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I'm back, just a little gun shy


MJ'sBlkBII

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Sorry, this is gonna be a long winded post.
Well, I have been gone a while, since I sold the BlkBII. The firewall rotted out from leaves packed in the cowl and the wiring fried. Before I could get it back together the city sent me a letter threatening to take me to court for a trash vehicle. So it went away. I really enjoyed working on it so I am debating trying this again. If I can convince myself, that is. My wife is set on getting me one (I love my wife), but as stated, I'm very gun shy at this point.
This time I am looking at a '90 so hopefully it doesn't have the firewall rot issue. Any one know if the cowl change did fix it good? It will also already be a manual so I don't have to muck with the conversion this time as well. Hoping I can get a late '90 so it will already have the D35 while I'm at it. I just like the front end and dash of the '88's better.
The other thing I am considering is a first gen Explorer. It will already have the 4.0L and the axels. That is about the only plus for it. I prefer the dimmensions and lower curb weight of the BII. The other mods I have in mind won't get the city's attention as long as I keep the tags current. The firewall really did me in.
 


country0001

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The 90 is a good choice, I wouldn't be scared. They are all over CL. Take your time and find the right one.
 

4.0B2

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find an explorer sport....
as much as i love b2's, i'd probably get a b2.. lol but i've been eyeing a 2 door explorer recently that a friend has for sell. so... either way i'm ok w/ it. lol. i just love the b2's more.

i want another first gen honestly.
i don't have any rot issues w/ mine.
 

85_Ranger4x4

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Does the '90 have the newer style cowl with something like 1/8" holes instead of the big slots? If so it would be darn near impossible to stuff a leaf down them holes.

I get leaves in mine but I pull the covers off and clean it out from time to time, still looks perfect. If I ever have the windshield out I will strongly consider a newer cowl though...
 

Mark_88

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My first 88 Ranger had the firewall crumble...but I think that was due to road salt or simply poor design...this 88 Ranger cab is solid with no rot yet...

I've been thinking of simply plugging up the slots with sheet metal...someone on here did something similar but I can't remember...I rarely open the air vent anyways and they are actually able to suck in air through the fenders (there are openings at both ends)...it's not a direct breeze, but it allows fresh air in without getting the firewall mushy...
 

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i saw a guy that cut his out on his 88 b2 to clean it out once... when he went to repair it, he hand made a new cowl cover, lipped it to where it was removable and just bolted in with recessed bolt holes. had holes instead of slots and he could easily remove it for cleaning. it was an AWESOME set up. i think my cowl may be leaking now.... so i might have to do something similar.
 

MJ'sBlkBII

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I think I am going to go for which ever I find first that fits my criteria. The big problem is the 5 speed/4X4 is becoming scarce and the prices are just plain rediculous.
The rot has alot to do with them not taking care of it and leaving it to sit for so long. I figured out I couldn't move the blend door lever and pulled the blower motor and the entire box was packed with leaves. I cleaned them all out, hit the cowl with the hose and the floor board flooded on both sides. I tore apart the dash to try to fix it but then I got the letter.
Yes, the '89 and later cowls got revamped to the small holes. I think there was a write up on here about taking the first gen cowl apart and lining the slots with mesh. Great idea, but to late for mine. My first '88 didn't have the problem either and it was an Illinois truck and rust was pretty well rampant underneath.
 

85_Ranger4x4

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I've been thinking of simply plugging up the slots with sheet metal...someone on here did something similar but I can't remember...I rarely open the air vent anyways and they are actually able to suck in air through the fenders (there are openings at both ends)...it's not a direct breeze, but it allows fresh air in without getting the firewall mushy...
Forest Ranger/Copycat/whatever he is going by now put a later cowl in his BII.
 

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It's not that hard to mesh over the cowl on the gen 1 trucks.

I'm gonna do it the next time I un-dash mine. The biggest problem is that you have to take the dash and air box out.
 

MJ'sBlkBII

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As I recall, the write up had it going from the outside by drilling out the tack welds, installing the mesh, then using rivets or screws (don't remember which) to reassemble.
 

85_Ranger4x4

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As I recall, the write up had it going from the outside by drilling out the tack welds, installing the mesh, then using rivets or screws (don't remember which) to reassemble.
Are we removing the cowl or what?

If so I would forget the mesh and just use a later cowl with the small holes. It isn't that hard to pull the covers off and clean it out once a year though either.
 

MJ'sBlkBII

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I found CopyKats write up changing the cowl but I haven't found the meshing one. Figure it's been 2 years, I may very well be combinig 2 different write ups. I found my old laptop and was amazed at the info I had stored on it. A lot of the links no longer work though.
Still trying to decide between the BII and the Exploder. The Explorers always struck me as a bloated BII. Like someone took the clay mold and stuck an air tube up it's tailpipe. I have found several 2wd sports in my price and the front axle should be a fairly straight forward swap and the manual transfer case is fine, so a lot less wiring than the electronic. I don't wheel so this will be a more than 75% street truck, but I never had stablity problems with my other BII. Decisions decisions...
 

Mark_88

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My Skoda (yes, I owned one) had plastic covers that you could attach over the grill...the grill on the Skoda (I called it a Scrotum because it seated two nuts perfectly) was similar to my Ranger...might try to just make up some out of sheet metal...they looked sort of like those air duct covers you put on your floor vents in the house...but only lower...
 

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