Video of Ranger Origin Story

[JHC14]

Found this on YouTube. My son really likes this guys stuff and I came across this 14 min video on the 5th Gen Ranger. Really interesting and wanted to hear Phil’s take on it. I didn’t see it in a search history on here so, hope it isn’t a repeat posting.

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[P. A. Schilke]

Found this on YouTube. My son really likes this guys stuff and I came across this 14 min video on the 5th Gen Ranger. Really interesting and wanted to hear Phil’s take on it. I didn’t see it in a search history on here so, hope it isn’t a repeat posting.

Hi Joel,

Fellow got it pretty right on almost everything. The Mazda Diesel did not last thanks to GM killing it with their 350 gas converted to diesel... He also did not cover the Mitsubishi Turbo Diesel that we had in the Ranger for a couple years....a nice little diesel. I was in charge of that program and spent quite a bit of time in Japan. Sales were still very poor for diesels and it died a quiet death. Also was the South American Ranger done by Ford of Brazil...I was responsible for it too, but had little involvement. We did try to bring it up here to the us but the redesign costs were too high to "Federalize" it and the half dozen of these Crrew Cab trucks were scrapped.

When I retired after the launch of the 2003 Ranger, our planing volumes were 430,000 units a year, contrast to Mustang which at that time had volumes of around 70,000. The P273 program would have been the 5G Ranger but our CEO Jaques Nassar killed the program in favor of luxury vehicles and the non freshened updated package became so dated and sales fell off so dramatically, the Ranger was put on the other side of the dirt. P273 was a VERY nice truck.... Too bad but by that time I was more interested in seeking warmer climates and a new wife to replace the one that left me for her girlfriend...Sigh! (TMI?)

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

 

[gfitzge2]

Found this on YouTube. My son really likes this guys stuff and I came across this 14 min video on the 5th Gen Ranger. Really interesting and wanted to hear Phil’s take on it. I didn’t see it in a search history on here so, hope it isn’t a repeat posting.

That video is a riot. It is a must watch. I think that guy might be getting a little too much caffeine.

In 1980 I was a freshly turned out Journeyman Construction Electrician. I spent 14 months working for Marine Electric company on the "yuma" project at Fords Louisville Assembly Plant. They had been producing LTDs and F150s. They gutted most of the plant floor to ceiling and brought in all new tooling. Just a note, the ford plant shown in the video is actually the Kentucky Truck Plant which at that time was making heavy trucks. Now LAP makes Ford Escapes and Lincoln Corsair, KTP makes Super Duty trucks, Ford Expeditions and Lincoln Navigators. As you probably already know, Rangers are now made At Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne Mi. just west of the mother ship in Dearborn.?

 

[forestale]

Found this on YouTube. My son really likes this guys stuff and I came across this 14 min video on the 5th Gen Ranger. Really interesting and wanted to hear Phil’s take on it. I didn’t see it in a search history on here so, hope it isn’t a repeat posting.

I'm a simple man, I see James Pumphrey and I press the like button.

Up to speed is a great video series in general on the history of cars and trucks, but the ranger episode is of course near and dear to me as I've owned an 09 and now a 5th gen model.

@P. A. Schilke - are there any images in existence of the P273? Would be cool to see and wonder what could have been.

-Paul

 

[P. A. Schilke]

I'm a simple man, I see James Pumphrey and I press the like button.

Up to speed is a great video series in general on the history of cars and trucks, but the ranger episode is of course near and dear to me as I've owned an 09 and now a 5th gen model.

@P. A. Schilke - are there any images in existence of the P273? Would be cool to see and wonder what could have been.

-Paul

Hi Forestate,

Unfortunately I do not have any P273 photos. We were not allowed to have camera, but since the vehicle was off Kirksite tooling the bodies were very rough when the program was axed. Next series of P273 were to be off hard tools, but the incomplete stamping dies were scrapped. I was told the dies were sent to the Rouge Steel plant and melted down, but I have no way to confirm this as I was embroiled in the Firestone Tire Fiasco at that them. The day we learned the P273 was killed was one of those sad days at Ford as the P273 team was dismantled and folks scattered to the wind. Our hatred of CEO Nassar was elevated through the roof.

My opinion was we should have launched the P273 and then the 5G Ranger would have been 6G!

A bit of a back story. Our programs were names until the revamping for program designations, For example P273 means Pick Up and 273 means the program was the 273 program to come before the Executive Committee for approval. So for the Redo of the 1981 F-Series, the program was called Ram. Now this was when Lee Iaccoca and Henry Ford II were squabbling and Iccoca was fired and landed up at Chrysler. Think the Doge Ram pick up name had anything to do with this????

best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co Retired

 

[gfitzge2]

Hi Forestate,

Unfortunately I do not have any P273 photos. We were not allowed to have camera, but since the vehicle was off Kirksite tooling the bodies were very rough when the program was axed. Next series of P273 were to be off hard tools, but the incomplete stamping dies were scrapped. I was told the dies were sent to the Rouge Steel plant and melted down, but I have no way to confirm this as I was embroiled in the Firestone Tire Fiasco at that them. The day we learned the P273 was killed was one of those sad days at Ford as the P273 team was dismantled and folks scattered to the wind. Our hatred of CEO Nassar was elevated through the roof.

My opinion was we should have launched the P273 and then the 5G Ranger would have been 6G!

A bit of a back story. Our programs were names until the revamping for program designations, For example P273 means Pick Up and 273 means the program was the 273 program to come before the Executive Committee for approval. So for the Redo of the 1981 F-Series, the program was called Ram. Now this was when Lee Iaccoca and Henry Ford II were squabbling and Iccoca was fired and landed up at Chrysler. Think the Doge Ram pick up name had anything to do with this????

best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co Retired

I was also a Ford employee then, and was very, very happy to see Jack Nassar go. Just because we were convinced he was out to destroy the company. The sad thing is that they paid him 16 million dollars to go away. That was probably money well spent, but it just seams so wrong.

 

[rang19ca]

Great video and history of the ranger with Phil. Thanks to everyone who contributed.

 

[P. A. Schilke]

I was also a Ford employee then, and was very, very happy to see Jack Nassar go. Just because we were convinced he was out to destroy the company. The sad thing is that they paid him 16 million dollars to go away. That was probably money well spent, but it just seams so wrong.

Hi Gregg,

You know...in an interview after he was fired and was installed on the Comerica bank board, the wholesale withdrawal of Ford employee accounts caused a rethink of the bank. In an interview with Nassar, he said...Mistakes were made". He made the mistakes, but his arrogance would not allow him to say what was the truth. HE made the mistakes.

He decided that employees at every level needed to be worried that each day their job was in jeopardy if they did not give 110% and those of us that had achieved to the point of winning a Henry Ford Technology were merely lucky and this was no assurance the next day they had a job. What a terrible environment. I am sad the Bill Ford took so long to broom him. He caused so much $. He would stroll into the design center and view a vehicle ready for production...say " I hate the taillights...fix them!". The cost to retool based on his whim was so costly. Total Ahole!

Best.
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

 

[njdriver19]

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