Twin Cities Assembly Plant – Ford Ranger
April 15, 2022
Take a look at some of the photos that were taken on the last day of production at the Twin Cities Assembly Plant. On December 16, 2011 the last Ford Ranger rolled off of the assembly line.
The Ranger was in production from 1983 – 2011 at the Twin Cities Assembly Plant in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Ford Ranger – Life On The Assembly Line
![wide shot of the trim department](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/img.happywrenching.com/ford/ranger/tcap_line.jpg)
Where is everybody?
![trucks coming down the paint tunnel](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/img.happywrenching.com/ford/ranger/tcap_line_2.jpg)
A line of freshly painted Ford Rangers.
![Freshly painted ford ranger](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/img.happywrenching.com/ford/ranger/tcap_line_1.jpg)
Traveling down the line from the Paint building
![bank of ford ranger painted bodies](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/img.happywrenching.com/ford/ranger/tcap_line_3.jpg)
Bank of full painted Rangers waiting to sent to the Trim department.
![inside the trim department](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/img.happywrenching.com/ford/ranger/tcap_line_11.jpg)
Inside the trim department.
![chassis line during break](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/img.happywrenching.com/ford/ranger/tcap_line_13.jpg)
Chassis line – during lunch break.
![dudes assembling the ranger chassis](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/img.happywrenching.com/ford/ranger/tcap_line_4.jpg)
Chassis assembly nearly finished.
![not everyone is bitter](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/img.happywrenching.com/ford/ranger/tcap_line_5.jpg)
🙂
![motor coming down the motor line](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/img.happywrenching.com/ford/ranger/tcap_line_6.jpg)
Part of the motor line.
![joining the body and the chassis](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/img.happywrenching.com/ford/ranger/tcap_line_7.jpg)
All magic happens here – when two become one.
![filling up the fluids](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/img.happywrenching.com/ford/ranger/tcap_line_8.jpg)
Very patriotic.
![filling the ranger with fuel](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/img.happywrenching.com/ford/ranger/tcap_line_15.jpg)
Fill er up please!
![line of ready ford rangers](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/img.happywrenching.com/ford/ranger/tcap_line_9.jpg)
These guys are almost ready to be driven.
![setting the alignment](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/img.happywrenching.com/ford/ranger/tcap_line_14.jpg)
Some final adjustments.
![ready for the testing](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/img.happywrenching.com/ford/ranger/tcap_line_10.jpg)
Ranger ready for testing.
![all rangers are thoroughly tested](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/img.happywrenching.com/ford/ranger/tcap_line_12.jpg)
Every Ranger is put through a series of tests and checks.
![ford rangers in the parking lot](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/img.happywrenching.com/ford/ranger/tcap_line_16.jpg)
The last batch of Rangers
The Last Ford Ranger
![last ranger on its way from the paint elevator](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/img.happywrenching.com/ford/ranger/tcap_lstrng_1.jpg)
D-Day is upon us. Last Ranger body is painted and ready for action.
![last ranger inside the trim department](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/img.happywrenching.com/ford/ranger/tcap_lstrng_2.jpg)
Coming down the line through the Trim department.
![lots of people posing for cameras](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/img.happywrenching.com/ford/ranger/tcap_lstrng_3.jpg)
Lots of picture taking.
![windshield robot in action](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/img.happywrenching.com/ford/ranger/tcap_lstrng_4.jpg)
Winshield robot doing its thing one last time.
![exiting the trim department](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/img.happywrenching.com/ford/ranger/tcap_lstrng_5.jpg)
Exiting the Trim department.
![group of assembly workers from the trim department](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/img.happywrenching.com/ford/ranger/tcap_lstrng_6.jpg)
Smile everyone!
![last ranger body is fully assembled](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/img.happywrenching.com/ford/ranger/tcap_lstrng_7.jpg)
Last Ranger body is fully assembled.
![how to identify the last ranger](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/img.happywrenching.com/ford/ranger/tcap_lstrng_8.jpg)
The only way to truly identify the last Ranger 🙂
![big crowd at the end of the ranger assembly line](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/img.happywrenching.com/ford/ranger/tcap_lstrng_9.jpg)
Way too crowded.
![smile for the camera](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/img.happywrenching.com/ford/ranger/tcap_lstrng_10.jpg)
Smile for the cameras.
![can you spot him](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/img.happywrenching.com/ford/ranger/tcap_lstrng_11.jpg)
Can you see him?
![i have been made - fall back](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/img.happywrenching.com/ford/ranger/tcap_lstrng_13.jpg)
Uh-oh I’ve been spotted!
![something caught their attention](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/img.happywrenching.com/ford/ranger/tcap_lstrng_12.jpg)
Something is going down to the left.
![great photo op](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/img.happywrenching.com/ford/ranger/tcap_lstrng_14.jpg)
Great photo op.
![is this the first ranger its in great condition](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/img.happywrenching.com/ford/ranger/tcap_lstrng_15.jpg)
Two questions – is this the first Ranger and does it still run?
The Aftermath
![welding machines sit idle](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/img.happywrenching.com/ford/ranger/tcap_aftrmth_1.jpg)
![prince charming robot](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/img.happywrenching.com/ford/ranger/tcap_aftrmth_2.jpg)
Prince Charming. But where is Snow White?
![robotic awesomeness](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/img.happywrenching.com/ford/ranger/tcap_aftrmth_3.jpg)
Pure robotic awesomeness.
![this has to be snow white](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/img.happywrenching.com/ford/ranger/tcap_aftrmth_4.jpg)
This has to be Snow White.
![empty robot line](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/img.happywrenching.com/ford/ranger/tcap_aftrmth_5.jpg)
You should see these things in action.
![something great happened here](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/img.happywrenching.com/ford/ranger/tcap_aftrmth_6.jpg)
I can tell that something great happened in there.
![kawasaki robots idle](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/img.happywrenching.com/ford/ranger/tcap_aftrmth_7.jpg)
Kawasaki FTW.
![empty trim line](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/img.happywrenching.com/ford/ranger/tcap_aftrmth_8.jpg)
Empty.
![the best assembly line in the trim department](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/img.happywrenching.com/ford/ranger/tcap_aftrmth_9.jpg)
The best line in Trim department 🙂
![everyone is gone](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/img.happywrenching.com/ford/ranger/tcap_aftrmth_11.jpg)
Look at all those hoses.
![empty motor line](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/img.happywrenching.com/ford/ranger/tcap_aftrmth_12.jpg)
Empty motor line.
![empty warehouse](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/img.happywrenching.com/ford/ranger/tcap_aftrmth_10.jpg)
This used to be full of parts.
Over 300 photos taken and 150GB of video recorded on the last days of production. I hope you enjoyed this small glimpse into the Ford Ranger legacy. Take a look at the YouTube video below of the final production day!