Fix up/build thread for my '85 Ranger XLS

[bobbywalter]

fail.....3 times. was he doing grand theft auto stuff.....like hunting down cops and jumping curbs....or the academic side?

 

[Shran]

Stripes and plaids will always make you look fatter; by chance is one of the trucks plaid and the other in a polka dot or floral pattern?

Damn near everything I own has multi colored body panels and that could very well have an effect on my eyes.

fail.....3 times. was he doing grand theft auto stuff.....like hunting down cops and jumping curbs....or the academic side?

The academic side... he couldn't pass the written test. It's like 20 questions and they are all literally from the book that he said he read a dozen times.

 

[bobbywalter]

i need to take that test

 

[Josh B]

Cool deal you have going there Shran.
I can't understand the failing tests, I thought the pictures are all self explanatory

 

[LittleHelpPlease]

So cool. I've recently picked up a 85 Ford Ranger as a project. Mine runs pretty well, but the body is in rough shape. The most puzzling part is the carborated 2.8 v6 Cologne engine. I'm along for the ride and see what you do to yours. Cheers! -Neil

 

[Shran]

Since my last update we bought a gas tank, installed it and it'll drive around on its own fuel supply now so that is really nice. No more boat tank strapped to the hood!

I also fixed a bunch more small rust holes on the passenger side floor and put the seats & carpet back in. I still have some interior work left... cleaning, putting trim back on, fixing lights and stuff. Getting there.

In addition to the interior work I still need to do the Duraspark swap. For the time being I parked it outside and will work on the rest later, I need to work on a couple other projects but I am getting fairly close to having this truck back on the road. I just need like a day with no other plans to pull it back in the shop and Duraspark it.

So cool. I've recently picked up a 85 Ford Ranger as a project. Mine runs pretty well, but the body is in rough shape. The most puzzling part is the carborated 2.8 v6 Cologne engine. I'm along for the ride and see what you do to yours. Cheers! -Neil

Nice, welcome to the forum and looking forward to hearing more about your project. 2.8's were pretty common - almost all of the early Rangers I had also had 2.8s in them. If you can get past the dumb feedback carb, smog equipment and some other things that are hard to work on, they are pretty good engines.

 

[Shran]

So I had this pile of Duraspark parts, a carb, GM ignition module, etc. Years ago I did a few Duraspark swaps on these trucks so I know a thing or two maybe? My instinct then, clearly, is to dig right in and not re-read any of the tech articles that I read 15 years ago.

Long story short I got a little wild with the dikes and had very few wires left under the hood. I was tracing wires and kept running into bare ones! I still can't believe this thing ever ran, the insulation was just crumbling off of almost every wire I touched.

With no wiring left, it was easy to drop the distributor in. But then I realized I had no new o-ring for it. Parts ordered... then I can't find a base gasket for the carb... cut one... reassemble over several days. Build new wiring harness from an electric stove donor, the GM module and a computer CPU heatsink. Make half a dozen vacuum caps out of tubing & screws because I have 100 caps but they are all the wrong sizes.

It runs! Not perfect, I need to get a choke heater/set the timing/dial the carb in better but it's at least running and not pissing fuel all over the engine!

 

[Shran]

2nd project, last Saturday, fingers crossed and hoping and praying that the valvetrain noise can be adjusted out and it's not just a lack of oil pressure. Might as well throw new valve cover gaskets on too.

Tore the covers off, cleaned everything, started adjusting valves. They were so loose that the pushrods on #2 and #4 could have almost fallen out. The rest were almost that bad. My book says 0.014" clearance on intake and 0.016 on exhaust... some were at double that. No wonder they clattered so bad. Checked & adjusted them all twice, GTG. I'm guessing based on two different types of valve cover gaskets that this was a mistake that some tard made and not simply a worn out engine.

Put it all back together, fired up and it is soooooooo quiet. The valves were actually louder than two large exhaust leaks & a glass pack muffler! Let it run for about 20 minutes and then changed the oil & filter - figured it deserved it after 20+ years. The old oil was pretty dirty but had no metal in it, excellent news there. Oil pressure sits kinda near the low end of the gauge but it must be sufficient, normally I'd put a better gauge in but it's nice and quiet so I am no longer worried.

 

[RobbieD]

Build new wiring harness from an electric stove donor

What a great idea! "Preheat" will be nice on those cold, snowy mornings.

 

[Shran]

What a great idea! "Preheat" will be nice on those cold, snowy mornings.

It's hard to find long pieces of orange & purple wires that match the Duraspark colors. The stove I found in an alley had them and also donated its racks to my outhouse smoker project... beggars can't be choosers!

 

[RobbieD]

It's hard to find long pieces of orange & purple wires that match the Duraspark colors.

Sounds like you're the type that has a collection of Sharpies and paint markers, to add the right color tracer stripes, too.

. . . I don't mind painting the stripes, but the damn dots tries even my patience.

 

[Shran]

Well so a few updates - I have been driving this truck off and on, I finally have the carb dialed in fairly well, and little bugs are being worked out. I had to flush the radiator/heater core a few times to get coolant flowing and the heat working. Not perfect yet but it doesn't just sit on cold now, I am guessing all the mud in the radiator stuck the thermostat open and the heater core was plugged.

I just redid the headliner last night - the fabric fell apart a long time ago, and I was left with this nasty coardboard & foam mess:

Wire brush got all the foam off:

New suede & foam glued on:

Installed - I am super happy with how it turned out.

 

[Blmpkn]

Oooh that looks nice!

 

[Shran]

Oooh that looks nice!

Thanks! The material was super cheap, $21 plus about half a can of spray glue. Now that I’ve seen the fabric on a beater project, I might do my Explorer with the same stuff.

 

[Shran]

I finished up a couple remaining projects last night, replacing all 4 shocks and a new center console. Nice not getting bounced all over... the old shocks were so bad.

Center console fits great, these are apparently kind of hard to find. It was a generic "Moblorg" brand one off Amazon. I had to trim off a bit on the back and it's spaced off the floor with a short 2x4 and a 4x4 underneath it, not really ideal but will work until I find something else.

In other news I listed this truck for sale today. My kid was not as motivated to finish it as I had hoped so I ended up doing 95% of the work overall. He has not yet learned to take care of anything and I guess I just don't want to watch him destroy all my hard work. With my recent '94 Ranger purchase I need to make some space in the driveway so this one unfortunately must go. Here are some pictures, fresh out of the car wash.