1984 ranger roll-along

[Angie]

Starting a new thread here with the newest ranger to enter our fleet of vehicles.
From this thread carry forward.....

seriously thinking 1984 camper

this is calling my name. can anyone give more info about this style camper? i have a couple 2.8's sitting on the floor ready to drop into this truck. cheers https://vancouver.craigslist.org/van/cto/d/vancouver-rare-vintage-ranger/7540185656.html 1984 ford ranger roll-a-long pop top...

www.therangerstation.com

UPDATING: ......

(Missing key for the tumbler, was going to replace it with a tumbler i have on the shelf, while i was at work angie started shoving old keys into the ignition, BINGO! found 1 that worked, then when i got home i tried 2 more different ones... yep we have 3 different keys that work in the same tumbler)

2 days ago we were able to get a battery into it, add water, oil, and put some gas into the carb, after a few revolutions, the little 2.8 fired sputtered and came to life..... very noisily, but it did have life. ..... water was leaking out of the side of the block as it was being filled in the rad. Didn't pay much attention just kept adding as it was lowered. water was flowing freely from the water pump so i knew we had good circulation. we let it run for a few minutes then that was enough for the day. she ran and was starting on first crank, was impressed and happy with that.

Yesterday placed the truck on a set of ramps to get under the front end better and take a more in depth look at the rig. First plan was to take off the passenger side exhaust manifold for a better inspection of where the water would be leaking from... then easier way was to just remove the oil filter and look from that advantage point. laying under the truck with angie pouring water into the rad... BINGO water was leaking from a frost plug... well doesn't that change everything..... returned the oil filter, then fired the truck back up..... sure enough, frost plug is not sealing ..... ok interesting for sure....

Started to examine for the crappy firing ... basically sounded like a bad sporadic vacuum leak somewhere .... my very first impression was a blown brake booster .... but did the usual inspect for missing caps, check the lines, and such .... all visually seemed fine ..... fired her up let it run as all hoses were juggled and played with to see if there were any changes in revs .... nope nothing. got angie to kill the ignition .... then i heard it.... YEP air leaking in the booster ... BINGO .......

2.8's have adjustable valve trains so that will make it run quieter when i get around to redoing the lash on this engine. maybe the heads and gaskets are all ok on it, just needs a good tune up, fixing the vacuum leaks, addressing 40 year old abuse might just be all that it needs....

in the cab of the truck is a box of new parts, complete top end gasket set, all water hoses, water pump, jugs of coolant, oils and belts. bonus stuff for sure.

i know there were questions asked from the other thread, i didn't forget you guys, just haven't had a chance to get the answers yet. and i was asked about the ford authorization sticker, i haven't checked that nor had my camera with me to take a pic. will do that soon.

cheers and stoked on this little truck

 

[dvdswan]

Be sure to post pics along the way while repairs and fun treks are happening.

 

[Shran]

Super cool rig - looking forward to the build!

Echoing other comments from the other thread, I would probably keep the 2.8 in it as well. They are great engines.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

If that freeze plug didnt seal try taking a wire brush and cleaning out the hole where it mounts. Know from experence.

But sweet it fired up. Sounds like you might have a diamond in the rough there.

Cant wait to hear more!

 

[Angie]

Was able to get the booster replaced today, yep made the difference. after that the idle had to be reset way down. purred not to bad. PO must have been trying to get it to run right by setting the idle higher to compensate the vacuum leak. after resetting and adjusting we have it down to a nice roar now. still clacking a bunch but one step at at time... lol .... it is at a starting point to base the rest from. cheers..... and i did look for any modification stickers. did find one but i don't think this is what you were asking about. it is just an emissions change sticker. I will guess it is a California thing... ?? posted pic anyway ... and here is the rotten booster, you can see the rot and moisture where it was leaking from.

 

[RobbieD]

..... and i did look for any modification stickers. did find one but i don't think this is what you were asking about. it is just an emissions change sticker. I will guess it is a California thing... ?? posted pic anyway ...

Thank you for the picture. My 1984 (2.8/C3 auto) has the same "Authorized Modifications" sticker, but it's too faded to read. Probably not just California thing; mine's a Georgia truck, originally ordered through the Atlanta District Sales Office. And Googling "TSB 88-E-68" shows that it was an emissions recall in 1988 from Ford.

The Federal Compliance sticker should be on the rear inside edge of the driver's door. This is what it looks like on my '84:

Mine is barely readable. But if yours is there and readable, it will have some information on how your truck was originally equipped. It think that your Ranger camper most likely started out as a chassis cab, and I'm curious if the Fed sticker would state something about that.

Aftermarket up-fitters, in this case "Roll Along", would usually add their own label, usually close to the Fed sticker (not sure if this was a requirement or not- but I think it was).

Congratulations on getting this one. They're rare, and this one really looks to be in great shape, especially being an almost 40 year old truck.

I've always liked these Ranger campers, and would love to have one myself (so hell yes, I am jealous!).

Please do keep us posted on your progress.

 

[Fast Eddie]

The OP in Craig list has been deleted. Hope you saved the pics off to do before & after shots? Up-fitter sticker may be in a cabinet or storage bin. That's what I went to look at when I noticed the post was deleted.

Rare vintage ranger fiberglass camper - cars & trucks - by owner

1984 ford ranger roll-a-long pop top camper. I love this beautiful piece of 80’s style and engineering, but losing my housing and I can’t prioritize having her as a project anymore. Her engine is...

vancouver.craigslist.org

 

[Angie]

Hi Robbie, oh you mean that sticker. lol... yes it is there and very much readable. will take a pic of it. i was thinkning they would have added a new sticker to the truck after the camper waas added. cheers, check back later tonight.

