SHO Ranger

[P. A. Schilke]

Hi Folks,

Here is a blast from the past. We stuffed a Taurus SHO motor in a Ranger. I put one of my SCCA racetruck suspensions under the truck. Engine Engineering disabled the rev limiter giving 10,000 rpm under my foot. Could dust off any Vette on the street in first gear! Great fun, and sports car handling.

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co Retired

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[Rviator]

Thanks Phil! It likely spawned my '88 STX. It came with frt and rear stabilizer bars re-tuned suspension (payload capacity was less than standard) limited slip rear and cloth bucket seats. Handled well too, I traded an '86 RX-7 for it, handling wasn't in that class but extremely good.

 

[ControlNode]

This just got used in a Jalopnik article: https://jalopnik.com/ford-made-a-ranger-sho-4-years-before-the-svt-lightning-1851421194

 

[CO2Ranger]

This just got used in a Jalopnik article: https://jalopnik.com/ford-made-a-ranger-sho-4-years-before-the-svt-lightning-1851421194

I read that one too. Great read!

 

[DukeCanBuildit]

This just got used in a Jalopnik article: https://jalopnik.com/ford-made-a-ranger-sho-4-years-before-the-svt-lightning-1851421194

I thought it was pretty cool that they featured the truck and then when I got to the part where they mentioned Phil, it made my morning. It was great that they gave him the credit he was due and even better that they linked to ranger5g.com.

Nice!

 

[Davefrom805]

As a former SHO owner I love this post. I had mine in HS and loved it, and even to this day, that engine was way ahead of its time.

 

[Racket]

Retired Ranger vehicle engineer Phil Schilke apparently used to take this thing racing. In a Ranger owners forum post, he described how it had a 10,000 RPM redline and how it would dust Corvettes. “Engine Engineering disabled the rev limiter giving 10,000 rpm under my foot. Could dust off any Vette on the street in first gear! Great fun, and sports car handling,” he said.

Links back to here??

 

[Dereku]

They said Phil was full of it in the comments and called bull. Must not be engine people. Hopefully they dont see what ford engineers did to the original boss 302 engine. They would accuse them of lies.

 

[canyonslicker]

They said Phil was full of it in the comments and called bull. Must not be engine people. Hopefully they dont see what ford engineers did to the original boss 302 engine. They would accuse them of lies.

He was full of it and that’s for sure, knowledge they can’t understand. A real compliment in my book.

 

[9zero1790]

Hi Folks,

Here is a blast from the past. We stuffed a Taurus SHO motor in a Ranger. I put one of my SCCA racetruck suspensions under the truck. Engine Engineering disabled the rev limiter giving 10,000 rpm under my foot. Could dust off any Vette on the street in first gear! Great fun, and sports car handling.

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co Retired

i could see something like that being the rangers version of a lightning and selling well. (the old v8 lightning pickup - not the new ev sled)

 

[9zero1790]

i remember several years back a story came out about the gmc cyclone / syclone on some online car mag. and in the comments the young and dumb where saying oh it was not the quick its a pickup my honda civic would beat it etc. and of course I thought the same thing andy and derek did. they dont know what they are talking about. I remember when those were new and R/T and Motortrend was testing them. One of them put the little truck up against a Ferrari in a quarter mile drag race, and then a lap on trap. They put a pro driver in each. I remember the writer being shocked and said something similar to, " in a matter of seconds the Italian super car saw nothing but tail gate and never caught up". the little truck smoked the sports car in the quarter mile and on the track lap. around that same time frame mid 80s to early 90s, lil trucks were hot. dodge had the dakotas with a shelby version, jeep had the Comanche, of course the gm twins, the rangers, toyota, nissian, izuzu, Mitsubishi. fun times for smaller pickups. at that time most of them were pretty darn good too. reliable tough fun.

 

[Dereku]

i remember several years back a story came out about the gmc cyclone / syclone on some online car mag. and in the comments the young and dumb where saying oh it was not the quick its a pickup my honda civic would beat it etc. and of course I thought the same thing andy and derek did. they dont know what they are talking about. I remember when those were new and R/T and Motortrend was testing them. One of them put the little truck up against a Ferrari in a quarter mile drag race, and then a lap on trap. They put a pro driver in each. I remember the writer being shocked and said something similar to, " in a matter of seconds the Italian super car saw nothing but tail gate and never caught up". the little truck smoked the sports car in the quarter mile and on the track lap. around that same time frame mid 80s to early 90s, lil trucks were hot. dodge had the dakotas with a shelby version, jeep had the Comanche, of course the gm twins, the rangers, toyota, nissian, izuzu, Mitsubishi. fun times for smaller pickups. at that time most of them were pretty darn good too. reliable tough fun.

A modern civic weighs more than an 80s truck which is insane. America at its finest. The obesity problem is not people it is our cars! 220hp goes farther with less weight.

 

[CO2Ranger]

i remember several years back a story came out about the gmc cyclone / syclone on some online car mag. and in the comments the young and dumb where saying oh it was not the quick its a pickup my honda civic would beat it etc. and of course I thought the same thing andy and derek did. they dont know what they are talking about. I remember when those were new and R/T and Motortrend was testing them. One of them put the little truck up against a Ferrari in a quarter mile drag race, and then a lap on trap. They put a pro driver in each. I remember the writer being shocked and said something similar to, " in a matter of seconds the Italian super car saw nothing but tail gate and never caught up". the little truck smoked the sports car in the quarter mile and on the track lap. around that same time frame mid 80s to early 90s, lil trucks were hot. dodge had the dakotas with a shelby version, jeep had the Comanche, of course the gm twins, the rangers, toyota, nissian, izuzu, Mitsubishi. fun times for smaller pickups. at that time most of them were pretty darn good too. reliable tough fun.

The Dakota R/T was my dream vehicle growing up. There aren't many intact ones left and the ones in good shape are selling for more than what they sold for new. As much as the off-road adventure scene has picked up, I still hold a special place for street trucks. Just something about them screams fun.

 

[9zero1790]

The Dakota R/T was my dream vehicle growing up. There aren't many intact ones left and the ones in good shape are selling for more than what they sold for new. As much as the off-road adventure scene has picked up, I still hold a special place for street trucks. Just something about them screams fun.

i went to high school with a wealthy girl that drove one. her dad bought it new. and when she was 16 it was hers. i always envied her truck lol. she was cute too.

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