'85 Ranger Restomod

[85_Ranger4x4]

Behind the scenes.:



Choke wire is pretty much out of sight with the air cleaner installed (which I cleverly forgot to get a pic of)



Harness is secured across the front:



Truck runs, wiring is done. Onto the next thing... the 205

Front output shaft yoke seal area is about like new but needs cleaned up a little



Bearing is clean, tight and pretty much looks like new:

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Before:



After:



I took it out on the road, just for giggles I tried the cruise... and it worked.



Very freaky, after 18 years it is like the truck is thinking for itself and acting all automated. It was weird.

I hooked that one wire up, I also noticed the hood hinge had been pinching the vacuum hose on top of the brake booster as I was playing with the wiring so I routed it under the booster.

I took out the shift rails and replaced the seals. Now I need to get brave and grind the the one (note for future me, they are sitting side to side how they came out)



Sandblasted and painted the front yoke. Since per rustyolranger NP205's shipped unpainted I am painting the cast iron bits in cast iron spray paint and the aluminum in aluminum. The cast iron color is really sharp, it looks like brand new cast iron but a little glossier.





Also cleaned and painted the front seal retainer.



And changed the input shaft seal. Nothing really to take a pic of, the housing is spotless to start with, just the seal looks newer.

When I got all done I pulled a disk out of the weeds for my brother to come pick up. It is a shame I don't tow more with it, it sounds darn good under a load.



And as it was idling in the driveway the thing died. Module was too hot to touch.

It cooled off, restarted and so it continues...

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Trans is looking pretty:



Then I attacked the t-case.







I really like this paint.



And now I have a ton of parts to clean tonight...

 

[BlackBII]

Looking really clean!

Good work.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Looking really clean!

Good work.

Thanks!

Got a little more done tonight:



I decided to go black for the countershaft and PTO covers. Still have no clue what to do for hardware yet.







And I even got the plow out of the shed to get ready to go.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I snagged a factory can coil bracket out of a 2.0 truck a few years ago in case I needed it... found the factory hole in my fender but apparently speed control was not available with a 2.0





So now I gotta find a V8 bracket that mounts on the intake.

Probably not the end of the world, I would rather have it on the fender since I think it would be cooler but my coil wire would be way too short.

EDIT:

I need to play with it more, an '85 Mustang coil bracket looks like the same as what I have, it sits on the engine differently than I thought:

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I mounted the coil how they were on a 302, I really wasn't happy with the location. The choke is right there, the heater hoses are right there, the capacitor is hanging out in the middle of nowhere above the valve cover... it is a busy area. It was nice and out of the way (and my coil wire could have simply been shortened) but I really wasn't happy with how it was.



So I consulted the EVTM (to also see how the DS module sat on the inner fender since I was losing the ecoil)



I was way too far ahead, lets revisit that:



I think I guessed too far back, I need to watch for another 2.0 truck and see exactly which hole they used.

It didn't do anything to help my heaping helping of spaghetti on my drivers side fender but it sat and idled for half an hour and the module was just as cool as the fender. With the ecoil the same module could only idle (or drive slow) for about 5min before it would overheat. It had to have airflow coming thru the grille to stay cool enough to function.

Personal theory, having the computer still receiving tach signal watered it down and helped the module go longer, once I removed it got a lot worse.

And of course now my tach in the truck is way off.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

T-case is starting to go back together:

 

[1qaz]

Looking good! So glad Spring finally decided to show up.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Looking good! So glad Spring finally decided to show up.

Thanks! Spring is a double edged sword though, severe weather is supposed to be likely for tomorrow.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Threaded the needle and survived the storm. A lot of wind but nothing really bad.

Anyway, got the vital data plate reinstalled:



Installed new pilot bearing rollers:



And the retaining washer and clip:



Kind of both a blessing a curse, I can't say I am thrilled that every bolthole in this t-case is a thru hole.



T-case is mostly done, I need to decide if I am going to twin stick it or not and put that shift rail in yet. Probably will just install the pto cover dry and finger tight so I can remove it when I wrestle the case into the truck.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Took the plunge:

7/16" off here:





3/8" of here:





RWD Low:



RWD High:



4wd Low:



It would not shift into opposing ranges, so that is good. Like no front into high and rear into low.

I had tapped the housing to upgrade from the little spring loaded vent cap to a hose barb so I installed that before I lost it:



Looks like we are just using a gasket in a tube:



I tapped the little soft plug in, put a vacuum cap on the hose barb and the t-case is DONE.

I finally sold a wagon last night (has been for sale for several months) so to celebrate I told the wife we are taking the good truck and going into town for supper. (I had a steak that looked awesome but had been marinated so it didn't really taste like a steak. ) Anyway, as I backed out onto the city square I noticed a cop coming onto the square, he followed me aways. Stopped at a stop sign, took off and made it about a third of a block and...



He said (basically) "I don't really know what is wrong with your lights but something is wrong with them, I saw your turn signals when you turned back there, I couldn't see your brake lights at the stop sign but when you stopped just now I could see them"



He was really cool about it, I am glad he let me know. I just got a fix-it-ticket and after Will's thing I would rather find out this way rather than getting drop kicked in front of a semi because someone couldn't see my tail lights (which wasn't a factor for him but it wouldn't help anything not to have back lights)

Usually they are really bright. I got home and I have no tail or license plate lights and like 1/4 power brake lights and turn signals. So I started checking fuses, no power anywhere... what the crap they do kinda work so I have to have power from somewhere. Test the test light on the battery and for some reason it didn't work. Found a different one and power was all good at the fuse panel. So I start taking off tail lights looking at maybe a ground. As I unscrew the bulb from the PS there is kind of a gritty feeling as the last two crusty strands of one wire give out. That bulb obviously no longer works and the other side is full power so I gained ground there. Still no license plate lights but I don't know how they are tied into everything else. With no parts to fix it and with the coyotes getting closer (I had barked back at them and must have insulted them ) at 10pm I decided to call it a night.

 

[Jim Oaks]

Wiring on old vehicles can be a pain. Ever start cutting away at a wire trying to find the good copper wire strands, only to keep finding more and more black strands?

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Wiring on old vehicles can be a pain. Ever start cutting away at a wire trying to find the good copper wire strands, only to keep finding more and more black strands?

That does make it fun, so far on this thing generally if the wire hasn't been buggered with it it isn't too bad.

For some reason this thing has had a socket replaced before, the wire broke at the unsealed butt connector. The PO has done the truck no favors with his wiring abilities.

It was hilarious a few years ago his kid followed me thru a parade on a tractor. When we lined up for the show afterwards he parked beside me and he was up in the cab untwisting wires on the side of the dash (I suppose for the A/C) before he shut it down. Like father like son I guess.

I get battery cables like that all the time at work though. Guy doesn't want to buy a new 5' long 1/0 cable so "just put an end on it" I cut it a few times, I am a foot back into the cable and it is still green... dude, just get a new one.

 

[adsm08]

I know on my 87 the plate lights are tied into the system at their own little connector near the rear bumper. I'll have to see if I can get a pic of the plug on my spare body harness, which is still attached to my spare frame, which is sitting in the woods.

First I have to not blow out another brake line on the neighbor's Buick, and make the POS 64 do running things.