Awesome-O 1987 Ford Ranger 4×4 Hunting Rig
When Awesome-O introduced his 1987 Ford Ranger to The Ranger Station in March 2023, it wasn’t exactly a truck that looked destined for Truck of the Month.
It was a rough first-generation Ranger with a tired 2.9L V6, manual transmission, plenty of rust and an interior that had seen better days. The truck had originally been bought for his son, who had started collecting parts from an ’88 donor truck before eventually moving on to another vehicle. A few years later, the Ranger came back to Dad in exchange for the money his son needed to help pay off his next truck.
Awesome-O knew exactly what he was getting into. His goal wasn’t simply to get the old Ranger running again. He wanted to restore it to its former glory and then take it considerably further — building a truck that could serve as a daily driver when needed while becoming his “ultimate hunting rig.”
He describes himself as a restomod guy, and that philosophy became apparent pretty quickly. He wanted to preserve the character and nostalgia of an early Ranger while incorporating modern improvements wherever they made sense. The result would eventually combine the look of an old-school Ranger with a considerably more capable drivetrain, suspension, lighting and electrical system.
Starting With a Basket Case
The project began with two Rangers and a lot of work.
Awesome-O stripped the original truck and an ’88 parts truck, saving the best components from both. The interior was transformed from the original red and blue pieces into black, with restored dash components, refinished door panels, a restored steering wheel and new black seat belts. He repaired the cracked dash and reproduced the original-looking chrome accents, while green LED lighting brought a subtle modern touch to the gauges.
The interior also received Dynamat, new JBL speakers, Durafit seat covers and Husky liners. Later, the original 60/40 seats were replaced with bucket seats from a ’91 Ranger. Even that turned into a project, requiring the seat risers to be modified so the newer seats would sit correctly in the earlier SuperCab.
Outside, the story was much the same. Rust was cut out of the cab and fenders and replaced with welded patch panels. A replacement bed eventually saved an enormous amount of repair work compared with trying to resurrect the original rusted box. Dents were pulled with a stud welder, panels were repeatedly blocked and primed, and even a replacement door had to be stripped down after a previous repair was discovered underneath a thick layer of body filler.
Awesome-O joked throughout the build about the project’s “scope creep.” It was a fitting description. Every time he thought he was getting close, another improvement or problem seemed to appear.
The Big Change
The original 2.9L eventually gave way to something considerably more appropriate for the job.
Rather than swapping the drivetrain components individually, Awesome-O found a ’91 Ranger donor with a running 4.0L OHV V6, M5OD five-speed manual transmission, manual transfer case, Dana 35 front axle and Ford 8.8 rear axle. He decided that the easiest way to get everything he wanted was to strip the donor down to its frame and perform a chassis swap.
That decision created plenty of additional work, but it also allowed him to build the truck around the drivetrain and suspension he wanted rather than trying to upgrade everything one piece at a time.
The 4.0L was compression tested and inspected before installation. The engine showed good, even compression with minimal sludge, giving Awesome-O confidence that it had been properly maintained. The Dana 35 was completely disassembled, sandblasted, rebuilt and powder coated, while the 8.8 received a limited-slip Truetrac differential, new brakes and suspension components.
The suspension became a project of its own. Custom radius arms were fabricated, the front suspension was built for approximately 14 inches of travel, and Super Duty bump stops were adapted to the Ranger chassis. New springs, bushings, body mounts and other components went in along the way.
Then came the cab.
The ’87 cab was cleaned up, rust protected and reunited with the newer chassis. Because the truck retained its original first-generation dashboard, integrating the different-year wiring harnesses became one of the more involved parts of the swap. The steering shaft also required modification because of the differences between the early and later trucks.
The result was something that still looked unmistakably like an early Ranger but now had the drivetrain and running gear to make considerably better use of it.
Built for the Woods
The truck’s purpose became increasingly clear as the build progressed.
This wasn’t being built as a show truck that would spend its life on pavement. Awesome-O lives in the Rockies, where hunting can mean steep hills, deep snow, mud and rough trails. Almost every modification had a reason behind it.
