Jim Pate of Cleveland, OH must have been ecstatic when he got his Cayman Green 1997 Ford Ranger XLT regular cab home. He was probably huddled in the corner making a list of modifications to his precious truck, which was sitting just outside his front door. The day came to start the modifications. On top of the factory green paint a shot of blue/purple pearl tinted clear covered all the factory green parts including the steel Sir Michael’s roll pan. A custom screen mesh and paint was added for grill treatment.
He then set out to get the ride a bit lower to the pavement by using DJM drop beams with 2” dropped coils for the front. Out back he used an axle flip kit with an added drop, by use of 2-inch blocks. Did all this with 5 pins and a cast holding his hand together. I guess he just had to be working on his truck. True signs of a Car Nut.
With the added excitement of the recent modifications the bug hit harder, a set of APC chrome/clear Euro tails were added to give the back a bit of sparkle. Speaking of sparkle. Jim also added to the under carriage a set of Street glow dark blue neon lights, with another set of green neon lights. For added looks a short billet antenna was added to replace the factory cow whip.
Since the body modifications were done it was now time to do something with the pizza cutter wheels. So, a set of 16-inch Mustang GT rims were added, along with sticky Good Year rubber bands in the sizes of 245/55 out back and 225/50 in the front.
The wheels look sharp on the truck but the smallish 2.3L I4, backed by a 5-speed standard transmission, needed more grunt to push the small truck around town at a cruising speed. A custom air intake tube was added with a cone filter, to help the engine breathe. For the exhaust end, a 2.5-inch exhaust system was added with an 8 disk Supertrapp muffler. In the works is a conversion to a MAF and TB from a 5.0L Mustang. Also, a new cam sprocket and clutch will be added to help with the HP situation. The factory 7.5 with 4.10’s are holding up fine with the new engine modifications. To monitor the 2.3L revs a 5-inch tach w/shift light was added, which overshadows the Nu-image flamed gauge faces.
To drone out the buzz of the Supertrapp, while sitting in the swapped ‘89 Honda Prelude bucket seats, Jim added a Sony head unit in place of the factory radio. For added thump a Sound Storm Labs crossover, a Coustic amp, and a Nexus 12-inch sub were attached to the deck. The sub is enclosed in a custom enclosure/console that Jim built out of ¾ MDF board. Small highlights were added to the trim pieces in the cab with Dupont tri-color paint. For flare two lighted green license plate frames were put under the seats. The electrical nut Jim is he also added LEDs in the door handle pockets, all this comes on when the headlights are turned on. Since the truck was broken into and most of his stereo equipment was stolen he added a Viper alarm. For added privacy Jim added green window tint with blue mirrored flames.
From what Jim said the modifications have just started. We will be waiting to see what Jim has in store for Part Deux.
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. In 2019, he was loaned a Ranger FX4 by Ford Motor Company to test and document across the TransAmerica Trail. Jim continues to inspire and guide Ranger owners around the world.
