How often do first-time projects turn out the way people initially intend? Tyler Scallorn of Arlington, Texas, will be the first to tell you that if y0u don't stick with it, you will not end up with what you want. During the past five years, Tyler's Ranger has been 'bagged four times, had three sets of wheels, a few different interiors, and countless roll pans. All of this was to get his truck finally done precisely the way he had wanted it.
Throughout the entire build of this truck, Tyler learned something new each time he stepped into the garage. He began the long buildup by learning how to weld for the first time, when he first 'bagged his Ranger to make the frame lay hard on the asphalt. Then, once he got the hang of welding, next came the bodywork. He shaved everything that stood out and took away from the Ranger's overal appearance. With all this completed and the truck starting to take shape, Tyler took on the task of cutting out all of the unwanted frame that was keeping the body off the ground when he stock-floor body-dropped it for the first time and 'bagged it for the second time. When he was done, the rockers were laying flat on the ground, thus giving his truck the well-deserved name of Rockered Ranger.
Now that Tyler had his Ranger sitting like he wanted, it was time to add a little color. So, he picked up a gun, determined to learn how to paint, and retreated into the garage, which is where he sprayed the Chrysler Electric Blue Pearl that covers the Ranger. When the paint on the outside had dried, he moved on toward the interior and painted some of the interior pieces to match. The rest was quickly covered in leather and tweed. After he was done with the inside, Tyler sent the seats out to Unique Auto Interior to get wrapped in ostrich and black leather.
Soon afterward, Tyler was cruising in his ride, when a piece of wood fell out of the back of a truck, smashed into his grille, and went bouncing down the passenger side of the freshly painted Ranger. And if that wasn't enough, before he could make it back home, he ripped out the sides of his roll pan catching it on a dip in the road. Talk about hard luck!
With the truck torn back down, Tyler took his truck to Keith Sawyer at NFamus Air Suspension to start the process all over again. This time around, Tyler wanted his truck to be top-notch, so he expected nothing less from his suspension. And so, Keith started by making front 'bag mounts that would catch the straying eyes of any onlookers. Then, the back of the Ranger was where he really began showing off. Keith cut off what was left of the back of the frame that Tyler had drug off, then proceeded to build some really trick framerails and added bent tubing to tie it all together. Keith and Tyler cleaned up some of the abuse that Tyler had put the truck through by cleaning up some of the bodywork that had been destroyed.
Once everything was put back together, yet again, the best part of finishing his truck, Tyler said, was "finally getting to see it in the magazine that you're holding right now."