Rolled it, body swap?

[RonD]

Do a craigslist search for 1995-2000 Rangers in your area
See what they are going for

2.5l(1998-2000) will work with your 2.3l engine and trans, plug and play

1995-2000 Mazda B2300 or B2500 will also work and are usually less money

 

[franklin2]

Swapping cabs can be tricky, especially with the VIN, the new cab won't match your current registration/title.

Don't dismiss the advice in the above quote. If you get a title with your new cab, you can just re-register it and transfer the tags over as if you have a new truck. No one looks at the frame vin, just the one under the windshield. If you do not get a clear title with your replacement cab, you will have to do the bill of sale thing and it can be a pain. And then they will give you a new reconstructed VIN which will always be a mark on the truck.

 

[changed_my_name]

If no repairs are done but a new tail light and some sort of windshield it would be street legal and drive able.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

If no repairs are done but a new tail light and some sort of windshield it would be street legal and drive able.

I dont think you even technically need a windsheild

 

[changed_my_name]

I dont think you even technically need a windsheild

I dont think you even technically need a windsheild

Just looked it up and a indented windshield is not allowed but if it is not there entirely it is fine.

 

[Josh B]

My brother had a Fiat or some tiny sports car that had no top at all, it had been cut off smooth with the fenders, this was in TX in the late 60s early 70s

 

[Roert42]

I can’t imagine it’s legally needs a tailgate either.
Probably needs mirrors though.

 

[franklin2]

If no repairs are done but a new tail light and some sort of windshield it would be street legal and drive able.

I know you are limited at your location, if you park on the grass they give you a ticket. But if you could get a new taillight, and then drive it home during winter break, you might be able to knock the old windshield out, put a old blanket around the upper corner of the window, and then wrap a come-along around it and hook it to a tree or something, and pull it back square. Just remember to try and reverse what the accident did. So if the truck rolled on the top corner and smashed it out of square, pull on it exactly at the same spot and try and hook the other end of the come-along high up in a stout tree. You will be surprised how little force it takes to bend it back. There is some leeway in the windshield fit, so it doesn't have to be perfect. They can glob the glue in there so it will not leak.

 

[changed_my_name]

I know you are limited at your location, if you park on the grass they give you a ticket. But if you could get a new taillight, and then drive it home during winter break, you might be able to knock the old windshield out, put a old blanket around the upper corner of the window, and then wrap a come-along around it and hook it to a tree or something, and pull it back square. Just remember to try and reverse what the accident did. So if the truck rolled on the top corner and smashed it out of square, pull on it exactly at the same spot and try and hook the other end of the come-along high up in a stout tree. You will be surprised how little force it takes to bend it back. There is some leeway in the windshield fit, so it doesn't have to be perfect. They can glob the glue in there so it will not leak.

Good idea, maybe yank it with a back hoe to get some different angles.

 

[changed_my_name]

I can’t imagine it’s legally needs a tailgate either.
Probably needs mirrors though.

The cop who pulled me over later that night didn't think those were important when i brought it up. He did give a me tail light warning but that was all.

 

[changed_my_name]

I can’t imagine it’s legally needs a tailgate either.

The tailgate is fine I think.

 

[don4331]

Minor correction: You would be looking for '93-97 Ranger with same cab (Regular vs Super). 2 or 4wd and Auto or Manual aren't critical although matching makes life easier. You can even get one with damage to box. The box can be anything from '93 to '11, Styleside or Splash box doesn't really matter either just box length is correct (95% it is 6'; 5% it is 7')

If you are mechanically inclined enough to do the work:

Easier portion:
Swapping the box is couple hour task at most and 90% of work can be done ahead of time - you can remove all 6 bed bolts (1/2" breaker bar, T55 Socket, penetrating oil), then just put them back loosely. Undo the 3 bolts for the gas filler. When ready to do the swap, disconnect the wiring (just below tailgate, more/less center of truck and you're ready to pull bed bolts, and with help of buddy, lift the damaged box off. Reverse for installing good box.

Note: You can put new box inverted on existing box (couple 2x4 from Home Depot helps) to transport between locations.

More challenging:
Swapping cabs - again, you can do a bunch of prep work. The cab is bolted to the frame with 6 bolts as well - 2 at radiator core support, 2 in footwells, and 2 behind seats - the footwell and seat ones might be PIA as the rubber bushings need to be held (big pipe wrench) while someone in cab removes the bolts, bolt are same T55 head.

When you are ready to do the swap, you will need to drain the coolant, so you can disconnect the heater hoses, the wiring to the cab, the master cylinder & the steering. I unbolt the AC compressor and lift it with cab. (You might want to consider taking truck to shop and having them depressurize the AC - easier it you can disconnect it).

Here in Calgary, there are shops where you may rent a lift for a day. With everything ready, we drove the truck with bad cab to the lift shop; buddy brings the Ranger with dead engine and/or transmission on u-haul trailer. I drive the Ranger with bad cab into lift and remove cab. With cab off, we pull the frame out and having pushed dead Ranger off the trailer, lower the cab onto the u-haul trailer. Then we push the dead Ranger to the lift and remove the cab. Again we pull the frame out and replacing it with your good frame. Good cab is lowered onto your frame and secured with couple bolts.

Ranger is pulled out and pushed to parking lot, for all intents and purposed it looks like a runner. The damaged cab is put back on lift, dead frame is pushed under. Cab is lowered onto frame. Dead Ranger is put back on U-haul trailer and hauled to recycler.* Then we came back picked up Ranger with good body and frame transported them on the u-haul trailer to where I could finish reassembly. As it "looked" like a runner, I could reconnect wiring, coolant, steering, bolts, etc without attracting too much attention.

