Wanted 86-94 Supercab Ranger/B-series roller with title

[kishy]

Search radius/willing to travel within a 12 hour drive of Detroit, MI / Windsor, ON, searching in both USA and Canada.
Approximately as shown here:


Hi folks. The time is quickly approaching that my 1985 Ranger will be too rusty to be viable to drive, and the effort to fix it or expense to pay someone else to fix it is beyond what I'm willing to get into with this vehicle. However, my truck has a rock solid powertrain that I'm interested in carrying forward into another vehicle , and I've amassed enough of a parts pile for this thing that I'm willing to go to considerable lengths to replace it with another Ranger. Basically, I'm into turning bolts and messing with wiring, but I'm not into dealing with rust.

Since I've got a powertrain I'm bringing with me into the new truck, what I'm ideally looking for is a cheap roller or a complete truck with inoperative powertrain to bring the price down. Will certainly consider a running vehicle but my target price doesn't buy many of those.

Significant edits made 11/22 and 11/27 re: what I'm looking for:
Looking for 1986-1992 Supercab Ranger, or 1993-1994 Supercab Ranger or Mazda B-series.
RWD and manual transmission preferred.
Engine and transmission not required to be present in vehicle but driveshaft ideally will be included.

Does not need to be pretty on top. Will accept paint faults, dents, broken mirrors, etc.
Underside (including lower bodywork all the way around) needs to be pretty unrusty to be worth the effort.
Not bothered by rusty/failed fuel and brake lines at all, but the condition of the rest of the underside needs to be very good.

Truck must have intact VIN tag, and a clean title, and that title must be in the seller's name as this paperwork has to line up to bring it across the border.

Trying to stay under 1000 USD. Goal is 500, but if something absolutely minty perfect except for rod knock or a bad trans turns up, that's where the higher end of that range comes in.

Let me know if you've got something, or if you know of something near you. I've got my FB Marketplace set up looking at a 250 mile radius of Knoxville and it seems like there are many options that get pretty close to what I want, but I feel like this community may be a more reliable place to check in with first. Thank you.

 

[1987 Ranger]

Too bad you're not closer. I think my truck would be perfect for you.

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[Brain75]

What does LKQ ask for vehicles coming OUT of the yard? I ask because going in it is all based on weight... a 4000# vehicle is $500 so if they get one in, don't spend a single penny on processing and send it back out for $1000 it would be a heck of a profit for them and you could get a totally complete vehicle... They might even let em go out for less...
I looked to see if LKQ even had locations near you and Holland MI, Grand Rapids MI, etc... they have some presence. If you aren't in a rush you could ask the local manager of a couple of these to let you snag the whole vehicle before processing, put your on a "will call" list and see what happens. (Pro tip, be known - go in every week and parts shop for an hour and ask "still no new rangers?") Course that also depends if they are nice personable people and if they are small enough to actually care to give personal service and sell to you not just shovel parts through.

I looked through Holland and Grand Rapids LKQ listings and nothing older than 94 or so... so it would be a ask and watch and wait for those two at least.

ford ranger Used Auto Parts | Holland

Ford Ranger used auto parts available. Get a great deal on parts for your Ford Ranger at LKQ Pick Your Part - Holland

www.lkqpickyourpart.com

 

[Brain75]

also sidenote on LKQ, etc - the u-pick it places... I'm sure you know, CO (eastern) and AZ there is just about zero rust... I would be happy to show off the frame on my 1990, sure it could use a little por and undercoating, but it is nothing compared to you poor souls in the rust belt and the snowzone... If you want a rust free donor I could show you 5 in a non-inventoried (no pics) yard near me. One is definitely not your ideal cause of how much it has been picked but it is a genuine original 1st gen with dual tanks.

 

[kishy]

Too bad you're not closer. I think my truck would be perfect for you.

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I'm intrigued. Substantially.
Yes, far beyond the radius I was hoping for, but a California truck should be pretty clean underneath.
Be warned that my use case is largely as a winter beater - it will get oil sprayed to hold off the corrosion, but it will eventually go the way my current one is. Starting with a clean truck and taking care of it, potentially another 20 years though, so being sold to a future owner by then.

I'll put it this way...if you're interested in me as a buyer and my plan for it, and you're willing to deal with the inherent inconvenience of dealing with a far-away buyer (e.g. being at the mercy of when I can arrange flights or whatever), I'm not going to rule this out. I'd really like to see some photos and talk further. Let me know (PM or here or whatever) how you'd like to continue this conversation.

