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

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Yesterday I hosed the salt spray off the Choptop plus dad’s Ranger and mom’s Explorer. Over 40 degrees for the first time in over a month. Choptop looked more white than blue. I also got the snow off the green Ranger.

Today I discovered that mom’s Explorer has a fuel leak somewhere. Joy.

 

[RobWigglezz]

Yesterday I hosed the salt spray off the Choptop plus dad’s Ranger and mom’s Explorer. Over 40 degrees for the first time in over a month. Choptop looked more white than blue. I also got the snow off the green Ranger.

Today I discovered that mom’s Explorer has a fuel leak somewhere. Joy.

I couldn't wait to get that crap off my Ranger also. Do you do any undercoating before winter? I use about 4 cans of fluid film on everything.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I couldn't wait to get that crap off my Ranger also. Do you do any undercoating before winter? I use about 4 cans of fluid film on everything.

I usually try to hose things off good during the winter if I get a chance and I try to give it a good wash in the spring.

For undercoat, I’ve used Fluid Film and I’ve used an oil spray. Frame in the green Ranger is almost completely painted in a mix of used oils and grease. Mix a little used ATF and used motor oil with fresh grease until you get a paintable mix. It’s a more recent experiment. There’s also a couple places around here that you can get FF/oil/whatever sprayed on. Don’t ever use the rubberized or asphalt type undercoat, rust spreads like wildfire when it gets under that crap.

 

[Li'l Work Truck]

Thanks. It still seems everything I look at in that 86 to 89 time frame has totally different color codes, which is doubly annoying when everything you read says the color coat on everything was always the same for Ford. I dug in the dashboard and took pictures of what’s in there now. Another problem I’m going to have is those wires all barely pull out to the face of the dashboard. It’s going to be a pain in the butt to splice them.

View attachment 139122
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Both plugs are 8 pin, and they are different shape than the Lincoln plugs. I’m assuming the four wire is the input: always power, ignition power, lights on, and something else. Like also have the antenna and some other things, six and seven wires, with the eight wire speaker plug.

I’m assuming the eight wire are two wires each to the four speakers. That should be easy enough to trace down if I can’t match colors.

I’m still looking for input if anybody’s got some. Edit: I think I’m going to use saddle crimp taps so I could save the existing plugs should I ever come up with a correct radio.

I wonder if those radios are line out only, and if a line amp would do the trick.

 

[pjtoledo]

praised it for at least getting me back home without the clutch going completely out.
pedal was getting lower as I drove, maybe I should have checked the fluid last week.

I'll try bleeding it first. most likely it sucked some air during the recent cold weather.

 

[Rick W]

Oh, wise ones….

Radio system frustration request:

Now that I have a radio, although I don’t like in the dashboard, it works pretty well. Now I have to address the speakers.

87 Short cab. I’m a big guy, so the seat is always all the way back.

The speaker right in front of the driver is exploded, it plays, but it buzzes. Obviously, I would replace both if I replace that one. Problem is, with that speaker right in the face of the driver, any concept of enjoying the stereo aspects of the radio are absurd.

I put new speakers into the two speaker boxes behind the seats, but those speakers are basically pushed into the back of the seat, and I think if i did full fade to the rear, they would be muffled like you were suffocating them under a pillow.

Here starts the questions.

First, what other locations could I put the speakers? Overhead, in the center, down by the heater outlet? etc.

Is there enough room/depth inside the door, so that if I cut a hole down by my foot, I could put in some modern 4” or 6” speakers down there?

What about some old-fashioned wedges on the surface of the door down there?

I never put up the armrest. I have seen vehicles before where two small speakers are mounted between the driver and the passenger seats, with both facing the seat at like a 45° angle. Little guys, like 3 inchers. So each seat has its own stereo set.

I’ve had overhead speakers in larger trucks before, but I think that would have the same downside as the current speaker in the dashboard.

I’m not in a hurry on this, because the radio is now working, but I don’t like any of it, so in time I’m going to replace it all and I’m looking for ideas. I’d like an OEM looking radio in the dash, and I’m happy with a scrapyard radio, but I’d like to improve the speakers and the speaker locations

As always, all help and suggestions appreciated

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I actually bought it a part for a 1985 Ford Ranger with a 2.8... a coolant temp sender for the dash gauge.

