1990 Ranger Long Term

[adamshadow2008]

Have a 1990 2.3 brown faded ranger that I bought for $1,000 back 2 years ago. Been driving it around as a daily driver ever since. I've fixed a few things on it engine wise to keep it running and improve the gas mileage (17-21mpg) depending on how I am driving and Texas winds. Besides that it’s an ugly beauty.

1990 2.3 Brown 2WD regular cab

Goal: Lowered drag and street
Plan was a 383 stroker, but looking like a 302
Brown and black paintjob
Black interior

IMPORTANT: When painting interior pieces, plastic or metal. No matter what the paint says, always use a primer or you will be repainting them. Take my personal experience.

This is the paintjob I am thinking
Have the aircompressor and a paintgun on the way in jan, from there going to be teaching myself to paint on this.

 

[adamshadow2008]

First thing to accomplish is interior work.
Carpet is being removed, floor is getting herculiner, all brown interior (door panels, siding, dash, etc) is being painted black gloss. The dash has a small crack in it but is acceptable for now, too expensive to replace. Stereo and speakers will be replaced as well haven’t decided on any in particular yet.

 

[adamshadow2008]

Exterior
Driver’s side door is hit pretty bad, I believe it will need to be replaced but was hoping for some opinions on ways to bondo it if possible. It is bad. (picture coming soon) Drivers side fender is bent, passenger side fender has small dent, small dents and scratches located over the rest of the body. Tiny areas of rust as well. Front bumper was replaced with a junkyard special, might replace with new black or chrome bumper.

Cracked light cheap to replace, small dent

This is the drivers side door, was hoping someone could tell me if this might be fixable or just new door?

Fix or New?

Small dent on the fender

Dent next to the passenger side door

Have some more pictures that I will put up. Rear/bed

 

[adamshadow2008]

Engine
I am not a diehard brand person so if you are I am sorry. I am looking around for a Chevy 350 small block to rebuild for the truck. Have a few engine builds that I haven’t decided on what one I want. I am 95% sure it will be a chevy 350 small block.

Current engine

Center view of the beast

Battery and airfilter

Mastercylinder side

These are engine builds that I fount while reading an automotive book. (Will list book soon)

This engine was dyno at 500+hp but it was a lot of machine work. Everything about it had been grinded, lightened, and ported.
350 four bolt bored +.030
silvolite keith black signature pistons
Scat cast steel 383 crank
Manley 6 inch h beam rods
comp cams 304 (fill in rest)
solid flat tappet lifters
sportsman II ported heads 2.05 intake 30-degree seat 1.6 exhaust
victor jr. ported intake 2-inch spacer
holy 800 carb
hei ignition with msd module
exhaust will be a custom pain in the ...

or

While this engine was much simplier in that it was a buy and assemble with a few simple modifications. 400+hp
350 .030 over
Silvolite Keiyth Black 122 hyperutrictic pistons
Scat cast steel 383 crank
Scat 6in full floating rods
Comp cams 270h on 106degree LCA
Comp cams high energy lifters
Comp cams magnum roller tip 1.6 intake 1.5 exhaust
Comp cam timing set
186 heads basic full porting (240cfm @ 600 lift) bronze guides 2.02/1.6valves flat milled to 64cc
edlebrock performer intake
750 holley
hei ignition

 

[adamshadow2008]

Are you sure you want so much black? Texas...heat...black truck, black interior, are you trying to cook your back-side? just foolin. Do it how you want it, its your truck. Get some pics up!!

Titled my first thread editing thinking I could change it after I was done. Guess not lol.

Yeah black is hot, but I went all summer in wichita falls with no a/c. had 3 months of constant 100+ degree temps. Im on my way home now for pics.

 

[adamshadow2008]

Well gentlemen there are all the pictures, now to go home and study for airmen leadership school so they dont kick me out. Come Friday me and a friend who also wants to line his cab floor, are going to start on the interior.

Remove dash to clean. Remove seats, tear out carpet and toss. Clean floor. Herculine while consuming a 30 pack of my favorite beverage. While that is drying attempt to paint all the interior plastic pieces and dash.
Going to start with the back side of the pieces 1. for practice 2. just in case I do not like the look of the paint.

 

[adamshadow2008]

Regretfully a friend reminded me that a polished turd is still a turd, so instead of exterior next after interiod like i planned, i am going to go find myself a 350 block to start workinf with. Junk yard here i come

 

[adamshadow2008]

Well due to the sound/heat dampner on the floor and its unwillingness to go away the interior is taking longer then i thought. 6hrs of work and I cleared the drivers seat area and middle console. So 1/3 way done. Tomorow i am going to paint the dash pieces, and reinstall the seat. During free time this week i will finish the scrapping and maybe get to herculine the floor this weekend.

 

[rockin86ranger]

Engine
I am not a diehard brand person so if you are I am sorry. I am looking around for a Chevy 350 small block to rebuild for the truck. Have a few engine builds that I haven’t decided on what one I want. I am 95% sure it will be a chevy 350 small block.

This right here is why i will never like this truck, its one thing if you have a sbc sitting around and are on budget. But to specifically search for one for any car is so bloody boring. Im not brand biased, hell put a 318 or a 454 or and import motor, but a sbc is just the pussy answer. The guy that judges our shows here wont give a sbc a shot at 1st unless its a numbers matching car, there is no originality to it.

