1995 Ford Ranger - Rattlin’ Ranger - Solid Fabrication

Tony Veltre’s ’95 Ford Ranger has quite a few interesting stories behind it. First, he was the winner of a jump contest we held late last year at a local off-road event. The winning prize was a feature in, you guessed it, Off-Road Magazine. Fortunately for us, his truck was worthy of a feature regardless of said jump. Another fun fact about this truck is the rather loud fishing-inspired paint scheme across the sides and how it came about.

A number of Tony’s friends kept telling him that his truck looks like a fish or shark because of the fiberglass, so he decided to have his painter expand on that concept. He told his painter to mimic the look of a fish with a Rattlin’ Rapala fishing lure coming out its mouth. Well, the joke was on Tony when he picked up his truck and found the painter had actually painted an entire fishing lure across the sides of his truck. He decided to leave it and thus the nickname was born.

All jokes aside, Tony is the owner of Solid Fabrication out of Beaumont, California. His truck was originally built to run the MDR race series, but a series of unfortunate events just before race day kept it from playing the field. The truck has now turned into a showcase vehicle for people to see some of the new suspension and fabrication products coming out of Solid Fabrication’s garage. OR

Specs
Vehicle: ’95 Ford Ranger
Owner: Tony Veltre
Chassis: Solid Fabrication DOM rollcage, all TIG-welded
Engine: Ford 363 ci Dart short-block, AFR heads, bored 4.125, forged internals, ARE three-stage dry sump, Howe Racing radiator, PWR coolers, Aeromotive A-1000 fuel pump, S.D.S. Stand Alone fuel delivery
Drivetrain: John Baker C6 trans, TCI torque converter, 4.87 gears, Tubeworks axles, Strange spool, Chassis Works Fab9 full-floating rear end
Suspension: Solid Fabrication equal-length I-beams, 4130 spindles, Solid Fab three-link rear suspension, King shocks, Marvin Shaw airbumps
Steering: Solid Fab cross over
Brakes: Wilwood six-piston calipers
Tires/wheels: 35-inch BFG Baja T/A, OMF bead lock wheels
Interior: Autometer gauges, Sparco wheel, Sparco EVO2 Plus seats, Crow belts, Parker Pumper, Lowrance 7200, Racer X radio
Other Parts: Hella lights, Jazz fuel cell, Winters gate shifter, Fiberwerx carbon fiber dash, Perry’s Fab-N-Fiber wide body fiberglass
Favorite Off-Road Area: Ocotillo Wells, Barstow, Lucerne Valley, Alaska

The TIG-welding throughout this truck is phenomenal. Sending the truck safely through whoop sections are Solid Fab’s equal-length I-beams. At each end are 4130 spindles using Dana 44 snouts, CNC hubs and Solid Fab’s crossover steering setup. Front wheel travel measures 19 inches, bump to bump. Custom tie rods and pitman arm were also fabricated for this truck. The stout front bumper connects through the grille into the engine cage and holds four Hella Rallye 4000 lights.
The TIG-welding throughout this truck is phenomenal. Sending the truck safely through whoo
Under the rear is a Chassis Works Fab9 full-floating rear axle with a Strangle nodular third member. A Strange spool, 4.87 gears, and Tubeworks 40-spline axles are stuffed inside. Wilwood brakes are found at all four corners.
Under the rear is a Chassis Works Fab9 full-floating rear axle with a Strangle nodular thi
The Jazz 32-gallon fuel cell is supported by an Aeromotive A-1000 fuel pump, Aeromotive fuel rails, 48-pound injectors and a Stand Alone S.D.S. fuel delivery system. Solid Fab also added a 3-gallon engine oil reservoir located behind the fuel cell.
The Jazz 32-gallon fuel cell is supported by an Aeromotive A-1000 fuel pump, Aeromotive fu

Tony is one of only a few guys currently running Perry’s Fab-N-Fiber’s new wide-body fiberglass package. The entire body of the truck including the cab is made from fiberglass. After rolling this truck once before and dealing with the high cost of replacing the cab, Tony decided to wrap the entire truck in fiberglass. The glass isn’t cheap, but it’s cheaper than a new steel cab and the associated costs of making it fit again. The new body looks amazing and eliminates the typical narrow body, wide glass look we always see.
Tony is one of only a few guys currently running Perry’s Fab-N-Fiber’s new wide-body fiber
Closer inspection of the front-end reveals the meticulous TIG welding we mentioned before.
Tony needed a set of wheels and tires proven to take endless abuse off-road. He chose 35-inch BFG Baja T/A tires and OMF beadlock wheels.
Tony needed a set of wheels and tires proven to take endless abuse off-road. He chose 35-i

Pushing the truck around is a short-block Ford 363 ci Dart engine putting out a modest 400 horsepower. Keeping the engine temps in check is a Howe Racing radiator and ARE three-stage dry sump combo. All that power leaves the engine and shoots through a John Baker-built C6 transmission with a TCI torque converter and dual PWR coolers mounted in the rear.
Pushing the truck around is a short-block Ford 363 ci Dart engine putting out a modest 400
It doesn’t get much cleaner than this.
Autometer liquid-filled gauges are mounted to the cage aimed at the co driver. Part of being a co driver is keeping aware of everything happening with the vehicle so the driver can focus on driving.
Autometer liquid-filled gauges are mounted to the cage aimed at the co driver. Part of bei

Tony’s cabin is well laid out and only holds crucial components. Behind the Sparco steering wheel is a Fiberwerx carbon fiber dash. The S.D.S. stand-alone ECU gauge is mounted to the dash that displays all engine vitals. Communications are controlled by a Race X system and navigation belongs to a Lowrance 7200 unit.
Tony’s cabin is well laid out and only holds crucial components. Behind the Sparco steerin
Sparco EVO2 Plus seats are mounted with Crow five-point belts and a Parker Pumper air system runs lines to each passenger. The cabin is also equipped with a 10-pound Firecharger fire suppression system.
Sparco EVO2 Plus seats are mounted with Crow five-point belts and a Parker Pumper air syst

One of the first things Tony mentioned about his truck when we lifted the hood off was how under-shocked his truck is. He loves his King coilovers and bypass shocks but feels he needs more. He hinted around getting some 4.0 shocks under the Ford, which should be more than enough. All four airbumps found on the truck are from Marvin Shaw.
One of the first things Tony mentioned about his truck when we lifted the hood off was how
In order to keep up with the front, Solid Fab built a three-link suspension in the rear that pulls 28 inches of wheel travel strapped for safety. Everything is beautifully 4130 TIG-welded.
In order to keep up with the front, Solid Fab built a three-link suspension in the rear th