I found pictures of this 1985 Ford Ranger short bed 2WD pickup online when I was searching for patina trucks. I’ve never been a fan of ‘rat rods’ built on anything newer than the 1940’s, and ‘patina’ builds seem to look best on vehicles of the 1960s and 1970s. Then you have what I would call ‘Mad Max’ which could be on anything up to the 1980s. This Ford Ranger is uniquely cool, but it’s too new to be a rat rod, and not crazy enough to be Mad Max.
Don’t start emailing me and asking me what the grill is from. I don’t know. What I do know is that the Ranger is in Britian, so I’m guessing that it came off of a British donor vehicle. What’s interesting is the wheel flares. It appears that the fenders of another vehicle were cut off and welded onto the Rangers fenders and bedside.
The engine is a 2.0L pinto engine with an ultra big valve head and cam. Fuel is fed by a Weber 38DGAS carb. A lightened flywheel sends power to a Type 9 (T9) 5-speed manual that was used in the 1982-1988 Ford Capri and Cortina.
I dig the dimple die holes on the front of the hood. The builder also made a dimple died cover that covers the frame rail where the front bumper was. The skull on the hood was handcrafted from steel. The skull lights up when the headlights are on.
I don’t know what the bench seat came out of. The door panels were replaced with sheetmetal. Wrenches serve as door handles and screwdriver handles serve as window cranks.
The Ranger rides on 7×14 Cragar smoothies wrapped in Cooper Cobra Radial G/T tires. Another dimple died panel serves as a roll pan under the tailgate. The taillight openings were covered with sheet metal and round lights were added for the brakes and turn signals.
Here’s some links where I found it:
1985 Ford SWB pickup rolling shell project £3500 Cambs | Retro Rides
Ford Ranger Rat Rod Pick-Up – MotoringDeals.com
About The Author
Jim Oaks is the founder of The Ranger Station, one of the longest-running Ford Ranger enthusiast communities on the web. He has spent over three decades owning, modifying, repairing, and driving Ford Rangers on the street, trail, and cross-country routes.
Since launching TheRangerStation.com in 1999, Jim has documented thousands of real-world Ranger builds, technical repairs, drivetrain swaps, suspension modifications, and off-road tests contributed by owners worldwide. His work has been referenced by enthusiasts, mechanics, and off-road builders looking for practical, experience-based information rather than theoretical advice.
Jim’s hands-on experience includes long-distance overland travel, trail use, drivetrain and axle upgrades, suspension tuning, and platform comparisons across multiple Ranger generations. The content published on The Ranger Station is grounded in first-hand experience and community-verified data, not marketing claims or generic specifications.
