Successful Off-Road Ford Ranger Project Ignites the Desert Racing Bug
- Mar 16, 2010
"We were sitting in the desert watching all these trucks that were half done, and talking with people that had bought vehicles because they didn't know how to begin to build one. So we decided to venture on building a 1996 Ranger on a $15,000 budget," explains Brian Johnson laughing. Two years and multiple tests later, and with a revised budget of $35,000, Jeff Itschner, Craig Otto and Johnson had themselves a snarling, totally race-worthy, off-road truck. The three of them built the entire truck from the ground up in a two-car garage.
Was the project tougher or easier than they expected? "Easier, but a lot more time consuming and a lot of geometry," says Johnson. "There were also some hurdles, like getting the driveline setup correctly so it's able to handle the 480 horsepower motor. After three transmissions, three driveshafts and a rebuilt rear-end, all the tests are good now." Getting the correct filter setup was a whole lot easier and far less time consuming. "BFE Performance in Lake Elsinore, California uses nothing but K&N products on all their motors, and we already knew that they are the most dependable filters on the market. We have been using K&N air intakes on all our personal vehicles for years," says Johnson. After the first two, expensive, shakedown runs, they've got the truck completely dialed in now. "We had the truck going along a section of four-foot woops all weekend long at 105 mph with no problem," says Johnson. "We love the end results so much that we sold the vehicle and are starting a new, bigger, faster one that we do intend on racing, and we would love to have K&N on-board for the next build." Stay tuned for the sequel "The Three Amigos Go Huge." 1996 Off-Road Ford Ranger Specifications: STEREO: JL Audio T21000.1, J2 360.2, (1) PR. OF C2-650 Components, (2) 10W3V3-4, Eclipse Head Unit With Navigation MOTOR: 383 Stroker pushing 480 Horsepower Built by BFE Performance SHOCKS FRONT: FOX 2.5 16" Coil Overs and FOX 2.5 16" Double Bypass SHOCKS REAR: FOX 2.5 16" Double Bypass SUSPENSION FRONT: Equal Length I Beams with 22" of Travel SUSPENSION REAR: Deavers with 19" of Travel OTHER MOTOR COMPONENTS: K&N Air Filter, K&N Filter Wrap, K&N Wrench Off Oil Filter, K&N Fuel Filters, K&N Crankcase Vent Filters STEERING: Equal Length Steering with Heims FUEL SYSTEM: Jazz 32-Gallon Fuel Cell with Holley Carburetors SEATS: PRP Racing Seats and 5-Point Harnesses WHEELS/TIRES: KMC 15" Beadlocks with ProComp 35x12.5x15 Tires GAUGES: Autometer Pro Series TRANSMISSION: TCI Competition Turbo 400 with Transmission Cooler GRAPHICS: Awthentik Graphics ADDITIONAL INFO: AV Comm Race Radio, Parker Pumper, Supertrapp Exhaust, MSD Ignition, (8) HID Lights Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world. |
