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

[Rick W]

I had to run some errands, so I finally did the test drive. AC seems to be working like normal now….

 

[broncc]

I took my Capri to the Woodward Dream Cruise and saw a legendary Ranger!



The Ranger is actually a trailer. The legal "car" is the camper which is the front of the car and pulls the truck backwards!

 

[pentode]

You rust belt guys will feel my pain. Couple days ago decided to investigate a rust stain on the rocker that's been bugging me, so I hit it with the wire wheel. And I found

Once I got under and started tapping with the body hammer I ended up with

Sorry for the awful pics.

Spent most of the day swearing and sweating with my nose smashed up against my welding mask welding on infernal paper thin sheet metal. Got a nice assortment of burns too, despite wearing PPE. Welding lying on your back in 18" of space ain't fun... I think I'm retiring from that.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

You rust belt guys will feel my pain. Couple days ago decided to investigate a rust stain on the rocker that's been bugging me, so I hit it with the wire wheel. And I found
View attachment 147534

Once I got under and started tapping with the body hammer I ended up with
View attachment 147535
View attachment 147536

Sorry for the awful pics.

Spent most of the day swearing and sweating with my nose smashed up against my welding mask welding on infernal paper thin sheet metal. Got a nice assortment of burns too, despite wearing PPE. Welding lying on your back in 18" of space ain't fun... I think I'm retiring from that.

Welcome to my world… my green Ranger needs a bunch of welding done under it at present.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Choptop got a temporary cup holder thing whipped up yesterday. I say temporary only because eventually I’d like to build a custom console, but since that’s going to be a good while, this will do for now. Couple plywood scraps, piece of scrap wood, couple 3” ABS couplings, few nails, slap a quick coat of Rustoleum (@Rick W would be proud), and there we are.

 

[ekrampitzjr]

Just finished installing new plugs and plug wires.

The Ranger ran fine when parked on Monday. On Tuesday morning, it had a stumble on idle, which got worse and tripped the CEL. The code was for cylinder 4 misfire.

By freak chance, some parts I had ordered for installation for the 200,000–mile service arrived that morning from Rock Auto, including new Denso plugs and Motorcraft wires. I began installing both yesterday afternoon, knocked off when I got fatigued and the bugs got bad, and finished this morning. As I went, I sprayed the old plugs with Kroil, then with CRC Freeze-Off, especially on the passenger's side where access was tight.

The old plugs were Denso and could still have gone at least another 10,000 miles. The No. 4 plug wire had burned through because of contact with the exhaust manifold, causing the misfire.

The Ranger is running well so far. I had disconnected the battery near the end of the work to reset the CEL, and it's staying off so far. The engine seems to be running a bit smoother than before the problem, so the plug wire was probably becoming a problem long before it finally failed. The new No. 4 wire has been rerouted to keep it away from the manifold.

Ford really made changing plugs on this engine a pain, but I got it done. My hands and arms are tired and sore, but I'm getting older too.

 

[Heather’s94]

More painting, it’s honestly turning into a bit of a dig at “classic minitruckin’ culture”… But, a ground up full refresh of aesthetics, suspension components, fuel system is going to spiral into odd tangents… Right?

Trying to convince Lisa and Shelby that a solid color is boring, and that I “need” to East L.A. panel jam it… 2 of my great aunts were born in Sonora Mexico, so…

 

[futon]

Speaking of A/C. I fixed mine a few weeks ago by installing a new belt (compressor was bypassed), and squeezing in one can of r12a. Probably broke several international laws, but it's been running ice cold since then.

 

[SenorNoob]

Brakes and bearings...

 

[Otis413]

Recently purchased a 2003 XLT (4L w/man trans) and noticed that the axle wrap was much more noticeable with the stick shift then the automatics I've owned in the past. So, I clamped the leaf springs about eight or ten inches forward of the axle centerline and it made a noticeable, maybe not dramatic, improvement, less bounce when coming off the clutch.
I then added a rear sway bar from my spare parts hoard, which helps on these curvy WV roads. (it's not an off roader, just my daily driver)
Today I'm rebuilding a track-lock dif to swap in sometime before winter sets in, a winch bumper is also in the process of modifications before installation.

 

[Rick W]

Just finished installing new plugs and plug wires.

The Ranger ran fine when parked on Monday. On Tuesday morning, it had a stumble on idle, which got worse and tripped the CEL. The code was for cylinder 4 misfire.

By freak chance, some parts I had ordered for installation for the 200,000–mile service arrived that morning from Rock Auto, including new Denso plugs and Motorcraft wires. I began installing both yesterday afternoon, knocked off when I got fatigued and the bugs got bad, and finished this morning. As I went, I sprayed the old plugs with Kroil, then with CRC Freeze-Off, especially on the passenger's side where access was tight.

The old plugs were Denso and could still have gone at least another 10,000 miles. The No. 4 plug wire had burned through because of contact with the exhaust manifold, causing the misfire.

The Ranger is running well so far. I had disconnected the battery near the end of the work to reset the CEL, and it's staying off so far. The engine seems to be running a bit smoother than before the problem, so the plug wire was probably becoming a problem long before it finally failed. The new No. 4 wire has been rerouted to keep it away from the manifold.

Ford really made changing plugs on this engine a pain, but I got it done. My hands and arms are tired and sore, but I'm getting older too.

Hey, I get tired and sore just thinking about changing the plugs and wires…

 

[mikkelstuff]

Juat put about $15K into my 2002 4WD Ranger XLT at some 166K miles for rebuilt Jasper 3.0L engine and automatic transmission. The truck is in excellent condition otherwise and I plan to keep it. This has got to be way cheaper than buying a new Ranger.

 

[Roert42]

Recently purchased a 2003 XLT (4L w/man trans) and noticed that the axle wrap was much more noticeable with the stick shift then the automatics I've owned in the past. So, I clamped the leaf springs about eight or ten inches forward of the axle centerline and it made a noticeable, maybe not dramatic, improvement, less bounce when coming off the clutch.
I then added a rear sway bar from my spare parts hoard, which helps on these curvy WV roads. (it's not an off roader, just my daily driver)
Today I'm rebuilding a track-lock dif to swap in sometime before winter sets in, a winch bumper is also in the process of modifications before installation.

Nice soft topper.

I really liked mine when I had a 6.5’ F150.

 

[ShhhhhDougsHere]

I looked at my Ranger today and cried.

I still don't have a real job and therefore I don't have the money to fix my Ranger.

And I refuse to drive it the way it is.
I know if I do drive it I'll make it worse.

 

[Curious Hound]

I looked at my Ranger today and cried.

I still don't have a real job and therefore I don't have the money to fix my Ranger.

And I refuse to drive it the way it is.
I know if I do drive it I'll make it worse.

Patience. Sometimes we're forced to take a break. We don't always undetstand why. But it's not the end of the world.

My project is slowing down , too. I've been out of working and living on short term disability payments since March. I'm about to take a bigger drop in income. So, all I can do is work with parts I already paid for. But don't lose hope. Just keep your priorities straight and push through this period, looking forward to better days ahead. You'll get back to the Ranger later.