'85 Ranger Restomod

85_Ranger4x4 · Feb 21, 2019

Jim Oaks said:
A topper would be the way to go for camping. I don't know that I would drive to Ohio and wheel it with one, although I've seen it done.

I gotta get there with my stuff and keep it dry though.

There will be two hotel stops on the way out, I don't really want to leave all my gear sitting in the open either (not that a topper is a whole lot better with a non-lockable tailgate)

A 4x8 u-haul is $175 each way and I have no idea how well my truck would pull it (cooling system wise)

I know what you mean though, dad had a topper with tinted side windows when I was a kid and rearward visibility was terrible.

If I got an aluminum one maybe I could slip it off the truck once I got there too.

Jim Oaks · Feb 21, 2019

I meant more for the added weight sitting so high up.

85_Ranger4x4 · Feb 22, 2019

Jim Oaks said:
I meant more for the added weight sitting so high up.

They add that much weight?

It is going to be a sail in a crosswind but especially if I stayed aluminum (although a white fiberglass one would look the best) I wouldn't think the weight would be too bad.

If I was putting a RTT on top of the topper... yeah that would be sketchy. It would also really ding the mileage. I just have a ground tent though.

85_Ranger4x4 · Feb 27, 2019

8 years ago today:

85_Ranger4x4 said:
I turned the key switch. Deep inside her belly the Ranger groaned, a straining rumble sounding for all the world like a giant dynamo coming alive. Ahead of me the crankshaft pulley turned slowly, then began to move faster as the 302 gained in power. The rumble increased in pitch, the pulley became a blur. Suddenly the cranking and rumbling vanished, to be replaced by a tremendous, throaty roar, a bass of power such as I'd never heard. I cracked the pedal forward a fraction of an inch and the truck sang of power, a symphony of thunder, alive and ready to howl at the slightest movement of my foot.

Anyway... winter continues. Des Moines has had the snowiest February on record. Needless to say not much has moved on the truck. I did get the PS intake tube mounted (two screws, woo hoo)

I also snagged a GPS for it (or whatever we take) for Ohio though. It hasn't came in yet but I thought it would be nicer than "I think we should have turned back there..." It also shows our heading and speed and not sure how accurately what the speed limit is.

85_Ranger4x4 · Mar 9, 2019

It was a balmy 35* today so I got to work in the garage.

PS intake tube is reinstalled with painted hardware:

I flipped the oil fill and PCV around to get the oil fill out from under the DS snorkel:

I brought the battery to work and topped it off since it has only had about a half an hour of run time in the past 8 months, reinstalled it in the truck and got the exhaust buttoned up. I need to sneak it outside and get the idle and stuff reset, it was blowing 40 and switching between rain and sleet today so maybe tomorrow.

85_Ranger4x4 · Mar 11, 2019

I got it out yesterday, noticed it was still VERY hard starting. I let it get up to temp and it idled beautifully. Started trimming the floor pan, got about half done. Backed it back in the garage and noticed it was hard to get into gear... so apparently I still have more bleeding to do. When I shut it down it dieseled. Did some thinking on it today, screwed both idle screws all the way and then backed them out a turn and a half. Starts beautifully. So I drove it back outside and let it get up to temp again, backed it back in the garage and it shut down perfectly. It will need fine tuned better but for moving the truck around I think it will be fine for now.

It is good seeing her outside again.

85_Ranger4x4 · Mar 16, 2019

Floor dry fits pretty good:

I talked my brother into coming over to weld the floor it, swiped dads flux core welder and set up shop today.

Escalated rather quickly, in order to do the front of the torque box patch the inner fender had to come out. The DS, the one I have never had out. Had to pull the front tire to drill out screws. Major PITA.

Probably 3/4 done today, looks very good to me for someone who doesn't really weld for a living and has never used a flux core setup.

Just have to do the front 3/4 of the door side and shape patches, trim a tad and do the back RH corner and go across the front yet. Floor is freaking solid though, it made the truck much easier to pull back in the garage for sure.

85_Ranger4x4 · Mar 22, 2019

Ever since I saw the goofy paint code on the door after never finding the color in a brochure I have pondered the history of my truck. Burlington Northern railroad has a main line that goes thru my hometown, of course dark green was kind of their thing so I have searched off and on for something in that direction and have always came up dry... until tonight.

