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

[ben_2_go]

She may be mine tomorrow.

Oh, and the Strangler is on vacation while I drive my mother's car to make sure it's still good to go for her early Spring trip.

I've already found a bed for it with a class 5 hitch made onto it.

 

[Curious Hound]

She may be mine tomorrow.

Oh, and the Strangler is on vacation while I drive my mother's car to make sure it's still good to go for her early Spring trip.

I've already found a bed for it with a class 5 hitch made onto it.

That Ranger looks Huuuge!

 

[Snoranger]

She may be mine tomorrow.

Oh, and the Strangler is on vacation while I drive my mother's car to make sure it's still good to go for her early Spring trip.

I've already found a bed for it with a class 5 hitch made onto it.

I’m sorry.


We are extremely happy to only have 1 of those electrical gremlin nightmares left in our fleet.

 

[Rick W]

She may be mine tomorrow.

Oh, and the Strangler is on vacation while I drive my mother's car to make sure it's still good to go for her early Spring trip.

I've already found a bed for it with a class 5 hitch made onto it.

You go for it!!

(now I know how I’m going to get my 300,000 mile Ranger around)

 

[Rick W]

The person that owned my flatdeck trailer before me was copying random bird poop...

At first, I didn’t understand you, your thought.

Then, Lincoln got one of his feathered friends to explain it to me. I left my hundred-year-old tea box by the back door, on the porch, and this is what I came home to today.

A bunch of bird shit!

I immediately thought of you!

 

[JoshT]

At first, I didn’t understand you, your thought.

Then, Lincoln got one of his feathered friends to explain it to me. I left my hundred-year-old tea box by the back door, on the porch, and this is what I came home to today.

A bunch of bird shit!

Well the indestructable, fake wood, metal tea box is destroyed now. Better let me dispose of it for you.



Today I spent too much time at work (I was there, period) and too much money on parts for upcoming V8 swap. After work I went to parrents house and we got last of parts installed on air compressor. Only thing left is getting it to my house and getting a hose attached. Had that too, but no point in installing it right now.

After that was complete I decided to start tackling some stuff on the '00 Ranger parts truck. Was able to salvage the start charge harness which will give me a good start to some wiring modifications I need to make in prep for the V8 swap. Then got it on jackstands and started refreshingmy memory on what I needed to remove, and steps required for removing the rear axle. Dad wants the reciever hitch for a project, I think he's planning to make one to mount on his tractor. I want the rear axle cause its right ratio to match the Explorer front differential and , unlike the explorer rear, it won't require modifications to install. (Explorer rear is still a future project.) It also appears to have a 2.5" or 3" aftermarket exhaust that splits into duals at the muffler, that would make a good start to an exhaust for the V8 swap. Figured I'd start pulling things in that order.

Got all the bolts out for the reciever hitch to drop, then realize that the aftermarket hitch is going to require dropping the leaf spring shackle to get it off. It's a three piece desigh with the outer pieces sliding into the center, but they are blocked from sliding out by the shackle. Moved on to breaking bolts loose to drop the axle and leafs out knowing I wouldn;t have time to pull it today. Got everything loose except for the driveshaft bolts, need a different wrench that I didn't have there. Then I looked back and realized that I'm not going to be able to drop the axle until I remove the exhaust because the tail pipes run right under the springs at the back. If they had installed it properly I could have unbolted the hangers from the body and had enough probably moved them enough, but the genius welded the hanger to the frame. Going to have to cut the hanger or grind the welds off the frame, and that that point I might as well pull the exhaust.

So basically I started out making good progress and ended up discovering that I was doing everything bass ackwards.

Oh well, I'll be back on it Saturday or Sunday and nearly everything is broken loose now.

 

[ekrampitzjr]

As promised, here's a picture of the repaired front end with the lower valance (the part with the driving lights) painted flat black. The upper valance just under the grille is painted body color, metallic dark gray.

The original textured plastic on the lower valance was badly faded to a sick-looking, mottled light gray. Now it looks almost like a new truck in front.

 

[Uncle Gump]

As promised, here's a picture of the repaired front end with the lower valance (the part with the driving lights) painted flat black. The upper valance just under the grille is painted body color, metallic dark gray.

The original textured plastic on the lower valance was badly faded to a sick-looking, mottled light gray. Now it looks almost like a new truck in front.

View attachment 105463View attachment 105462

Maybe it's the camera angle... but it looks like an excessive gap... bumper cover to body.

 

[ekrampitzjr]

Maybe it's the camera angle... but it looks like an excessive gap... bumper cover to body.

The truck had that when I bought it. The front-end repair did not change it. I've seen other later-model Rangers with the gap too.

There's no evidence it was in an accident before I bought it, and Carmax's info did not list any body repairs. I think the gap was production variation.

 

[racsan]

cleaning it up & cleaning it out, going to change the tires too, not sure which ones yet. Found the remote to the radio in the glovebox, Thought that was the funniest thing when I bought it almost 7 years ago. Why would you need a remote for a radio? especially in a regular cab ranger. The kid I bought it from seemed real proud of the radio, almost told him to keep the radio, I just needed a driveable vehicle at the time. Its come a long way from day one, if it does sell I will miss it. Got someone stopping tomorrow. He asked If I would drive it 70 miles daily, sure I would but it seems a little crazy, 70 miles daily in a 170K+ ranger with no cruise control, 4.10’s and its 30 years old. Started it yesterday for the first time in 2 weeks to pull it in to the garage. Hopped right off. felt like the brakes were stuck at first but not surprised with all the rain & fluctuating temperatures.

 

[Rick W]

Well the indestructable, fake wood, metal tea box is destroyed now. Better let me dispose of it for you.

HEY HEY HEY! I’m sure they used the cheapest scrap, crap wood they could use when they made these things, but it’s not fake!

And why would I dispose of it? I’ve got almost 69 years of cleaning up other peoples‘ s***

 

[JoshT]

HEY HEY HEY! I’m sure they used the cheapest scrap, crap wood they could use when they made these things, but it’s not fake!

And why would I dispose of it? I’ve got almost 69 years of cleaning up other peoples‘ s***

Ah ok, I misunderstood a previous post. I recall you saying something along the lines of it looks like wood but actually metal. I took that to mean it was a faux wood appearance on a metal box.

 

[Rick W]

Ah ok, I misunderstood a previous post. I recall you saying something along the lines of it looks like wood but actually metal. I took that to mean it was a faux wood appearance on a metal box.

No hurt feelings, here, always just joking around. I love history and tradition, I’m one of those folks that if I hit the big lottery, I wouldn’t buy newer stuff, I would buy older stuff. The stupid thing is it worth anything, and I bought it for a step for Lincoln to look out the window, but I’m sure I think it’s a lot cooler than anybody else thinks.!

 

[sgtsandman]

Ah ok, I misunderstood a previous post. I recall you saying something along the lines of it looks like wood but actually metal. I took that to mean it was a faux wood appearance on a metal box.

It's a wooden box lined with very thin, galvanized metal. If it's anything like the wood box my orginal cast iron set came in, the wood is pretty soft. I had to replace the lid aready with a piece of pine plank and reenforce some other stuff.

 

[racsan]

Got the tires changed out, went with the jeep wrangler rims Ive had for years, looks better than those hhr rims with hubcaps I ran for the winter. Took a lap around the block, we will see if these tires hold air, they had been in storage for a few years and all of them needed aired up.