flybeech
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I've got a 2004 Ranger Doble Cabina (Crew Cab) made in Argentina, here in Yucatan, Mexico. It's like any normal Ranger, except it has 4 doors, 1-ton capacity and torsion bar front suspension. While it's a 2004 model, it looks like a 1998 North American model and still has RWABS. Here in Mexico, they deeply love their Rangers and truly nice, older examples are either not for sale, or over $10,000. Even junk for sale is rare and expensive, especially the doble cabinas. Mine was the best dog I could find, free of rust and wrecks, but very tired. Mine's getting a full, body-off restoration at the Ford dealer in Merida. Parts are high, but $25/hour labor for the top mechanics in the shop is a deal.
Sorry to ramble. I want to install 2008? SportTrac 17" wheels with 245/65R17 Michelins. It looks like it should be a nice fit. The bolt pattern, offset and tire height appears correct. Is anyone here successfully running this combination?
I might add that the differential and finned drum brakes are a different and much larger than a NAFTA Ranger. The front brakes appear to be way larger than normal, as well, but the bolt-pattern remains Ranger. The leaf-springs are massive for a Ranger. Mexican trucks are built for the chronic over-loader. To be honest, these items look like they're from some weird, narrowed F-250. Mine's an XL, with 15 inch steel wheels, but some of the XLT's came with that ugly 1997 F150 wheel and other decent F150-style wheels. For the curious, search Ford Ranger doble cabina images and the Argentina wheels can be seen, for clues.
The dealer thinks they'll be fine, but won't touch anything but engine/transmission while the cabina is off the chassis for the brand-new, 2 year guarantee 2.3 DOHC I-4 engine going in. I want to send the body over the the body shop, but they don't, so darn, I'll have to pay another $350 to R&R the body again at their body shop on the other side of town. At least body shop labor rates are cheaper than the heavy-line shop, so the second body R&R should be less than $300 Federal Reserve Notes. When the engine is in the chassis, they'll start the suspension, differential and brakes and I'll get to see what Ford pulled from their parts bag to build a 1-ton Ranger Crew. Commissioned Ford mechanics are paid monthly (rare in Mexico) half of the $25/hour and understandably, my super talented team leader wants to jam as much time as he can by tomorrow, so pulling lug nuts is last on his list, right now. I used to do what he's doing, so I won't even ask. I get it. He definitely gets propinas from me, I could never dream of a body-off restoration of a doggy, old Ranger at a top-line Ford dealer in the US. I've got free reign to go anywhere in the shop, all by myself. I can talk to the mechanics any time I want and the labor is so cheap, I feel like I'm stealing it. It's kinda fun.
Side note: The exciting and new 2019 Ranger Crew Cab was new and exciting here in 2013, with diesels, to boot. Thanks to the chicken tax, we never saw it in the US.
Sorry to ramble. I want to install 2008? SportTrac 17" wheels with 245/65R17 Michelins. It looks like it should be a nice fit. The bolt pattern, offset and tire height appears correct. Is anyone here successfully running this combination?
I might add that the differential and finned drum brakes are a different and much larger than a NAFTA Ranger. The front brakes appear to be way larger than normal, as well, but the bolt-pattern remains Ranger. The leaf-springs are massive for a Ranger. Mexican trucks are built for the chronic over-loader. To be honest, these items look like they're from some weird, narrowed F-250. Mine's an XL, with 15 inch steel wheels, but some of the XLT's came with that ugly 1997 F150 wheel and other decent F150-style wheels. For the curious, search Ford Ranger doble cabina images and the Argentina wheels can be seen, for clues.
The dealer thinks they'll be fine, but won't touch anything but engine/transmission while the cabina is off the chassis for the brand-new, 2 year guarantee 2.3 DOHC I-4 engine going in. I want to send the body over the the body shop, but they don't, so darn, I'll have to pay another $350 to R&R the body again at their body shop on the other side of town. At least body shop labor rates are cheaper than the heavy-line shop, so the second body R&R should be less than $300 Federal Reserve Notes. When the engine is in the chassis, they'll start the suspension, differential and brakes and I'll get to see what Ford pulled from their parts bag to build a 1-ton Ranger Crew. Commissioned Ford mechanics are paid monthly (rare in Mexico) half of the $25/hour and understandably, my super talented team leader wants to jam as much time as he can by tomorrow, so pulling lug nuts is last on his list, right now. I used to do what he's doing, so I won't even ask. I get it. He definitely gets propinas from me, I could never dream of a body-off restoration of a doggy, old Ranger at a top-line Ford dealer in the US. I've got free reign to go anywhere in the shop, all by myself. I can talk to the mechanics any time I want and the labor is so cheap, I feel like I'm stealing it. It's kinda fun.
Side note: The exciting and new 2019 Ranger Crew Cab was new and exciting here in 2013, with diesels, to boot. Thanks to the chicken tax, we never saw it in the US.
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