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Ford Ranger: The Evolution Of Un-Revolutionary Design

Ford Ranger: The Evolution Of Un-Revolutionary Design

98_ford_ranger.jpg
 

klatt_89

Gotta Be Somebody
Never really thought the Ranger was a full sized truck.....and the only Ford i've ever owned that was branded with the word Ranger was a 78 F-150 4x4 Ranger :D
 

john112deere

caffeine junkie
Staff member
10,807
405
central Vermont
I assume that's what Tex means.

I've always figured they realized that Courier didn't project the image they wanted for their new compact truck, looked around at what they already had legal use of...and settled on Ranger, but I don't know.

*As many of you know, I'm a big fan of Rangers. And one of the things I actually kind of like about them is that they don't change all the time for the sake of change. (Think VW here...or Model T.) What does bug me, though, is how much crappier the interior has gotten over the years. Grandpa has an '04, I've driven it a few times. Steering wheel and gauge cluster look stupid (and drop one phony gauge and one real gauge), seat is neither as attractive nor as comfortable as my '97 (both are fabric split-benches) and it doesn't feel like it will hold up as well, either. They re-did the inside door panels, and the new pulls are in a more awkward location, and shaped so it's harder to open them with gloves on. On and on and on... (Also I think the newer grilles are getting less attractive, but that's mostly personal preference.)

Oh- WHY do I like the way they mostly stay the same? Because what they started out as, and what they still are, is your classic, basic pickup truck. Pretty easy to work on, doesn't (with a few exceptions) involve very many parts that aren't familiar to anyone who's tinkered with cars for years, etc.
 
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racsan

4xford
alot of the trim levels from the 70's became vehicles, "ranger" & "explorer" for example. personally i wish they would leave well enough alone. they re-did the S-10 into that junk colorado/canyon. i prefer the old-school twin I beam / twin traction beam front end and recirculation steering box over that garbage with A arms and torsion bars with power rack and pinion. the electric shift T-case doesnt bother me so much, mine still works after 15 years. i did ditch my auto hubs for mile marker manual units some time ago. next i suppose they'll make it a unibody and get rid of the full-frame. i'll just keep mine on the road (and off) for as long as i can still get parts. what ever happend to the concept of "if it aint broke, dont break it" got to keep re-inventing the wheel.
 

john112deere

caffeine junkie
Staff member
10,807
405
central Vermont
i prefer the old-school twin I beam / twin traction beam front end and recirculation steering box over that garbage with A arms and torsion bars with power rack and pinion.

I'm not really a fan of my TIB. It rides fine, and with the miles on the vehicle I can't really complain much that it needs a bunch of worn parts replaced to make it steer nice again, but I have never once driven this truck with an alignment that I was happy with, and that seems to be a common complaint on this design. Best handling I ever had from it was when I first got it- had WAY too much toe-in, had already chewed up the front tires pretty bad, and if you let go of the wheel would dive for the ditch. But daggone did it steer and handle nice...
 

89frankenford

Grabber Green Consultant
4,547
147
NH
its the same deal as chevy....they had the chevy blazer tahoe edition for a while. (i had an 86 s-10 blazer 4x4 tahoe edition) it was fully loaded with EVERYTHING!. then they got rid of the the s-10 blazer and the full size blazer and made just one mid size blazer. and at that time they then created whats now called the tahoe. it was just a badge that turned into a car. just like the ranger and explorer
 

BKW

Ford Parts Guru
The Ranger was introduced in the spring of 1982 as a 1983 model.

The Courier was dropped after 1981, the F100 was dropped midyear 1983.
 

racsan

4xford
there was a "durango" package on a truck once upon a time too. but i think it was on a S-10 pickup, its been a long while since ive seen it. dont they refer to the full-size chevy's as "silverado" now instead of c/k 1500's? does that mean that the cheyenne and other trim levels no longer exist for the g.m. 1/2 ton line?
 
there was a "durango" package on a truck once upon a time too. but i think it was on a S-10 pickup, its been a long while since ive seen it. dont they refer to the full-size chevy's as "silverado" now instead of c/k 1500's? does that mean that the cheyenne and other trim levels no longer exist for the g.m. 1/2 ton line?

Pretty much. Now the silverado just uses like WT/LS/LT/SLT.... trim lines... [confused]
 

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