1993 Ford Ranger Article at Automotive.com

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Custom 1993 Ford Ranger

Below is an enthusiast article written by the automotive experts at Mini Truckin'. Check out this bagged I-Beam beauty!

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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 1993 Ford Ranger - First Timer

First Time's the Charm / By Ernie Macias / photographer: Chad Lucas
/ Article provided by: Mini Truckin' Magazine

In August of 2002, James McKiddie Jr. and his wife took a trip to a little show known as Texas Heatwave in Austin, Texas. As many others before him, this was where James was bitten by the minitruckin' bug. As he stood there and admired the trucks, he realized he was particularly interested in the Ford Rangers at the event. So that, and a little persuasion from a buddy of his, and James soon after started building his '93 Ford Ranger.

Now all he needed to decide was what he would do to his truck. James began by doing some audio work to the truck, and then an assortment of products were put together to bring a nice sounding system to the truck. Along with this, he added what he could as far as bolt-ons were concerned. This was followed by a wheel and tire setup that suited the truck nicely. Of course, this meant that in order to look proper, the truck would need an altitude adjustment. But this was still a bit too plain looking to James, so he got to work on the body. He started by shaving the basics and adding a more aggressive look to the front end by adding a new valance and hood.

Sometime during the buildup, his brother, Vernon, who was an amateur motocross rider, landed a gig with a pro circuit team. This threw a curve ball at James, since his priority turned to help out his brother. However, this didn't stop James, and it didn't even slow him down. He still managed to paint his ride and have it 'bagged in less than 3 years. Not bad for a first timer. Although, James did have some help along the way from S.M. Artworks and his buddy, Kevin, who works there.

All in all, we think the first timer did a damn good job, and we're sure his second venture will only be better.


OWNER: James MiKiddie Jr. RIDE: '93 Ford Ranger HOMETOWN: Huffman, Texas CLUB AFFILIATION: S.M. Artworks

The Lowdown

Rolling Attire
Wheels (Front/Rear): 18x8 Boss 304
Tires (Front/Rear): 225/40R18

Chassis Modifications
Suspension type: Air Ride
Front suspension: I-Beams with 'bags mounted on top
Rear suspension: two-link with 'bags mounted on links
Airbag/cylinder type and size (Front/Rear): Slam Specialties 62
Shocks: Monroe
Frame mods: step notched
Frame material: 1/4-inch plate
Detail work: Painted rear end, step notch painted to match the graphics
Misc.: Under-coated frame
Performed by: James McKiddie Jr.
City/state: Huffman, Texas

Body Modifications
Shaved: Door handles, molded tailgate handle, molded in roll pan, and emblem holes
Front end: Replaced bumper with a smoothie bumper, added an air dam with fog lights
Taillights: Euro tails
Exterior bolt-ons: Crystal clear headlights, Trenz billet grille, and crystal corners
Misc.: Cowl induction hood, Trenz antenna and a cab light cover
Performed by: James McKiddie Jr.
City/state: Huffman, Texas

Paint
Brand and colors: House of Kolor (HOK) in Lime Time Green, Black, Yellow, Tangelo Orange, Silver with mini flake, and Magenta
Style: Custom graphics
Pinstriping: Fine line tape, not done by hand, multi-color HOK
Airbrushing: Mostly by hand, some stencil
Performed by: S.M. Artworks and James McKiddie Jr.
City/state: Huffman, Texas

Interior
Seats: Ford Splash
Material: Tweed, vinyl
Dash: smoothed and painted, House of Kolor (HOK) Lime Time Green
Door panels: Smoothed and painted HOK Lime Time Green
Center console: fiber glassed and painted Lime Time Green
Flooring: New black carpet
Gauges: APC white face gauges
Performed by: James McKiddie Jr.
City/state: Huffman, Texas

Stereo
Head unit: Kenwood Excelon X717
Mids and highs: Infinity components
Amplifier for mids and highs: Fusion
Subwoofers: Fusion
Amplifier for subwoofers: Fusion
Wiring/accessories: Phoenix Gold
Custom fabrication: Fiberglass enclosure
Misc.: Kenwood 6042A mounted in place of the ash tray
Performed by: James McKiddie Jr.
City/state: Huffman, Texas