I Wrecked my Beloved Ranger :(

[rangerin]

I was on my way to see family for the holiday when traffic stopped suddenly. I had lots of room between me and the car in front of me, but I learned just how far one slides on a wet road. I hit the car at about 30 mph and shoved it into a car in front of it. I probably totaled the Honda (middle car) and the car I shoved it into was brand new. Thankfully nobody was hurt and thank God for insurance.

The truck is going to be fixed...no frame damage. It has a ton of sentimental value to me. I actually just rebuilt the 2.8 and took the auto out for a 5-speed over the summer. The impact was hard enough to shift both the engine and bed though. Other than the body damage (and overflow tank), nothing else was broken inside the bay. It actually runs and drives! It's going to need: door, hood, hood hinges, grill, overflow tank, outer fender, bumper, front valence, headlight, and signal lens. I was thinking of having the core support and inner fender pulled. I was quoted $200 to have them straightened. So yeah, I'll be hitting the local JY hard. Thankfully everything is 50% off this weekend.

I nearly cried when I wedged the door open and saw the front of my dear friend.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

That really sucks!

A good rule of thumb is to leave two seconds between you and the vehicle in front. it doesn't matter what speed you're doing but it does matter the road conditions. Rain go at least three seconds and snow at least five seconds.

Most people have NO idea of how much room to leave between themselves and the car in front. I hope you have learned and hopefully some others will think a little more about it.

Good luck on the rebuild,

Richard

 

[rangerin]

Oh, yeah I learned a lesson for sure. At the same time, there wasn't much I could of done otherwise. Traffic was super heavy, and cars were going all over the place leaving me with no where to go. The short end of the stick sucks.

 

[adsm08]

 

[wildbill23c]

At least nobody was hurt. Could have been much worse. Shifted the engine/transmission I'd be worried about some jammed parts if that's the case, like bearings, seals, etc. Is your truck considered totaled as well now considering its age?

 

[rangerin]

At least nobody was hurt. Could have been much worse. Shifted the engine/transmission I'd be worried about some jammed parts if that's the case, like bearings, seals, etc. Is your truck considered totaled as well now considering its age?

Yeah, the force of the impact is concerning. I'll be giving everything a solid look over for sure. It's good to have a friend with a lift! But the little I drove it to get it off the road all sounded good (aside from the rubbing fender). Engine fired right up/purred and clutch/gears were perfect. That's one advantage to older vehicles, all that extra room under the hood.

I'm sure it will be considered totaled. If it wasn't crashed it's only worth $1,500 at most.

 

[MastuhWaffles]

I have some spare duct tape if you need it. And super glue. It will buff out.

 

[rangerin]

I have some spare duct tape if you need it. And super glue. It will buff out.

How much can you spare? I think 47 rolls of tape and 1.5 gallons of glue should do the trick.

 

[MastuhWaffles]

How much can you spare? I think 47 rolls of tape and 1.5 gallons of glue should do the trick.

1 cubic ton of glue.

 

[ab_slack]

Damn and a gen 1 too. I really love the gen 1 style. I am glad you are going to get her back on the road.

Last night I had a very scary incident. Coming down the final hill into the development. it is a long downhill that gets very steep just before it has a T intersection with main road along the lake. I was only doing 30mph and about 150ft perhaps further I hit my brakes to slow for the stop. The last little step part before the stop is so steep I like to be almost stopped before that last 30 feet.

I had zero braking force and just slid. There was black ice on the surface. I wasn't in risk of sliding off the road, but I slid right thru the last part of the shallower slope into the final progressively steep slope when finally I got some grab from small sand/pebbles along the right side of the road. It wasn't much and not good for braking in its own right, but was infinitely better than the ice. It took all of the space available to get her stopped.

I called the police to alert them of the icy spot. The road dept is usually pretty good about getting some salt on that segment when chance of icy conditions exist.


was going down a steep hill into the development

 

[rangerin]

1 cubic ton of glue.

That should do the trick.

Everything else aside, the truck did fair well. Even the bumper mounts are straight (bumper not so much).

 

[rangerin]

Damn and a gen 1 too. I really love the gen 1 style. I am glad you are going to get her back on the road.

Me too. Nothing like a gen 1 Ranger. Glad you were OK!

 

[jhammel85]

Glad you and your first gen is OK! I'm glad its fixable...I live in fear of that since mine is a daily driver. I've had issues sliding too...no abs in the back of such a light truck sucks sometimes.

Last year in the rain I had to nail the brakes and spun about 90 degrees on the highway. It was on a curve and I was able to recover it. I would been hit by the cars behind me for sure....I got to work and found that a shock tower has rusted and broke off. No wonder I lost control!

 

[rangerin]

Got all the parts (except for hood hinges) today for half price at the junk yard: hood, door, fender, bumper, grill, headlight bucket, front valence, radiator overflow tank, turn signal and hood prop. Only $140! Should be able to get it back on the road in better shape than before for well under $500.

Also nabbed a 4x4 front drive shaft for $18 for when I make the truck 4x4.