Building a Better Ford-with GM Components

While some stick to their guns when it comes to remaining true to truck branding and badging, others see no division or boundaries when it comes to piecing a project together.

- JOHN MATA JR. 

"A SET OF 17X9 METHOD #103 BEADLOCK WHEELS AND 37-INCH BFG BAJA T/A PROJECT TIRES ALLOW THE RANGER TO TRAVERSE ANY TYPE OF TERRAIN IT ENCOUNTERS, AND JUST IN CASE THINGS GO SOUTH, THERE ARE TWO EASY-TOACCESS SPARES READY TO GO."

Guy Bancroft-Livingston of Huntington Beach, California, is just the kind of guy who would mix and match parts from within the Big 3 of automakers if that meant he would end up with his ideal truck at the end.

Sure, doing this could be considered blasphemous to a few purists in the crowd, but Guy's only objective was to "go out and enjoy the desert at speed." Those are his direct words and his direct motive. As far as he was concerned, utilizing any components from any manufacturer was fair game.

Inspiration Everywhere

Guy works as an automotive clay modeler at Tesla-a very cool gig that allows him to pull influences from just about everything when creating something out of nothing. Naturally, his mentality does not recognize limits when designing new prototypes as well as reimagining makes and models that already exists. While he does have a deeply rooted passion for electric vehicle conceptualization, he also has many other vehicular interests that we'll put aside to zoom in on his love affair for those capable of true off-road adventure.

Fabrication Flex

Even though Guy can whip up sketches and models of all types, he did feel it best to reach out to specialized professionals in the flesh to help him redesign his 2005 Ford Ranger FX4. He owned the truck for quite some time before feeding into jumping into a full overhaul. Even though the Ranger served him well for general transportation duty along with the occasional off-road trip, he wanted so much more from it.