Shawn Wanted a Ranger Just Like his Brother’s, but Better

PEOPLE WHO GREW UP WITHOUT SIBLINGS JUST DON’T GET IT; COMPETITION IS BRED BETWEEN KIDS WHO GROW UP IN THE SAME FAMILY. Whether it’s seeing who can run the fastest or just who can get done with dinner quicker, siblings are always trying to one-up each other, and that’s kind of what happened with Shawn Lenderman and his brother Chad.

Chad owned a ’95 Ford Ranger that was ’bagged and body-dropped on 22-inch wheels. That’s no easy feat for sure, and the truck got a lot of attention, but Shawn wanted something similar that he could call his own. He wanted a truck that was close to Chad’s in design, which was obviously pretty cool, but the opposite style.

The result is this ’96 Ford Ranger, originally owned by an older man who put 70k on the odometer before selling it to a custom shop in Ohio. Somewhere along the way, Shawn found the truck and started turning it into something that he could call his own.

Let’s go through the laundry list of items done to this truck. It’s ’bagged using Slam Specialties RE-7s, 3⁄8-inch lines and six SMC valves, and there’s a 3-inch traditional body drop to set the thing down on the concrete. While his brother’s truck rode on 22s, Shawn wanted an old-school look, so he opted instead for 15-inch 1949 Ford reproduction wheels with fat tires and whitewalls; this means that even though he’s still laying rocker like a champ, he’s doing it in a classic way.

On the outside, it’s all about that chocolate and antique white combo. The body, which includes a 2000 Ford Ranger front clip, is 100% brown, broken up by hot rod pinstriping on the hood and tailgate. The bed and the area under the hood are covered in antique white, and between the two colors, you’ve got a killer combo head-turner.

Slide into the inside of the truck, and it’s that same tan combo. This time, there’s more black than brown, but again, it’s all in the pursuit of the old- school look. There’s a billet Hurst shifter on the floor, leather seats and even some embroidery on the back. The only modern accents are the touchscreen head unit and sub box in the extra cab, which, let’s face it, are mandatory for minis.

Whether or not Chad or Shawn is the winner in this sibling rivalry is up for debate. We haven’t seen Chad’s truck, but we do know that if it’s anything like Shawn’s clean ride, it’s got to be spectacular. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter who the real winner is; if it’s anyone, it’s both of them.

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TRUCK SPECS

OWNERS

Shawn Lenderman
1996 Ford Ranger
Mamaduke, Arkansas
Twisted Reality

ENGINE

• Ford four cylinder
• Polished aluminum cold air intake
• Manual transmission

SUSPENSION

• Shop: Twisted Metals
• Ford rearend with 8.8 disc brake conversion and 3.73 gears
• Raised gas tank
• 3-inch body drop
• Ekstensive Metal Works 2-link
• Slam Specialties RE-7 ’bags front and rear
• Six SMC valves
• DJM Dream Beam I-beams
• 3-inch Belltech spindles
• Stock front brakes

WHEELS & TIRES

• 15-inch 1949 Ford Reproduction with light cashmere antique white finish
• Michelin 215/75R15

BODY & PAINT

• Shop: Twisted Metals
• 2000 Ford Ranger taillights and headlights
• 2000 Ford Edge hood and grille
• 2004 Ford Edge front bumper
• Shaved wiper cowl, antenna and emblems
• Raised bed floor
• Paint by Charlie Quatmann
• PPG Chocolate Brown with Gold and Silver pearl; light cashmere
• old-school pinstriping done by Sign Tech of Paragould, AR

INTERIOR

• Performed by: Kerry Wooldridge from NEA Seats
• Leather and tweed upholstery
• 2000 Chevrolet Cavalier seats
• Tweed headliner
• Leather inserts on dashboard
• Old school banjo steering wheel
• Air Ride Technologies gauges
• Airbag shift knob on a Hurst short throw shifter
• Two switches
• Stereo installed by: Brandon Wheeler from Hot Wired of Jonesboro, AR
• Pioneer AVH-X2600DVD double-DIN head unit
• Four-gauge Memphis wiring
• 6×9 Memphis door speakers, 4×6 Memphis rear quarter windows, 1-inch Memphis tweeters hidden in the dash
• Four 10-inch Memphis Power Reference subwoofers in custom-built enclosure
• 1,000-watt Audiopipe mono amplifier
• Red top Optima battery located under the bed
• Dynamat sound deadener

SPECIAL THANKS FROM THE OWNER: “I need to give a shout-out to my brother Chad Lenderman, my wife June Lenderman and the whole Twisted Reality crew for all the good times building and showing all of our work over the years.”

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