7 Millionth Ford Ranger Rolls Off the Assembly Line

28 years after the first Ford Ranger compact pickup rolled off an assembly line in Louisville, Ky., the 7 millionth Ranger was built last month in St. Paul, Minn., according to Automotive News.

The 1983 Ford Ranger -- production started in January 1982 -- was a replacement for the Ford Courier, which was based on the imported Mazda B-Series small truck. Ford wanted a scaled-down, lighter version of its full-size F-Series pickups that could work hard, get good gas mileage and compete head-to-head against small Japanese trucks, like the Datsun and Toyota pickups, and the U.S.-built Chevrolet and GMC S-Series pickups from General Motors.

The first Rangers were sold with a standard 73-horsepower 2.0-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine. An 80-hp 2.3-liter four-cylinder gas or 59-hp 2.2-liter four-cylinder diesel was optional. Transmission choices included a four-speed manual or three-speed automatic gearbox. The front suspension was Ford's Twin-I-Beam setup.

The 1983 Ford Ranger was available in four trim levels: Base, XL, XLS and XLT. The only cab configuration was a two-door regular cab with a choice of a 6-foot or 7-foot cargo box.

Ford Ranger production is scheduled to end in 2011. Instead of an all-new small pickup taking its spot, it's likely a fuel efficient version of the F-150 will be its replacement.

Here's a quick comparison of what's changed since the first Ford Ranger went on sale.

http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2010/02/7-millionth-ford-ranger-rolls-off-the-assembly-line.html

holy crap.. a 2.2L diesel?! i never knew they were an option!

I dont remember for sure, but i think they were little mitsubishi diesels

i searched craigslist for about 3 hours looking for 1 last night.. i couldn't find 1.. i couldn't even find a yugo!

sooooo..?

79_bronco wrote:

sooooo..?

1983 Ranger production began January 18, 1982 at the Louisville Assembly Plant, hitting showrooms in March. Available engines were the 72 hp 2.0 L and 86 hp 2.3 L OHC four-cylinders, a four-cylinder 59 hp 2.2 L Mazda/Perkins diesel, and a 115 hp 2.8 L Cologne V6. In 1985, a Mitsubishi-built 2.3 L turbodiesel with 86 hp replaced the Mazda diesel engine, and in 1986, the 2.8 L engine was replaced with a 140 hp 2.9 L Cologne V6.

aah i guess i was half right lol

i can't find a diesel ranger for sale anywhere lol.. they have to be rare as.. well.. uh.. a yugo! lol

The Ranger is a great truck. I sure hope Ford comes to there senses and decides to keep it!

yeah, gotta agree that it's a great little truck.. but they're starting to get pretty ugly.. along with the F series trucks they're modeled after..