What does LKQ ask for vehicles coming OUT of the yard? I ask because going in it is all based on weight... a 4000# vehicle is $500 so if they get one in, don't spend a single penny on processing and send it back out for $1000 it would be a heck of a profit for them and you could get a totally complete vehicle... They might even let em go out for less...
I looked to see if LKQ even had locations near you and Holland MI, Grand Rapids MI, etc... they have some presence. If you aren't in a rush you could ask the local manager of a couple of these to let you snag the whole vehicle before processing, put your on a "will call" list and see what happens. (Pro tip, be known - go in every week and parts shop for an hour and ask "still no new rangers?") Course that also depends if they are nice personable people and if they are small enough to actually care to give personal service and sell to you not just shovel parts through.

I looked through Holland and Grand Rapids LKQ listings and nothing older than 94 or so... so it would be a ask and watch and wait for those two at least.

ford ranger Used Auto Parts | Holland

Ford Ranger used auto parts available. Get a great deal on parts for your Ford Ranger at LKQ Pick Your Part - Holland

www.lkqpickyourpart.com

also sidenote on LKQ, etc - the u-pick it places... I'm sure you know, CO (eastern) and AZ there is just about zero rust... I would be happy to show off the frame on me 1990, sure it could use a little por and undercoating, but it is nothing compared to you poor souls in the rust belt and the snowzone... If you want a rust free donor I could show you 5 in a non-inventoried (no pics) yard near me. One is definitely not your ideal cause of how much it has been picked but it is a genuine original 1st gen with dual tanks.

I don't know LKQ myself (none near me - LKQ franchises for part purchases but no yards), but I know most Michigan junkyards do not let go of whole vehicles once they've had their titles processed. Something about Michigan rules for scrapped vehicles, probably to discourage VIN fraud. I've seen multiple vehicles in nearby Detroit u-pulls disappear entirely out of the yard in chunks, leaving only a small piece of the dashboard with the VIN tag remaining in the yard by the time they were done with it.

Definitely agreed that I should try to put feelers out in that industry to catch anything that shows up before it gets processed, but the probability of something clean hitting a junkyard near here is low. There was one, a 90 perhaps, that looked like it had never seen salt once (maybe never even rain) and the yard was willing to sell me the cab, but at their whole vehicle price, and we ran into a whole bunch of roadblocks between their policy and what was possible for me - e.g. they wouldn't let it leave the property without the title being signed over, but I'm a Canadian citizen, so there's no framework for doing that. I import it and register it with my jurisdiction, but Michigan doesn't play any part in that.

Either way, definitely appreciate your insight.

 

[Brain75]

hmmm, is MI a compact state (that's road laws - something like 35 of the 50 states are compact states - they agree to each others binding laws).. I ask because when I moved to TX, they recognized my CO title and didn't make me do anything, not even re-title it... kept my CO title (both of those are compact states). I wouldn't think there would be any issue dealing with a title to a non-citizen, my ex was a canuck as well, she never got her citizenship, permanent for life resident alien. She's bought, sold, scrapped (rolled) and dealt with titles a dozen times, never an issue in CO or WA (she came from up there in the BC/WA area).

If you want, I will put out feelers with the yard closest to me just to find out what their process is and if they even allow a vehicle out/bypass the yard. It's not an LKQ, it's a ma/pa and they are friendly, nice and personable enough to actually work with you not just their steel business.

...
I wrote all that then re-skimmed and picked up the part I missed first time, you aren't a resident - no ties to US soil at all, you have to import it and then title it in CAN.

Well the local county here has a nearly nothing fee for doing the title. Have a local person title it in their name to get it off the lot then immediately while the ink is wet "sell" it to you

I'll find out what the title fee on the family '07 here was and get back to you just to give you an idea what the extra cost would be for that little sidestep.

 

[Brain75]

the u-pick-it places around me are growing rangers like weeds.... this is the nearest LKQ, and they have a 92 and 2 88's
the small ma and pa is just as comparable.

ford ranger Used Auto Parts | Aurora

Ford Ranger used auto parts available. Get a great deal on parts for your Ford Ranger at LKQ Pick Your Part - Aurora

www.lkqpickyourpart.com

check out the front and rear bumpers and interior on the green one, and well.. just everything on the '92

 

[kishy]

hmmm, is MI a compact state (that's road laws - something like 35 of the 50 states are compact states - they agree to each others binding laws).. I ask because when I moved to TX, they recognized my CO title and didn't make me do anything, not even re-title it... kept my CO title (both of those are compact states). I wouldn't think there would be any issue dealing with a title to a non-citizen, my ex was a canuck as well, she never got her citizenship, permanent for life resident alien. She's bought, sold, scrapped (rolled) and dealt with titles a dozen times, never an issue in CO or WA (she came from up there in the BC/WA area).

