What did you do to your Ranger today? (Part Deux!)

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I’m trying to resurrect a chop top given to my brother. It was never finished and has many mechanical issues. 85 base model with a 6” lift.
What do you have as a tailgate? The old hatch cut down or converted to a ranger tailgate. I’m looking for ideas. I contemplated no tailgate but a fake roll bar welded as caps on the rear pillar.

So… when I got my Choptop it was from a former member on here, sherrodwannabeb2, AKA Farva. He chopped the hatch down and used that but I thought it was a pretty poor solution, especially because he didn’t rig up any sort of hinge, so unlatching it the whole thing just came off in your hands. I got a 1st/2nd gen Ranger tailgate and hinges and rigged it up with some latch mounts I manufactured. It’s not pretty and it sorta works, but I want to make some changes.

Some kinda notes on things... the body I found isn’t quite stiff enough, mine is starting to show signs of sagging. I started fitting it with a roll cage to stiffen it back up.

I’m not really happy with the chop that was done on mine, I cleaned it up a little back in the day, but didn’t go real crazy with it because I wanted to work out a plan. I don’t quite have all the answers yet, but I have a general idea. I cut Ranger bed rails off at the body line and I cut out the ends with the tail lights and tailgate hardware off a junk bed, going to cut the B2 body and fit that in its place which will clean up the tailgate mounting and cap off the body nicely. Haven’t quite worked out exactly how I’m going to handle the B-pillar area yet, but I think I’m going to flat it off and run a small flange across from drip rail to drip rail. I have the rear section off a B2 I junked that the idea is to fabricate into a sort of cap that I can put on for winter.

The roll cage allows me to rig a sort of wind jammer panel behind the front seats, which is tolerable and can help keep rain off. At the moment I just use a tarp and some clips or currently a piece of canvas. I have a buddy who once I get the chop cleaned up is going to help me with rigging up a proper wind jammer and a soft top for summer.

 

[tw205]

So… when I got my Choptop it was from a former member on here, sherrodwannabeb2, AKA Farva. He chopped the hatch down and used that but I thought it was a pretty poor solution, especially because he didn’t rig up any sort of hinge, so unlatching it the whole thing just came off in your hands. I got a 1st/2nd gen Ranger tailgate and hinges and rigged it up with some latch mounts I manufactured. It’s not pretty and it sorta works, but I want to make some changes.

Some kinda notes on things... the body I found isn’t quite stiff enough, mine is starting to show signs of sagging. I started fitting it with a roll cage to stiffen it back up.

I’m not really happy with the chop that was done on mine, I cleaned it up a little back in the day, but didn’t go real crazy with it because I wanted to work out a plan. I don’t quite have all the answers yet, but I have a general idea. I cut Ranger bed rails off at the body line and I cut out the ends with the tail lights and tailgate hardware off a junk bed, going to cut the B2 body and fit that in its place which will clean up the tailgate mounting and cap off the body nicely. Haven’t quite worked out exactly how I’m going to handle the B-pillar area yet, but I think I’m going to flat it off and run a small flange across from drip rail to drip rail. I have the rear section off a B2 I junked that the idea is to fabricate into a sort of cap that I can put on for winter.

The roll cage allows me to rig a sort of wind jammer panel behind the front seats, which is tolerable and can help keep rain off. At the moment I just use a tarp and some clips or currently a piece of canvas. I have a buddy who once I get the chop cleaned up is going to help me with rigging up a proper wind jammer and a soft top for summer.

Thanks. I’ll stay tuned and watch for your posts.
I’ll get some of my resurrection work posted up here. Got her started and running well. Having clutch issues now before the starter crapped out. Who ever lifted it really messed up the rear. Blocks and ranger bump stops. Turned the axle ubolt plates sideways. No shims. Lengthened the driveshaft with lug nuts as spacers and long nut and bolts.
Broken front axle. Grenaded transfer case. No index ring for the starter. Good times.

 

[Curious Hound]

I dont Have a chop top. But here’s an idea for a tailgate. More pictures and info in my build thread.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Thanks. I’ll stay tuned and watch for your posts.
I’ll get some of my resurrection work posted up here. Got her started and running well. Having clutch issues now before the starter crapped out. Who ever lifted it really messed up the rear. Blocks and ranger bump stops. Turned the axle ubolt plates sideways. No shims. Lengthened the driveshaft with lug nuts as spacers and long nut and bolts.
Broken front axle. Grenaded transfer case. No index ring for the starter. Good times.

I‘m not sure when exactly I’ll get to it, need to dig up some pictures from my desktop computer, but I’m intending at some point to put together an actual build thread for the Choptop. I had one going years ago but I believe it was lost in the forum change. haven’t really looked, even if it’s still around, all the pics would be dead. For now I’ll post bits and pieces as I work on it and I need to update with some new vids but I have some stuff on my YouTube channel.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Backed it into the garage and ran the carb dry.

