Standing out in the car community is easier than ever, thanks to a plethora of aftermarket goodies. New wheels, body panels, and performance parts can transform just about any make and model, but that’s not enough for everyone. Some want to truly stand out, like Brandon from Orange County, Florida, who created quite the low-riding chop-topped Ford Ranger rat rod.
The 1997 Ranger started life as a stock truck before Brandon and his friends began making their creation in 2011. Brandon designed it to do burnouts and have fun, and he has little care if it gets scratched or if kids climb on it. It’s grown to 17 feet (5.18 meters) in length, but it didn’t get any taller – it went in the opposite direction.
Brandon bagged it, dropped the body, and chopped down the roof, cutting its height to just 37.5 inches. If you wanted a comparison, the recently introduced Ford Bronco Raptor has tires that measure 37 inches tall. The truck has chewed through nine engines doing burnout contests, and it has a 2.3-liter is powering it in the video. The engine pairs to a five-speed manual gearbox with a shifter that’s so tall it scrapes the truck’s wood roof, which is held to the body with nails and bottle cap washers.
Inside, Brandon had to lower the seat by three inches to drive it while wearing his hat, though he was too short for the pedals. He added a wooden block and an engine piston head as pedal extenders. The Ford had a radio, but it no longer works, with the rest of the interior is made up of street signs and license plates. The gas tank is a 15.5-gallon Anheuser-Busch keg in the bed that sits alongside an exhaust stack.
The truck is an amalgamation of quirkiness. The truck’s design is striking, but so is its paint job, powder-coated engine, and a big, black pirate flag flying off the back. It’s rusty, and that roof won’t keep the rain out, but it’s a proper modern rat rod that looks the part.
