OWNER: Jason Miller RIDE:...
OWNER: Jason Miller
RIDE: '91 Ford Ranger
LOCATION: McDonough, Georgia
CLUB: Negative Camber
Every once in awhile, we happen upon a truck that totally blows us away. Jason and Jennifer Miller's '91 Ford Ranger is one of those kinds of trucks. Maybe it's because of the fact that it's not the most popular truck to build, or maybe it's the huge door-laying body drop. It could be all the sweet custom tube work, or even the smooth body, interior, and paint. But it's probably a combination of all of the above modifications and the attention to detail that went into the buildup of Jason's rig. It is not every day that you see an old-body style Ranger laying door hard on 17-inch wheels. For that fact, this just might be the lowest (driveable) '91 Ranger out there.
Let's go through some of the more amazing steps of this three-year buildup. First things first, you have to find the right shop or right place to work on your pride and joy, a place that you would trust with your life. It will also be a place where you can work on the truck and not just let the crew have all the fun. For Jason, this place was Wicked Customs in La Vergne, Tennessee. Josh Long at Wicked Kustoms started this incredible buildup up front by swapping in the suspension from a Toyota. He then built custom arms and airbag mounts to house the 'bags. The whole frame was shaved, boxed, and painted. Out back, Josh built a custom cantilever suspension using 2,600-pound Firestone airbags and a Pete & Jake's four-link. You have to see this truck to appreciate the kind of detail that went into the suspension and frame. The whole rear of the truck sports custom tube work to house the custom-built fuel cell, air tanks, and other gadgets under the bed. Now that the truck was laying frame, it was time to cut into the body.
Wicked Kustoms body-dropped the heck out of Jason's '91 Ranger, a total of 7-3/4 inches. This put the doors smack into the pavement, which in case you can't tell by the pictures, is really low. The truck now tucks all kinds of lugs on the 17-inch Rozzi Detention wheels. Obviously, the engine wouldn't fit under the stock hood anymore, so Jason opted for a cowl-induction hood. Wicked continued its chore by shaving the emblems, mirrors, gas door, handles, and inside of the bed smooth, along with molding the license plate into the tailgate. Then the whole undercarriage was sprayed with Line-X to add to the detail of the underbelly. When all the bodywork was complete, Carlton from Wicked sprayed the entire truck with PPG Prowler Orange. A shaved, painted, and upholstered dash, a Budnik billet steering wheel, a custom center console, Honda Prelude seats, and a whole lot of tweed and vinyl, all done by Wicked Kustoms, put the interior in check with the rest of this beauty.
Jason and his wife have attended shows all over the country and received our very own Editor's Choice Award, along with countless First Place trophies. After the $15,000, three-year process that Jason and Jennifer went through with this first buildup, you might think they would be satisfied. You would be wrong, though, because as of this moment, there are some changes being made to Jason's Door Dragger. A few changes to the body and some custom graphics are already being applied. We know we haven't heard the last of this '91 Ranger; it will be back with a vengeance next show season, and we can't wait to see it.
The Lowdown
Wheels/Tires 17-inch Rozzi Detention wheels with 205/40R17 rubber
Chassis/Suspension Toyota front suspension / custom spindles built by Wicked Kustoms / cantilever rear setup / Pete & Jake's custom four-link / Firestone airbags at all four corners / complete tubular rear frame and custom tubing throughout / smoothed, painted, and cleared entire frame / custom-built 10-gallon fuel cell
Body Modifications 7-3/4-inch body drop / custom-built rockers / cowl-induction hood / shaved door handles / shaved emblems / shaved mirrors / shaved gas door / smoothed entire bed / shaved and molded tailgate and roll pan / license plate box molded into center of tailgate / Inalfa sunroof / chrome Explorer grille / clear taillights
Custom Paint Carlton of Wicked Kustoms sprayed PPG Prowler Orange over the entire truck
Interior/Stereo Budnik Mercury billet steering wheel / shaved, painted, and upholstered dash in tweed / Honda Prelude seats wrapped in gray tweed and orange vinyl / gray-tweed headliner / custom-built center console wrapped in tweed and vinyl / Pioneer head unit
Engine/Performance six-cylinder engine / Honda tunnel ram and air filter / painted block / painted headers / chrome and billet accessories / relocated gel cell battery to left front of engine bay / shortened driveshaft / 2-1/2-inch exhaust tubing all the way back / performed by Wicked Kustoms
Special Thanks Josh Long and all the guys at Wicked Kustoms / Brandon at Rozzi Wheels / Negative Camber club members and friends / Jason's wife