H.S. kid builds his own Diesel Ranger
...So you want to build a Diesel Ranger and everyone say's it can't be done..I ran across this and thought it would answer a few peoples questions..
...This article is from Diesel builders magazine, August '08 edition...
http://www.dieselbuilder.com/ME2/Au...=4&id=7F359DF125C545FFA40BEBF258C67E23&AudID=
...."Matt Conrad is a 17-year-old high school student who designed and built this wild little ’98 Ford Ranger from the ground up."
..This is a Cummings powered Diesel Ranger..:biggthump
AFTER SCHOOL SPECIAL
Seventeen-Year-Old Matt Conrad Built This Amazing Cummins-Powered Ranger
Diesel engine swaps are becoming increasingly common these days, but this is one that really stands out as something special.
Matt Conrad is a 17-year-old high school student who designed and built this wild little ’98 Ford Ranger from the ground up. He had help from his dad, Joe, and family friend, Chris Page, and purchased the hail-damaged truck from a cousin, when he was only 15 years old. It was then that he began to build it into his dream machine. It has been said that the current generation of youths are only interested in video games and won’t do hard work. Well, Conrad is proof that whoever said that doesn’t have all the facts. His Ranger is proof that hard work will pay off for anyone.
The extended cab ’98 Ford Ranger was completely stock when Conrad purchased it, but it wouldn’t stay that way long. He started out by installing a mild lift on the diminutive 2WD Ranger and installing a set of 31-inch tall BFGoodrich All-Terrain tires to give it a more appealing look. Unfortunately, the Ranger was a base model truck equipped with the anemic 2.5-liter four-cylinder gas engine and Conrad soon realized that it was very much underpowered, leading him to consider an engine swap. Realizing more power was needed, Conrad considered upgrading to a V-8 gas engine or some sort of diesel, fortunately for us he chose a diesel because he always wanted a diesel truck.
After some Internet searching, Conrad found a Cummins 4BT engine that he thought would be perfect for the swap. So after explaining his plans to install a diesel engine in the Ranger to his dad, he received permission and purchased the engine. Conrad’s goal was to build a Ford Ranger that would pour smoke, and the 3.9-liter four-cylinder Cummins turbo diesel engine was just what he needed to realize his goal. His engine came out of an ’04 Komatsu excavator and actually fit in the Ranger’s engine bay quite nicely.
Conrad performed the swap himself, fabricating mounts as necessary, but once he got the Ranger back on the road, he realized one of the problems with using an excavator engine in a road-going vehicle—the injection pump governor was a problem. Since the excavator is designed for constant rpm service duty, the engine did not perform well with the variable rpm range encountered while driving. To remedy the situation and make the truck more drivable, Conrad replaced the P-pump with a VE pump that allows the engine to operate at variable rpm. He installed an S&D air cleaner to make sure the HX25W turbocharger does not ingest road debris, and the exhaust is routed through 5-inch Aussie stacks in the bed and above the cab for a big truck look. Additionally, Conrad installed a Denny T Stage II power pin and had Woodruff Diesel install a 366 governor spring to get a little more oomph out of the four-banger.
With the new injector pump installed, the little Ranger was running great, in fact a little too great as Conrad soon received his first speeding ticket and lost his license for 30 days. But something good came from the time off, as Conrad decided to use the time to paint the truck—performing the wild paint and airbrushing himself in the family workshop. Even though he planned to finish the paint during the 30-day suspension, it took around 60 days to complete. After the paint was done, Conrad designed and fabricated the custom front bumper and painted and installed it just days prior to our photo shoot.
The Ranger is Conrad’s only vehicle, and he uses his creation as a daily driver back and forth to school. Conrad and his dad even drove the truck about 250 miles each way to Bowling Green, Kentucky, from Okeana, Ohio, to attend the TS Outlaw event! He entered the truck in the Show-n-Shine where he was awarded the 2nd place trophy for modified vehicles, and tested the truck on the dyno posting an impressive 115 hp and 200 lb-ft of torque. But when filling out our tech sheet, Conrad listed his best quarter-mile time as “Dad won’t let me try,” so we’ll have to wait a year or so to see what this little Ranger will do on the track.
Conrad’s Ranger uses the factory extended cab frame, but he had to fabricate custom engine and transmission mounts to install the Cummins 4BT and the 46RH transmission that is backing it. He installed a B&M shifter to actuate gear selection in the automatic transmission. Up front, he installed a set of 3-inch lift spindles and custom-built 2-inch spacers on the factory coil springs to give the truck its new ride height and allow him to fit larger tires under it. In the rear, Conrad swapped out the Ranger rear axle for a stronger 8.8-inch unit from an Explorer with 3.08:1 gears. The rear suspension uses the factory leaf springs with 1,500-pound Helwig helper springs and 4-inch blocks. To provide a little additional tire clearance, Conrad installed a 3-inch Superlift body lift on the Ranger. Monroe shocks are used all the way around to give the truck a smooth ride while Ford front disc and rear drum brakes make sure Conrad can stop the truck quietly when needed. The diesel Ranger rolls on 33x12.50R15 BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain T/A tires wrapped around 15x8-inch American Racing polished aluminum Baja wheels.
In addition to repairing the hail damage, Conrad and his dad installed Bushwacker fender flares, a fiberglass rear rolled pan and a billet grille before Conrad painted the truck. The younger Conrad used Nason Corvette Yellow as the base for the truck with silver and black for the graphics below the peeled away base. Conrad also designed and built the custom sheetmetal front bumper to give his little ranger the tough big truck off-road look. The body is also dressed up with aftermarket carbon-fiber-style front and rear light assemblies and a Recon LED third brake light.
The interior of Conrad’s ranger is largely stock, but he did install a set of black and yellow seat covers to match the exterior. He also installed a Sony CDX-FW700 CD receiver in the factory dash location to go with upgraded speakers in the factory door locations. To monitor the Cummins under the hood, Conrad installed DI/Pricol boost and EGT gauges in a pod on the A-pillar as well as an Isspro tach on the top of the steering column.
While the Cummins Ranger may appear to be complete, and looks good as is, this enterprising young man has plans to improve the truck. He plans to install a set of traction bars to help the rear suspension, and engine upgrades include intercooler, larger injectors, an HX35 turbo and a custom exhaust manifold to squeeze some big power out of the little four-banger. With more power on tap, Conrad will also upgrade the transmission to make sure it will hold the extra grunt from the Cummins.
Conrad has put a great deal of time and effort into the creation of his custom Cummins-powered Ford Ranger and it is clearly evident that the results are worth the effort. He says that “the project has been a great learning experience for me and I hope to learn more and more for the rest of my life.” With an attitude like that and the obvious skills he already possesses, we are sure whatever project Conrad turns his attention to will be a huge success! Check out a few of Conrad’s build photos on the following pages that show how much work this young man put into his little Ranger.
:...lol
