What did you do to your Ranger today? (Part Deux!)

[Saddle Tramp]

Most of those custom seat covers are air bag compatible. If so, they will say so. Here's one such dealer. https://www.shearcomfort.com/Seat-Options/6011/54/2003/0 There are others, of course.

I lucked out. My seats were badly stained but not too worn. I vacuumed and used the compressed air hose to remove caked in dust, then washed them down with about a half a dozen passes of rubbing alcohol on a sponge.

Thank you! mine have a six inch tear right along the seam on the driver's door entrance side so it definitely needs more than a cleaning.

 

[superj]

Well, I found some bolts and big washers that would allow me to mount the steps.

And for sure, these are steps from an extended cab truck so if anyone within driving range wants these for their extended cab, just let me know and I can meet to give them to you.

And if you can wait till a good weekend, I can meet in San Antonio or somewhere farther to give them to you

 

[Lefty]

This. So much!

Although I’ll never understand how I always tried to take as best care of my trucks as possible and do the best job possible but these idiots smashing up their “work” trucks always seemed to have more work than me.

When I worked for my dad doing concrete construction years ago, several times employees would climb up on the side of the dump truck and step on the paint to do it. That usually incurred a good scolding and if they were dumb enough to say something along the lines of “well, it’s just a work truck” there was a sudden nuclear blast level explosion. Most employees never made that mistake again.

Clean trucks show that employees take pride in their work

 

[Vindictus]

Clean trucks show that employees take pride in their work

My Dad always said if they have time to clean truck, he didn't give them enough work to do.

 

[ericbphoto]

My Dad always said if they have time to clean truck, he didn't give them enough work to do.

There needs to be a balance.

 

[Vindictus]

There needs to be a balance.

I agree. My father was a hard ass.

 

[superj]

My dad only used rangers for his company but we had to make sure we kept them clean. And these were plumbing trucks

 

[Bill]

I removed the throttle body assembly to give it a good cleaning. I also checked the air filter and I need to replace it. The airbox had about an eighth to a quarter of an inch of dust and leaves stuck to the bottom. This is a dusty place. The vacuum cleaner wasn't doing a very good job on it, so I removed the air box and gave it a bubble bath in bucket of car wash. It's drying out in the garage right now. I noticed the maf sensor has a bit of fine dust on it too, so I'll have to clean that as well.

 

[Vindictus]

My dad only used rangers for his company but we had to make sure we kept them clean. And these were plumbing trucks

I grew up a plumbers son to

 

[racsan]

I wish dad took better care of his stuff, many years ago I was going to borrow the ‘77 F250 (400,full-time 4wd, C6, 4.10’s) I had started it up to warm up a bit and as I was walking back to it after 5 min and saw something leaking, turned out to be oil from the oil filter, It had been so long since it had a oil change that the oil filter had rusted a small hole in it. Glad I found it before going out on the road.

 

[pjtoledo]

Even work trucks should be maintained better than that. Sad, ain't it? And you know lots of those you saw in the boneyard were personal vehicles.

There was a YouTube video (since deleted) showing an auto shop preparing to fix the steering box on a (approx.) 2002 Ford Super Duty work truck. The video was posted in a thread on BITOG before deletion. The frame was rusted so badly that the repair was impossible. The Super Duty was not repairable without replacing the entire frame. Pieces fell off when the shop owner tried to raise it with a lift. One of the crossmembers under the bed was totally gone.

Yet the business owner of the truck said he really liked it and had wanted to keep it running. Then why didn't he get it rustproofed and undercoated after he bought it new?

I tell myself sometimes that I'd like to find a limited-slip 3.55 axle to replace the standard open-diff 3.55 my 2011 has. The limited-slip had been a factory option, but discovering one in a boneyard would be like finding a needle in a haystack. The axle would have to come from a 2010 or 2011 as earlier axles won't interchange. Think I'll just leave well enough alone. Everything inside the diff was super-clean when I changed the diff fluid last year.

does your 2011 have roll stability control? RSC does not play well with limited slip axles which may explain why you can't find any.

 

[Rowdy Fitzgerald]

Clean trucks show that employees take pride in their work

Not so much. I am very ocd at work but my trucks are rhode hard and put away wet. I do maintain them well though. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to keep abusing them like a red headed step child.

 

[Lefty]

Not so much. I am very ocd at work but my trucks are rhode hard and put away wet. I do maintain them well though. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to keep abusing them like a red headed step child.

I bought an old beater for $1,800 and drove it for 20 years. There's nothing wrong with that but if I were to buy a new or newer truck, I would want to keep it looking new for as long as possible, maintain it, keep the interior clean and the outside waxed.

 

[Rowdy Fitzgerald]

I bought an old beater for $1,800 and drove it for 20 years. There's nothing wrong with that but if I were to buy a new or newer truck, I would want to keep it looking new for as long as possible, maintain it, keep the interior clean and the outside waxed.

Definitely, I would treat a new truck better. But then again I’m too much of a tight wad to buy a new truck so I don’t know for sure. But I understand the idea.

 

[Lefty]

Definitely, I would treat a new truck better. But then again I’m too much of a tight wad to buy a new truck so I don’t know for sure. But I understand the idea.

I am too, but I always seem to have plenty of time and money to restore these little trucks. I've found that parts are common and cheap.So I go to the junkyard and look around for upgrades and replacement parts. Slowly but surely, my old Ranger is beginning to look new again.