87 XLT - Factory Optioned Restoration

Work on the driver's side of the engine bay continues...lower intake manifold, alternator, fuel supply manifold, fuel injectors, and radiator all removed.

Plenty of access to the side of the head and block now.



Lower intake manifold filthy but in good shape.







Alternator, what's left of the intake gasket, mounting hardware, and front engine lift eye.



Fuel injectors.



Radiator.



Warmer weather has finally arrived...supposed to be near 70F all week. No excuses now.

Lower intake cleaned and restored with new gasket, coolant temperature sensor, and air charge temperature sensor.



Close up of the coolant and air charge temp sensors...both NOS.



Also, found 4 NOS Motorcraft fuel injectors.



And cleaned and restored the alternator and mounting brackets.





Sneak peak of things starting to go back in.

Looking really nice!

Neat how Ford took the time to number the ports, that is a real old timey thing I thought they would have quit doing way before '88. I am pretty sure my '87 SBF wasn't numbered.

1qaz said:

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85_Ranger4x4 said:

Looking really nice!

Neat how Ford took the time to number the ports, that is a real old timey thing I thought they would have quit doing way before '88. I am pretty sure my '87 SBF wasn't numbered.

Click to expand...

Thanks! I am impressed with Ford's cast parts for sure.

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Things are starting to pick up now that Spring has finally arrived. Found a NOS fuel pressure regulator.



Installed it along with fuel injectors on a refreshed fuel rail.





And wiring harness.



Cleaned up EGR Valve.



Everything back in place minus the distributor cap and spark plug wires...NOS ones on the way.



A better view of the throttle body.



Restored right wheel well liner.



Preserving the factory markings...unseen once installed as it faces the inside of the fender.



Reinstalled with the frame rail and suspension area also restored.



Grimeaggeddon continues but getting better. To give an idea of what it looks like, here's a shot of the wiring on right side of the engine bay. The connector on the bottom is after about 15 mins of scrubbing with Zep degreaser and a toothbrush. The one above it is how they start out...about a 1/16 inch or so of grease, grime, and Tuscon sand.



Here's where I finished today.



Spring has definitely arrived...finally!

I love this thread. Amazing work!

BlackBII said:

I love this thread. Amazing work!

Click to expand...

Thanks!!

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I'm finally emerging from the La Brea Tar Pit...that was painful! Winter projects starting to wrap up. Have fully reconditioned the fuel system from the tank to the combustion chamber. While I was at it, restored the frame rails to the bed and the cross members. Flywheel and clutch back in place. Transmission will go back in soon.

Fuel filter...made in China...not original...both good and bad...at least PO changed it.



High pressure fuel pump...what a mess.





The black on the front is NOT paint...it is Tucson tar. When I first hit it with a scraper the orange warning sticker was not visible.



Accumulator.



Accumulator shield...no way to remove it without lifting the cab due to the tight quarters of one of its bolts.





Frame rail before.



Frame rail cleaned and prepped for paint.



New filter and accumulator ready to install...fuel pump cleaned and restored.









Fuel system back in place.



With frame rails and fuel system sorted, the flywheel and clutch went back in.





Transmission is next.

More new parts...

Motorcraft distributor cap, wire set, and plugs.





O2 sensor.



New (left) compared to old (right)...not too bad but replaced it while everything was out.



New one in place.



Catalytic converter refreshed.



And back in place.



Transmission crossmember restored and ready to go back on.





The transmission is under the truck...still working those last two inches...what a beast.

The transmission is finally back in place. I have come to respect the impact of a thousandth of an inch...literally battled the last couple inches, pulling the transmission back out and realigning the clutch disc and pressure plate at least four times and the pilot bearing at least three. In the end I dry fit every part (which I should have done in the first place) and used the actual input shaft (attached to the transmission) as the my alignment tool to get everything lined up. Once properly prepped and aligned, it went in smooth.

Not sure why but new pilot bearing did not fit the input shaft...nor did the old.



Cleaned up the input shaft with some Emery cloth...in all about .004 inch...pilot bearing slid right on.



Ensured clutch disc and pilot bearing properly fit prior to final install attempt.



Test fit input shaft into installed pilot bearing.



Reinstalled the flywheel, clutch disc, and pressure plate leaving it loose enough to get the exact alignment with the input shaft. Once in place (slid in like butter) I tightened everything down to hold it in place, pulled the transmission back out, and torqued everything to spec.



Final installation went smooth and much easier than previous attempts. Toughest part was clearing the crossmember and firewall. Once positioned it went quite smoothly with just a wiggle here and there. When the input shaft reached the pilot bearing, I raised the engine just a pinch and eased it in the rest of the way.



Driveshaft, speedometer gear, and reverse sensor reconnected..



Fresh Mercon V.



Still need to install the starter and bleed the slave cylinder but this particular journey ended the way it started...with those two infamous top bolts...reinstalled them topside from the engine bay.



Will finish up the engine bay then on to the end of the cab back.

