I bought a High Rider...

[Shran]

Here's my crossmember collection - '85 Bronco II, 88? Ranger, '91 Ranger

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Does the BII crossmember only have one bolt hole on the passenger side?

 

[Shran]

Yeah, just one hole on each side.

In other news I got the truck running. I think my buddy tried hooking the ECM ground up to the positive side of the battery and that's why it wouldn't start? Like I said... wires clipped off everywhere and twisted together, I can see why it would be an exercise in futility for someone who doesn't know what they're looking at.

Allegedly there is a significant battery drain that I will be investigating, could be from wires shoved into fuse holders, or who knows what. I also discovered that it has almost no brakes, the driver's door needs hinges and a striker post real bad, and there's a rather large water leak happening on the driver's side floor.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Yeah, just one hole on each side.

Mine has two on the passenger side.

I also discovered that it has almost no brakes, the driver's door needs hinges and a striker post real bad, and there's a rather large water leak happening on the driver's side floor.

Sounds like a party I just left. Good times.

 

[Shran]

IIRC there was more than one style of "early" crossmember and it depended on what trans you had - I THINK that the one I have pictured came from the same B2 that my C5 came out of... but I have had it a LONG time and probably parted out several '85 B2's, so who really knows now.

Where was your water leak coming from? Cowl? Mine's plugged up full of pine needles.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

IIRC there was more than one style of "early" crossmember and it depended on what trans you had - I THINK that the one I have pictured came from the same B2 that my C5 came out of... but I have had it a LONG time and probably parted out several '85 B2's, so who really knows now.

Mine was originally an A4LD truck, mine had two holes in the C5 position too. I wonder if the BII was different than the Ranger.

Where was your water leak coming from? Cowl? Mine's plugged up full of pine needles.

Unsealed seam under the windshield trim on the bottom of the DS windshield. Looked like a out of sight cab seam that the sealant dried up. Leaked down inside the torquebox, rotted it out and then ran out on the floor and rotted the floor pan out. Rubber floor was always dry so I had no idea it was going on.

My cowl is in great shape, I try to remember to clean it out once a year. As you know it is a common weak spot on the first gens though and is kind of a complicated area to try to fix.

 

[Shran]

How'd you end up fixing it? Can I remove the trim and squirt a bunch of urethane in there? I have two 1988s that leak there... my '86 stays dry but the dang sunroof I put it drips quite a bit

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

How'd you end up fixing it? Can I remove the trim and squirt a bunch of urethane in there? I have two 1988s that leak there... my '86 stays dry but the dang sunroof I put it drips quite a bit

Yeah, it was under the windshield trim. Your results may vary, it was just a little spot I added sealer to. I pulled the carpet up every time I washed the truck or it got rained on after and it stayed dry so I think I got it.

EDIT:
Fender and A-Pillar are on the bottom, cowl and windshield are at the top. The gray blob kinda where everything meets is the sealant.

 

[turbo91xlt]

Few things:

Unless the truck was mint/clean original, I doubt (as much as I don't want to because I'm a huge fan of them also) a High Rider STX is worth much more than any other 4wd to 99.99% of the population. It's just a cool oddity.

2nd, on the crossmembers what I have noticed (excluding the early 1st gen stuff) most rangers (pretty much all 4 cyl & majority of 2.9/3.0) from the mid-late '80s to late '90s have the bushing style trans crossmembers. The solid mount "L" style crossmember is always found in 4.0l RBVs. I've replaced the bushed crossmember with the "L" style crossmember in every one of my trucks as its a much better design (no bolts seized forever in the bushings...)

3rd: RBV frames starting in '92 (yes starting with the last year of the 2nd gen) are boxed/crumple zone design all the way to the engine crossmember. Basically '83-'88 are identical, '89-'91 are identical, & '92-'97 frames are identical.

Although the fixed yoke 1350 transfer case is very rare, it doesn't have as much value as a 1354 (especially a manual).


I've personally removed a set of the factory lift brackets/springs/pitman arm from an extended cab '89 STX in the junkyard and installed them on my '91 2.3t 4x4 swb truck.


On a side note, if you're interested in selling the front sway bar from the truck I'd love to have it for my '88 GT.

 

[turbo91xlt]

I may still have the tube bumper and grille guard behind the shed.