*1st time we used ratch straps to pull the Ranger onto the U-haul trailer - with four straps, it worked, but it was a lot of effort and slow. 2nd time, we used 2nd buddy's car and recovery strap to pull Ranger onto trailer, slow and careful being operative words (while slow, it was much faster than straps).

Cost: Day's time at lift shop, u-haul trailer for the day, tank of gas for my buddy's truck, pizza & beer for the buddies who helped, couple tools (T55 socket, 24" pipe wrench rental) which I didn't have, jug of antifreeze, couple 2x4s. I pulled a bunch of parts off the dead Ranger (alternator, tires and wheels, etc) to recover some of my expenses.

 

[changed_my_name]

Minor correction: You would be looking for '93-97 Ranger with same cab (Regular vs Super). 2 or 4wd and Auto or Manual aren't critical although matching makes life easier. You can even get one with damage to box. The box can be anything from '93 to '11, Styleside or Splash box doesn't really matter either just box length is correct (95% it is 6'; 5% it is 7')

If you are mechanically inclined enough to do the work:

Easier portion:
Swapping the box is couple hour task at most and 90% of work can be done ahead of time - you can remove all 6 bed bolts (1/2" breaker bar, T55 Socket, penetrating oil), then just put them back loosely. Undo the 3 bolts for the gas filler. When ready to do the swap, disconnect the wiring (just below tailgate, more/less center of truck and you're ready to pull bed bolts, and with help of buddy, lift the damaged box off. Reverse for installing good box.

Note: You can put new box inverted on existing box (couple 2x4 from Home Depot helps) to transport between locations.

More challenging:
Swapping cabs - again, you can do a bunch of prep work. The cab is bolted to the frame with 6 bolts as well - 2 at radiator core support, 2 in footwells, and 2 behind seats - the footwell and seat ones might be PIA as the rubber bushings need to be held (big pipe wrench) while someone in cab removes the bolts, bolt are same T55 head.

When you are ready to do the swap, you will need to drain the coolant, so you can disconnect the heater hoses, the wiring to the cab, the master cylinder & the steering. I unbolt the AC compressor and lift it with cab. (You might want to consider taking truck to shop and having them depressurize the AC - easier it you can disconnect it).

Here in Calgary, there are shops where you may rent a lift for a day. With everything ready, we drove the truck with bad cab to the lift shop; buddy brings the Ranger with dead engine and/or transmission on u-haul trailer. I drive the Ranger with bad cab into lift and remove cab. With cab off, we pull the frame out and having pushed dead Ranger off the trailer, lower the cab onto the u-haul trailer. Then we push the dead Ranger to the lift and remove the cab. Again we pull the frame out and replacing it with your good frame. Good cab is lowered onto your frame and secured with couple bolts.

Ranger is pulled out and pushed to parking lot, for all intents and purposed it looks like a runner. The damaged cab is put back on lift, dead frame is pushed under. Cab is lowered onto frame. Dead Ranger is put back on U-haul trailer and hauled to recycler.* Then we came back picked up Ranger with good body and frame transported them on the u-haul trailer to where I could finish reassembly. As it "looked" like a runner, I could reconnect wiring, coolant, steering, bolts, etc without attracting too much attention.

*1st time we used ratch straps to pull the Ranger onto the U-haul trailer - with four straps, it worked, but it was a lot of effort and slow. 2nd time, we used 2nd buddy's car and recovery strap to pull Ranger onto trailer, slow and careful being operative words (while slow, it was much faster than straps).

Cost: Day's time at lift shop, u-haul trailer for the day, tank of gas for my buddy's truck, pizza & beer for the buddies who helped, couple tools (T55 socket, 24" pipe wrench rental) which I didn't have, jug of antifreeze, couple 2x4s. I pulled a bunch of parts off the dead Ranger (alternator, tires and wheels, etc) to recover some of my expenses.

Thank you for the detailed response, if I either drive or uship it back home for the holidays then this would be a rather doable plan. My dad has done some body swaps on older cars in the distant past, He has have virtually every other tool one could need for almost any project.
Also that is a much more populated region so find a donor would be way easier.

I believe the car to be totally insured so it shouldn't be all out of pocket.

 

[franklin2]

I believe the car to be totally insured so it shouldn't be all out of pocket.

Be careful telling the insurance anything. They will probably total it. If they do they may mark the title. That would not be a problem if you are going to get another title from another donor truck. It is a problem if you try to put the truck back on the road with the old title. It will be marked salvage and there is a bunch of hoops you have to jump through to get it re-titled. And then it will always have that salvage mark on it, affecting it's resale value.

Not to mention your insurance payments may go up.

 

[scotts90ranger]

I've swapped cabs before, not horrible if everything is the same... but then a few years later I rolled mine and well I just fixed it... conveniently it wasn't my only vehicle so I had a little time but for the most part I took like a week off work and got it fixed and a windshield in it... mine was maybe not quite as bad as yours but close... I borrowed a porta power from a coworker to straighten the cab and doors, got a spot weld cutter from harbor freight and borrowed a flux core welder from a different coworker and pulled the roof skin to straighten it out... pulled the fenders and straightened those, went to a junkyard and took some measurements so I could get the windshield frame shaped right... that was like 12 years ago and it still works... last pic is after it was fixed (most likely with the short front tires from the "first" time I rebuilt the turbo 2.3L). Oh, and when I rolled it I blew 3 beads (old tires, they didn't like staying inflated) but was also like 120 or so miles from home and I drove it to the dunes, had to cut the seatbelt (I did not land on all 4's, was on the drivers side) but it made it home...