Stmitch’s Supercharged 3.0L 2000 Ford Ranger
When it comes to building a street truck, it’s easy to go too far. Stmitch took a different approach with his 2000 Ford Ranger. The truck was clean, purposeful and carefully put together, with a lowered suspension, Mustang Cobra brakes, FR500 wheels and just enough custom work to make it stand out.
Then he decided to see what he could get out of the 3.0L Vulcan V6.
The result was a very unusual Ranger: an award-winning 2WD street truck powered by a Whipple-supercharged 3.0L, backed by a 5-speed manual transmission and supported by a long list of carefully selected modifications.
The truck was originally featured on The Ranger Station after forum members voted it March 2011 Street Truck of the Month and 2011 Street Truck of the Year. But the truck’s story didn’t end there. Stmitch continued developing it, eventually building a second 3.0L and installing the Whipple along with a 5-speed and the supporting fuel, cooling, electrical and tuning changes needed to make the combination work.
Build Specifications
Truck: 2000 Ford Ranger 2WD, Oxford White
Engine: 3.0L V6 with Whipple supercharger, ported and polished lower intake manifold, 1.8-ratio roller rockers, stiffer valve springs, ARP head studs, 42 lb/hr injectors, custom valve covers, Cobra fuel pump, ceramic-coated headers, Gibson exhaust and 2003 Ranger electric-fan conversion
Drivetrain: Automatic transmission originally; later converted to a 5-speed manual. Freshly built 7.5-inch rear axle with 3.73 gears, Ford Traction-Lok and axle girdle
Suspension: DJM 4/5-inch drop kit with Doetsch Tech shocks, Roush front and rear sway bars
Front Brakes: 13-inch 2003 Mustang Cobra brakes with drilled/slotted rotors and custom braided stainless-steel lines
Rear Brakes: 11.65-inch 2003 Mustang Cobra brakes with custom braided stainless-steel lines
Front Wheels / Tires: 18×9 anthracite FR500 wheels with 245/35R18 BFG KDW tires
Rear Wheels / Tires: 18×10 anthracite FR500 wheels with 295/35R18 BFG KDW tires
Exterior: Custom 2003 Mustang Cobra hood, Keystone bumper cover, Street Scene mirrors, projector headlights, clear corners, color-matched grille and rear bumper, SVT badges
Interior: 2003 Cobra pedals, white-faced gauges and A/C panel, painted interior pieces, SVT badges
The Truck
Stmitch’s Ranger started out as a clean 2000 regular-cab 2WD in Oxford White. Even before the major engine build, it was far from stock.
The truck had a lowered stance courtesy of a DJM 4/5 drop kit, with Doetsch Tech shocks and Roush front and rear sway bars. Mustang Cobra brakes were fitted at all four corners, with 13-inch Cobra brakes up front and 11.65-inch units in the rear.
The wheels were anthracite FR500s, measuring 18×9 in front and 18×10 in the rear. BFG KDW tires filled the staggered setup with 245/35R18 tires up front and 295/35R18 tires in the rear.
The combination gave the Ranger the proportions of a proper street truck without making it look like a collection of aftermarket parts.
That attention to detail was recognized by TRS members. The truck was voted March 2011 Street Truck of the Month, followed by 2011 Street Truck of the Year.
Exterior
The exterior modifications were centered around giving the Ranger a more aggressive appearance while keeping the overall design clean.
A custom 2003 Mustang Cobra-style hood became the most noticeable change to the body. A Keystone bumper cover and Street Scene mirrors complemented it, while projector headlights and clear corner lights updated the front of the truck.
The grille and rear bumper were color matched, and SVT badges added a subtle connection to the Mustang components used elsewhere on the truck.
The result wasn’t an attempt to make the Ranger look like something it wasn’t. It was still clearly a Ranger, just a very carefully modified one.
Interior
Stmitch carried the same approach inside the cab.
The Ranger received 2003 Cobra pedals along with white-faced gauges and a matching A/C control panel. Several interior pieces were painted, and SVT badges continued the theme established on the exterior.
The interior modifications were relatively restrained compared with the mechanical work, which helped keep the truck looking like a clean street-driven Ranger rather than a race truck.
Suspension, Wheels and Brakes
The truck’s stance came from the DJM 4/5 drop kit, combined with Doetsch Tech shocks and Roush sway bars.
The brake system was upgraded substantially as well. The front received 13-inch 2003 Mustang Cobra brakes with drilled and slotted rotors and custom braided stainless-steel lines. The rear used 11.65-inch 2003 Mustang Cobra brakes, also with custom braided stainless-steel lines.
The staggered FR500 wheel setup completed the look. The 18×9 front wheels carried 245/35R18 BFG KDW tires, while the 18×10 rears carried much wider 295/35R18 tires.
These chassis upgrades were already part of what made the truck special before the Whipple installation. The supercharged engine was added to an already well-developed street truck rather than starting with a stock Ranger.
Building the 3.0L
The 3.0L Vulcan was the part of the truck that eventually received the biggest transformation.
Stmitch had already been planning a Whipple installation when he started documenting the truck on TRS. He eventually decided to build another 3.0L rather than simply modify the engine that was already in the truck.
The new engine received ported and polished cylinder heads and a ported and polished lower intake manifold. He spent considerable time working on the intake and heads, documenting the process with photographs in his build thread.
The combination also included 1.8-ratio roller rockers, stiffer valve springs and ARP head studs. Fuel delivery was upgraded with 42 lb/hr injectors and a Cobra fuel pump, while ceramic-coated headers and a Gibson exhaust handled the exhaust side.
