Restomods come in all makes and models, each with its own story. But a vintage compact pickup rarely fits the bill quite like Ron Hicks’ ’79 “Sasquatch Edition” Ford Courier. The Cummins-powered truck pairs classic sheet metal with modern components. Its six-year rebuild also brought three generations of Hicks’ family into the shop, where they shared in nearly every stage of its rebirth.
Built from 1972 to 1982, Couriers were two-wheel-drive Mazda B-Series compact pickups rebadged by Ford to compete in a growing market that included the Toyota Hilux, Chevy LUV and Datsun 520.
Early Couriers came with a 74-hp 1.8L four-cylinder backed by a four-speed manual. Later models, like the one Hicks brought back to life, were offered with either a 2.0L or 2.3L gas engine.
A Special Version of the Ford Courier
What makes Hicks’ four-wheel-drive “Sasquatch Edition” special, beyond its Cummins diesel, is that Ford never offered the Courier with factory four-wheel drive.
These rare 4×4 Couriers were the work of independent companies responding to buyers who needed four-wheel drive. Northwest A.T.V. MFG. of Kelso, Washington, converted two-wheel-drive trucks and sold them as dealer add-ons in Washington, Oregon, California and Idaho between 1975 and 1979.
According to Ray S. “Skip” Depping, Northwest A.T.V.’s founder and owner, the company installed Dana 30 Jeep front axles and Jeepster Dana 20 divorced transfer cases in about 1,500 Couriers over those four years, turning them into capable, reliable 4x4s. Hicks’ Courier, converted in January 1978, was the 994th to leave the shop.
Bringing New Life to an Old Classic
“I have always had a soft spot in my heart for classic Fords and have restored several over the years,” says the Salem, Oregon, entrepreneur. “But the Courier came about when my wife and I decided we wanted our oldest grandson Rylan, who was 12 at the time, to have something to drive to school. Since he is an avid hunter and fisherman, we knew he needed something with four-wheel-drive that would allow him to drive safely into the woods.
“When I came across this pickup in 2018, I thought this would be the perfect choice, albeit I didn’t set out to do this in depth of a project. Nor did I imagine how much my two grandsons, Rylan and Dawson, would get involved. They loved the idea of helping ‘Papa’ turn a beat up little pickup into a really nice one they would be driving someday.”
The Family’s Six-Year Project
In 2019, Hicks and his two grandsons set out to turn the rare Ford Courier into a modernized daily driver they could count on for outdoor adventures.
Over the next six years, Ron took them under his wing, passing along lessons his father had taught him and sharing what he had learned about automotive mechanics, patience and perseverance.
The trio dismantled the old Ford down to the last nut and bolt. They spent hundreds of hours in Hicks’ shop sanding and preparing the cab and body for paint, rewiring the electrical and lighting systems, rebuilding the heating and cooling systems, repairing the firewall and cab floor, and addressing the suspension, brakes and steering.
A Young Welder Gets to Work
Their hands-on education included fabricating and welding replacement sheet metal for areas too rusted to save. They also had to work out how to install a Cummins R2.8 turbodiesel in place of the old gas four-cylinder.
Hicks credits much of the welding and fabrication to the younger grandson, Dawson. Now a high school junior, Dawson is enrolled in Willamette Career Academy’s two-year welding certification program.
“My grandsons are both inquisitive and are quick to learn,” says Hicks. “They have spent a lot of time with me in the shop starting from early childhood. Both love the old iron. I can’t emphasize enough what a joy it’s been to pass my knowledge of the automotive genre on to them.”
A Courier With a Cummins R2.8 Upgrade
Much of Hicks’ Courier follows a traditional restoration path, but the drivetrain takes a different turn. Rather than retain a gas engine and manual transmission, Hicks chose a Cummins R2.8 inline-four crate engine.
The R2.8 turbodiesel makes 161 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque at 1,800 rpm. Its compact size, light weight and Bosch electronic high-pressure common-rail fuel system make it well suited to this retrofit. Under the hood of a small pickup, it offers both useful power and fuel efficiency for backcountry trips.
Beefing Up the Running Gear
Behind the Cummins, Hicks installed a GM 4L60 four-speed automatic, replacing the original four-speed manual to make the truck easier to drive in town, on the highway and off pavement.
Power reaches the rebuilt and regeared Dana 30 front axle through the Courier’s original Dana 20 two-speed transfer case from the Sasquatch conversion. Hicks tore down and rebuilt the transfer case, just as he did the rest of the truck’s components.
Dawson put his fabrication and sheet-metal welding skills to work inside the cab. He replaced the rusted floor and fabricated a transmission tunnel with room for the taller automatic transmission.
He also built a console for the JB Custom Fabrication twin-stick transfer-case shifters and a gauge package that monitors the Cummins. The finished cab looks factory, right down to the cut-pile carpet.
Custom-built four-inch Alcan spring packs and Rancho shocks support the axle housings. The lift provides room for the Toyo Fun Country 33×10.50×15 M/Ts to travel when Rylan heads deeper into Bigfoot country in search of game.
The upgraded brakes use GM discs up front and Ford-style discs in the rear.
Adding The Finishing Touches
The Hicks crew spent considerable time preparing the bed and body for paint. They removed every panel and repaired some of the rust before turning the truck over to local body repair specialist and painter Vaughn Berger.
Berger handled the more intricate body repairs, then applied a single-stage “Ford Willow” finish that suits the Sasquatch Courier.
With the body and paint finished, the Hicks crew replaced the Ford’s wiring from headlights to taillights with a Painless Performance system.
They narrowed a Jeep DIY steel winch-bumper kit to fit the Courier, welded it together and installed a Carbon Offroad 10K Scout Pro electric winch. A matching weld-it-yourself kit became the rear bumper, which carries a pair of Nilight backup lights.
The bed was reinforced underneath, sprayed with Line-X bed liner and fitted with a basic toolbox to protect tools and gear from the elements.
A Generational Project Experience
The “Sasquatch Edition” decal went on the tailgate, and the Courier finally sat idling with its distinctive Cummins purr. After six years in the shop, three generations of the family could see what they had built together.
This compact Ford is neither the most powerful Sasquatch Courier on the road nor the one with the biggest tires or most elaborate suspension. What distinguishes it is the bond the build created within the Hicks family.
Rylan, the oldest grandson and the reason the build began, summed up the journey:
“When I look at this truck, it instantly brings one big, wonderful memory of the whole experience. It taught me a great many things. There were many times where it was difficult to make decisions, frustrating moments, and times of disappointment. However, those were far outweighed by times of appreciation, satisfaction and excitement.
“Between me, my grandfather, my brother, my father, as well as many others who helped on the build, this truck has created a special bond among us that will last a lifetime.”
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