If there's one thing that's obnoxious, it's armchair quarterbacks. Full of wisdom, these guys sit back in easy chairs doing 12-ounce curls while yelling at the players flailing about on the small screen. Take this same squad onto the gridiron, and most of them won't be able to competently finish a single play. It's a classic case of theory clashing with reality. Off-roaders aren't immune to the armchair quarterback syndrome.
Most of us have glorious visions of super-wazoo, triple-throwdown trucks in our heads, but we're hard-pressed to get our ber-trucks out of the garage and into the dirt. Theory clashes with reality once again. Tim Coltey found the demarcation line between theory and reality and decided he wanted to have a dirt-worthy truck sooner rather than later. Beginning with a showroom-new, bone-stock '05 Ford Ranger Edge, Tim found and purchased key bolt-on parts that combine to make a dirt-worthy truck that's still fully functional as a daily driver and dirt-bike hauler. Build time was measured in months, not years.
As I type, my mind floats over to Project TrailRunner, the '92 Ranger 4x4 that's being slowly transformed into my best rendition of a super-wazoo, triple-throwdown ber-truck. I drove Project TrailRunner under its own power into the same place it's occupied since the fall of '04. "Yeah, this will take about a year," I mused at the time. Pathetic. Progress is being made, but right now my someday ber-truck has an empty engine bay and no front suspension underneath. Want a shortcut to the dirt? Do some smart shopping and go the bolt-on route. The off-road idealists will be poring over tools and metal while you'll be poring over a map, trying to decide where your next adventure will take you. Unobtanium not required.
 Ford's website describes the...  Ford's website describes the 3.0 V6 thusly: "The 3.0L OHV V6 with 148 horsepower and 180 lb-ft of torque delivers the necessary towing strength needed in an entry V6 engine without sacrificing a lot of fuel economy." Translation for the dirt: It's better than a four-banger, but it needs more oomph. Tim went with a Whipple supercharger to make the jump from street-friendly to dirt-ready. There's a K&N filter lurking inside the stock airbox. |  A Dixon Bros. front bumper...  A Dixon Bros. front bumper with an integrated skidplate leads the way, garnished by a pair of KC HiLiTES. Mounting the lights in this position helps accentuate trail contours: Shadowy spots are divots, while crests are clearly illuminated. The Dixon bumper easily bolted into place using easy-to-find hardware and basic handtools. Tim plans to add a couple of screened, flow-through vents in the skidplate since the supercharged 3.0 needs better cooling than a naturally aspirated stocker. |  Glassworks Unlimited front...  Glassworks Unlimited front fenders handily enclose bigger off-road treads and the wider stance that goes with them. Glassworks offers these Ranger fenders in a black gelcoat as well as standard-issue white. |
 Air-Zenith's OB1 compressor...  Air-Zenith's OB1 compressor tucks neatly into a corner of the bed, ready to inflate truck tires as well as dirt-bike knobbies. As much as he likes off-road trucks, Tim is even more passionate about dirt bikes. A longtime Honda rider, Tim's near future includes selling his XR400R and replacing it with a higher-tech CRF250R. Travel a little further into the future, and you'll find Tim lining up for the 2008 Baja 500 aboard his CRF - he's already set a goal to be ready for the race. |  Nitto Dune Grapplers mesh...  Nitto Dune Grapplers mesh perfectly with the multipurpose nature of this truck. They're quiet on the pavement, grip well in sandy or hard-packed desert terrain, and run amazingly true. Thirty-three inchers mounted to American Racing ATX Chamber Teflon-coated wheels are a tough combo to beat. |  Under the bed, we find a pair...  Under the bed, we find a pair of Deaver leaf packs and another pair of Bilsteins. This combo provides a smooth, controlled ride with an empty bed yet still affords good load-carrying capacity when needed. |