1999 Ford Ranger Article at Automotive.com

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Custom 1999 Ford Ranger

Below is an enthusiast article written by the automotive experts at Mini Truckin'. Check out this good-looking '99 Ranger!

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LEARN WHY

IntelliChoice Value Rating

The chart above shows the purchase price versus ownership cost for each car from a specific vehicle class. The cars with better than average ownership cost/purchase price correlations are the best values, and these best value cars are represented by the dots below the curve. (i.e. the cars that have a lower ownership cost compared to its purchase price.) Those cars, which are worse than average or poor values, appear above the curve.

One way to view the graph is to draw a vertical line through any purchase price. You may see several dots that fall on this line - each of which is a car with a similar purchase price. However, notice the difference in ownership costs of each car represented by the vertical position of the dot. Two cars with the same purchase price can have thousands of dollars difference in ownership costs. This is what separates "good value" cars from "poor value" cars.

What is a good car value?

A "good car value" is one whose cost to own and operate is less than expected. The lower the cost to own and operate a car compared to what is expected, the better the value of that car.

But how do we know a car's "expected cost"?

For each car in the class, IntelliChoice plots the car's purchase price against the total five-year cost to own and operate it as determined by IntelliChoice research. Each dot on the above chart represents a specific car. Generally, we find that as the purchase price of the car increases, the cost to own and operate that car increases. This is why the dots on the graph tend to rise upward and to the right. This phenomenon also makes intuitive sense - as the purchase price rises, financing costs tend to rise, as do insurance, depreciation, taxes, and most other car ownership costs.

This is an important concept. It's normal for car ownership costs to rise as purchase price rises. Therefore, we can't just establish one "average" ownership cost number for each class, since cars in the class have different purchase prices. (This is why the "Relative" shown on each chart is different for cars in the same car class.)

Using statistical techniques, IntelliChoice "connects the dots" to form a curve that defines, for this car class, the relationship between the car's purchase price and car's ownership costs. This curve is our "expected cost" curve. The curve defines, for any car in the class, the five-year ownership cost that we would expect to see at each possible purchase price. If every car in the class were an average value, then all the dots would fall exactly on the curve. However, it's rare that any dot is exactly on the curve. Some dots are a little higher or lower, and some are a lot higher or lower. The dots that are a little lower are better than average car values, while the dots that are a lot lower are excellent car values (A dot that is a lot lower than the curve has ownership costs much lower than expected for a car of its purchase price). Conversely, a dot a little higher than the curve is a poorer than average car value, while a dot that is much higher than the curve is a poor car value.

Value is a relative term, not an absolute term. It is performing better than the logical expectation.

So is a Mercedes-Benz E320 expensive to own and operate? Certainly in an absolute sense. Most other cars cost less. But, when its cost to own and operate is plotted against cars with comparable invoice prices, the E320 costs less. So the E320 is not expensive to own and operate - it is a good car value. The Mercedes does not have low ownership costs, but it has low ownership costs for its invoice price.

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Article From Mini Truckin' Magazine

Custom 1999 Ford Ranger - Headstrong

My Way or the Highway / By Lance Martz / photographer: Mike Alexander
/ Article provided by: Mini Truckin' Magazine

Owner: Josh & Tina Smith
Ride: '99 Ford Ranger
Location: Tullahoma, Tennessee

It seems like a long time since Josh Smith took his first job as an installer of automotive window tinting. It was sometime thereafter that Josh decided that mini-trucks were going to become his passion and that he needed to get busy building one of his own. Since he's always liked to challenge himself, he didn't want to build a truck that there seemed to be a ton of parts for, so he went out and bought a Ford Ranger. This truck would turn into the bane of his existence for a time as he worked his ass off to turn the truck into something special. But, by the time he was able to show his accomplishments, that truck would have become everything he had hoped it would become. Follow along as we give you the play-by-play on the building of this super-clean Ranger.