Finally wrapped up the winter projects and drove my Ranger today!! She only needed a couple squirts of starting fluid and then started right up! She sputtered for a moment and then the computer levelled everything out and she sounds and drives as new as I can get her. The oil pressure came right up. The transmission and clutch are perfect! Bleeding the slave cylinder took a bit but the air eventually bubbled out. Still have some work left in the engine bay but hard part is behind me.

Final project for this round...restored the radiator and fan blade.

Side that faces the engine.



Side that faces the grill.



With the shroud.



Fan blade.



Engine from the front.



From the driver's side.



From the passenger side.



Engine oil barely visible.



Thank goodness for Scott towel's...here's the aftermath of Grimeaggedon. The one's on the bottom show little evidence of ever being blue.



I'll recap everything done this winter in the next post. For now, I'm just enjoying being on this side of it!

Bet that feels good!

alwaysFlOoReD said:

Bet that feels good!

Click to expand...

You know it! My biggest fear was no oil pressure...that would have sucked for sure.

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What started as replacing the oil pan gasket turned into the following:

Transmission (Complete Rebuild Some NOS)
Slave Cylinder (NOS)
Clutch Disc (NOS)
Clutch Pressure Plate (NOS)
Flywheel (Resurfaced)
Pilot Bearing (NOS)
Rear Main Seal (NOS)
Oil Pan Gasket (New)
Oil Pump, Pickup Tube (NOS)
Valve Cover and Gasket (Cleaned, Restored, New)
Exhaust Manifold (Cleaned, Restored)
Upper Intake Manifold (Cleaned, Restored)
Lower Intake Manifold (Cleaned, Restored)
Throttle Body (Cleaned, Restored)
Coolant Temp Sensor (New Motorcraft)
Air Charge Temp Sensor (New Motorcraft)
EGR Valve (Cleaned, Restored)
EGR Tube insulator sleeve (New)
Catalytic Converter (Cleaned, Refreshed)
O2 Sensor (New Motorcraft)
Fuel Injectors (NOS)
Fuel Pressure Regulator (NOS)
Fuel Rail (Cleaned)
Fuel Filter (New Motorcraft)
Fuel Accumulator (New Motorcraft)
Fuel Pump (Cleaned)
Spark Plugs (New Motorcraft)
Distributor Cap (New Motorcraft)
Preheat Tube (New)
Radiator (Cleaned, Restored)
Radiator Fan and Fan Clutch (Cleaned, Restored)
Radiator Shroud (Cleaned, Restored)
Radiator Upper and Lower Hoses (NOS)
Heater Hoses (New)
Alternator (Cleaned, Restored)
Driveshaft (Cleaned, Restored)
U-Joints (NOS)
Starter (Cleaned, Restored)
Air Cleaner and Intake (Cleaned, Restored)
Front Inner Wheel Wells (Cleaned, Restored)
Wheels (Remanufactured)
Fluids: Oil, Coolant, Transmission

To go with 6-months of Grimeaggeddon...I can't believe how much grease, grime, and grit one vehicle can collect. Next time I'm stripping it down to the frame.

Got it on a lift yesterday to get a better look...definitely better than when I started.





And I washed, clay barred, and waxed her today.



Her first show of the season is Saturday.

Dang, keeps getting better.

It is an eye opener, all the work you have had to do to restore what started as a really nice clean truck. I see project vehicles all the time for sale and think how it just needs this and that... hardly scratching the surface if you are going to get detailed with it.

What more do you want to do?

She sure is purty!

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

My apologies for not replying sooner...

85_Ranger4x4 said:

Dang, keeps getting better.

It is an eye opener, all the work you have had to do to restore what started as a really nice clean truck. I see project vehicles all the time for sale and think how it just needs this and that... hardly scratching the surface if you are going to get detailed with it.

What more do you want to do?

Click to expand...

Thanks! It's definitely been a labor of love and I often feel like I'm only scratching the surface. I still have the back half to do. In a few weeks I'll be removing the bed and getting after it. Will try to learn some body and paint techniques and restore the tailgate. Hoping you get to see her this weekend.

McWillies said:

She sure is purty!

Click to expand...

Thank you!

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One thing I've learned in this restoration is that once you clean and restore one part another part will stick out because it hasn't been restored. I'm at the point where whatever catches my eye is the next thing to get after...especially in the engine bay. The latest was the hood and its tired insulation.

Like a sore thumb....



Old insulation out and compared to the new...

Hood side.



Engine side.



Dirty hood...but not too bad.



Cleaned up.



Back to spec!



New fastener (left) compared to old...takes 15 total.



And some Ranger porn to cap it off.

1qaz said:

My apologies for not replying sooner...



Thanks! It's definitely been a labor of love and I often feel like I'm only scratching the surface. I still have the back half to do. In a few weeks I'll be removing the bed and getting after it. Will try to learn some body and paint techniques and restore the tailgate. Hoping you get to see her this weekend.

Click to expand...

I hope so, it is supposed to be a nice weekend too. I wish mine could make it, even if all my parts show up and I get it running I still won't have a driveshaft.

Where did you find the insulation? Mine was falling down when I was in high school 15+ years ago so I just finished it off and pitched it.