A custom headache rack was fabricated with a winch mount specifically intended for pulling game into the bed. The rack was reinforced with flat bar and angle steel and eventually fitted with additional lighting. An adjustable Nissan Titan tie-down track system was adapted to the bed, along with custom brackets and lower tie-downs.
The bed received Herculiner underneath and inside, along with a removable plastic bed liner that makes cleanup considerably easier after hunting. An access panel was fabricated for the fuel pump — something that turned out to be particularly useful later when the fuel pump failed with a full tank of gas.
A rear camera, LED backup lights, under-hood lighting, ditch lights and a collection of auxiliary lights were wired through an Auxbeam control system. A hardwired inverter was added, along with provisions for additional accessories.
Even the spare tire required some ingenuity. The original 31-inch tires were too large for the stock spare-tire arrangement, so Awesome-O modified a factory carrier using another Ranger carrier to accommodate a larger spare.
Inside, the truck received a custom shifter plate with cup holders, a modified center console, a gun rack and additional storage. A compass and temperature rear-view mirror was added for hunting and backcountry travel.
And because this is still an old Ranger, Awesome-O couldn’t resist adding a few touches that were simply cool. The Captain America cup holders reflect his longtime interest in comics, and an old-school gun rack gives the truck the unmistakable look of an ’80s hunting rig.
The War Machine
After all the mechanical work, the truck still needed an identity.
Awesome-O decided to “murder it out” without completely eliminating the classic Ranger appearance. The body was finished in a two-tone combination of gunmetal gray and black using U-POL Raptor coating. The textured finish was partly about durability and partly about creating the rugged look he wanted.
He had never sprayed an entire vehicle or used Raptor before, but after all the fabrication, welding, bodywork and even a complete cab/chassis swap, painting the truck was just another challenge.
Seven bottles of black and two bottles of gray later, the transformation was complete.
The finished truck retained some of the original bright trim, including the grille and tail panel, while the dark two-tone treatment gave it what Awesome-O described as an almost “War Machine” appearance. The look was finished with 15-inch Fuel Covert D716 wheels, 31×10.50R15 Goodyear Wrangler MT tires, 2-inch EZ Flares and a classic Lund visor.
A custom front bumper was the final major fabrication project. Built from tube and plate with a small hoop over the Smittybilt winch, it was designed specifically to look like it belonged on an old Ranger rather than a modern off-road truck. Fog lights and other auxiliary lighting were incorporated into the finished bumper before it received the same Raptor treatment.
From Project to Hunting Rig
Getting the truck on the road wasn’t the end of the project.
The initial shakedown uncovered the sort of problems that tend to appear when a vehicle has been completely disassembled and rebuilt. The speedometer needed attention, the clutch and flywheel required replacement, the steering box was replaced, and the front brake calipers, brake booster and master cylinder all demanded attention. A couple of aftermarket brake boosters failed to return the pedal properly before Awesome-O finally went back to an original Ford booster from the donor chassis.
There were wiring gremlins too, including the reverse lights and trailer wiring. The fuel pump eventually failed, but the access panel he’d fabricated in the bed turned what could have been a major job into a much easier repair.
That’s been the character of this build from the beginning: two steps forward and one step back, followed by another improvement that makes the work worthwhile.
Once the bugs were sorted out, the difference between the original truck and the finished Ranger became obvious. The 4.0L’s additional torque and power transformed the truck compared with the tired 2.9L. With the rear locker, upgraded axles, suspension and 31-inch tires, it became a capable off-road machine rather than the rusty project that had first rolled into his shop.
The truck now gets used for what it was built for. Awesome-O reports that it is a blast to drive and gets plenty of attention from people who appreciate old first-generation Rangers. More importantly, it has proven itself in the environment where he intended to use it — the mountains, mud and snow of the Rockies during hunting season.
Even after reaching the road, the build continues to evolve. That’s probably appropriate for a project that started with two old Rangers, a garage full of parts and a goal of building something that was both nostalgic and useful.