One of the first things done to the truck was giving it a proper, adjustable lowered suspension. This was done as unobtrusively as possible, by 'bagging the truck without the use of a four-link. Instead of installing a four-link, air springs were installed using the truck's leaf springs and Firestone F9000 'bags for adjustability, while lowering blocks were used to push the rear of the truck closer to earth. Up front, the nose of the truck was 'bagged as well, but Slam Specialties' 2B6 'bags were used. To make the truck change its altitude, SMC valves were installed, and the wiring for the switches was routed into the cab. With the suspension sorted out, Josh was on to the next phase of building his Ranger and couldn't wait to see how things would turn out.

Some time later, the truck was prepped for paint by shaving everything externally that got on Josh's nerves. Once the body was put into shaved and pristine condition, David Henley in Tullahoma, Tennessee, sprayed the Ranger using House of Kolor Cortez Blue Shimrin. When the body's surface gleamed perfectly, it was turned back over to Josh who also was handed back the interior items that he had sent in for smoothing and paintwork. Once the newly painted Ranger was back home, Josh went crazy inside the truck getting the interior reinstalled, along with plenty of custom stereo and video components.

Once the electronics were installed, Josh leaned upon the talents of Jim Mashburn who reupholstered the seats and door panels inside the truck. When Jim was done stitching everything back together and Josh had finished putting everything back where it belonged, the truck's true character finally emerged. Just about the time that the interior was completed, so was the truck, for the most part. All that was left to do was to massage the whole thing until it gleamed. The rest is being written now in the annals of truck show infamy.

The Lowdown

Wheels/tires: 18x7-inch Veloche Verzio wheels with Nitto 225/40R18 performance radial tires

Suspension: DJM lowered control arms / Slam Specialties' 2B6 'bags (front) / airbag over leaf spring with Firestone F9000 'bags, installed for adjustability (rear) / 2-1/2-inch C-notch / '99 Explorer 8.8-inch rearend with disc brakes / 3.73:1 gears

Throughout: 3/8-inch air delivery lines / dual 180-psi compressors / six gallons of air reserve for airbags / SMC electric pneumatic valves / all suspension work by Josh Smith and KMA Kustoms in Winchester, Tennessee

Misc. Mods: '01 Ford Ranger Edge hood / custom exhaust routed through bed sides / Checkmate tonneau cover / Street Scene side mirrors / Go Industries lower bumper valance / APC projector beam headlights / Stull grille / window tinting by Josh Smith

Body Mods: Shaved body line / shaved door handles and locks / molded steel roll pan / shaved taillights / shaved third brake light / LED replacement third brake light molded into cab / LED taillights molded into a steel roll pan / shaved stake-hole pockets in bed side tops / shaved emblems / all bodywork by Josh Smith

Paint: House of Kolor Cortez Blue Shimrin by David Henley in Tullahoma, Tennessee

Interior: Nu-Image blue-flamed instrument overlay / chrome gauge bezel / BAD Hellfire billet steering wheel, billet pedals / a billet dash and A/C knobs / billet window switches / various painted items throughout / dove-gray leather and Nordic blue tweed used for upholstery work / '99 Ford Explorer center console customized with fiberglass and paint for use with Q-Logic video monitor and suspension switches / cut-down stock bucket seats / all interior work by Jim Mashburn

Stereo: Pioneer DEHP 860R 200-watt head unit / Sony PlayStaion 2 game console / 6.4-inch Q-Logic LCD video monitor located in center console / Kove Audio components and mid-bass speakers / Audiobahn subwoofers / Memphis Car Audio 600D 600-watt amplifier / Ample Audio 150-watt amplifier / Stinger wiring and circuit breaker / 140-dB tested system / installation by Josh Smith.

Engine/performance: JBA chrome headers / Flowmaster 2-1/2-inch aluminized exhaust / APC intake, S&P Performance slotted disc brake rotors with Hawk brake pads / internally stock 3.0L V-6 engine

Special Thanks: KMA Kustoms / Tina Smith / David Henley / Jim Mashburn