Marveled that the exhaust parts I ordered last Monday while in stock still have not shipped.

And procured a plug for the o2 sensor bung in my header adaptor.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Thanks. I’ll stay tuned and watch for your posts.
I’ll get some of my resurrection work posted up here. Got her started and running well. Having clutch issues now before the starter crapped out. Who ever lifted it really messed up the rear. Blocks and ranger bump stops. Turned the axle ubolt plates sideways. No shims. Lengthened the driveshaft with lug nuts as spacers and long nut and bolts.
Broken front axle. Grenaded transfer case. No index ring for the starter. Good times.

BTW, that’s a crazy amount of ridiculous. Mine had an engine fire from cracking a head, particularly over the #1 cylinder spark plug which shot hot oil on the exhaust manifold and roasted the main engine harness wires, which killed it before too much damage happened. Suspension was stock 2wd with air shocks in the back. Top was chopped (poorly), I got the tinted back glass with it, on 31’s with mis-matched rims. Couple guys from back in the day on here helped me initially, Combs_Customs, one of his buddies who I forget now their name on here came and traded 4x4 parts and helping me convert it for the 2wd stuff. @ZMan I got heads from and some help and stuff. Think Nico helped at some point.

Somewhere in there I picked up an 86 B2 from another older member on here who said @Jim Oaks helped him build it. Body was pretty well shot on it, motor was scrap and half tore down, but it had 4.10 gears, locked front, packed limited slip rear, and a 2” skyjacker lift, also said the A4LD had a shift kit and other work. So the 2” lift went on the Choptop and that’s where I started driving, breaking, and building it.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Ended up taking the Choptop today to run back up to my buddy’s because I managed to forget my grinder there (the cordless one anyway), and arguably more importantly my lunch was still in my fridge there (yes, I have my own fridge in my buddy’s garage). Also stopped up the top of the hill and got the front wheel bearings for mom’s Explorer because I was gonna be right there and they were short on drivers. I’m gonna say the tires need the pressures adjusted a little, but it definitely feels less spongy going around bends and the tires grip a lot better, I wasn’t trying real hard to break them free, but I did drive at the level that could make the old tires chirp and got nothing. So, it takes a little of the novelty out of it, but I’ll take the improved safety and handling anyway.

Also checked the engine bay fluids (little more water and washer fluid, need to flush the cooling system one more time soon I think, then it can get filled). So far so good. Got the AC hose on the pump and connected to the condenser but it started thundering and threatening rain before I could finish hooking everything up. Somehow the Choptop is missing the AC harness, so I’ll have to Fab one up. Well, there might be a harness somewhere in my shed or something. If I get ambitious tomorrow I might try taking a quick peek around and see if I can come up with one. If not, well, the only plug I don’t have readily handy is the low side pressure sensor. I have one for a newer Ranger (round connector instead of rectangular like this would have), and I’m pretty sure I could screw the newer style sensor on, but I don’t know if it would work ok. Also apparently I need to find out why the blend door won’t move.

 

[Roert42]

Brother spend most of the day putting the rear part of his truck together. Wiring to the fuel pump connector was all corroded so we ended up cutting off the plugs and soldering the wires to the pins on the sender.

I spent some time arguing with the hose that goes from the lower intake to the blow off valve. I think the barbed fittings were machine metric or something, this inch and half fuel hose will not stretch enough to get over the barbs. I think I’m going to end up using another piece of heater hose for now, at least the heater hose has enough give to stretch over the barbs.

 

[CamTheHedgehog]

Backed it into the garage and ran the carb dry.

Marveled that the exhaust parts I ordered last Monday while in stock still have not shipped.

And procured a plug for the o2 sensor bung in my header adaptor.

So…. you got a bung for your bung?

 

[CamTheHedgehog]

Anyway… I drove it around I bit, marveled at the amount of gravel dust on the inside of it now, and asked once again “That’s a new scratch. Wonder how that got there?”

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

So…. you got a bung for your bung?

No. A bung to go into the bung hole.

 

[CamTheHedgehog]

No. A bung to go into the bung hole.

Yeah that’s what I meant.
welp. Now I know I’m officially tired enough to need to go to bed. But I still got things to do so… tired Cam it is then.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Yeah that’s what I meant.
welp. Now I know I’m officially tired enough to need to go to bed. But I still got things to do so… tired Cam it is then.

 

[CamTheHedgehog]

Hey! A bunged bung hole!

 

[97RangerXLT]

No. A bung to go into the bung hole.

Yes, but did you get TP for your Bunghole?