One more 2wd 98 coil spring 5.0 swap.

[Jbrown1238]

Holy crap, that paint is miles deep.

I still can't believe I was able to save it! First the moisture dripping out of the air line and falling on to the wet base coat and then the rain 20 minutes after the last coat of clear. It is a wonder the job didn't get trashed. When I first started color sanding it looked like the surface of the moon!

 

[MrEwubbsZ]

Damn dude... This truck is looking soooo good.
Looking forward to more pictures.

 

[Jbrown1238]

After work today I touched up the color sanding process on the tailgate with a few light passes with 2000 grit wet. Then went ahead and buffed it out with Norton Liquid Ice. Once that was finished I installed it on the truck where hopefully it will be safe and sound.





I couldn’t pass up the chance to include a few close up shots of the late afternoon reflection.







I also attached the hardware and aligned the hinges using the divots I drilled a few weeks ago as a guide.

 

[reef93]

This is such an awesome swap. I really wish we had went with a newer truck but we went with what we had..lol From what I have seen there is tons more room to swap a v8 in the newer trucks.

 

[Jbrown1238]

This is such an awesome swap. I really wish we had went with a newer truck but we went with what we had..lol From what I have seen there is tons more room to swap a v8 in the newer trucks.

Yes, I had a 1993 done a few years back and this one was much easier. Before I purchased a Ranger for this swap I read on thisnforum which year and model was the easier to do. Then I went out and bought the closest I could find. I just wanted to make it as easy as possible.

 

[gsp]

VERY impressive, the best build on the forum if not the world.

 

[Jbrown1238]

Monday night I finished polishing the two rear quarter panels with the Norton Liquid Ice pads. First the Blue foam pad and then finally the white foam pad, I had done the initial work with the white wool pad a few days ago. I did most of the polishing with the pieces off the vehicle and set up on saw horses but did complete the final step with the panels mounted. Polishing them off the vehicle allows for more access to recessed areas but also increases the risk of throwing the work if the wheel catches hard on an edge.

After setting the panels in place I inserted the alignment pins and then tightened the fasteners. Then I went ahead and cleaned up the panels with some warm water to check the progress.





I finished the side step portion of the panel with a 3 inch polishing wheel and the three smaller Norton Liquid Ice pads as the full size wheel would only reach so far.







The last step of the day was a quick wash with the hose, a soft cloth, and a dry towel.

 

[Jbrown1238]

Tuesday evening started with a double check to make sure all areas were fully polished before a total clean up was performed. Although last night consisted of a “quick” clean up I wanted to get all of the compound out of the seams between panels. Once that was accomplished I couldn’t pass up the chance to put a couple “neighborhood” miles on the truck.





















Now the focus will turn to removing the bed for the last time so the underside can be painted along with the top sections. I wanted to do this last so the bed could be used as a temporary jig for holding the quarter panels during the sanding and polishing work on those pieces.

 

[RangerSVT]

Looks awesome, Jeff. Liking the fender emblems, where'd you find them. Could have left the "flex fuel" tag off, we all know it ain't, lol

SVT

 

[1996xlt]

Wow, I've been following this thread for a while and your truck's fit/finish is by far the best I've seen. Are you going to use a stock chrome bumper in the rear or a roll-pan?

 

[Jbrown1238]

Looks awesome, Jeff. Liking the fender emblems, where'd you find them. Could have left the "flex fuel" tag off, we all know it ain't, lol

SVT

Thanks Rick, and thank you for the reply regarding the AC questions I had. The fender emblems are OEM Ranger, with a little vinyl letting added at the bottom right corner. I had planned to have them engraved but haven't gotten around to it yet. To be honest the letters look better then I expected and are holding up well outside. I may just leave them alone.

I thought about going with a Flex Fuel tag or a Eco Boost tag but decided on the Ford Racing Performance Parts one instead. If you look closely at the tailgate photos you can make it out. I think it fits well since 90% of the parts I used can be sourced directly from Ford Racing.

 

[Jbrown1238]

Wow, I've been following this thread for a while and your truck's fit/finish is by far the best I've seen. Are you going to use a stock chrome bumper in the rear or a roll-pan?

Thank you for sticking with it for so long. The fit and finish isn't bad even in person. It always looks better in photos. I can get about eight inches from the paint and start to pick out a few things here and there but I know where all the flaws are and it all sticks out in my mind. Most people looking from a foot or so away wouldn't notice anything and would probably be concentrating on their own reflection more then anything else. The panel gap and alignment helps hide the fact that the paint was sprayed outside under an open sky. A little sand paper and polish goes a long way as well!

I plan on using the stock rear bumper but painted to match the body color. It has been painted and color sanded but I still need to buff if. I just don't need it for another week or so while the bed is being removed/painted/installed.

 

[Jbrown1238]

I was working today on my way back from Oxford Florida when my vender called to inform me that the Katzkin Leather Kit had arrived for the Ranger. At first I wasn’t sure I had time to stop by and pick it up but realized with the holiday it would be several days before I could get it in my hot hands. A quick adjustment to the GPS and I was in route headed towards Lutz to collect the new interior pieces. Once home I quickly opened the box to inspect the contents.







There was some question initially if the custom embroidery could be duplicated as requested. To be honest I was worried it might not match the fender emblems as closely as I would like. I was pleased the company got it correct and it was exactly how I requested right down to the exact measurement, stitch pattern, and font.





The armrest is on its way to be covered in the same leather and matching stitch pattern.



I set the new 2004 Lightning steering wheel against the Katzkin leather to compare the color and texture of the two pieces. I was surprised how close the two pieces were. Up to this point I had only compared pictures of the two, I had not requested samples of the leather.

 

[rangerseast]

Wow! Amazing attention to detail! Hopefully my V8 swap will come out half as nice as this one. Fantastic and it isn't even fully finished!

 

[willy]

Looks awesome, Jeff. Liking the fender emblems, where'd you find them. Could have left the "flex fuel" tag off, we all know it ain't, lol

SVT

Or do some e85 tuning and add a turbo