Bagged and Boddied 1992 Ford Ranger

It’s Not Always Rainbows and Butterflies

 Not every build is a walk in the park. Some build stories have many different components and certain trials and tribulations. Angela Dry from Grove, Oklahoma, is no stranger to adversity. In 2010, she was able to save enough money to buy her truck of choice, an ’85 Ford Ranger. When she finally got the truck home and started to inspect it, she saw the top, bottom of the door frames, and fenders were eaten up by rust. The winter in Oklahoma was likely the cause, with massive snow throughout the entire state in the late months of the year. 

Angela brought the Ranger to a shop and they hacked it up by cutting wires that shouldn’t have been cut.” 

Not wanting to just scrap the entire truck, Angela set out to find a donor truck to combine with her purchase to make one whole truck. The donor truck came from Inola, Oklahoma, and the frame was removed and added to her ’85 Ranger. Angela brought the Ranger to a shop and they hacked it up by cutting wires that shouldn’t have been cut. Angela’s brother Chris Eaton had to go in and rewire everything to correct the issues this fumble caused.

SIBLING SYNERGY

Chris also handled the stock floor body-drop while the transmission had to be modified via a tunnel in the cabin. Once the body was put back on, the bed floor was raised so it wouldn’t have a hole in it. Angela wanted to learn to weld and her brother was more than happy to teach her because it meant less work for him. She spent countless hours spot-welding and working the body and bed floor. He showed her how to patch rust spots, as well as how to shave the gas door. During the process, her brother accidentally put a huge hole in the tailgate, so Angela put her newfound talents to work fixing it on her own. Her repaired tailgate is what’s on the truck today. Chris, Angela, and her long-time boyfriend, Dustin Darby, brought the truck into the paint booth and added a Nissan Pacific Blue paint to the freshly bodied Ranger.

INTERIOR MOTIVES

Turning her attention to the interior, Angela located a set of Chevy Cavalier seats and replaced the dilapidated stock seats. The dashboard was restructured due to all the cracks. New carpet was put in and the door panels were replaced. Local upholstery artist, Debra Siske, added new upholstery inside. Angela was able to find a center console that came from a Ford Explorer that fit between the seats to perfection. Her boyfriend, Dustin, works at a glass company, so replacing the glass inside the truck was relatively simple.

Under the hood, after initially running and driving fine, the stock motor seized on her, adding yet another problem to Angela’s build. Luckily the donor truck’s motor had lower miles and was able to be rebuilt, cleaned, painted, and mounted. Wheel tubs were added for proper fitment, and she decided to go with 17-inch Prime wheels she found in Mississippi to get the Ford rolling on the streets. As it was originally purchased as an ’85 Ford Ranger, the ’92 loaner truck was grafted onto the entire body, so we’ll now call the Ranger a 1992 instead. What made the grafting easy was the fact that the Toyota front clip was used.

AIN’T IT A B%#CH

Angela wishes to thank her brother for teaching her all the truck and welding skills she now has, her very supportive bearded boyfriend, Dustin Darby, and her two kids, Josie and Joseph, for all their support. As a Cherokee Indian, Angela loves her heritage and has proudly joined the Female Mini-Truckers, with whom she is excited to find camaraderie. With all the bumps in the road she experienced, Angela accurately named her truck The B%#ch.

Angela wanted to learn to weld and her brother was more than happy to teach her because it meant less work for him.” 

TRUCK SPECS

 Owner 

Angela Dry
1992 Ford Ranger
Grove, Oklahoma

Chassis

• Front Suspension:  Slam Specialties 2,600-pound air bags, Thorbeck Brothers upper and lower control arms
• Rear Suspension:  triangulated 4-link, Slam Specialties 2,600-pound air bags, engine-driven compressor, 10-gallon air tank mounted under the bed

Drivetrain

• Engine: 2.3L, Spectre air filter, painted block
• Transmission: manual 5-speed

Body/Paint 

• Nissan Pacific Blue paint, pinstripe by Gooch at Gooch’s Pinstriping, raised Ford emblem, custom fender badges by A.J. Going at Lowdown Fabworks, shaved stock gas door, bed raised 8 ½ inches, custom wheel tubs built

Interior 

• Chevy Cavalier seats reupholstered by Debra Siske, ’85 Ford Explorer center console

Stereo 

• Sony head unit
• 5-inch door speakers
• 6×9 rear speakers

Wheels & Tires 

• Wheels: 17×11 Prime wheels with Centerline centercaps
• Tires: 215/40R17 Yokohama