As if the Ford Wildtrak wasn’t bullish enough, Jamie Price has modified his to full Raptor wide-body spec – oh, and it’s the UK’s only Lexus V8-swapped Ranger too…
Pickup trucks, for the most part, are bought to be kicked about a bit and abused. They’re rugged, utilitarian things, acquired to achieve a purpose, so they seldom get cherished and pampered in their early years. It’s not uncommon to see a five-year-old Amarok or D-Max looking distinctly knackered. They get loaded up with gear, bounced over muddy fields or rubbly building sites, strewn with crisps and coffee, then dumped on the site, ready to do it all over again tomorrow. No-one’s out there with the microfibre cloths making them all pretty.
American pickup truck scene
These things always come back around, however. Look at the custom Americana scene. Pickup trucks are an ingrained staple of American life, and there’s a reason why so many 1950s and ’60s pickup trucks wear such dramatic and timeworn patina these days. The very purpose of these vehicles was to be functional rather than overtly desirable; sure, manufacturers put effort into giving them alluring design features to elevate them above their market rivals, but General Motors’ marketing department in the 1950s would no doubt have been a little surprised if they’d learned that these sturdy workhorses would become desirable collector vehicles half-a-century or so hence.
Just picture the scene: after a decade or two of hard work on the farm or delivering groceries in small-town America, a truck finds itself parked up in a rural field, its shiny new replacement taking its place in day-to-day life. The gentle chirrup of crickets as the milky orange sun peeps over the horizon. The delicate beads of dew on the rushes, mirroring those collecting on the grand haunches of gently weathering steel. Time creaks along. Slowly, inexorably, the sun warms away the moisture and sets about baking the abandoned hulk, as bored dogs and dispassionate rodents amble past. The sun goes down. The crickets resume their staccato symphony. The cycle starts anew. This is how patina is earned, base materials slowly but surely returning themselves back to the elements from whence they came.
But sometimes, just sometimes, there’s another way. And Jamie Price is here to show how beaten and well-used trucks can be given a fresh lease of life in a modern context.
Jamie’s car history
See the vivid orange Raptor here? It didn’t start life as a Raptor. When Jamie bought it back when it was nearly new, it was a perfectly respectable 2016 Wildtrak with a 3.2-litre Duratorq derv under the bonnet. “I’m a builder, and the Ranger was bought to be my daily driver,” he explains. “When the engine unexpectedly let go at 40,000 miles, and Ford were asking £10,000 for a replacement, I decided to do something a bit different…”
Now, in order to contextualise Jamie’s own personal interpretation of the concept of ‘a bit different’, it’s important to rewind back a few years or so and see just what makes him tick, automotively-speaking. “I’ve always been very much into modded cars, I’ve been a speed freak all my life,” he explains. “Right now I also own a 900bhp Mk4 Toyota Supra and a 400bhp 3-door Sierra RS Cosworth (see that Cosworth feature here). In the past I’ve had many Cosworths, including three 3-doors and a Saff, as well as a few Nissan GT-Rs – one R35 at 1,400bhp… and there was a 1,300bhp Mk4 Supra, both of those were magazine cover cars. I’ve had lots of fast motorbikes too, including a 507rwhp turbo Hayabusa, a supercharged Kawasaki H2, turbo GSX-R1000; I’ve had over fifty cars and sixty motorbikes so far, and I still have a few bikes.”
So hopefully all of that goes some way to explain what happened next.
3UZ V8 engine swap in modified Ford Ranger
When Ford suggested Jamie pay £10k for a replacement diesel motor, Jamie politely suggested that they might like to fornicate away while he formulated another plan. Few might have guessed what would happen next but the solution was to buy an old Lexus saloon and hoik the motor out of that. The car in question in this instance was a 2001 LS430, and the motor in that is a little bit special: a 4.3-litre petrol V8, it boasts such pleasing specs as 32-valves and quad cams, with VVT-i, all wrapped up in aluminium heads and an aluminium block. Straight out of the box it offers 300bhp and 325lb.ft, and of course there’s oodles of potential for more – as Jamie was soon to discover.
“I bought a stock LS430 and, with the help of Joel at Ignite Automotive, pulled the engine out,” he says. “It fitted in my truck lovely, it was like it was made for the job! Some of the wiring was tiresome to sort, but Joel got there in the end and it all works as it should.” The engine remains stock internally, and was treated to a 3” exhaust system and a custom intake; it’s overseen by a Syvecs S7-Plus ECU, which was fitted and mapped by Mike at SRD Tuning, and now the Ranger boasts an impressive 350bhp. A much more Jamie-like figure. (And he’s not done either – don’t be surprised if a couple of turbos appear over the winter.)
Modified Ford Ranger gets Raptor widebody kit
With enthusiasm for the modified Ford Ranger renewed after this sizeable infusion of power, Jamie didn’t want to leave the job half-done. Daily miles can leave their natural knockabout patina, it’s the pickup truck way, but he was feeling really rather affectionate towards the old workhorse by this point. And so the makeover began. A full, genuine Ranger Raptor wide-body kit was fitted, which included a complete rear tub change along with new front wings and new front and rear bumpers. The 9×17” Motegi wheels wear chunky apocalypse-proof Grabber tyres, and the aggressive suspension lift comes courtesy of Pedders coilovers. With all of that extra grunt, he saw fit to upgrade the braking system as well, so now the business end wears colossal K-Sport 8-pots. It all adds up to a formidable and brutal machine.
Modified Ford Ranger verdict
“Yes, it’s still my daily driver,” Jamie grins. “That’s what it was originally bought for, and that’s what it still does today. I’ve done around 15,000 miles now with the V8, and it’s been amazing; the general public seem to love it too, I get people coming up to me every day asking about the truck.”
There are a number of reasons for that. It might be the incredible and unexpected noises it makes. It might be its habit of travelling significantly faster than anybody’s expecting it to. Or it might just be that, in the rust-never-sleeps realm of the pickup truck, it’s surprising to see one that looks so utterly pristine. Sure, like all trucks, this one gets kicked about on a daily basis – but the difference here is that it’s done with affection. Built tough to be tough, but with a whole lot of heart inside.
Photos: Ade Brannan.
If you love modified Fords, then don’t miss out on our Ford Fest event this September 22nd at Mallory Park. Head over to the event page here to purchase tickets.
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