Also i would replace that door since they are cheap and that one has had a bad repair already. The fender looks like it could be straightened but it has a lot of small dents so everytime you fix one youll probably find like 6 more you never noticed, so i would replace it also with one from a jy. thats what i would do unless you abosuletly cant afford to spare the $75 for both parts(fwiw ASE certified auto body tech)

 

[rockin86ranger]

Well due to the sound/heat dampner on the floor and its unwillingness to go away the interior is taking longer then i thought. 6hrs of work and I cleared the drivers seat area and middle console. So 1/3 way done. Tomorow i am going to paint the dash pieces, and reinstall the seat. During free time this week i will finish the scrapping and maybe get to herculine the floor this weekend.

also have you tried a wire brush in a drill?

 

[adamshadow2008]

also have you tried a wire brush in a drill?

No i havnt, i might try that this week.
As for why a sbc, I am not trying to be original. The 350 is the engine that i am very familiar with, so it is just easier for me. Very reliable engine that you can do anything with on any budget. With a tight budget and willingness to do the work yourself you can push sum large numbers from the engine, doesnt take excess money. I do agree there is nothing original about a 350 except that it is going in a ford ranger, not too many of those swaps. Everything that you can imagine has already been done with a sbc. Which means if you have problems you can find someone to help.

 

[rockin86ranger]

i just absolutely hate sbc, i have one in my 1ton and i replace it every 2 years or so. Yes they are cheap and plentiful but so are sbf and mopars. Look in a 318 or something, they are EVERYWHERE, they are cheap, they can be build affordably, and are damn reliable. The reason you dont hear about them is nobody builds them due to the trans that they came with from the factory. We have a ram 1500 that has one with 230xxx on it and the only problem ive had is the waterpump went out and that was it, my brother had 360 in a Dodge 150 and thing would plant you in the seat if you could keep the tires from spinnig. ( mom couldnt drive it because if you wouldnt let it idle up like 10mph and then very gently ease into the gas the whole truck was sideways lol and it was getting 22mpg beating the snot out of it.)

also a screwdrive/heavy scraper works pretty good on the the thick stuff, then just hit everything else with a wire brush (itll take awhile but it is faster) then just slap some primer on it. Rattle can primer will work just fine on it too.

after looking at that one fender it might be a quic fix (are the light areas dents or faded paint my laptop screen isnt the best quality and dents are hard to judge in pics anyways), look it over REALLY close and she how many dents it has. then run you hand across it and see if it has a wave in it anywhere, if you put at shop towel or paper towel under you hand layed flat it helps it become more noticeable. If you even thing you feel a wave, there is one there and if you dont get it out completely it will be noticeble with new paint.

 

[adamshadow2008]

Yeah they are dents, a lot of faded paint. How do you go about removing the dents? Never done body work like that, always hear you can just pop thrm out?

 

[rockin86ranger]

Yeah they are dents, a lot of faded paint. How do you go about removing the dents? Never done body work like that, always hear you can just pop thrm out?

if they dont have a crease and arent in body like sometime you can pop them out and its harder to do on smaller dents. but if there is any kind of a crease or fold they wont just pop out. The problem with just poping them out is that when a dent occurs the metal gets stretched, so there will still be a faint ring where the dent was, and the area will be easier to dent again. even just leaning against it could cause the dent to reappear. to fix it properly the dent needs to be pulled out and locked into place. there are several ways of doing this, my favorite one involves a torch, but you can also lock it back in with just hammers in dollies. the thing is that every dent is unique and requires a slightly different technique.

but to properly fix the dent you have pull it and reshrink the metal which mean you'll have to primer and repaint that area.

however some of your dents might be able to be popped out and look acceptable for a driver. the bottom of your fender and your door won't just pop out, but some of the smaller ones might. (just looked again and looks like all your major dents are either creased or on a body line, so its gonna take some more work)

for body work pull the dent to within 1/8inch of where its suppose to be, lock it in, bondo, sand, reapply bondo, sand (repeat until correct form and not more than 1/8inch of bond) primer, sand, primer, sand (until 100% smooth), make sure to sand out all scrathes with atleast 400grit but 600grit is better, then sealer, paint, paint, paint, (until covered), clear, clear, clear, bake/cure. buff if needed

 

[adamshadow2008]

if they dont have a crease and arent in body like sometime you can pop them out and its harder to do on smaller dents. but if there is any kind of a crease or fold they wont just pop out. The problem with just poping them out is that when a dent occurs the metal gets stretched, so there will still be a faint ring where the dent was, and the area will be easier to dent again. even just leaning against it could cause the dent to reappear. to fix it properly the dent needs to be pulled out and locked into place. there are several ways of doing this, my favorite one involves a torch, but you can also lock it back in with just hammers in dollies. the thing is that every dent is unique and requires a slightly different technique.

Ill have a look at them later today, I think though a lot of them will have to simply be replaced. To many dents to tray and fix them all.

Started painting the interior pieces yesterday. They look like they are going to turn out pretty well.

Anyone know how to remove the dash of a 2nd gen ranger? Removed the bolts on the top of the dash below the windshield yesterday, but was already too dark to have a real good look at it.