6.6 LITRES OF FURY

THIS example you’re ogling right now is what happens when you slot one of the best-hauling engines on the market into a PX1 Ford Ranger. That engine in question is a stonking turbocharged 6.6-litre Duramax engine, the kind you’ll find powering GMC trucks. To cater for the considerable hike in torque, the Ranger’s factory sixspeed and transfer were binned, replaced by an Allison Transmission six-speed auto and New Process NT263 transfer case.

How much power and torque are we talking here? On a dyno tune, the Ranger clocked up a mesmerising 468rwhp and 1320Nm. Yep, no kidding. Somewhat surprisingly, the vehicle’s owner Ant said the engine swap was “pretty straightforward”. “They’re a common swap in to Patrols, but this was actually a lot simpler,” he said.

With the regular duty of towing a 3400kg boat down to the coast, Ant reckons he doesn’t even notice the boat behind the Ranger, only clocking up 17.2L/100km with the boat tethered behind.

As the Ranger’s standard diffs are up to the task, a tickle underneath rectified any off-road shortfalls due to the increase mass up front with heavy-duty XGS two-inchlifted springs enclosing Ironman 4x4 Foam Cell Pro shock absorbers. It’s the same combination at the rear, albeit with only a 50mm body lift. In addition, a set of Total Chaos upper control arms were slotted in.

Other notable accessories include a four-inch snorkel, front and rear bar work, 35-inch Nitto Terra Grapplers wrapped around 16-inch Allied Wheels’ Brutes, and an Aeroklas canopy. You may also have noticed the clean, de-badged look, which was an intention from the outset. In fact, even the UHF aerial is hidden to maintain the neat aesthetics.