Converting from a fleetside box to a "Sport" box

[veefer800canuck]

So the box on my '94 is rusting out around the wheelwells pretty bad on both sides, plus behind the right rear wheel where the exhaust comes out. The cab is good though, so I'm doing an "upgrade".

I picked up a 2000 Ranger Sport box (call it a sportside, styleside, stepside, whatever....) for a great price, with NO damage at all.

I know a buddy who does paint, and if I sand it down for him, he will shoot it in the same shade as the truck on the cheap.


My question revolves around fitting the new box to the truck. Is there anything to be aware of ahead of time? I already know the taillights won't fit, but how about other things like the fuel filler hose, etc?

Anyone gone down this route before and can give me some pointers to save time?

Thanks in advance.


Box looks like so, except it's white at the moment:

 

[Casper98]

you'll need the filler neck for a step side the taillights should be the same and you'll need a Bumper for a stepside

 

[snoman6115]

bumper you can make work, jsur need to do some cutting where it would go under the tailgate. save urself about $200 over a new bumper

 

[veefer800canuck]

Thanks for the info so far.

I ASS-umed the taillights won't swap over (haven't tried them) because the listings I see for aftermarket taillights are either '93-'97 or '98-'01

So is that correct? A few of the taillights I've seen list from '93-'00 but I think that must be incorrect, like these ones:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/93-94-95-96-97-98-99-00-FORD-RANGER-TAIL-LIGHT-EURO-CHR-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem2a08975b28QQitemZ180532763432QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

(not that I'm buying those, just looking at the year spread.)

Following the generations of Ranger (3rd, 4th) it makes sense that the 93-97 and 98-onward are different animals as far as taillights, yes?

The bumper and maybe the filler neck I can modify, I'm not afraid to cut stuff and make it work.

My middle name is sometimes McGyver.

 

[snomaker321]

tails will fit physically but the 3rd gen use a 3 bulb design and 4th use a 2 bulb. Tail lights are pretty cheap so youd prob be best off getting a pair that will plug right in.

 

[BRUTUS_T_HOG]

just had to poke in here... you mean styleside? this isn't GM lolz

 

[backroad101]

tails will fit physically but the 3rd gen use a 3 bulb design and 4th use a 2 bulb. Tail lights are pretty cheap so youd prob be best off getting a pair that will plug right in.

Correct. The difference is not in the physical fitament but the wiring. You should not have an issue with the tail lights (assuming you are using the ones off your old bed).

Is the truck you got the bed from still available? If so, try to get the fuel filler neck and rear bumper off of it. If not, make a trip to the junkyard and get the right fuel filler neck and bumper. Might as well get the bumper painted with the bed (unless you have a chrome bumper)

.

 

[exbass94]

You got the tailgate too, right?

 

[lindsay_elaine]

I did this on my '03 with a stepside bed off a 97. All I needed was the filler neck, I bought a roll pan and a new aftermarket tailgate through work (body shop) because the ones that came with the bed were rusted. I used '06+ style taillights (seen in picture below) and they fit perfect, my truck was already wired for two bulbs so the fact that the bed came with three bulb housings didn't matter. The only issue I had is that my truck has the spare tire mounted under the bed, the stepside doesn't have a hole in the back under the tailgate to stick the crank into to lower the spare tire. It's easily fixed by drilling a hole, but I haven't actually done it yet. If your truck has the same spare tire deal, make sure you drill a new hole and save the plastic piece that goes in the hole off your old bed!

 

[veefer800canuck]

You got the tailgate too, right?

Yes sir, and it's a beaut!

NO body damage at all to any part of the box, just the usual 10 years of wear.

The box is also Rhino lined (or equivalent).

My buddy who does paint is busy at the moment finishing off his new house, so I have plenty of time to sand the box, prolly won't be done until late September, but that's fine, I've got more time than money.

I'll post pics when done. Will be painting the box 'medium aubergine metallic' to match the truck.

Would like a complete colour change, but that's way more than I'd want to invest in a 16 Y.O. daily driver with 210,000km on the clock. Gotta be realistic about it, and not spend more than the truck is worth whole.

I figure the truck is worth about $2500 Cdn at most, so I'm not getting carried away.

I just asked him to shoot a "20 foot paint job" on the box if I did all the surface prep for him, it'll be a quick and dirty fix, as the truck isn't perfect and never will be.

My son will probably inherit it next year when he turns 16. I'll be looking for a new-er Ranger, likely a 2005-2007 or so.

 

[veefer800canuck]

I did this on my '03 with a stepside bed off a 97. All I needed was the filler neck, I bought a roll pan and a new aftermarket tailgate through work (body shop) because the ones that came with the bed were rusted. I used '06+ style taillights (seen in picture below) and they fit perfect, my truck was already wired for two bulbs so the fact that the bed came with three bulb housings didn't matter. The only issue I had is that my truck has the spare tire mounted under the bed, the stepside doesn't have a hole in the back under the tailgate to stick the crank into to lower the spare tire. It's easily fixed by drilling a hole, but I haven't actually done it yet. If your truck has the same spare tire deal, make sure you drill a new hole and save the plastic piece that goes in the hole off your old bed!

Ahhh, very good, had not even thought about the spare tire yet. Thanks.

And your truck looks great! Noticed the early ranger wheels too.

 

[veefer800canuck]

I know this thread is pretty dusty, but awhile ago, I finally got the box painted and installed. Thought you guys might like a pic

Before the rear wheelwells rusted right out:

After the box swap;

The purple isn't my favorite colour by a mile, but to get the entire truck repainted would have cost about as much as the whole truck is worth, so the purple stays.

If I could magically change the colour, I think it would be Charcoal Grey Metallic, and the bottom 1/4 would be Black, with the transition right at the natural body line.

Oh, and I also tossed in a set of Mustang GT buckets in dark grey (so they match the interior pretty well), and a black center console from an '07 Ranger.

As for the filler neck, I just cut the original one about 3" shorter, and wrangled it into place with a little effort. Works good.

Thanks to all for their input.

 

[Runnin'OnEmpty]

Wow, looking good and that's a perfect match on the
purple bed from here.

I'm a big fan of the stepsides or sportsides, not only
for the looks but for the convenience in reaching the
front of the bed.

 

[veefer800canuck]

Dusting this off for an update, in case it helps anyone else doing the swap.

I used the 94 taillights in the 2000 box, had to swap over the 94 wiring also because of the # of lamps. Fit perfect.

I initially trimmed about 4" off the fuel filler hose, inner and outer, and it "worked", but the truck filled real slow, even though I had the bends in both hoses lined up. You had to work the fuel pump slow, no chance of filling on the top notch of the handle.

So I eventually bought a Chinese knockoff filler neck for the stepside box off eBay.

It fit well and cured my slow fill problem. However, it came with really lousy hose clamps that stripped if you even looked at them sideways, so I re-used the OEM ones.

Other than that, it's been great!i