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Shaved & Bagged '88 Super Cab


insaneranger

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Vehicle Year
1988
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V8
Engine Size
302
Transmission
Automatic
2WD / 4WD
2WD
Tire Size
225/40 R18
Wow, this is tragic, an the horrors people can experience sending a vehicle to someone else to get custom work done.

Where is the truck now?
It's been sitting at a shop for the past three months waiting to have the radiator and alternator swapped out. He pulled my old radiator out, along with my overflow tank, and battery almost 2 1/2 months ago.

He was supposed to notch the front support to move the radiator I had been using forward a couple inches so we could use factory brackets. After pulling everything apart, he said he couldn't make room so I bought an aftermarket Northern radiator made specifically for Ranger V8 swaps. Then he got the idea to try to weld a piece onto the aluminum fan shroud that I had been using and ruined it so I had to downgrade to a smaller plastic fan. (I went from a 16" 2,900 cfm fan down to a 14" 1,600 cfm fan) I couldn't trust him to build brackets for the fan so I made my own. (Pictures above) Keep in mind that this is supposed to be a custom shop, but so far they haven't been able to install a single item thay wasn't direct bolt on. I even found a custom billet alternator bracket online that bolted right in place because he suddenly decided it would be too hard to fabricate one. Now I'm just trying to get my truck back in drivable condition.
 
Last edited:


85_Ranger4x4

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:shok: i am sorry to hear that. 17 years......shit i have a hard time going 17 days without driving my truck around.


this really makes me sad.:sad:
+1

I have been working on mine for 18 years but for the most part I have been able to drive it while I work on it.

This last stretch has been bad, its been down since July. I have to refrain from too much caffeine late at night or I dream about driving it. Nothing worse than finding out after 6 months of wondering that the clutch and wiring works fine only to wake up and remember I still don't know. :annoyed:
 

insaneranger

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V8 Engine Swap
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Location
Tennessee
Vehicle Year
1988
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Type
V8
Engine Size
302
Transmission
Automatic
2WD / 4WD
2WD
Tire Size
225/40 R18
Update

My radiator is finally installed. You don't know how excited I am right now. After years of a cramped engine compartment, trying to make mismatched parts & brackets work, & always being paranoid that something was going to break; it's all finally coming together. There's a ton of room up front now. It's hard to tell in the photos, but the crank pulley doesn't even come close to the fan & sits well below the fan motor. The radiator tucks very nicely under the front support. Some of the wiring needs to be cleaned up & then we can add fluids & reinstall the battery.

You can see the billet alternator bracket holding the 200 amp Powermaster alternator.









 

Jim Oaks

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Location
Nocona, Texas
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1996 / 2021
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Ford Ranger
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4.0 V6
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4.0 / 2.3 Ecoboost
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Automatic
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6-inches
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33x12.50x15
Congrats on the progress!
 

insaneranger

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1988
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302
Transmission
Automatic
2WD / 4WD
2WD
Tire Size
225/40 R18
FedEx brought me a new set of wheels last night. I love the Avenger II wheels that are on the truck now, but the chrome is peeling off two of them & Centerline went out of business a couple years ago. They're now under new ownership & the Avenger II's are discontinued so I ordered a set of polished 18" x 8" Boyd Coddington "Junkyard Dogs" last week along with a set of aluminum hub centric rings. I'm having some rewiring done to my Ranger right now so it might be a couple weeks before I get them mounted. I'll give an update with pics when I get them on the truck.

 
Last edited:

1991dangerranger

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Brooooooo

Been reading this thread for about 15 minutes now. i need ti get me a 5.0 ranger :yahoo:
 

insaneranger

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Location
Tennessee
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1988
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302
Transmission
Automatic
2WD / 4WD
2WD
Tire Size
225/40 R18
Aftermarket rotors & new calipers added to the front. I'll try to get pictures of the Wilwood rear disc brakes when I go to get the wheels swapped out.