Color is close, very close. Ranger badge appears to say Custom (no red lettering that I can see anyway) has the chrome wheel arch trim (minor thing, easily added)... it is just a dead ringer. Mine has a rubber plug in the roof from either a radio antennea or strobe light wiring (or both)

Mine does not have provisions for a spotlight and it had a black grille (but was a bit of a junkyard dog when I got it so who knows how original that was) and instead of black low mount mirrors and chrome door handles mine has chrome low mount mirrors and black door handles.

Sometime I need to get around to doing a Marti report and seeing who ordered it and where it started out at.

And for added oddity, if I wanted to I can still special order a brand new W7514G color fullize Ford.

F-150 Special Paint Colors | fleet.ford.com

www.fleet.ford.com

85_Ranger4x4 · Mar 27, 2019

Isn't going to be fit to finish the floor for awhile (10 day forecast is terrible) and I am getting tired of sitting on the floor to move the thing around so I threw the seat back in. It is hard to back it in the garage when you are peeking out the windows like a toddler and can't see anything in the mirrors.

Very happy with how the shifter worked out, I couldn't place it better if I tried:

It starts better but I am still not thrilled (it started better before) so I was going to check the timing and get the carb set better with the tach on the timing light. Timing was set at 8* which was weird so I went to put the wobble socket on the bolt to reset it and bumped the two wires coming out of the dizzy... and the truck died like I shut the switch off. I noticed they didn't look too hot. So I wiggle the wires at random and it started up without a fuss. Intentionally wiggled the wires and it flat out died again.

Shran · Mar 28, 2019

Oh good, you haven't floated away in the floods. I was kinda wondering. ;brownbag;

Floor looks good!

85_Ranger4x4 · Mar 29, 2019

Shran said:
Oh good, you haven't floated away in the floods. I was kinda wondering.

Floor looks good!

Over by the Missouri River it has been really bad, our local river went out of its banks because of our snowmelt but I don't think it caused a whole lot of damage (especially compared to the Missouri) I am up on a hill about 10 miles from the nearest river, if I flood there will be a 100' deep channel across the road from my house. Some guy in the 1800's picked a good spot to build.

Guys are finally able to pick corn again, birds are coming back... I dare say I think winter is finally starting to go away. Still kinda cool out though.

Shran · Mar 29, 2019

Right on. We were supposed to leave for our Arizona trip on the 14th but the blizzard screwed up our travel plans. So instead I shoveled show so that I could get the Explorer out of the shop. Ended up leaving on the 16th instead. It's melted now but I suspect some of our drifts will eventually end up in your neck of the woods.

85_Ranger4x4 · Mar 29, 2019

There is supposed to be a lot in North Dakota that hasn't melted yet I keep hearing scuttlebutt about. I think we are on the downhill slide now though, the Missouri is way down from what it was. Of course it washed out my favorite highway to Omaha (which was 5 years old) Minor complaint though, two towns are pretty much fully flooded/trashed, lots of ruptured grain bins... it is going to be really bad for a lot of people.

85_Ranger4x4 · Mar 31, 2019

Got a good afternoon of doing little things on the truck.

Noticed a couple coolant seeps, I think I nixed those. Did some tinkering with the carb too:

Supposed to keep one bowl from flooding and the other bowl from starving on a sidehill... don't run any different so at worst I didn't screw anything up.

I needed a tool ferry to put the mower on the B so I threw the jack, air bubble and required tools in the Ranger to get that done.

And Boss got to sit in the truck for the first time since last July. He fills it out a lot more than he used to.

July 16 2018 (so glad I replaced that guage/switch setup):

3/31/19:

You can't tell it there, coming off the cement pad by the barn there is a pretty good ramp. The truck was kind of twisted up on that and I could hear the fan hitting something. Looks like I need to take some of the shroud off... not a big deal really.

Bird76Mojo · Apr 1, 2019

Whosagooboy

Labs are some of the best dogs on the planet. Really makes me miss my old pals Grey and Mojo. Both Black Labs I've had the pleasure of being friends with many years ago. God bless them both. RIP

When I was building my v8 truck in my buddies garage over the winter, he got a Shepard puppy. That dog still thinks I'm his owner because I was there more than my buddy was. I won't go up there for months, but he hears my truck coming almost a mile away and starts freaking out immediately, whining, crying, and doing high speed circles by the door. Makes my buddy a little angry. He even pees a little when he sees me. (the dog) lol

He decided this was a good spot for a nap one day while I was working underneath the truck. I got him all tuckered out after taking a break on the truck to play with him for a while. Another gooboy

Sorry for the threadjack bud.

'85 Ranger Restomod

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