If you want, I will put out feelers with the yard closest to me just to find out what their process is and if they even allow a vehicle out/bypass the yard. It's not an LKQ, it's a ma/pa and they are friendly, nice and personable enough to actually work with you not just their steel business.

...
I wrote all that then re-skimmed and picked up the part I missed first time, you aren't a resident - no ties to US soil at all, you have to import it and then title it in CAN.

Well the local county here has a nearly nothing fee for doing the title. Have a local person title it in their name to get it off the lot then immediately while the ink is wet "sell" it to you

I'll find out what the title fee on the family '07 here was and get back to you just to give you an idea what the extra cost would be for that little sidestep.

the u-pick-it places around me are growing rangers like weeds.... this is the nearest LKQ, and they have a 92 and 2 88's
the small ma and pa is just as comparable.

ford ranger Used Auto Parts | Aurora

Ford Ranger used auto parts available. Get a great deal on parts for your Ford Ranger at LKQ Pick Your Part - Aurora

www.lkqpickyourpart.com

check out the front and rear bumpers and interior on the green one, and well.. just everything on the '92

Unsure, re: compact state.
But as you noted, yeah, it has to be essentially "re-titled" once it gets here. Ontario does this ambiguous thing called an "ownership" which represents the combined status of the vehicle being owned by a person and registered by them as well. So while it isn't a "title", it does have to become "in your name" for you to be able to do anything particularly useful with it.

Come to think of it, I'm not even sure a title is strictly required to be among the paperwork I hand to them when the vehicle came across the border (if it's not a document format that exists here or is therefore in-force/effective, then it's worth nothing more than the paper it's printed on). A bill of sale that hits the required criteria sure might be enough to satisfy the folks on this side. I've imported a vehicle before but the title was available so I never had to explore that before.

That white 92 and the green 88 definitely would work, in the right version of reality where they hadn't ended up there yet. As with California, Colorado is also a fair bit beyond where I'm hoping to find my replacement truck. But obviously, it is closer.

Wouldn't ask you to go out of your way at all, but if something turns up near you I'll gladly consider it.

And re: having an American "buy" a truck and then "resell" to me, I have numerous American friends who are in a position to do that, as well as provide temporary storage, so it's not an issue in general. Just didn't want to deal with all that for only a cab, as it was at the time. That super rust-free cab was attached to a short box truck and the only way I'm willing to give up the added utility of the 7ft bed is to trade it for the bigger cab.

Too bad you're not closer. I think my truck would be perfect for you.

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I'm intrigued. Substantially.
...

Uh, alright. So I did some math and stuff.
Truck rental 1-way is basically 3 grand plus fuel (plus flight to get there). That's not going to work. Pretty sure 4 grand buys a very nice, complete, running Ranger (or something else entirely), and while the purpose of this isn't to be frugal, I'm also not about to dive off/into that particular deep end.

Fuel if I drive my towing-capable car there, rent a Uhaul dolly, then tow it all the way back is something like 1600 bucks. 302 and the aerodynamics of a brick definitely get in the way. Still cheaper than the rental truck option, and the bonus of your location being what it is is that I can make it into a Route 66 vacation/road trip.

But it is not the cost-wise option in general and I would be wise to continue looking elsewhere. Not saying no, just can't say yes without more info/photos and comparables from closer.

 

[Brain75]

On the old Ford-Trucks.com forum the issue of moving a vehicle cross country comes up quite a bit (lots of un-movable 1948 F1 basket cases)... shipping a complete vehicle is a lot cheaper than the $4k USD you just tally'd up... worth it to hire a private shipper to pick it up, haul it cross country and drop it at your door/US buddie's door.

I am an hour from the ma/pa 'yard... so was gonna call em first to see how much of a issue/fight it is. Being a holiday and a Monday (they are closed Sun/Mon) nobody answered the phone. I really don't sweat making a free phone call for a fellow Ranger.

And yeah, I was not suggesting either of those examples for the sole reason they have been "in the yard" for over a month... That picture was taken before processing, so imagine a pierced gas tank, oil drained out, mercury switch chopped out, and 30 days+ worth of rednecks pullin' stuff off of em. I'd only consider it for an un-processed truck bypassing the yard before entry.