Also cleaned up the hoses & wiring. I replaced the cheap plastic pieces for some billet aluminum hose & plug wire separators.





Polished B&M transmission cooler up front.

 

insaneranger

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Location
Tennessee
Vehicle Year
1988
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Type
V8
Engine Size
302
Transmission
Automatic
2WD / 4WD
2WD
Tire Size
225/40 R18
Little details...

I just replaced the old plastic headlight switch knob with a polished aluminum knob. I know it's not much, but with all the trouble I've had with this project over the years even small things like this seem like I've accomplished something.

20190514_165127.jpg

20190514_165149.jpg
 

insaneranger

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Location
Tennessee
Vehicle Year
1988
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Type
V8
Engine Size
302
Transmission
Automatic
2WD / 4WD
2WD
Tire Size
225/40 R18
I finally got the new Boyd "Junkyard Dogs" installed today. I'll get a picture of the truck with the wheels tucked in a few days. One of the rear air solenoids is sticking so I need to disassemble it and check the condition of the rubber diaphragm. A couple members have asked me for pics of my rear brake set up so I grabbed a quick picture of the rear disc brakes while the wheels were off.

boyd wheels.jpg

boyd wheels 1.jpg

wilwood.jpg
 

insaneranger

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V8 Engine Swap
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Location
Tennessee
Vehicle Year
1988
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Type
V8
Engine Size
302
Transmission
Automatic
2WD / 4WD
2WD
Tire Size
225/40 R18
Gettin' new bags today. My old Contitechs were awesome, but after 12+ years they're starting to crack and split from dry rot so it's back into the shop before I end up stranded on the side of the road. This time I'm using Slam Specialties HE6's on the front and Airlift Dominator 2600's on the rear.

20190701_165953.jpg
 

Andrew.V

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Manitoba Canada
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2008 fx4 1988
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V8
Engine Size
4.0 5.0
Transmission
Automatic
love this truck the Boyd rims look sweet. How do they tuck when the truck is completely aired out?
 

insaneranger

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V8 Engine Swap
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Location
Tennessee
Vehicle Year
1988
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Type
V8
Engine Size
302
Transmission
Automatic
2WD / 4WD
2WD
Tire Size
225/40 R18
Thank you. It's in the shop getting the new air bags installed, but I'll take pics when I go pick it up.
 

insaneranger

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V8 Engine Swap
Joined
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Messages
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Location
Tennessee
Vehicle Year
1988
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Type
V8
Engine Size
302
Transmission
Automatic
2WD / 4WD
2WD
Tire Size
225/40 R18
Here's a close up of the dry rot on the old bags. Believe it or not they didn't leak at all, but it was a matter time. The majority of air bags will fail from dry rot long before they ever wear out.

The rear bag was cracked all the way around the top.
20190708_194326.jpg


Here's a large tear in the front bag.
20190708_194442.jpg


The new Slam 2500 on the front and Airlift 2600 on the rear.
20190708_195050.jpg


20190711_182821.jpg


A lot more to come soon. Thanks for looking.
 

insaneranger

Active Member
V8 Engine Swap
Joined
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Messages
107
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Location
Tennessee
Vehicle Year
1988
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Type
V8
Engine Size
302
Transmission
Automatic
2WD / 4WD
2WD
Tire Size
225/40 R18
love this truck the Boyd rims look sweet. How do they tuck when the truck is completely aired out?
I just got a fresh nitrogen tank today so I've been playing with the new bags. Here's the truck sitting low...

20190712_163305-819x295.jpg
20190712_163445-701x318.jpg
20190712_163148-784x390.jpg
 

Andrew.V

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2008 fx4 1988
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Engine Type
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Engine Size
4.0 5.0
Transmission
Automatic
wow that's impressive those bags weren't leaking i've seen ones in better shape leak at work. Truck looks mean how close is the frame to the ground looks like it would almost be touching. Its a shame i don't get to see trucks like this where I live
 

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