1996 Ford Ranger Supercab 2WD - Prerunner

1996 Ford Ranger Supercab 2Wd Left Side View

1996 Ford Ranger Supercab 2Wd Front Left View

We showcase a lot of supertrucks in our pages. You know the ones: able to leap multiple whoops in a single bound, more powerful than the Space Shuttle on steroids...

The dirty little secret behind most of those supertrucks is that they're rarely, if ever, driven on the street. Why? Competition-style rollcages make ingress and egress an exercise in body contortion, not to mention the way they amplify noise into the cab. Add competition-style five-point harnesses to the picture and you can see why supertrucks aren't practical or fun for everyday use.

If your envisioned supertruck needs a dash of Clark Kent in the mixture, we'd suggest following the Ranger formula on these pages. Tim Giles of Whittier, California, needed just such a mixture in his '96 Ford Ranger.

Tim originally started working on a '92 Ranger, but slammed into a proverbial brick wall mid-way through his build. Burned out and frustrated, but not wanting to give up completely, he decided a different truck and a different approach were in order. He scanned the classified ads for an unmolested stock truck and happened upon a clean '96 Supercab Ranger with the 4.0 pushrod-style V-6. The truck hadn't been modified or abused. It was a perfect blank canvas.

To paint that blank canvas, Tim turned to Tom McKenzie of S.I. Motorsports. Tom has built several supertrucks, but developed a formula for building dual-purpose Rangers along the way. What is the formula? It's a bolt-on bed cage with an integrated spare tire carrier, a bolt-on engine cage, long-travel front I-beams, and long-travel rear leaf springs. To keep this truck streetable, a full rollcage wasn't part of the equation. Comparing Tom's work to art on a canvas isn't a stretch. Tom's a perfectionist and does things either a hundred percent or not at all.

We love looking at and riding in supertrucks, but we still know there's a definite place for Clark Kent. That place may be in your driveway.

S.I. Motorsports built Tim's engine cage from 1.5-inch, 0.120-wall 4130 chromoly tubing and 1/8-inch-thick chromoly plate. TIG welding was used exclusively on this build. The engine cage bolts to the frame using grade-8 hardware. Fourteen-inch-stroke King coilovers help provide 20 inches of front wheel travel.
S.I. Motorsports built Tim's engine cage from 1.5-inch, 0.120-wall 4130 chromoly tubing an
Like the engine cage, the S.I. I-beam front end combines chromoly tubing and plate, melded using a TIG machine. These 4-inch wider-per-side I-beams pivot from the original brackets, so they're the un-equal length factory configuration. The steering adjusters were lengthened using 1.25-inch solid stock which was externally sleeved with 1.5-inch chromoly tubing.
Like the engine cage, the S.I. I-beam front end combines chromoly tubing and plate, melded
Stock 2WD Ranger spindle snouts have a habit of pulling out of the steering knuckles that they're attached to. The team at S.I. didn't merely fix this problem, they smashed it. In place of the stock spindle, they pressed a custom 4WD-style spindle into place, and then welded it to the knuckle. As if pressing and welding weren't enough, the bolt you see on the back side of the knuckle goes through and adds a third layer of spindle retention.
Stock 2WD Ranger spindle snouts have a habit of pulling out of the steering knuckles that

Tom re-welded the factory seams on the I-beam crossmember. He also added reinforcing washers to the beam pivot points. A small pocket was added to the bottom of the crossmember (arrow) to facilitate additional droop travel. There are 20 inches of front suspension travel on tap.
Tom re-welded the factory seams on the I-beam crossmember. He also added reinforcing washe
Clean enough to eat off of. It was important to take the photos the first time back in the dirt, as this Ranger was built to be used and may never be this spotless again.
Clean enough to eat off of. It was important to take the photos the first time back in th
Here is a worm's-eye view of the King coilover and the Fox bumpstop. Note the bolt-on bumpstop bracket. Bolt-on construction makes it easy to remove cages and brackets if needed during maintenance, and the bolts also allow a little bit of give between the bracket and the frame. This helps the whole chassis last longer. Check out the custom battery tray: another sample of Tom's meticulous work.
Here is a worm's-eye view of the King coilover and the Fox bumpstop. Note the bolt-on bump