Awash in iridescent Chameleon...
Awash in iridescent Chameleon Chrome Illusion paint, the Ranger was "largely constructed from raw materials" using "more ingenuity than money," Scott says. Among the home-fabbed components are the handsome 20-inch steel wheels, though the Smittybilt side steps, Light Force driving lights, and Warn 15000 winch are all stout aftermarket pieces.
If Scott Sidwell looks a little sleepy in this photo, it's small wonder. Halfway to Top Truck from his Minnesota home, his trailer was sideswiped by a passing car, leaving a mangled wheel-and-hub assembly in its wake. Delayed half a day in Utah, he managed to rustle up the parts to patch up the axle, and drove 800 miles nonstop to Hollister a day before the event. He arrived with his Ranger in the dead of night, a few hours before these photos were taken.
Specifications
Owner name/city: Scott Sidwell/Glencoe, MN
Occupation: Shop owner, Sidco 4x4
Vehicle model: 1983 Ford Ranger
Estimated value: $25,000
Engine/aspiration: 514ci Ford V-8, Holley 770cfm Truck Avenger carb, Edelbrock intake, hand-fabbed exhaust w/ 21/4 x 5-in collector
Transmission: Stock 4-spd w/manual valve body, TCI 2,000rpm stall converter
Transfer case: 3:1 hand-fabbed double-row #60 chain-drive
Suspension (f/r): Four-link, 9-in Skyjacker F-150 springs, semitractor-trailer shocks/four-link, 9-in Skyjacker F-150 springs, Gabriel shocks
Axles (f/r): GMC 2 1/2-ton military/GMC 2 1/2-ton military; rear "lead" locker, 4x.0.120-wall driveshafts, pinion brakes
Axle ratio: 6.68:1
Wheels: 20-in hand-fabbed steelies
Tires: 54x20 Interco Super Swamper Boggers
 In the rear, a matching M211...  In the rear, a matching M211 GMC axle is similarly located by a four-link and hybrid Skyjacker/Gabriel semi coilover setup, and turns 6.68:1 gears and the stock Mil-spec axleshafts. A stock pinion brake handles stopping chores. |  The Ranger's interior is mostly...  The Ranger's interior is mostly old-skool stock, what with a working heater, A/C and the OE steering wheel, though switchgear has been consolidated in an underdash Painless control box, and Stewart-Warner gauges are on hand to monitor engine vitals. The Sparkomatic cassette deck looks like it hasn't been used in awhile, though. |  Up front, the Ranger's home-fabbed...  Up front, the Ranger's home-fabbed 3:1 transfer case spins a 4x.0120-wall driveshaft to engage the M211 GMC 2 1/2-ton military axle. Location comes courtesy of a combination of a four-link working in tandem with Skyjacker 9-inch F-150 springs coiled over a set of Gabriel shocks that were scavenged from a semi truck, and hydro-orbital steering helps turn the 54-inch Boggers. |
 Rangers never were outfitted...  Rangers never were outfitted with a V-8 from the factory, but Scott's ride proves that a 400hp Ford SVO 514ci crate motor fits neatly between the rails. A Holley 770 Truck Avenger and Edelbrock manifold help to feed the block, an MSD ignition and coil help to manage the spark, and power passes through the OE flywheel to a manual-valve-bodied C6 automatic sporting a TCI 2,000-stall converter. | | |