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Discrepencies between body styles & years?


AgPete139

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The Craigslist posting states:

1997 Ford Ranger 4 door standard 5 gear shift
Miles # 153649
4.0 Engine
No TITLE! (lost)
Runs good just needs a new batterie and some minor interior work.
18" rims






I'm not interested in buying this, but was just curious about a couple of things.

  • That bright yellow paint code was never offered in 1997. What was the 1st year?
  • It has the suicide 4-door extended cab option that I thought was only available from 1998+. (?)
  • The painted grill is from a 1995 to 1997.
  • The rims look similar to 2006+ Rangers
  • The door moulding strip was never offered like that (only the full panel to the floorboard).
  • It also appears that there is a later model front bumper in the bed?
So...my questions are:

  • Do you think it is a salvaged vehicle (no title) and they switched the cab to a later model? Suicide doors were not offered in pre-1998, right?
  • Is the above list of information correct?


Seriously wondering if I'm losing my mind or losing my grasp on Rangers.

Thanks,
Pete
 
Last edited:


Shran

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Seems how one of the rear tires has yellow paint on it in the last pic, it's probably a very poorly done amateur job. It probably has a later model cab and those are definitely not wheels that were ever offered on a Ranger. It also has some kind of aftermarket body kit.
 

BlackBII

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Since the core support and engine bay are yellow, I'm going to say its factory.

Maybe it's a '98+ with an earlier front end on it?
 

chvlfrk

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Pretty much a PARTS ONLY vehicle IMO................USELESS without a title!

I'd say it been wrecked, VIN# would tell you what year the cab is, and possibly find the currect year of the frame on the rear frame rail, and if it's a salvage vehicle, it should have a plate on the door frame with the NEW VIN#
 

MrE_Powers

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Since the core support and engine bay are yellow, I'm going to say its factory.

Maybe it's a '98+ with an earlier front end on it?
that is differant yellows in the engine bay i am going with a roll over repaired ranger.
 

Ranger44

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Most likely a 98' cab swapped onto an earlier frame.
 

Ranger Sport Honduras

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i would say its a 98+ with an older 95-97 front end the bumper, lights and grille look a bit un-aligned
 

Fx4wannabe01

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hahahaha....i loooooove craigslist finds like this!! I find it to be a game: spot whats wrong! lol. Frankenstein trucks FTW!!!


Yeah...my guess: Gen3 rollover cab swap. it IS a 4dr and has the light grey interior, so I assume 98-99 4dr. something nobody else noticed...it's got 98-05 mirrors on it. It's a 'custom' vehicle....overspray on tires, different firewall, underhood, and core support are different color than body of truck...this would tell me it's definately a gen3 core. Wheels are aftermarket, NOT ford, though similar. Front bumper in bed is most likely the rest of the bodykit. As my buddy said above, parts only vehicle IMO.
 

AllanD

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It's a "Frankentruck".

Frankentrucks don't bother me a bit, I've built several.

what bothers me is "title lost"

After considering that the truck has no papers all you can do is shrug and walk away.



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