframe completely boxed with 12-gauge steel / chassis and suspension painted black / 10-gallon fuel cell / AIM ladder bars used for rear suspension setup / painted air tank to match exterior
Body Modifications/Paint 3-1/8-inch body drop by owner / 3-inch fiberglass cowl-induction hood / Stull billet grille / shaved and smoothed front bumper / shaved wipers / shaved door handles and key holes / shaved emblems / shaved gas door / shaved third brake light / shaved cab seams / shaved taillights / shaved tailgate handle / molded tailgate and roll pan shut / 12-inch LED taillights in roll pan / painted Viper Blue by Ron Casebeer and Zach Hawthorne
Interior/Stereo DJ's in Dover, Ohio, covered the upholstery / blue tweed with light-black tweed envelopes the dash, seats, and rest of the interior / flames stitched into the seats and headliner / stock seats were cut down 6 inches before being upholstered / Alpine 7832 CD player
Engine/Performance Ranger six-cylinder/five-speed combo / JBA chrome headers and Y-pipe / 2-inch stainless-steel exhaust / Supertrapp mufflers / Flex-a-lite electric fan / MSD coil / Accel plug wires / painted block / relocated an Optima battery up and forward 3 inches
Special Thanks Bill's dad for all his help and guidance / Ron Casebeer / Zach Hawthorne