At first glance, Robert Lavardiere's Ford Ranger looks like a truck that rolled out of a Ford showroom sometime in the 1970s. However, Ford never made a dually Ranger SuperCab 4X4 in the 1970s. Or ever, really. The one-of-one SuperCab dually is a collection of pieces from roughly six different trucks, rebuilt and reworked by Lavardiere into the truck he wanted to build. "(To start), I bought a dually from the auto wreckers,” said Lavardiere. “I don't know which truck it came out of, but it was the right size," said Lavardiere. The Lavardiere Ranger is a compilation of various late 70’s, 80’s, and even 90’s Ford trucks, with panels from at least six trucks in total. Six trucks become one The project started with an A-frame, but Lavardiere eventually brought together parts from many different trucks to create the stunning final result. The dually rear end allowed the leaf springs to bolt underneath the frame, which is where things both started. The cab came from a half-ton truck. “They're all the same in these years,” he said. “So they fit three-quarter-ton, half-ton, and one-ton; they're the same cab.” The box is a short box custom-married to dually fenders from a 1984 model, or possibly newer with the same styling. "I was able to make those fenders fit this box," he said. "That's all handcrafted." Even the seats are from a donor vehicle, a couple of bucket seats out of a 1993 Ford three-quarter ton. The result is a truck that Ford never offered from the factory, assembled from parts Lavardiere sourced and modified himself. Under the Hood Under the hood, the Ranger is powered by a Ford 460 cubic-inch big-block engine, absolutely surrounded in custom work. Lavardiere built the engine with a nine-to-one compression ratio, roller rockers and a hydraulic flat-tappet camshaft designed for four-wheel-drive applications, providing lots of torque and horsepower, giving the truck the power when it’s time to pull heavy. Lavardiere estimates the engine produces between 350 and 400 horsepower, although it has never been put on a dynamometer. "I didn't," he said. "I'd like to, but I haven't driven it enough to go someplace to do that or find out." Fuel delivery comes from a Holley Super Sniper fuel-injection throttle body. A truck for all seasons The ductwork feeding air into the engine involves two intake lines, which leach heat off the exhaust manifold. Hot air from the exhaust helps to warm the incoming air, similar to systems used on older trucks with carburetors. Controlled by a valve that can call for the heated exhaust or directly pull exhaust-free air during warmer days. The idea is to prevent moisture in fast-moving air from freezing, something that could cause problems for a carburetor or intake system during winter driving. “Well, you want to warm it up to melt that out,” said Lavardiere. “I just put two of them on because it's more efficient, more air going through because I have headers.” While the setup looks unusual today, Lavardiere says the basic concept was used by manufacturers on older trucks. Related Stories: Under the Hood of 'Jim' the F100 Under the Hood of this tribute from daughter to mother Under the Hood of Highway 32's one-of-a-kind resto-mod truck Ten years in the making Lavardiere started the Ranger project around 2016, with it only leaving his farm shop this year. He estimates he has put more than 10,000 hours into the build, working roughly six days a week in his home shop. Almost everything was completed by Lavardiere himself. The one major exception is the machining of the engine block and cylinder heads, which he had done by Max Machine Inc. in Swift Current. Lavardiere did assemble the engine himself and balanced it himself as well. "Every single bolt on here I touched with my fingers," Lavardiere said. Built to work The engine sends its power through a C6 transmission sourced from a Lincoln car. Lavardiere added extra clutches to the clutch packs and installed a shift kit. Lavardiere says this firm setup helps prevent the transmission from slipping, stopping wear and tear. “When it shifts, it knocks your head back,” he said, smiling. The Lavardiere Ranger uses a Dana 70 differential with 3.45 gears. With a solid drivetrain and duals, Lavardiere has no qualms about towing trailers and other things, happy to show off the robust nature of his passion project. It’s about the trim The truck's appearance is just as deliberate as its mechanical setup. The Ranger badging on the truck is an ode to Lavardiere’s preferred level of trim package, which he aspires to with this build. The paint is called Police Arizona Interceptor Beige, a colour Lavardiere found while looking through paint books in 2018. The black grille and bumpers on the trucks were originally chrome, which he sandblasted as they were getting pitted with rust. “I undercoated them,” he said. “Then I put gloss black over top of it. “It looked great.” Lavardiere also chose to eliminate the chrome around the windshield and side-window rubber, along with the rest of the factory chrome being sandblasted and painted black. Even the mirrors received the treatment. The combination of beige and black gives the truck its distinct appearance, something more akin to modern sensibilities, departing from the overall classic theme of the truck. Keeping his hands busy Lavardiere grew up in a family where building things was simply part of life. His father worked with his hands, and Lavardiere eventually spent 25 years doing body work while also driving a school bus; work that helped pay off the family farm. After retiring, he wanted to keep those working hands of his busy. With a heated shop on the farm, he had the space to build something that would require close to 10,000 hours of busy hands. "I cannot sit down and do nothing. That's not possible," Lavardiere said. "To this day, these hands have never stopped being busy." The Lavardiere Ranger became his passion project, allowing him to build the kind of truck he had always wanted. “I've always wanted to put a vehicle together with brand new stuff, bolt by bolt,” he said. “And this was the vehicle I did it with.” Running, driving, not finished Despite the truck finally hitting the road, Lavardiere is not quite calling it complete. He has a rare topper for the short box that he plans to install, along with some finishing work inside the cab like a centre console, and a more complete finish to the interior trim. That, and ironing out any hiccups that emerge on a home build. “I keep telling people, it's a good thing it's on warranty,” Lavardiere joked. “I'm the one that has to fix it, and I'm finding little bugs here and there. Eventually, he expects the Lavardiere Ranger to become a summer daily driver. The truck represents a decade of work, thousands of hours and countless individual decisions made not by a team of multinational engineers and designers working for the largest automotive company in the world. But instead by just one man, looking to stay busy. It is a Ford in name, but everything else about it is Lavardiere. Under the Hood is powered by Great West Auto Electric, your local Bumper to Bumper dealer in Swift Current. Long live your car.