Welcome Visitor! Please take a few seconds and 
- Joined
- Feb 21, 2014
- Messages
- 104
- Reaction score
- 2
- Points
- 0
- Location
- CenTex
- Vehicle Year
- 2004
- Make / Model
- Ford
- Engine Size
- 2.3
- Transmission
- Manual
Well, once the truck gets paid-off, a supercharger is pretty high on the list of priorities so that I can loan against the value of the truck in order to buy it ...hopefully before the truck depreciates below the asking price of the blower.
Putting out 250HP and 220lb/ft on an even smaller engine, it appears to be the most logical way to get V6 power and still retain the efficiency of a 4-cyl. I can't help but wonder what kind of improvement an MSDS header would make on an engine like that.
However prior to jumping into another loan, I should address a few of the issues already in need of attention such as the cargo space. Ideally the sofa-bed option looks very appealing (especially in black & tan to match the interior), along with a slider rear window and a camper gasket for easy weather-proof access, but the main issue is that the camper top itself just isn't what I was hoping for, and the company that manufactured it is no longer in business, so the likelihood of finding parts is next to nil. The double-handles on the rear hatch make it a PITA to open & close, and with a broken side window that I can't find parts for, I wonder if it might be worth it to shop around a bit, and possibly look into a fiberglass option. I found one on Craig'sList that looks real nice, but it's kinda pricey @ $550, and how would I come up with that kind of cash while under a budget?
Maybe I should look for something with a ladder rack on it, so I can make a safari-style luggage carrier out of it. Anyway, once I've gotten the cargo space taken care of and the supercharger installed, I would focus more on the exterior of the truck, not just for appearance, but to add a little bit of "tough stuff" to it. For one, the cracked grill surround has been driving me crazy, so I've been thinking about gluing it back together and wrapping it (along with the rear bumper) with some camo vinyl that I found on eBay.
That should go well with some camo seat covers for the inside too.
In accordance with my theme of eliminating the chrome, I would go for a generic black billet grille to put in that camo surround. APG makes a pretty decent piece, and I think it would look good resting between a pair of black headlights; my LED's would become invisible inside them, and make 'em look real nice - something similar to what mudsling556 from FRF did, but with my own flavor added - of course.
To fix my bent-up front bumper, I have in mind to talk to the guys at RLC about getting something a little more zombie-ready, and mount a winch to it just to be ready for any unplanned detours.
To handle the extra weight and add some ground clearance, FabTech makes a 2½" lift for the front along with some Energy Suspension polyurethane bushings and I'll use a 5-pack set of Explorer rear leaf springs to get the back end up, and with any luck, my ride would sit like njdriver04 of RF.
The 2010+ Rangers come with rear disc brakes, and the FX4 Level II Off-Road comes with a larger 31-spline 8.8" rear, so while I doubt there are a ton of them around, it would eventually be worth it to call a salvage yard or two to see if I can find a good candidate for a swap to beef things up around the drive wheels. Along with a new rear axle, a 1" rear sway bar from a Bronco II would help keep things from wandering all over the road while the suspension would keep me at nose-bleed altitudes, and finally finish off with a set of 16" P71 steel wheels like Fx4wannabe01 of TRF did, only I would opt for the black Mazda center caps myself.
By the time this is all done, I should be in my fifties, and by then I may be stoopud over this truck, and go for a solid-axle 4x4 conversion, maybe add a snorkel, and go run around Texas looking for creeks to drive around in.
Putting out 250HP and 220lb/ft on an even smaller engine, it appears to be the most logical way to get V6 power and still retain the efficiency of a 4-cyl. I can't help but wonder what kind of improvement an MSDS header would make on an engine like that.
However prior to jumping into another loan, I should address a few of the issues already in need of attention such as the cargo space. Ideally the sofa-bed option looks very appealing (especially in black & tan to match the interior), along with a slider rear window and a camper gasket for easy weather-proof access, but the main issue is that the camper top itself just isn't what I was hoping for, and the company that manufactured it is no longer in business, so the likelihood of finding parts is next to nil. The double-handles on the rear hatch make it a PITA to open & close, and with a broken side window that I can't find parts for, I wonder if it might be worth it to shop around a bit, and possibly look into a fiberglass option. I found one on Craig'sList that looks real nice, but it's kinda pricey @ $550, and how would I come up with that kind of cash while under a budget?
Maybe I should look for something with a ladder rack on it, so I can make a safari-style luggage carrier out of it. Anyway, once I've gotten the cargo space taken care of and the supercharger installed, I would focus more on the exterior of the truck, not just for appearance, but to add a little bit of "tough stuff" to it. For one, the cracked grill surround has been driving me crazy, so I've been thinking about gluing it back together and wrapping it (along with the rear bumper) with some camo vinyl that I found on eBay.
That should go well with some camo seat covers for the inside too.
In accordance with my theme of eliminating the chrome, I would go for a generic black billet grille to put in that camo surround. APG makes a pretty decent piece, and I think it would look good resting between a pair of black headlights; my LED's would become invisible inside them, and make 'em look real nice - something similar to what mudsling556 from FRF did, but with my own flavor added - of course.
To fix my bent-up front bumper, I have in mind to talk to the guys at RLC about getting something a little more zombie-ready, and mount a winch to it just to be ready for any unplanned detours.
To handle the extra weight and add some ground clearance, FabTech makes a 2½" lift for the front along with some Energy Suspension polyurethane bushings and I'll use a 5-pack set of Explorer rear leaf springs to get the back end up, and with any luck, my ride would sit like njdriver04 of RF.
The 2010+ Rangers come with rear disc brakes, and the FX4 Level II Off-Road comes with a larger 31-spline 8.8" rear, so while I doubt there are a ton of them around, it would eventually be worth it to call a salvage yard or two to see if I can find a good candidate for a swap to beef things up around the drive wheels. Along with a new rear axle, a 1" rear sway bar from a Bronco II would help keep things from wandering all over the road while the suspension would keep me at nose-bleed altitudes, and finally finish off with a set of 16" P71 steel wheels like Fx4wannabe01 of TRF did, only I would opt for the black Mazda center caps myself.
By the time this is all done, I should be in my fifties, and by then I may be stoopud over this truck, and go for a solid-axle 4x4 conversion, maybe add a snorkel, and go run around Texas looking for creeks to drive around in.
