Project: STX Rehab

I was not planning on getting this in depth on this truck. But I have to face facts. I am addicted to truck builds. This is going to be a light going over. I still have my Papa’s truck waiting to get completed. Anyhoo, what we have a 1987 Ranger STX. It was in relatively good shape when I got it. The previous owner tried to take care of it, but just did not have the knowledge to do so.

What has been done so far:
The truck ran like crap and had two dead cylinders when I drove it two hours back home. The plug wires were fried, the points in the cap were burned up and the timing was way off. I pulled the air plenum and cleaned it thoroughly. The EGR port was so clogged I had to use a ½ drill bit. The valve cover were leaking and missing bolts. I went through and rewrapped the wiring harness with new tape and loom. I addressed many details as I went along. The tranny was dry when I bought it so I dropped the pan and serviced it. It helped, but still shifts sporadically. The interior is in great shape just needed a good cleaning. It looks great now, all it really needs a new dash pad. The large piece of trim on the tail gate of course fell off when the previous owner had it. Thankfully he saved it. I was able to repair and reinstall it. I would prefer to delete it but thanks to the big holes Ford drilled in the sheet metal I cannot. Oh my god the amount of water I have sprayed on this truck. I have no idea how much I have spent on water and degreaser. I have hit with the pressure washer many times and the underside and engine compartment it still greasy. There is more here and there but you get the idea.

Today’s plans:
I know 2.9 engines are not power monsters. But they do put out better than this one is. I have got it running 100 times better but it is still lacking. I think the cats are clogged up so I am deleting them. The previous owner had new exhaust ran from the cats back with a brand new Dynomax muffler. I do not at all like the exhaust that is on there, but it will do for now. While the exhaust is out I will be replacing the modulator. I hope that will clear up the sporadic shifting. I will also service the rear diff and install my new spare tire.

By the way, I also picked up a parts truck. My plan was to convert the STX to dual tanks. But I have to change out the bed which means new paint. I kind of like the faded green and peeling stripes. So I am going to leave it has it is and just part the parts truck out.

Man I'd love a parts truck...the only problem is that most first gens here are more rotten than mine. What makes you think the cats are at fault? Is it just sluggish? I wouldn't remove both cats for many reasons but what about deleting the first cat? That's the one with the most chance of being melted or Fowled by a rich running engine.

Keep up the good work!

I cannot pin point the exact reason I feel that. It is more of a gut feeling from being around Rangers. Besides, they restrict not matter how you look at it so I would rather just get rid of them. the O2 sensor is before the cats so that will not be affected.

I did not even come close to getting everything done this weekend. Between having to help friends unexpectedly and discovering more problems with the truck, I got very little accomplished.

The funny thing here is I have several sets of jack stands. Yet they are all being used under other non running vehicles. So, I had to improvise a bit.

This is the section of exhaust I cut out of the donor truck. Looks like the previous owner also deleted his cats. I figured there was no use in doing the same work again. Boy was I wrong. I am starting to think there should be a back ground check before someone can buy a welder. After I ground down very excessive and sloppy welds I spent a huge amount of time fixing thin areas and pin holes. I do not want to know how much I spent on electricity, gas and wire dealing with this hunk of crap. I wish the exhaust shops were open; I would have started over with new material. I plan a whole new exhaust system in the future, so this is temporary anyway.

I pulled the original 1987 spare out of the truck. Looks like it has never touched pavement before. I put its life expectancy at less than five minutes at highway speeds. I hate seeing all that meat go to waste. I picked up a never used spare at the salvage yard out of a late model Explorer. But it is an inch and a half bigger. New tires are in the works as well as a matching spare.

I got a surprise when I drained the rear diff. I did not expect to find the truck came stock with 4:10 gears. Some years back when I was building these trucks into trails rigs I would have given a left nut to find one stock with a 4L10 tag on the diff. The clutches in the LSD I think need some help. But they work well enough for now. I found out the drums are adjusted a bit too tight so I will give them some slack tomorrow.

I also replaced the original 1987 shocks. They are beyond worn out.

I found a mess of wiring. One of the biggest and most time consuming issues I have with old trucks is correcting what previous owners did. I installed the proper trailer wire connector while I was at it. I have several lying around anyway.

I did other stuff here and there as well. I hope to wrap up the exhaust tomorrow.

nice looking truck! good luck with the build! I love that interior, looks awesome!

thanks, there will be more to come.

I finished up the exhaust and it is horrible. Those were by far the worse welds I have ever laid down. The material was terrible and the product I started with should have been scrapped. However, I tried to make it work anyway. I knew better and went against what I knew to be true. So, now I get to do it all over again. But this time, I will use new materials and go with the design I prefer.

Drove it for the first time today since my last go round. It still does not shift right. I did not drive it long enough to say for sure if there is any noticeable improvement. But I can say for sure there are still issues. I think there is something going on in the valve body.

The exhaust is going to get on my nerves until I correct it. It does feel like the engine is putting out a bit better. But at the same time, it feels like I am pulling a trailer. I have had not a chance to check the brakes. Maybe they are binding. I know the rears are adjusted a little too tight.

yea make sure all the drive-train operates smoothly to make sure that is not the issue... possibly if there is an issue, could be causing the trans to act funny? :S

This is one reason I was hoping for a five speed.

LonesomeSTX said:

This is one reason I was hoping for a five speed.

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Put one in there then! It's actually not that bad (easier than I'd thought it would be). I put a M50D in my '84 with a 4.0 clutch.

The thought has crossed my mind.

I pulled the drums to check the adjustments. All is well and the resistance I felt before was not there this time. Also, the brakes look new. The drums look like they were just installed.

LonesomeSTX said:

The thought has crossed my mind.

Click to expand...

Well, if you do hit me up. I can tell you exactly what I did and even give you part numbers (will save a lot of confusion).

I just drove the dog snot out of this truck. It is running so much better. It shifts better and pulls better. The cats were clogged as I suspected. The exhaust drone makes me want to strangle kittens, but I will correct that later. It still labors with hills though. I think it might be a fuel issue. I was pricing tools for cleaning fuel injections systems. That may have to happen soon.