 

[Brain75]

In addition to the local 'yard, facebook marketplace seems to have plenty around here - I know nothing about this guys/gals... I was on facebook MP looking for something else and it flagged this - $500 is about as cheap as you can get a ranger here (the junkyard will give you $400-$500 depending on how heavy it is, all based on weight).
And of course since I know nothing about the folks I have not seen the trucks....
What I can tell you is that from the foothills of the rockies to the salinas river in KS (basically all the eastern half of Colorado/Western KS) there is not one natural tree that isn't growing along a river. Meterologists call it the leeward-side rain shadow. We get no water out here - called great plains for a reason, dry as dust. Average relative humidity is 15% pretty much year round unless it is actively snowing or raining. So if these are native to the area trucks they most likely would be some rust free/minimal surface rust good finds.

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FWIW, all the "free" trucks that keep cropping up are guys who are parting it out and want to sell parts not the whole thing - bogus listing.

 

[Brain75]

btw - that wyoming truck I can read the registration is July of '12..... the other one has junkyard ink on the window so might be a little skeptic of the title (salvage)... either way I would get the VIN and run it.

 

[1987 Ranger]

My truck is still semi-buried in the garage, so it's tough to get good pictures of it. I'll work on that. If you're seriously considering mine, that'll get me more motivated to get it cleared off and get some pictures. I can say with 100% confidence that those two 88s in the Colorado link don't hold a candle to my truck. Mine has been off the roads and stored indoors for 30 years. It has minimal, if any, rust. It also has the added protection, and value, of a fiberglass shell and drop-in bedliner that have been in place since the first week of when I bought it new.
I lowered the price to $1000 on my ad here and on Craigslist.

 

[kishy]

In addition to the local 'yard, facebook marketplace seems to have plenty around here - I know nothing about this guys/gals... I was on facebook MP looking for something else and it flagged this - $500 is about as cheap as you can get a ranger here (the junkyard will give you $400-$500 depending on how heavy it is, all based on weight).
And of course since I know nothing about the folks I have not seen the trucks....
What I can tell you is that from the foothills of the rockies to the salinas river in KS (basically all the eastern half of Colorado/Western KS) there is not one natural tree that isn't growing along a river. Meterologists call it the leeward-side rain shadow. We get no water out here - called great plains for a reason, dry as dust. Average relative humidity is 15% pretty much year round unless it is actively snowing or raining. So if these are native to the area trucks they most likely would be some rust free/minimal surface rust good finds.

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FWIW, all the "free" trucks that keep cropping up are guys who are parting it out and want to sell parts not the whole thing - bogus listing.

Thanks for looking out. Both reg cab/short box in those cases - but I'm sure the more desirable (to me) configurations turn up as well.

Presently in talks with someone in inland Georgia who has an 87 supercab roller. Waiting on some underside photos. It may very well be the solution, if the underside looks the way I'm hoping. That'd be 11 hour travel time each way, so it's awkward for dividing up the time, but still half the time to anything in CO. I'm optimistic it can work out but it's far from a done deal.

My truck is still semi-buried in the garage, so it's tough to get good pictures of it. I'll work on that. If you're seriously considering mine, that'll get me more motivated to get it cleared off and get some pictures. I can say with 100% confidence that those two 88s in the Colorado link don't hold a candle to my truck. Mine has been off the roads and stored indoors for 30 years. It has minimal, if any, rust. It also has the added protection, and value, of a fiberglass shell and drop-in bedliner that have been in place since the first week of when I bought it new.
I lowered the price to $1000 on my ad here and on Craigslist.

Fair enough, I understand not wanting to put too much time towards it if it doesn't seem likely to pan out.
Given the distance and the added cost because of the distance, it isn't my first choice and it's best to assume I'm not buying it. Doesn't mean something won't cause me to change my mind, but that's very, very far.

As to the points made about shipping a vehicle, yeah, it's an option, but I'd gladly spend the same or more on gas to do it myself. It's just hard to make the math work properly on CA - too many hours being the hardest part, I think.

Buried or otherwise, I think photos would significantly help rouse up interest in it. I've certainly seen more than enough "mint, garage kept for 30 years" vehicles that didn't at all match their descriptions so I think people hesitate when they can't see what they're dealing with.

 

[Brain75]

I have bad news on the junkyard... I went in person today. The ma and pa that I like so much is still the same name, but they are owned by big megalo-corp now. Basically impossible to bypass processing and re-sell before going to lot is what I was told. If you want to buy out of the lot they ALL have salvage titles, even the ones that came in with clean titles to begin with... why they pay to re-title em just to destroy em I don't understand. I asked if the guy would dig a little into making sure/asking, but I wouldn't hold any breath at all when dealing with big giant companies. He did also mention that about 40% of their business is wrecked already salvage title, but 60% is "transmission puked and I don't want to deal with it anymore" clean titles.

 

[Brain75]

Did this one come up in your search? Extend cab, 1st gen ... says title.... dirt cheap... ticks all the boxes so far

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