The Lowdown
Wheels/Tires 18x7-inch Intro Twisted Vista billet wheels with Kumho radial tires
Suspension Front: Mustang II spindles / custom upper and lower control arms / 'bags mounted between upper and lower control arm / relocated shock aft of control arms / stem-to-eye-mounted Rancho RS9000 shocks / rack-and-pinion steering; rear: triangulated four-link by PMA Motorsports / Rancho RS9000 shocks / polished stainless-steel brake lines / polished stainless-steel air delivery lines for suspension / Air Lift Extreme 'bags / smoothed and painted differential housing and axle tubes / cantilever rear shock mounts / dual chassis-mounted air tanks
Misc. Mods 15-gallon custom triangular fuel cell in polished aluminum / stainless-steel fuel tank plumbing / powdercoated driveshaft / painted lower valance / Wilwood disc brakes at each corner / tubbed from fenderwells using trailer fenders modified for use / custom chassis built from firewall rearward using 2-inch-round steel tubing
Body Mods Shaved door handles / shaved fuel door / shaved antenna / shaved emblems / shaved tailgate handle / custom PMA Motorsports molded steel roll pan with license-plate box and cutout for center-facing exhaust exit / removed inner bed floor and interior side panels completely / painted inner bedsides / custom bed mounts and support structure / 2-1/2-inch body drop by PMA Motorsports in Imlay City, Michigan / all bodywork by PMA Motorsports
Paint DuPont Vermillion Red with stacked skulls near rear fender openings by Kustom Haus in Dryden, Montana
Interior '02 Dodge Neon bucket seats (sans headrests) upholstered in dark gray / headliner and carpeting upholstered to match seats / interior upholstery by Shelby Auto Trim in Shelby, MIichigan/ U.S. Speedo stainless-steel gauge-cluster overlay / Billet Accessories Direct (BAD) one-off billet steering wheel / custom center console painted to match exterior / air pressure gauges and switches for suspension mounted in center console
Stereo Sony head unit / Sony amplifiers mounted behind seats / subwoofers mounted in upper rear center console / Power Acoustic DVD player / monitor molded into dash / Sony PlayStation2 mounted in center console / center console built by PMA Motorsports / wiring for stereo system by Bill Dozer in Arlington, Michigan
Engine/Performance Custom PMA Motorsports intake manifold / rerouted wiring under dash to further clean up the engine compartment / Optima battery relocated to chassis in bed area / custom polished-aluminum radiator / 2-1/2-inch PMA Motorsports exhaust with a Summit stainless-steel catalytic converter and muffler / ceramic-coated 2.3L Ford four-cylinder header
Special Thanks Crystal Frederick (Carl's fianc) / Aaron / Matt / JAS Steel / QC Coatings / Gentile's Collision / Exotic Coatings for powdercoating work / Bill Dozer (stereo) / BAD / Paul Arft and AirLift for their undying support and assistance in making the Ranger a reality
Miscellaneous Notes To date, the Ranger has won at just about every event it has been entered in. When the photos for this feature were shot, the Ranger had already garnered three Best of Show awards and a bunch of other specialty awards. Carl told us that he didn't sleep much, if at all, during the last two months of the truck's buildup. At that time, he was trying to make sure that the truck would make it to the Indy Import & Truck Bash in its first form in 2003. The completion of the truck is dedicated to the memory of Mark Brinker.