After a year of design and planning,
the first major alteration was in June
1996, and was the only part
of the whole project that came with instructions. A Ratical convertible
top kit was used along with a pneumatic tool designed for cutting
mufflers off tailpipes, The entire roof was cut off the truck
and the cut edges were sealed with the kit's supplied pieces.
Then the original roof was clamped back on. But the original
roof was too heavy to make top-off driving practical. A folding
top had to be designed.
Fitting the '56 Ford front end was the next part. The hood is the stock Ranger part.
The brownish area between the hood and the grille opening is
a piece of Poplar hardwood with fifteen coats of polyurethane,
thought to be sturdier than filling the space with sheet plastic.
It wasn't. It didn't hold the paint well, and began to crack.
It was replaced in the spring. The new roof was a removable,
folding plexiglass arrangement, designed and built by necessity,
and the front bumper is from a '65 Mustang.
The rear was extended 19 inches to fit the concept of a large 50's car.
The rear design was to emulate a '58 Cadillac, complete with
fins. The extension was framed with 2x4 and 2x6 pressure-treated
lumber and turned out to be quite solid.
September 1999: Puttin' it all together required
taking two weeks off from work. The upper rear fenders were made
from acrylic sheet plastic, molded and formed with a simple heat
gun. Acrylic is inexpensive and easy to work with, but not so
good for fenders. The lower rear fenders are metal, from a '55
Chevy. Shown here are the front and rear fenders in place, and
the wooden framework on the doors and rear cab for mounting the
plastic panels that will complete the sides.
Something to keep in mind when painting
your vehicle: Don't do it.
It's a mess. Whatever it costs to get it done properly in a shop
is worth it. But this was a learning process, and the painting
was completed just before the cold weather set in. Then there
was a spell of warm weather in early November, and some top-down
driving was in order (mixed feelings - it was a drive to the
dentist). This was before the Cadillac taillights were mounted.
There were two pairs of the original Ranger taillights beneath
the tailgate. Also absent at this point were the valance below
the front bumper, the grille and the rocker panels. The folding
plexiglass top is in place in the bed, and the wooden bed extensions
are visible. A bed cover was eventually added.
The '59 Cadillac taillights proved to be not so simple a task. It took two weekends
to get everything assembled so that all four bullet-shaped taillights
pointed in roughly the same direction. A small clearance light
is mounted at the peak of each tailfin.
One year later. A new nose piece (between the grill and the hood)
was constructed of metal, replacing the wood piece. The plastic
valance below the bumper was also reconstructed of metal. Projector
fog and driving lights were added, as were lakes pipes (chromed
side exhaust pipes), and a pair of dummy spotlights.
Winterized. This was the first winter with the original
steel top and a fiberglass cap over the bed. The Wife thought
it made it look like a hearse. The cap was too much for the plastic
rear fenders and they began to crack. It was never used again.
Ragtop. The last piece of the original plan (which required
a car-type soft top). After taking judicious measurements, It
was determined that a '55-'57 Chevy convertible top could be
made to fit. It is a Rube Goldberg arrangement at best, but it
does the job. This was October 2001, completing the project begun
in 1996.
Stats
and Specs