Custom 2000 Ford Ranger Truck - Lady Luck

With a passion for retro rods and the rockabilly nature that surrounds them, "Woody"Mestas of Chino Hills, California, set out to build a vehicle indicative of his persona. To make a little twist in the scene, Woody wanted to make his new truck into the vision of an older truck while also footing his way towards his favorite band, No Doubt. What he was able to create is something new, something old, and something totally unique. We'll just call it "retro-stalgia."

Under the 2000 Ranger's chassis is a full airbag suspension making all four corners ride right. Joe's Bag Shop, situated in Sun Valley, California, is responsible for the fab work. Under the bed a monoleaf holds the axle in place while 2600 Slam Specialties 'bags work the height. The front control arms are motioned by 2500 Slam Specialties 'bags. Air supply for the system consists of a 450 Viair compressor and two 5-gallon reserve tanks. Half-inch air line and valves keep Woody rockin' to the rhythm of the road. Wheel Smith 16x7-inch steelies are wrapped in 205/55R16 wide whites and help to complete the hot-rod look.

A little additional paintwork adorns the exterior of Woody's extra-cab Ford. Actually, a ton of paint is laid out on the Toreador Red Metallic but we were just seeing who was paying attention. Before the custom paint got the "go" order, the custom bodywork had to see fruition. After removing the O.E. emblems, Woody had the tailgate handle smoothed and flipped, all four stake bed pockets welded up, and the fuel door molded closed, with the new filler location moved into the bed. With the fresh metal covered back to stock specs, the real fun began. Spider's Custom Airbrushing in Orange, California, set forth to create a graphic that would leave no doubt as to Woody's desired tunes. No Doubt's lead vocalist, Gwen Stefani, is very much the star attraction on the Ranger's panels. Don't overlook the faces of Gwen Stefani, Betty Page, and even Jessica Rabbit peering at you through the realistic flames. If your eye is really keen you can also catch the faces of Tony, Adrian, and Tom, also of No Doubt fame. The rest of the colorful array is befitting of the culture, featuring stars, dice, playing cards, and the lucky number 7, all of which also appear in the doorjambs. Clear corner lights and a billet grille finish up the details, but most would be hard-pressed to see beyond the cool paintwork rubbed to a deep clear finish with Adam's Polishes.

Don't fool yourself into believing that the interior was skimped on what with all the exterior's love. A revealing look inside will lay all doubt to rest. The dash sets the tone with its complete envelope of highly metallic silver and red vinyl featuring the signatures of all four members of the band No Doubt scribbled onto the airbag cover. More candy paint litters the plastic on the dash, kick panels, rear cab wall, and door panels, with the stock cloth seats playing host to red metalflake vinyl. For wow factor, Woody reached into his bag of creativity and covered a portion of both door panels in material swiped from a handbag in Gwen's L.A.M.B. clothing line. Another one of the pricey bags became the center console. A red tweed headliner adds an innate complement to the rest of the interior, as does the dice-covered shifter. Being a fan of good musical tunes, it's quite understandable that a halfway-decent sound system exists in the Ranger. Woody himself performed the installation of the subwoofer, and a Jensen DVD/CD all-in-one head unit is at the helm of the musical bliss lending its touch to a Lanzar amplifier. Four 5x7-inch Infinity speakers fill in the mid-level signals from the stock locations; and the aforementioned subwoofer enclosure is filled with two 10-inch candy-red subs.

Woody's 15 seconds of fame came when all four members of No Doubt finally saw the truck and met with its owner. They showed appreciation to the rolling artwork by signing various parts of the truck's anatomy. The little Ford pulls in the trophies for sure and has such draw for a lot of people that Woody has found himself befriending many No Doubt fans, whom he personally thanks for their support. With the throwback to a time long before his, Woody has a new truck that reaches both sides of the fence and crosses generation gaps, which most should hope to achieve.