 

[Angie]

hi eddie, i don't need the CL posting pics, i have the real truck to take pics of... lol ok i will check the rest over also as we look into more of the rig. cheers

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I've seen upfitters stickers in various places. Like at inside doors like under sink, bathroom, closet close to heater, etc.

 

[Angie]

hi Robbie, hope this helps for the decal on the door.

cheers

 

[rusty ol ranger]

4420 GVWR? Isnt that the GVWR without the heavier springs? Cause i think my 87 is 4800lbs IIRC.

You woulda thought they woulda went with the heaviest chassis/springs available for that.

....and axle code 82 is an open 7.5 geared at 3.08. Wow.

I do slightly feel bad for that 2.8 now.

 

[RobbieD]

Cool! Thank you for posting the door sticker.

In case you don’t have the Ford shop manual, here’s what the label tells you about your truck, as best as I can decode it.

DATE (build date was Feb 1984. There may also be an ink stamp on the radiator core support showing the exact day/month/year.

GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) is 4420 lbs., which does seem low. There were higher 1984 Ranger GVWRs of 4440, 4500 and 4880.

WITH TIRES RIMS Wheel size, 14x5.5JJ, was the second smallest wheel size. There was a wider 14”, and several width 15” wheels available in ’84. I’m curious what size wheels it has now, and the dually kit on the rear was almost certainly added after production, thus changing the rears. The original factory-delivered tire size was P205/75R14SL, which were the largest 14" tires in '84.

The VIN breaks down:

1FT Ford Motor Company, USA, Truck (Complete Vehicle)

C brake system and GVWR class, Class C, 4001-5000 pounds

R10 Ranger Standard 4x2 Truck (note: R12 would be chassis cab)

S 2.8L gas engine

3 check digit

E year model 1984

U assembly plant- Louisville

C29394 production sequence number- 229,394 (I don’t have 1984 Ranger production numbers, but in 1985 I have 247,042 as being sold)

TYPE Truck (which jives with third VIN digit “T”)

EXTERIOR is paint color; it looks like “90” or “9Q”, but neither of these codes are in the shop manual that I have (Sep 1983 dated). “9D” is white, but the truck looks tan in the photos (“Light Desert Tan” is “9H”). Maybe the truck was painted when the camper shell was added???

TYPE-GVW R105 is Ranger 4x2, 4420 lbs.

BODY EH E is vinyl bench, H is Tan interior.

TRANS V is the C3 auto

AXLE 82 regular (open diff), 2700 lb capacity, 3.08 ratio

TAPE -none- there were no tape stripes

SPRINGS “4” is the front, non-heavy duty, part # E2TA-5310-TA; “C” is the rear, non-heavy duty, part # E37A-5560-TA. Heavy duty springs would be optional usage, and would have added another character or digit each on the sticker.

DSO (District Sales Office) “86” is “Recreation Vehicle” This is usually the regional office through which a dealership places their vehicle order to Ford for production scheduling (example, my ’84 is “21” for “Atlanta”). This one is really cool having an “86 / Recreational Vehicle” code on it!

The remaining numbers, above the DSO, are supposed to the Front Axle Accessory Reserve Capacity in Pounds, “F0068”; and Total Accessory Reserve Capacity in Pounds, “T0204”. Now, 204 pounds total added accessory weight sounds way too light for the camper conversion. I don’t know, but it seems the conversion company would have to do more to the rear end besides just throwing a dually kit on it.

My guess, unless I’m way off on the sticker decode, is that the truck was built as a base truck with a bed (not a chassis cab), and that it would have also had some rear end and suspension changes as part of the conversion.

Sorry for the lengthy post, but I hope that the information is useful. Please do keep us updated, as you can. These are cool rigs, and not much is really known about them.

 

[Angie]

Hey all.

I can update this a bit. I have tore down a 2.8 block that came out of my 83 V8 build. The block is at the shop getting a hot tank treatment, and they will replace the cam bearings and install new frost plugs, so i will get a clean block back sometime this week or next. then I will start all the engine block prepping. the cam will be going to the regrinding shop that is 30 miles from me for a freshen up along with the lifters. the shop refaces the original lifters so i don't have to worry there. I was gong to get the cam ground to the same profile of the one they did on my pinto build, but i am thinking a 5500 rpm cam will be too aggressive. so i will ask for something that will make more bottom end torque and go for 4000 rpm goals.

I was seeking parts for this build... rebuilding older engines is getting hard to seek parts stores who carry them now. so after searching around RockAuto had what i was seeking. and I must say very fast in the shipping to Canada cheers guys ... way beyond my expectations.

the tear down and inspections look great, i will also be using a set of heads and intake from a 70's block that i have on the floor for this engine. deleting all the emissions and keeping the intake simple.

cheers and happy motoring

 

[RobbieD]

Thanks for the update.

I'm thinking that my 2.8 is approaching needing a rebuild (only 239,733 mi.), so I'm curious how you go about a couple of things, if you don't mind.

On the bottom end, do you:

Rebore and use new pistons, or do you measure the cylinder bores, and if within specs just reuse the pistons, with new standard rings and hone the cylinders?

Do you just have the crank ground for oversize bearing inserts, or do you measure the journals first, and then replace the bearing inserts as standard if the crank is in spec?

My motor seems healthy, just tired.