Jeff Ford was perusing eBay one day, looking for a classic truck that he could hand the keys off to his son Jordon when he happened upon a clean '68 Ford F-100 Ranger. On a whim, he decided to bid on it, doubtful that he would meet the reserve set by the owner. The auction ended and just as Jeff figured, the reserve was not met. The next day, however, the owner decided to lift the reserve and lo and behold, Jeff was the highest bidder. A short time later and the previous owner, Rusty, had brought the truck out from where he built it in Tucson, Arizona, to Jeff's home in Costa Mesa, California, to hand over the keys and pink slip.
Jeff's original intention with the truck was to simply go through it and try to turn it for a few bucks profit. Upon closer inspection however, he found that he had become quite smitten with the bumpside and its turbocharged 390ci FE engine. The previous owner had done a terrific job of assembling a very clean truck without sacrificing the ability to hop in and drive it, which made it even more appealing to Jeff and causing him to reconsider selling it after all.
Purchased virtually as-is, the 0.020-over 390 floated a valve shortly after Jeff purchased it, which resulted in a quick once-over on the heads, including the installation of stainless valves. An 88mm turbo feeds the FE motor through an intercooler routed through a Holley carb and Edelbrock intake resulting in plenty of power to light the tires via a Ford C6 transmission with a manual valvebody. A Ford 9-inch rearend handles the torque from the engine while four-wheel disc brakes provide ample stopping power. Eighteen-inch American Racing Hopster wheels also reside at all four corners, wrapped in Nitto rubber.
The interior of the Ford was kept relatively stock, with a custom material installed on the bench seat, floor, and dash. The door panels were restored as well as the original gauges and factory Ford air conditioning. Outside, the truck received a two-tone paint scheme using a color similar to the Boxwood Green hue offered as a factory color in 1969, before new tinted glass and restored trim was installed.
While purchased on a whim with the intention of simply giving it the once-over and turning it for a profit, Jeff says that he is having too much fun driving the wheels off the F-100 and laying rubber down at every stoplight. With the motor out at Valley Engine in Fountain Valley, California, chances are Jeff's going to have it up and running better than ever shortly and won't be selling it anytime soon. But you never know, he just might find something else on eBay that he has to have.