Project Max Adventure

[Raffe34]

Hi all,

Thought I would finally start my own build thread. My gf passed away recently but before that happened she named the truck Max Adventure so thats what I'm going to call him. A lot has been done already but there is still a long way to go and as usual the project will not stop untill the truck dies or gets sold. I dont know how many lives rangers have but this one has two used with the rear end collision by the previous owner and my front corner crash two months ago. Its a very slow procject cause my time is limited plus working on a apartment complex parking lot limits the things you can do and the tools you can use.

So here he is as I got him minus the cargo bars.



Changed valve cover seals, drive shaft center support and did a full tune up. Also got the 4WD working by cleaning the shifter motor.



Then the accident a week after the tune up project.



a Couple of JY trips later.



Thanks to Multiranger for the rear bumper!



The interior.



Camo theme also in the back and the headliner.



Things to come soon.

-Strip and prime hood and roof.
-Rust free bed.
-Paint (dark blue).
-More camo to interior
-Tint side windows

Long term things to do/wish list.

-Engine top end service (occational lifter sticking when cold)
-A/C back to life
-Body lift
-Bigger tires.

[railman]

looks like a good start

sorry bout' your girlfriend........

keep us posted on the updates...

l8r, John

[bcost882]

looks kool, hope you have fun with the build, and i know how it is working in a parking lot did it when i was in the dorms, got my lift spindles and shackles on in the parkinglot

[Raffe34]

Originally Posted by railman

looks like a good start

sorry bout' your girlfriend........

keep us posted on the updates...

l8r, John

Thanks! This truck has been pretty much the thing keeping me sane for the past month.

As promised I added some more camo to the cab. I hate the seat covers but I guess you get what you pay for...



I think the door panels worked out great though:



Next weekend its time to do some tint unless I end up going camping. I wish I could find some legal tint film for the front windows. I would do the 35% to the front too but with my luck I would get pulled over the next day and get in trouble with it.

[89PBR96]

I like the explorer grill man

[Raffe34]

Originally Posted by 89PBR96

I like the explorer grill man

Love it too and it looks even better in real life. Pretty much the whole front end came off from an Explorer after the wreck. Only the fender I took off from a Ranger.

I have been wondering if the Explorer hood is the same too? Would save me the trouble of stripping it and smoothing the dents if it does fit. There is no shortage of Explorers on the local JYs. Also been wondering if the Explorer front shocks are the same. Spotted one two weeks ago with brand new Monroe shocks. If those fit and are still there I will snag them next time I go.

[Raffe34]

Got some more stuff done.

The widow tint worked out pretty good. Must be ten years since I last tinted my car windows. Back then it was for the looks now to hopefully get some aid for the lack of AC. Even found that 50% mirroring film for the front.



Also invested in better looking fog lights and added some rings to tie down the canoe.



Then the unexpected happened. Started smelling antifreeze. located the source to the heater core hose that had a pin hole just above the thermostat. I looked at the other hoses and they looked so rotten that I decided that it is time to change the whole plumbing.



I went against the old rule "if it ain't broken don't fix it" and decided to change the water pump too. It was still the original Ford water pump with 2xx xxx miles on it.



As always trying to fix something that is not broken usually creates a whole set of problems. I already saw in my mind my budget go up through the roof but THANK GOD FOR VISE GRIPS!



Got it in after visiting three different stores to find the new bolts.



And found an idle red spray can.






I also noticed some cracks on the fan. I went to JY and found an intact fan from an Explorer. I have no clue about fan clutch issues. This new fan is loud as hell though. I don't mean loud like unhealthy sound. Just the sound of it moving air creates a lot more noise than the old one. I wonder if thats normal or is there something wrong with this one or was the old broken???

[7.5L_STX]

sounds like the fan clutch is stuck to me, shouldnt hurt nothing, just a lil noisy..

and max is looking awesome!! and as far as i know, ranger and explorer hoods and fenders are the same

keep up the good work dude, wish i could work on my 89 but im 500 miles away :(

[Raffe34]

Originally Posted by 7.5L_STX

sounds like the fan clutch is stuck to me, shouldnt hurt nothing, just a lil noisy..

and max is looking awesome!! and as far as i know, ranger and explorer hoods and fenders are the same

keep up the good work dude, wish i could work on my 89 but im 500 miles away :(

Thanks! This is nothing compared to your build which is going to be amazing once you get her on the road.

I still have the fan clutch tool that I rented from the parts store. I may just open it one more time tomorrow and put the old clutch to the new fan. This stuff is all new stuff to me. All my previous cars except for my old -78 Opel Ascona had electric fans. Well maybe some of my Volvos had fan clutch too but they never needed engine repairs just had continuous brake problems.

[7.5L_STX]

Originally Posted by Raffe34

Thanks! This is nothing compared to your build which is going to be amazing once you get her on the road.

thanks dude! its always good to hear some posotive feedback about my build, most people just doubt me in the fact that i can cram the Big block in there and still daily drive it (buncha haters lol)

it should be done in 6-7 months cause i moved for the summer to make some bank and when i return in 5 months all that moneys going into my 2 trucks

[Raffe34]

Small update. I changed the old clutch to the new fan and it is now a little bit less noisy.

I was bored on Saturday so I decided to go on a scavenger hunt to the pull a part. Heh those people would probably get worried about me if I did not show up once a week. I had been reading ForOffRoadDriving's build thread and something jumped right at me at the pull a part lot. I want to thank ForOffRoadDriving for the cool idea about the ZX2 seats. I basically copied what he did. It does not look any different in the cab since I still have the seat covers. I really do like the added side support on those seats! It will take a while to get used to driving since on those seats you sit a little bit higher.