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'85 Ranger Restomod


PetroleumJunkie412

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Vehicle Year
1988
Make / Model
Ranger
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2.9l Trinity
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Manual
2WD / 4WD
4WD
My credo
Give 'yer balls a tug. Fight me.
My cruise has recently started acting up. Works fine most times but then can start surging and shut itself off after a minute or so of surging. I can hit resume and it works fine for awhile. Maybe shuts off twice in a 100 mile trip.
I need the cruise control cable.from a Merkur Scorpio to make mine work again. Ugh.
 


racsan

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central ohio
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2009
Make / Model
ford/escape
Engine Type
2.5 (4 Cylinder)
Engine Size
2.5/151 I-4
Transmission
Automatic
2WD / 4WD
2WD
Tire Size
235/70/16
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the grey-t escape
I have no cruise at all on my 94. unless i just lock my leg to the floor and and then it will bounce off the rev limiter once i hit 81.
 

Bird76Mojo

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My cruise control is the right foot responding to the sound of the exhaust note.
 

85_Ranger4x4

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1985
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Ford
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5.0
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I need the cruise control cable.from a Merkur Scorpio to make mine work again. Ugh.
It was hard enough to find one for a carbed SBF bullnose.

My cruise control is the right foot responding to the sound of the exhaust note.
Topper channels so much mud tire noise I can’t hardly hear the glasspacks at speed.

And drive for hours I start thinking about things... like why Illinois people have such awesome farmhouses but their highways are like 1945 Berlin and my speed starts to vary.
 

Bird76Mojo

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Our interstates get pretty beat up from all of the people flying through the state to buy gas in Indiana, Missouri, Kentucky, and Wisconsin.. AND all of the people fleeing this huge tax burden.

:3gears:
 

PetroleumJunkie412

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Vehicle Year
1988
Make / Model
Ranger
Engine Size
2.9l Trinity
Transmission
Manual
2WD / 4WD
4WD
My credo
Give 'yer balls a tug. Fight me.
Penns
Our interstates get pretty beat up from all of the people flying through the state to buy gas in Indiana, Missouri, Kentucky, and Wisconsin.. AND all of the people fleeing this huge tax burden.

:3gears:
Pennsylvania is nice.
 

85_Ranger4x4

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Engine Size
5.0
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Manual
Anyway, made it back to Huntington Indiana and the truck is still doing pretty good. Still averaging about 16mpg which I don't think is too bad for what it is doing.

Twin stick was AWESOME yesterday. Once we got off of Hell's Half Acre I mostly putzed around in 2lo with the hubs locked in so 4wd was right there if I needed it but the truck still turned nice when traction was good.
 

85_Ranger4x4

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Made it home, no major issues with the truck which I still can't get over. I do have a little post wheeling work to do.

I need to clean the engine bay, especially the aluminum air cleaner lid so the mud doesn't stain it. I never got around to extending the D35 front breather (T-case and rear axle are good, trans vents at the shift so it was high and dry) so I need to check and probably replace the brand new oil in the front diff. I wasn't figuring on going thru water over the hubs and it ended up being well over the hubs. I did have the stock curly cue thing on it for what that was worth.

Hard to tell with cicadas going nuts the whole way back but it sounds like like I might have a bearing going out on one of my idlers or the alternator. All low mile stuff, kind of irritating.

I need to get the hot start thing figured out too, that was annoying.

Down here my Firestones are kind of a meh tire. Not super awesome in snow, dig to china in mud. Combined with the fact that nobody else seems to run them I kinda wrote them off as a meh tire all around. Out there, they were freaking awesome. I was going thru water, up cliffs with mud and huge rocks, sand... they took it all in stride. If I slipped a tire (except for blundering into sand in 2wd) I never felt it.

And on easy going on the way out fully loaded with the big topper at 60mph I was getting over 17mpg.
 
Last edited:

Shran

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I need to extend the breather on my Explorer too, figured I'd take some hose and run it up into the engine bay somewhere. We went through a river in AZ that was up to the doors...hope I didn't get any water in the front diff. It's a real drag to change oil on a D35 since the beam has to come out to remove the 3rd member.

What's the hot start issue? Maybe need a spacer under your carb?
 

BlackBII

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1989
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Type
4.0 V6
Transmission
Manual
2WD / 4WD
4WD
Total Lift
5
Tire Size
33
I wish I could have come and checked out your truck. 17mpg isn't bad! I get about 18 with my 4.0 if I stay out of the throttle.

Maybe you should go EFI? That'll help with the hot start :icon_welder:
 

85_Ranger4x4

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I need to extend the breather on my Explorer too, figured I'd take some hose and run it up into the engine bay somewhere. We went through a river in AZ that was up to the doors...hope I didn't get any water in the front diff. It's a real drag to change oil on a D35 since the beam has to come out to remove the 3rd member.

What's the hot start issue? Maybe need a spacer under your carb?
Had a thick one, new air cleaner didn't fit with it. Tried just a gasket which was horrible. Using a Edelbrock spacer now which is better. I don't remember it being as bad around here as it was out there, I wonder if different fuel was messing with me too.
 

85_Ranger4x4

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1985
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Ford
Engine Type
V8
Engine Size
5.0
Transmission
Manual
I wish I could have come and checked out your truck. 17mpg isn't bad! I get about 18 with my 4.0 if I stay out of the throttle.

Maybe you should go EFI? That'll help with the hot start :icon_welder:
Currently taking donations for a Fitech.

I was impressed though, going up and down cliffs the ol 4bbl didn't miss a beat. It did start to slobber a little on really rough going but it quit as I slowed down (got going too fast)
 

BlackBII

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Engine Type
4.0 V6
Transmission
Manual
2WD / 4WD
4WD
Total Lift
5
Tire Size
33
Currently taking donations for a Fitech.

I was impressed though, going up and down cliffs the ol 4bbl didn't miss a beat. It did start to slobber a little on really rough going but it quit as I slowed down (got going too fast)
I just looked those up and that's dope. Just bolts in place of the carb? That makes it super easy. Not quite as good as individual injectors but miles ahead of a carb.

I used to wheel an '85 BII back in the day with a holley carb and that thing was really unpredictable. Any kind of an incline and you're just hoping it stays running.
 

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