For Awesome-O, the finished Ranger isn’t just a restored 1987 Ford. It’s the product of hundreds of hours of fabrication, repair, problem solving and learning. And unlike the truck his son originally sold back to him, this Ranger now has plenty of life left in it.
The TRS Ranger Community
Throughout the build, Awesome-O leaned heavily on The Ranger Station’s forum and Tech Library, particularly the information available for the 4.0L swap. His approach was a little different because he chose to swap the cab onto the later chassis rather than simply transplanting the drivetrain, but the information gathered from TRS helped him work through the process.
Just as importantly, the build became part of the same community that helped him along the way. When another member called it one of the best Ranger builds he’d seen, Awesome-O was quick to point out that he’d seen plenty of builds on the site that he considered “out of this world amazing.” He credited the forum’s knowledgeable members and the inspiration he’d found there with helping get his own truck across the finish line.
That made his November 2024 Truck of the Month recognition especially fitting. For someone who started with what looked like a pretty hopeless first-generation Ranger, Awesome-O had turned it into a thoroughly personalized hunting rig — while documenting the process and sharing what he learned along the way.
Build Thread
Check Out: Awesome-O 1987 Ford Ranger 4×4 Build Thread
Build Specifications
1987 Ford Ranger SuperCab 4×4
Engine & Drivetrain
- 4.0L OHV V6 from a 1991 Ranger
- M5OD five-speed manual transmission
- Manual-shift transfer case
- Dana 35 front axle
- Ford 8.8 rear axle
- Truetrac rear differential
- 31×10.50R15 Goodyear Wrangler MT tires
- Fuel Covert D716 15-inch wheels
- Mile Marker manual locking hubs
Suspension & Chassis
- Custom front radius arms
- Approximately 14 inches of front suspension travel
- Super Duty bump stops adapted to the front suspension
- Upgraded front and rear springs
- Custom front spring spacers to compensate for winch bumper weight
- 1.5-inch rear lift blocks
- Custom body mounts and suspension components
- Custom-fabricated front winch bumper
- Smittybilt Winch
- Headache rack with Warn 2000 winch
Body & Exterior
- Rust repair and welded patch panels
- Replacement bed
- Two-tone gunmetal gray and black U-POL Raptor finish
- 2-inch EZ Flares
- Lund visor
- Custom headache rack
- Nissan Titan adjustable bed tie-down system
- Custom bed access panel for fuel pump
- Herculiner-coated underside and bed
- Modified spare tire carrier
- Ceramic-tinted rear windows
- Restored and refinished original trim
Lighting & Electrical
- LED headlights
- LED ditch lights
- LED bumper/fog lights
- LED backup lights
- Headache rack lighting
- Under-hood lighting
- Auxbeam auxiliary switch/control system
- Rear-view camera
- Compass/temperature mirror
- Hardwired power inverter
- Auxiliary power distribution and ground blocks
Interior
- Restored and refinished original dashboard
- Green LED gauge lighting
- Custom shifter/floor plate
- Modified center console
- ’91 Ranger bucket seats with modified mounting
- Durafit seat covers
- Husky floor liners
- JBL speakers
- Custom auxiliary switch panel
- Rear-view camera display/stereo
- Old-school gun rack
- Additional sound deadening
- Custom cup holders
Truck’s Purpose
Daily driver when needed. Hunting rig by design. Old-school Ranger character with modern drivetrain and off-road upgrades.
Some Products Used
Photo Gallery
About The Author
Jim Oaks is the founder of TheRangerStation.com, the longest-running Ford Ranger resource online since 1999. With over 25 years of hands-on experience building and modifying Ford Rangers — including magazine-featured builds like Project Transformer — Jim has become one of the most trusted authorities in the Ford Ranger off-road and enthusiast space.
Since launching TheRangerStation.com, Jim has documented thousands of real-world Ranger builds, technical repairs, drivetrain swaps, suspension modifications, and off-road adventures contributed by owners worldwide. TheRangerStation.com has been referenced in print, video and online by enthusiasts, mechanics, and off-road builders looking for practical, and experience-based information.
