The Ford Ranger Splash was one of the many trucks that hit the scene in the early 1990s with stepside beds. Was it supposed to be hip? Was it supposed to be sporty? Well, it was a Ranger, so…yeah. It was interesting and sport-truck enthusiasts made some cool things out of them, but the “Splash” part of the name was a bit much. They were Ford Rangers in the end…small trucks that many considered throwaway units. Shame, really, because the platform was a solid bet. A 302 swap will make a Ranger stand up and dance properly and the bed is quite useful…even if you lose a little space with the stepside option.

This beast, however, is something else altogether. The biggest engine offered at the time was the 4.0L inline-six, an updated version of the Cologne V6 that had been in use since 1962. That’s 244 cubic inches of droning, under 200 horsepower good times. So let’s up the fun factor and nearly double the displacement while adding only two more cylinders to the equation. Sound like a good time to you? It sure does to us!

From the listing:

“1969 Thunderbird 429 block and heads with a new crankshaft to make 466 cubic inches
Lunatic 290 camshaft, lifters, springs, and pushrod guides
Holley 750 cfm carburetor, Edelrock Performer intake
GM style HEI distributor
Functioning cowl induction hood
New radiator, shroud, and two 12” electric fans that are temperature controlled and adjustable
Rebuilt c6 transmission with shift kit and higher stall speed convertor, Winters lockout shifter
Driveshaft safety loop
3:73 Ford Explorer posi trac rear (used) Cal trac style traction bars, new air shocks
Wide rear wheels with nearly new drag radials (about 1000 miles)
New battery
All original gauges in the dash work, gps speedometer in the original gauge cluster, and an addition 3 electronic gauge panel is under the dash
New Autometer shift light tachometer.
Functional heater and radio
Power steering and 4 wheel power disc brakes
Complete new exhaust”

Best of all: it’s a fellow BangShifter selling the truck, and they’ve got a build book filled with photos, notes, and receipts. It’s begging for a new home, isn’t it?

BangShift.com Swap Meet Link: 1994 Ford Ranger Splash