I'd be interested in the tube bumpers/grille guard if they aren't rusted out. My '91 STX had them from the factory per the window sticker but were removed by the previous owner due to rust... I still have the factory Roll/Rallye bar though haha but its missing the lights

 

[snoranger]

I'd be interested in the tube bumpers/grille guard if they aren't rusted out. My '91 STX had them from the factory per the window sticker but were removed by the previous owner due to rust... I still have the factory Roll/Rallye bar though haha but its missing the lights

Sorry, I junked them. After I posted that I had to go check. I crushed one of the tubes by hand it was so rotted... into the scrap bin they went.

 

[Shran]

Few things:

Unless the truck was mint/clean original, I doubt (as much as I don't want to because I'm a huge fan of them also) a High Rider STX is worth much more than any other 4wd to 99.99% of the population. It's just a cool oddity.

2nd, on the crossmembers what I have noticed (excluding the early 1st gen stuff) most rangers (pretty much all 4 cyl & majority of 2.9/3.0) from the mid-late '80s to late '90s have the bushing style trans crossmembers. The solid mount "L" style crossmember is always found in 4.0l RBVs. I've replaced the bushed crossmember with the "L" style crossmember in every one of my trucks as its a much better design (no bolts seized forever in the bushings...)

3rd: RBV frames starting in '92 (yes starting with the last year of the 2nd gen) are boxed/crumple zone design all the way to the engine crossmember. Basically '83-'88 are identical, '89-'91 are identical, & '92-'97 frames are identical.

Although the fixed yoke 1350 transfer case is very rare, it doesn't have as much value as a 1354 (especially a manual).


I've personally removed a set of the factory lift brackets/springs/pitman arm from an extended cab '89 STX in the junkyard and installed them on my '91 2.3t 4x4 swb truck.


On a side note, if you're interested in selling the front sway bar from the truck I'd love to have it for my '88 GT.

I haven't done anything else with it yet but I have all but decided to go with my original plan. I am fairly convinced that it has a cracked head - it was over a gallon low on coolant, the exhaust has "that smell" and there's some snot in the oil fill cap. No coolant in the oil, though, oddly. So I am going to 4.0 swap it and use an M5OD and manual 1354 I have laying around.

I really have no intention of using the 1350. It's cool that it's got fixed yokes but I'd rather have a manual shift case. Probably will just keep it as a souvenir or something...

Thought I had a line on a factory light bar but the guy ended up flaking out, as he has before. I just can't believe people. Couple years ago I was parting out a truck and he wanted me to bring it to his house and leave it there while he took what he wanted off it. Was I supposed to do that and pray I got the rest back or something? It was so weird that I saved his number and he has since texted me with other weird trade offers too.

 

[Shran]

I found another High Rider for sale and ironically it's owned by the same dude who had the light bar. I can't get him to give me a price on it and it's beat to hell so I probably will never own it... but it's neat to see another one. It is a long box, automatic, electric shift 4x4 truck. I couldn't even tell that it was one because of the tiny 215-75-15 tires until I saw the drop brackets.

I pulled a tape measure on several of my trucks and found the lift parts in the front do give a true 1.5" height difference. My stock '88 truck measures 31" to the center of the fender opening from the ground, and the high rider comes in at 32-1/2". Both trucks are on 235-75-15's.

My 4 door Explorer measured 32" there so it will be interesting to see if it ends up being 33-1/2" once the lift is installed in it.

I fixed a couple door hinge issues with this new truck and put new striker posts in last night. What a difference, I hate sagging doors that don't close right!

I also have purchased a 1991 Explorer parts truck that will be donating some interior parts to this build!

 

[turbo91xlt]

I'm still interested in the front sway bar if you start pulling parts off it

 

[Shran]

I removed the lift parts from the front of the truck this weekend and have taken some comparison pics.

I put factory Explorer brackets, D28, Explorer 4 door front springs, and Explorer sway bar in the truck for now so I can move it around. Oddly, I do not seem to have lost any lift. I can tell that the alignment is off slightly, but it still measures just over an inch taller than my other Ranger in the front. I think the Explorer springs must have something to do with that.

Here's a neat little factoid with the pitman arms - the STX High Rider pitman arm is damn near identical to the Rough Country drop pitman arm I have. Same length and drop. Ford part numbers included for extra knowledge.