‘79 F150 Ranger – Always Been A Country Boy’s Truck!

I’ve always had a love for Ford trucks and wanted to own a ‘79 F150 Ranger. It’s definitely my favorite of all the Ford truck series. I was fortunate enough to purchase this one in my hometown of Brokenburg, Virginia, in 1989 from the original owner. It had a 351M motor with a 4-speed granny low transmission and was in need of some restoration.

After many years of off-road adventures and the completion of another classic car project, I began restoring the F150 Ranger in 1994.

The build began with a 4” suspension lift, Rancho shocks, dual front shock towers and polyurethane bushings. The 35 X 12.50 R15 BF Goodrich All-Terrain Tires were mounted on 15 X 10 American Racing Outlaw rims. In 1996 the truck was painted Candy Apple Red and had a new bench seat and carpeting installed. The engine was replaced with a remanufactured 351M along with Hedman Hedders, Edelbrock RPM high-rise intake manifold, a 4-barrel carburetor and dual exhaust with 40 Series Flowmaster mufflers. The exterior parts that were purchased through LMC Truck included: mirrors, chrome headlight bezels, a chrome center grille section and the front bumper. The spray-in bedliner was added in the spring of 2015.

This project has definitely been a labor of love and the highlight has always been the reaction of others. The truck draws attention wherever I go and has a list of prospective buyers a mile long. One of my greatest pleasures is when people want to share stories about their trucks or ones that were owned by their fathers or grandfathers. The topic of conversation often revolves around whether or not it’s a ‘78 or ’79, and how Ford changed the headlight style from round to square during those years.

This truck has been used for hunting, fishing, 4-wheelin’ and all-around fun. It has always been and will always be a country boy’s truck!