If you look up the word "deranged" in the dictionary, more than likely you will find two definitions: [1] To disturb the order or arrangement of. [2] To disturb mentally; make insane. In the case of Josh Smith, some may say that he fits into definition number two, especially when he chops up a perfectly good Ford Ranger! Custom enthusiasts, especially his fellow members of Acrophobia, would say Josh is very much sane, but would agree he has made his truck de-ranged, as defined in definition numero uno!

Though Josh isn't mentally sick, he does suffer from an illness of sorts called the "stock truck syndrome." Josh knew he had to do something to his truck for no mini-truck enthusiast would leave a truck in stock attire. So, Josh began his quest for the ultimate mini-ride.

The first thing on Josh's list was to shave the entire truck smooth. Any unsightly accessory was shaved, including the door handles, tail gate, tail lights, third brake light, gas filler hatch, bed stake pockets, molded in rear roll pan, wiper cowl, and upper body line. The front nose section was reworked with the addition of a 2001 Ford ranger edge hood, custom front valance, billet grille, billet bumper inserts, and billet antenna. Finishing off the exterior body work, Josh installed a set of clear turn signals up front, LED third brake light, LED tails, a check mate bed tonneau topper, Street Scene sport mirrors, and sunroof. Once the exterior was perfectly smooth and ready for paint, the truck was shot with Hor Cortez dark blue paint.

Suspension wise, Josh made the truck really de-ranged by working in a dynamic air suspension. The truck got airbags at all four corners, which allows Josh to set the truck down on the ground over his 18x7" Velcho Verizo wheels. The airbag system consists of a six gallon chrome air tank, Firestone 2600lbs bags in the front, Firestone 2500lbs bags in the rear, and two chrome 450c Viair compressors. To allow the truck to reach new lows, the rear frame rails were given a 10" round notch. DJM upper and lower control arms aid in dropping the front and a triangulated 4-link help in grounding the rear.

Under the hood, Josh kept things somewhat simple by installing various bolt-on items. JBA headers, a custom air intake, KKM mass air adaptor, and a custom exhaust which is routed out the lower passenger bedside, add to the functionality of the mini-truck. Various polished stainless steel items finish off the under hood overall aesthetic appeal.

In the cab, Josh went no-holds barred. This de-ranged mini-truck was well planned when Josh started to hack away at the interior which includes: Pioneer head unit, 600 watt Memphis amp (for subs), 300 watt Ample Audio amp (for mids and highs), Audibahn 10" subs, Stinger interconnects, LCD screen TV, Sony Playstation 2, stock bench seat cut down to two custom bucket seats, billet steering wheel, billet rearview mirror, billet window switches, billet HVAC knobs, billet turn signal lever, fiberglassed 1999 Ford Explorer center console, fiberglassed isobaric sub enclosures, NuImage flamed gauge with billet gauge bezel, and NuImage flamed HVAC panel. Completing the interior, the seats, center console, headliner, bed, bed topper, and various other interior parts were covered in a combination of gray leather and purple tweed.

Like any true mini-trucker, Josh admits that he is not done yet. In fact, since the time we shot this feature, a molded in 10" LCD TV made its way into the dash. Yep, there is no telling what Josh will do next to make his mini-truck even more "de-ranged!"

Shout Out: "Special thanks to Tina Smith, KMA Kustoms, and Jim Mashura." -Josh