The goal wasn’t simply to bolt a supercharger onto an otherwise untouched Vulcan. Stmitch was building an engine and supporting system around the blower.
The Whipple
The Whipple was the centerpiece of the new engine.
The supercharger had been acquired used, and Stmitch continued working through the details of adapting it to the 3.0L. The engine was assembled with the blower installed in October 2012.
It wasn’t completely trouble-free.
The supercharger interfered with the valve covers, forcing him to change them before the engine could go into the truck. Once that problem was solved, the engine was ready for installation.
Stmitch also planned to use SCT tuning and had been working with Fred at Rogue Performance, whom he described as having extensive experience with supercharged 3.0L and Flex Fuel engines.
Converting to a 5-Speed
The original truck had an automatic transmission, but the supercharged engine project also became an opportunity to convert the Ranger to a manual transmission.
In November 2012, the new engine and 5-speed were installed in the truck. The major components were in place, but there was still plenty of work remaining.
Stmitch documented the remaining list in his build thread: a new driveshaft, clutch pedal and master cylinder, clutch line, wiring and fuel-line work, an Explorer radiator, modifications to the electric fan, gauges, a new fuel pump, shifter, coil-pack mounting and a larger MAF.
That list illustrates just how much more was involved than simply installing a supercharger.
Getting It Running
Once the engine and transmission were installed, the project entered a different phase.
The fuel lines, A/C lines, power-steering lines and wiring harness all had to be connected. The Explorer radiator was installed and the electric fan was modified to work with it. Stmitch also installed the new driveshaft and continued working through the wiring and clutch-system details.
He eventually brought in Greg at SpeedyDyno for tuning after receiving recommendations from other Ranger owners.
The truck finally fired after years of planning and parts gathering.
But getting the engine to run wasn’t the same thing as being finished. There were still electrical and tuning issues to work through before the truck could be considered sorted out.
The Finished Supercharged Ranger
What makes this build interesting is that the Whipple was only one part of the transformation.
The finished combination brought together a built 3.0L Vulcan, Whipple supercharger, upgraded fuel system, larger MAF, custom cooling arrangement, SCT tuning, manual transmission and a chassis that had already been extensively upgraded.
Stmitch later reported putting several hundred miles on the truck while running a conservative tune. He continued to discuss getting the Ranger onto a dyno for additional tuning, but the build thread never produced a documented final dyno horsepower number.
That’s worth pointing out because the truck’s significance isn’t dependent on a horsepower figure.
This was a real 3.0L Vulcan Ranger that was actually built, supercharged, driven and continually developed by its owner.
A Ranger That Kept Evolving
The truck that won Street Truck of the Month and Street Truck of the Year in 2011 wasn’t necessarily the final version of stmitch’s Ranger.
After receiving those awards, he continued working on it. The engine became a much more serious project, the automatic transmission was replaced with a 5-speed, and the Whipple-supercharged 3.0L eventually went into the truck.
Years later, stmitch was still reporting that he owned the Ranger and drove it occasionally.
That’s one of the things I like about old TRS build threads. They don’t always follow a neat beginning-to-end project plan. Sometimes a build takes years. Parts change, plans change, problems appear, and the owner keeps working on it.
Stmitch’s Ranger is a good example.
It started as a clean 2000 Ranger street truck, became an award-winning TRS build, and then evolved into one of the more unusual supercharged 3.0L Rangers documented on the site.
Follow the Build
Stmitch documented the evolution of this Ranger in his long-running “Pics of My Rig” thread on The Ranger Station forum. The thread includes photographs and updates covering the original truck, engine work, Whipple installation, 5-speed conversion, engine installation, wiring and tuning.
[View the complete “Pics of My Rig” build thread on The Ranger Station Forums.]
Build Specifications
Truck: 2000 Ford Ranger 2WD, Oxford White
Engine: 3.0L Vulcan V6, Flex Fuel, with Whipple supercharger, ported and polished lower intake manifold, ported and polished cylinder heads, 1.8-ratio roller rockers, stiffer valve springs, ARP head studs, 42 lb/hr injectors, custom valve covers, Cobra fuel pump, ceramic-coated JBA headers, Gibson exhaust, and 2003 Ranger electric-fan conversion
Engine Management: SCT tuning, larger MAF, wideband O2
Cooling: Explorer radiator with modified electric-fan setup
Drivetrain: Automatic transmission originally; later converted to a 5-speed manual, freshly built 7.5-inch rear axle with 3.73 gears, Ford Traction-Lok and axle girdle
Suspension: DJM 4/5-inch drop kit with Doetsch Tech shocks, Roush front and rear sway bars
Front Brakes: 13-inch 2003 Mustang Cobra brakes with drilled/slotted rotors and custom braided stainless-steel lines
Rear Brakes: 11.65-inch 2003 Mustang Cobra brakes with custom braided stainless-steel lines
Front Wheels / Tires: 18×9 anthracite FR500 wheels with 245/35R18 BFG KDW tires
Rear Wheels / Tires: 18×10 anthracite FR500 wheels with 295/35R18 BFG KDW tires
Exterior: Custom 2003 Mustang Cobra hood, Keystone bumper cover, Street Scene mirrors, projector headlights, clear corners, color-matched grille and rear bumper, SVT badges
Interior: 2003 Cobra pedals, white-faced gauges and A/C panel, painted interior pieces, SVT badges
Gauges: Boost, fuel pressure, oil pressure and wideband air/fuel monitoring
Video
More Photos
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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.