I intend to get the dash gauge working again tomorrow.

Then we drove it around the farm and put the solar battery charger on a tractor.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Oh, wise ones….

Radio system frustration request:

Now that I have a radio, although I don’t like in the dashboard, it works pretty well. Now I have to address the speakers.

87 Short cab. I’m a big guy, so the seat is always all the way back.

The speaker right in front of the driver is exploded, it plays, but it buzzes. Obviously, I would replace both if I replace that one. Problem is, with that speaker right in the face of the driver, any concept of enjoying the stereo aspects of the radio are absurd.

I put new speakers into the two speaker boxes behind the seats, but those speakers are basically pushed into the back of the seat, and I think if i did full fade to the rear, they would be muffled like you were suffocating them under a pillow.

Here starts the questions.

First, what other locations could I put the speakers? Overhead, in the center, down by the heater outlet? etc.

Is there enough room/depth inside the door, so that if I cut a hole down by my foot, I could put in some modern 4” or 6” speakers down there?

What about some old-fashioned wedges on the surface of the door down there?

I never put up the armrest. I have seen vehicles before where two small speakers are mounted between the driver and the passenger seats, with both facing the seat at like a 45° angle. Little guys, like 3 inchers. So each seat has its own stereo set.

I’ve had overhead speakers in larger trucks before, but I think that would have the same downside as the current speaker in the dashboard.

I’m not in a hurry on this, because the radio is now working, but I don’t like any of it, so in time I’m going to replace it all and I’m looking for ideas. I’d like an OEM looking radio in the dash, and I’m happy with a scrapyard radio, but I’d like to improve the speakers and the speaker locations

As always, all help and suggestions appreciated

The first gen dash speakers are not available and haven’t been for quite awhile. You can buy or make adapters to put a “normal” speaker in there.

Doors will accept a speaker. I don’t remember if they have the holes behind the interior trim or not. Second gen’s (89-92) didn’t get dash speakers, they got door speakers. So the only reason why you couldn’t use door speakers in a first gen and I’ve actually been considering it when I put my 88 back together.

My green Ranger I built a custom center console and put a pair of round like 6” speakers in each side.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Oh, wise ones….

Radio system frustration request:

Now that I have a radio, although I don’t like in the dashboard, it works pretty well. Now I have to address the speakers.

87 Short cab. I’m a big guy, so the seat is always all the way back.

The speaker right in front of the driver is exploded, it plays, but it buzzes. Obviously, I would replace both if I replace that one. Problem is, with that speaker right in the face of the driver, any concept of enjoying the stereo aspects of the radio are absurd.

I put new speakers into the two speaker boxes behind the seats, but those speakers are basically pushed into the back of the seat, and I think if i did full fade to the rear, they would be muffled like you were suffocating them under a pillow.

Here starts the questions.

First, what other locations could I put the speakers? Overhead, in the center, down by the heater outlet? etc.

Is there enough room/depth inside the door, so that if I cut a hole down by my foot, I could put in some modern 4” or 6” speakers down there?

What about some old-fashioned wedges on the surface of the door down there?

I never put up the armrest. I have seen vehicles before where two small speakers are mounted between the driver and the passenger seats, with both facing the seat at like a 45° angle. Little guys, like 3 inchers. So each seat has its own stereo set.

I’ve had overhead speakers in larger trucks before, but I think that would have the same downside as the current speaker in the dashboard.

I’m not in a hurry on this, because the radio is now working, but I don’t like any of it, so in time I’m going to replace it all and I’m looking for ideas. I’d like an OEM looking radio in the dash, and I’m happy with a scrapyard radio, but I’d like to improve the speakers and the speaker locations

As always, all help and suggestions appreciated

The first gen dash speakers are not available and haven’t been for quite awhile. You can buy or make adapters to put a “normal” speaker in there.

Doors will accept a speaker. I don’t remember if they have the holes behind the interior trim or not. Second gen’s (89-92) didn’t get dash speakers, they got door speakers. So the only reason why you couldn’t use door speakers in a first gen and I’ve actually been considering it when I put my 88 back together.

My green Ranger I built a custom center console and put a pair of round like 6” speakers in each side.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

That’s what I said, adapters for dash speakers

You can put a bigger speaker in the door. I thought about doing that on my 88 and put tweeters in the dash