18yrs old first project

[ranger92]

i figured i've gotten some decent work done by now so i miht as well start up my own build thread. Only experience i have is highschool auto an what i've learned here from trs so i pretty much just wing every thing and she how it turns out and learn as i go.

This is my first vehicle, 92 ford ranger custom, ext. cab 2wd with the 3.0L and she's got 170,000 km on her. I bought it for 2000 CAD almost a year ago now but i've only been working on it for 6 months or so.

when i first got it

i didnt really start to work on it untill some kids on an atv ran into the passenger side door and i decided to pocket the money and giver a go at fixing it myself.

spent some time with a hammer and ive left it at thatsince then but i hope to repaint the whole truck black soon so ill finish rapairing i soon

first thing i did to it like any 18 yr old is put a sound system in

i think its rediculous to dont worry, i wouldnt of gone that large but when i buddy is selling subs for cheap and your still in school you get em.

875 CCA battery to handle the electrical needs

next thing i did was give porting a go and i think i did alright, pulled of my intake spent a coupkle hours with the dremel painted it and put it back on

i then broke my wrist and had to have surgery and bone grafs and what not done so i had aout a month off work and no money so i decided to make a hood scoop after seeing a couple ppl on here do it.

yes it is somewhat functional

then i got some clear corners

and this

as well as a billet grille

and the rest of the work all happened this weekend, i found some fog lights at the junk yard for 4 bucks

got a new belt and with advice from here got an underdrive crank pulley and overdrive alt pulley

repplaced the plugs and wires and took off the vavle covers or some spicing up

hooked up an oil pres gauge and som switches for various things

and finally got around to cleaning my interiour which used to be extrememly staind, rug doctor to the rescue

i found 8 bucks too so that was a score.

I then made a little adapter so i could mount a cone filte to the maf

and lastly i made it back out to pick and pull once more to find an upper intake off a 98 ranger and i got an intake pipe that i will modify to fit as soon as i can get my hands on an escape throttle body IF ANY ONE HAS ONE OR KNOWS WHERE ONE IS PLEASE LET ME KNOW I NEED ONE!!!!!!!

and that is it so far, im hoping to swap in a 5 spd within the next month or so and hopefully hit it with paint by then too.

hope you enjoy the build and tips and pointers are appreciated

 

[Shran]

I like the valve covers...they look bitchin. And the hood scoop looks pretty good too.

What's the advantage of the 98+ upper intake? Sorry, not very familiar with 3.0s at all.

 

[ranger92]

if your look at the picture of the stock intake its one pice with the throttle body and that throttle body is a pathethic 50mm so with the 98 upper i can bolt on an escape throttle body which is a much better 60 mm

 

[RangerMan64]

I like the ranger ranger92. Nice and clean, and your mods look very professional. Makes me want to sell my 88 for a gen 2, I really like the body and interior on them.

 

[Bronco_Chuck]

just a bit of advice that battery you bought for the "system" isnt going to help you unless you plan on bumping it in the parking lot. the alternator is designed to be the power sourse for the entire vehicle while running, it is made to produce enugh amperage to supply only the stock electrical systems. So in affect the system will be drawing from the battery (more than the alternator can re supply) even when running. thus begining to degrade the life of your battery.

now it may not make any differance, depending on the amperage that your system is pulling. you might consider investing in an alternator with a higher output. just my opinion tho.

btw, nice ranger, i like the hood scoop.

 

[Iron Ranger]

I also own a crisp '92 supercab and that is one sweet stereo box you got back there!!

It might be a little excessive, maybe. But I think of it as an excuse to giving a ride to only one person at a time!

I was thinking of converting the side baby seats into a couple of speaker boxes, nothin' that fancy, but enough for a couple of 6 1/2 Pioneers

Keep up the good work!! Just goes to show that even if you're poor, you can still make something look good!!!

 

[ranger92]

just a bit of advice that battery you bought for the "system" isnt going to help you unless you plan on bumping it in the parking lot. the alternator is designed to be the power sourse for the entire vehicle while running, it is made to produce enugh amperage to supply only the stock electrical systems. So in affect the system will be drawing from the battery (more than the alternator can re supply) even when running. thus begining to degrade the life of your battery.

now it may not make any differance, depending on the amperage that your system is pulling. you might consider investing in an alternator with a higher output. just my opinion tho.

btw, nice ranger, i like the hood scoop.

well my battery was needing to be replaced anyway it wasnt holding a charge and i actually do have music on pretty often when the truck isnt running when im out mountain biking just park it next to the jumps and hope nobody's bike goes flying at it

thanks for the feedback i wasn't expecting that good of response, just encourages me to work on it even more

 

[cappin90]

nice system, also your battery will be fine if you get a good sized capacitor, 5farads should do it. i ran a 2400 watt amp off my battery and it lasted 6 months without a cap so you should be fine for a little while.

 

[ranger92]

updates

it's been way to long since i've posted any updates but things have been moving along still and ive got quite a few more photos off the build

I finally started painting and im doing it very slowly but it will be done eventually and it makes it tricky when its your daily driver.

disassembly

painted fender and new back window

grill support

sanding... my favorite

also got a tonneau cover and found some flag style mirrors, just working on filling the holes from the old ones

 

[MikeWild]

looking good, hope the mirrors are brand new, I have the same ones and they are starting to wear out, if I go over 100kmh they tend to fold in from the wind.

 

[baxtej44]

how hard were your valve covers to get off?


mine took me FOREVERRRR...
but we have different engine sizes and generations.

i had to pull my a/c compressor and unbolt the alternator as well
and unplug about 15 wires/vacuums


i wish i would have had the time to paint mine when i was taking them off, i sure as hell no i will not take them off anytime soon again!!

 

[TS6034]

Just came across your thread. I'm diggin those valve covers! Are you painting the truck flat black?

 

[Ranger4657]

well my battery was needing to be replaced anyway it wasnt holding a charge and i actually do have music on pretty often when the truck isnt running when im out mountain biking just park it next to the jumps and hope nobody's bike goes flying at it

thanks for the feedback i wasn't expecting that good of response, just encourages me to work on it even more

i like your mods man, what are the togle switches next to ur after market oil gauge? p.s. do you like the gauge better then the one in cluster? how much more accurate is it? ive been wanting to do it as i dont think myne is very acurate.
as far as your battery goes, i had the same logic that the CCA was important, i went all out and grabbed one with 1000 CCA's lol, but when it comes down to it CCA's dont me jack shit in car audio, if you really want a battery to properly supply any major sound system then you need an audio battery (not optima red top they suck), audio batterys are generaly sealed and provide fast discharge and recharge rates and are still made with good CCA's for those cold days,its important when you really hit those deep bass notes, works in sync with your alt to really allow ur system to blast your ears out. i have 6F of capacitance in my truck and with an audio battery would be able to eliminate some of the capicatence. =] and the good brands that work for years with constant beating from your system only run about 130 bucks!! =]

 

[RangerMan64]

how hard were your valve covers to get off?


mine took me FOREVERRRR...
but we have different engine sizes and generations.

i had to pull my a/c compressor and unbolt the alternator as well
and unplug about 15 wires/vacuums


i wish i would have had the time to paint mine when i was taking them off, i sure as hell no i will not take them off anytime soon again!!

+1

It sucks too because my gaskets are leaking again. I guess one of these days I'll take them off and get new gaskets.

 

[Jay FX4]

This project looks like it's shaping up into one hell of a truck! Great work, bro! You definitely have skills!