Oliver Ohlinger wanted a “desert-style 4×4 Ford Ranger” since he was a kid, and the rig you see here is the result of that yearning — and a lot of fabbing and wrenching. It’s a go-fast rig with plenty of power, impressive suspension travel, and more. Turns out, the 1995 Ford Ranger is also a good rockcrawler.

A Grenaded 4.0-Liter V6 Led To A 5.0-Liter V8

When Oliver purchased his Ranger, it had a tired 4.0-liter V6 engine. He wanted a more powerful ‘plant, so he pulled an SOHC 4.0-liter engine from a newer Ranger. Prior to installing the newer V6, he spent thousands of dollars on it—installing new head gaskets, timing chains, and so on. It ran great for around 300 miles, but then timing chain issues caused severe internal damage. That turn of events led Oliver to a 5.0-liter V8 swap, which is what powers the truck today. The fuel-injected engine was procured from a Mercury Mountaineer, and he notes it has GT40 heads.

Manual Transmission, Stock Transfer Case

Bolted to the 5.0-liter engine is an M5OD-R2 five-speed manual transmission, sourced from a 1995 Ford Bronco. The transmission underwent some modifications to adapt it to the Ranger. These include modified shift forks and a shifter top plate from a 2003 Ford F-150. The latter allowed the shift lever to be relocated to the Ranger’s OE location.

The stock electric-shift transfer case was retained, and it’s mated to the transmission via an adapter from Advance Adapters.

Long-Travel Suspension

Oliver wanted a stout front suspension with good wheel travel, so he got creative. He fitted the truck with a Twin-Traction Beam setup from an F-150, which he plated and reinforced for strength. The Dana 44 centersection has a Ford limited-slip differential and 4.56:1 gears. The suspension includes fabricated tubular radius arms with Heim joints at each end, as well as fabricated pivot brackets. Additionally, there are two-inch-lift 2.5-inch-diameter Radflo remote-reservoir coilovers, Radflo 2.0 bump stops, and limit straps. The upper ends of the shocks and the shock reservoirs are mounted to a tubular engine cage that also serves as a chassis stiffener. Oliver says the suspension offers up to 18 inches of wheel travel.

Out back, suspension duties are handled via a pair of Deaver Suspension two-inch-lift leaf-spring packs. Oliver fabricated the shackles and mounts. Furthermore, there is a pair of 3.0-inch Radflo remote-reservoir shocks, Radflo 2.0 bump stops, and limit straps. The rear axle is a Ford 8.8-inch, and it’s fitted with an Eaton Detroit Locker, 4.56:1 gears, and disc brakes.

The truck rolls on 35×12.50R15 General Grabber X3 mud-terrain tires mounted on Method Race Wheels model 304 wheels.

Other Modifications

Other mods to Oliver’s truck include a 2002 Ranger front clip and 20 (!) off-road lights to assist in night wheeling. Inside, the truck has PRP suspension seats, a massive audio system, and a Ford Explorer center console with a custom shift boot. The center console also houses a Kibbetech hydraulic handbrake. Finally, there’s a Rugged Radios GMRS unit mounted into the dash and a Heise switch panel to control all lighting and 16-inch engine fan.

High-Flier And Slow-Speed Crawler

Oliver built his truck as a go-fast machine, but he recently took it over the slow-go Rubicon Trail, and he said the truck exceeded his expectations. “Taking a desert truck to the Rubicon isn’t what most people would do. However, it outperformed my expectations. The first day, the front end saw airtime over a few obstacles. After I re-tuned my right foot, I was very impressed by my little truck’s ability to walk up the trail.”