THE RANCH RELIC – A SEMA Build by Mike Satterfield

THE RANCH RELIC

A SEMA Build by Mike Satterfield

Raised on a ranch in South Texas means old pickup trucks are ingrained in my past, present and future. So, when I stood in front of Michael Satterfield’s 1969 Ford F-100 Ranger SEMA build, The Ranch Relic, my heart fluttered with pure joy. This truck perfectly captures why people love old trucks and how they often blur the line between fashion and utility.

You cannot throw a stone without hearing it bounce off a pickup truck in Texas. And I don’t mean the latest half-ton four-door behemoths spilling over the painted lines in parking lots of major cities. I’m talking about the photogenic, bench-seat-saddled, patina-dressed, oil-burning mules of the last century littered across the rustic two-lane highway system of the Lone Star state.

No matter what part of the state you’re in, you are never far from seeing an old pickup truck parked out-to-pasture in fields to rust away. Or, still on the road with a truck bed full of miscellaneous and a story behind every dent.

Old Trucks are Still Plentiful, Thankfully 

The F-100 Ranger left the assembly line as a premium trim with factory A/C, a bench seat, a column automatic, and a 360 ci V8 under its spring-loaded hood. Mike Satterfield, the Gentleman Racer, was looking for a genuine farm truck to use as a canvas for his latest SEMA build. 

When Mike asked for help finding a truck with the right look, I was pleasantly surprised at how many old trucks were still available. Like a scammer ad for hot singles in your area, there is a wide selection of old Ford, Dodge, and Chevrolet trucks from the 70s and 80s ready and willing to be restored, resto-modded, preserved, or put to work – again. 

The Ranch Relic is the Perfect Texas Truck 

The concept behind The Ranch Relic is to capture the essence of ranch trucks roaming the backroads of Texas. Over the years I’ve enjoyed exploring the four corners of this massive state: the unforgiving mesquite trees in the South, the salty air of the gulf coast, the rolling hill country in the center, lush greenery in the east, the desert mountain range in the west, and the tail end of the Great Plains in the north. Old pickups are littered among all these diverse landscapes. Put out to pasture, parked behind antique buildings in sleepy towns off the Interstate, or resting in driveways with dried oil stains underneath. 

The Ranch Relic used to be one of these trucks before Mike Satterfield gave it a new life and some accessories that’ll add another 20 years of service – or show time – to its chassis. 

Starting with the engine, a refurbished 360 V8 mill dressed in FoMoCo blue pops like a diamond in a coal pile in the dark engine bay. BedWood supplied the material to restore Ford’s bed with classic wood, while stainless steel frame rails offer both style and function. A worn horse saddle and spare wheel complete the truck bed’s seasoned functionality. 

Mother Nature added a splash of oxidized brown to the truck’s once glossy two-tone Caribbean Turquoise and Pure White paint. Artist Sean Starr from Starr Studios added lettering to the truck’s doors and tailgate, creating a fictional backstory for the old truck. In addition, Starr gave the F-100 Ranger a dash of timeless style with hand-painted pinstriping on the truck’s hood. But above all the aesthetics, nothing cements the truck’s true grit personality more than its grille-mounted Texas longhorns towering over the truck’s fascia. The position of the horns makes the old Ford seem like a docile steer happily eating oats out of your hand. 

Upholstery by Poe restored the truck’s bench seat with black and animal print that works well with the Turquoise painted cab and black dashboard trim. A gun rack draped across the rear window looks period-correct and doubles as a suitable hat rack. Finally, the truck’s original patina-stained wheels are wrapped in Cosmo El Tigre tires, serving as the cherry on the bottom of this chef’s kiss pickup truck. 

Your Chance to Own The Ranch Relic with eBay Motors 

The Ranch Relic spent the first week of November on display at SEMA Show 2022. Since then, The Ranch Relic has been touring the country in the Parts of America tour organized by eBay Motors. The tour ends later this month, and this Texas flex pickup truck will be going up for auction on – you guessed it – eBay! The Gentleman Racer  launched the online auction on eBay, set to end on November 26, 2022. That means one lucky bidder will be celebrating Christmas early with keys to the perfect Texas truck.

Don’t be surprised if you see me bidding on this truck. I love it so much that I featured it in my latest automotive digital artwork.

LINKS

Upholstery by Poe – https://www.instagram.com/upholsterybypoe/?hl=en 

Mike’s eBay Motors article – https://www.thegentlemanracer.com/2022/10/ebay-motors-parts-of-america-tour.html 

Bedwood – https://bedwood.com/ 

Mike’s website – https://www.thegentlemanracer.com/ 

Cosmo Tires – https://www.cosmotires.com/tires/el-tigre-at 

Mike’s Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/thegentlemanracer/?hl=en

eBay Motors – https://www.ebay.com/itm/195463173589 

eBay Motors’ Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/ebaymotors/