Ford Ranger with a ’72 Ford van for the WIN!

The element of surprise is what this 1969 Ford Ranger is all about. I know most people think this is a Ford Bronco, but it is far from it.  To achieve this look it took merging a 1969 Ford Ranger and a 1972 Ford van. Keith Kyker and his crew Kyker Rod and Kustoms discussed building this in a garage several times while building a bump side truck for one of their customers. They finally decided to go for it while having pizza at a local pizza parlor.

Keith and the crew started this project by cutting the front of the ’69 Ford Ranger bed off and sliding it forward to the doors and braced to make a unibody. To achieve the look on the roof, they took a 1972 Ford van, shortened it, narrowed it, and connected the ribs on the roof by bead rolling them together. 

Not stopping there they cut the fenders to mount flush with the hood. They then added vents on the hood for added show appeal. To make the hatch on Lone Ranger, they used the rear window from the truck and made the rest of the panels to fit. All windows were cut to fitment and it was time to get ready for paint. Not one section of the body was left untouched. 

To get the frame on the ground, they started with a Chris Alston’s chassis with a custom wheelbase of 104 inches and began chopping it up to achieve the look they were looking for. Slam specialties RE 6 and a rack and pinion steering was used to lay the front at the proper ground clearance. On the rear slam specialties RE 7 and a Ford 9 inch rear end held in place with a heavy-duty 4-link complete the rear setup. A complete Accuair system with touchpad controls the adjustability.

On the chassis, everything was painted PPG basecoat Kasmenine Bronze with 2021 clear to make it shine. With the chassis finished up it was time to start all the body mods.  Keith himself and Chris Clark used PPG Quicksand basecoat with 2021 clear, wet sanded, and buffed to perfection.

To make this chassis standout, a set of Billet Specialties  22 x 12 on the rear and 22 x 10 on the front with Lionhart LH-Five tires all the way around. An 8-inch brake booster with a GM master cylinder controls the Wilwood brake set up with slotted and drilled rotors allow this ranger to stop on a dime.

Lone Ranger doesn’t hurt in performance either. A ’71 Ford 421c.i. engine was balanced and blueprinted before being placed under the hood. For added performance, a 650c.i. double barrel quick fuel carburetor and Shorty headers were added. James Briggs installed the Borla exhaust. The engine was painted with the Kasemine Bronze. Custom finned valve covers and breather with Lokar woven plug wires were installed. Everything was fitted between the frame rails and a CVF Performance Raptor serpentine front drive system was installed. To clean up under the hood, a custom carbon fiber panel was attached. All panels under the hood were made and bead rolled. Every engine bay panel was also painted PPG Quicksand to match the outside.

For the interior Keith and the crew bead rolled the entire floor to look as if it came directly from the Ford factory. Lone Ranger was then handed off to Speedway Seatcovers to handle the rest of the interior. They use the factory bench seats covered in distress bronze leather. Custom made door panels and headliner with LED lights were designed and installed. A custom made enclosure used to house all the air ride equipment was tuck nicely under the front seat. Custom made battery box was made to look like a suitcase was placed in front of the rear seat. Lone ranger was etched into the gauges for an additional touch. Finishing off the interior, D&D audio installed the Sound Decision stereo system all hidden.

Keith and his team and Kyker Rod and Kustoms left no stone unturned. Keith said, “there are no shortcuts on quality”. Lone Ranger is a perfect example of that statement. Keith would like to thank those that made this possible. The guys at Kyker Rod and Kustom, Mike Livingston, Shawn Kyker, Jonathan McCurry, Chris Clark, and Justin Buckles. His wife Andra Kyker, Speedway Seatcovers, CVF performance, Sound Decisions, D&D Audio, and Borla Exhaust. Two years in the making, Lone Ranger stands alone.