Forum member ‘mudtruggy’ began the build of this 1999 Ford Ranger with his oldest son in 2008, and recently finished it with his youngest son. He started out with a 1978 Ford F-150 4×4 that he had purchased 20 years earlier. Mudtruggy stripped off the bed and cab and cut the frame just behind where the cab sat. He then found a 1999 Ford Ranger cab and made new mounts to mate it to the F-150 frame.
A custom cage was built out of tubing along with a 4-link suspension. 2.5-Ton Rockwell axles with full spools were used along with 16-inch FOA coilovers. 13.6-24 BKT tires are mounted on custom 24×12 inch wheels.
The Ranger is powered by a 1972 Ford 460 that was bored 0.60 over to 472 cid. It’s fueled by a Holley Sniper EFI and Holley ignition system. The power is sent to a Ford C6 automatic transmission and NP205 transfer case.
Other features included LED lights and a Badlands 12,000lb winch in the event this beast should ever get stuck.
Our forums members like this truck so much they named it the May Truck of The Month.
For more information and photos check out:
Mudtruggy 1999/1978 | The Ranger Station
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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.
