I bought my 1985 Ford Ranger for $50 back in 2012. The owner didn’t think it would ever run again and the bodywork was deteriorating rapidly. Nevertheless, I spent the next three months installing new parts, including a new clutch, and patching together the bodywork with filler just to clean it up a bit. I then drove it 200 km every day to university and back for the following four years. However, after the frame cracked and the floor fell out, I had to seriously consider my next move, as the truck was no longer safe to operate. From April until October 2017, I worked night shifts and spent every day working to restore my old Ranger from the ground up!

I got friends in to help rebuild the frame, lift off the old cab and put on a new one, and do some much-needed engine work on the carbureted 2.8. I bought brand new front fenders and found a box in perfect condition that I had delivered from another city. LMC supplied a beautiful brand new floor and I rewired everything to specifications myself.

My father supplied exceptional mechanical advice, and I learned just about everything I could ever need to know about my truck by the time I had completely disassembled it and put it all back together again. Now it’s back on the road, taking me everywhere I need to go and getting me in and out of some tough spots in my job as a firefighter. Whether it’s 4X4ing through a 2 am blizzard on a back road or roaring down the highway on a sunny afternoon, my old Ranger always gets me where I need to be, and I’m proud to be able to say I built it myself.