'85 Ranger Restomod

[85_Ranger4x4]

No pictures to speak of but today I did get al the ignition and alternator connectors sealed and dialetric greased to help them repel water a little better.

Also put a new gasket on my jerry can and started soaking the inside of it.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Newly splash resistant dizzy connector, the one that previously shut me down in Kentucky.

Before:



After:



Not fully waterproof but like I said it is also full of dielectric grease, as is the two connectors on the ignition module and I goobered some into the one on the coil as well.

Went on a supply run to Omaha and tested out the new fridge, it worked awesome.



Also scored a jerry can that is much nicer inside and out than mine. I still want to preserve my 1943 one but for use as a gas can I don't know how well it will come around. This 1973 one is really nice.



And for getting the fuel out of the can into the truck (or whatever) I snagged a siphen.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Well it was my only set of wheels for over a week and performed admirably. Really after putting it thru all the salt and crap I wish I had a river with a rock bottom nearby to park it in for awhile to rinse/soak its underpinnings again.

F-150 is back!

Before:





After (oh how I have missed tow mirrors!):



So now I can get back to working on the Ranger again...

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

After its Steller dd performance it was rewarded with a bath.





Ran the dog to town for his shots, I think he prefers sitting "up front" with me.



Fuel cap decided to disassemble itself which is handy.



So I snagged a new one of those.



And the screen for the "messenger center" keeps shifting down.



It is fine around here but so far like every two years the thing slides down on the road for TRS events. Minor but annoying, it flashes the white light that is supposed to be behind the seatbelt reminder when I start it... so today I glued the sucker to hopefully keep it in place.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Jerry can is in pretty good shape but there is a some rust inside.



It is fun when something actually does the thing it says it is supposed to do, this is 24hrs with Evaporust:



So now I laid it on its side to let it chew on that. Just going to keep rotisserating it.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Went to adjust the parking brakes and noticed the left rear was having a issue... can see where it has been slinging oil on the wheel and there is a fresh drop of beautiful gear oil hanging on the back of the backing plate.



Great, nightmares of dealing with pulling the axles out in my dinky garage start to flash before my eyes. Along with the possibility of needing new axles/bearings. Then I think back, last summer I came across this and it turned out to be a venting issue. So I pulled the hose down and tried to blow into it... nothing. So I ripped it out, it had two bug larvae things in it. I had to run a wire thru it to break them loose.





So we will try that, it was 110% not venting at all... so hopefully it was just pushing oil out trying to vent out the axle seal.

Then I noticed both my fancy new LED side marker lights quit working... so we checked into that.





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Well they were fun for the 3 hours of run time they worked.

 

[Curious Hound]

Judging by the cracks on the end of that vent hose, it may be worth buying a few feet of hose and replacing it. Plus, make sure the free end is way up high.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Judging by the cracks on the end of that vent hose, it may be worth buying a few feet of hose and replacing it. Plus, make sure the free end is way up high.

I forgot to say but I did replace it.

 

[SenorNoob]

If bugs are a problem, take a fuel filter for a small engine and put it on the end.

 

[sgtsandman]

I forgot to say but I did replace it.

I was going to suggest taking this as an opportunity to relocate where the end of the vent is and put one of those cintered metal filters on the end to prevent future bug intrusions but you already did the work.

When I finally get around to relocating mine, I was thinking of mounting the filter in the fuel door area, but I haven't verified if there will be enough room there for a filter to fit and not be in the way.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

If bugs are a problem, take a fuel filter for a small engine and put it on the end.

My usual go to trick is to stick a christmas tree clip in the end of the hose. The axle was swapped before I started doing that and for some reason I never circled back to do that to the rear axle.

I was going to suggest taking this as an opportunity to relocate where the end of the vent is and put one of those cintered metal filters on the end to prevent future bug intrusions but you already did the work.

When I finally get around to relocating mine, I was thinking of mounting the filter in the fuel door area, but I haven't verified if there will be enough room there for a filter to fit and not be in the way.

I have been wanting to build something like the ARB vent kit with air compressor manifold/filter. Stupid fuel line is ridiculous anymore, it was like $4/ft.

I have the front axle up behind the radiator cap, t-case vent is up at the top of fuel filler neck. Rear axle is at the top of the frame for now.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

After a crappy week I was looking forward to driving my Ranger to work on my short day and run errends with. Hop in this morning and it wouldn't say a word. It was blowing like a hurricane but I couldn't hear the fuel pump. Voltmeter dropped when the pump was turned on so it was getting power. Whatever, hop in the other truck and go. Come home after work and sure enough, pump isn't doing a thing. No fuel pressure. So I grab my deadblow and give it a few love taps and the ol' Holley starts howling away. Truck fires right up. So now I got a quarter tank of gas to burn down. I need to swap the in tank pump anyway to fix the fuel sender.

On a not really related but kinda related note, I did clean up my jerry can. Wire wheels the rust off the bottom and hit with the sander to kinda feather the paint a little. Then washed them both up.



Spared... some expense on the paint. I didn't want the usual generic crap that will turn pink in a year. I also didn't want to drive half an hour each way for the real deal. JD paint is generally lays nice and holds up very well. Well aside from the yellow, it runs better than most of their equipment.



Yup, lays beautiful like the green stuff.







Painted it in my drafty old garage and it still blowing like crazy so they will probably be full of dirt in the morning... looked like brand new plastic tonight though.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Jerry cans came out nice.

The right one really needs stripped, I'm missing having it on my truck and thr previous rattlecan paint job that was probably older than me was wearing thru to army green... so while not perfect it is better.

I even put a new gasket on the cap of both cans.

 

[sgtsandman]

Jerry cans came out nice.

View attachment 126020

The right one really needs stripped, I'm missing having it on my truck and thr previous rattlecan paint job that was probably older than me was wearing thru to army green... so while not perfect it is better.

I even put a new gasket on the cap of both cans.

View attachment 126021

Do you have a spout for those? They seem pretty hard to come by anymore. Or are you using the rattle siphon hose method?

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Do you have a spout for those? They seem pretty hard to come by anymore. Or are you using the rattle siphon hose method?

Siphon. Kinda done monkeying around holding gas cans over my head filling tractors lol.