'85 Ranger Restomod

[85_Ranger4x4]

I see the tractor tire hasn’t been unloaded. Is that your “winter traction weight”?

I am keeping it inside so it doesn't fill up with water. It is going to end up in the barn and as soon as a locate a sucker volunteer to help put the topper back on I will roll it out while I am in the barn. Truck is bordering on parked for the winter so it isn't hurting anything for the moment.

Nice collection of Ranger emblems!






That's funny, and brings back memories from when I installed radios in these trucks when they were new. In general, in some cases the antenna coax could be routed through a factory grommet, but a lot of times we'd have to make our own hole. This was my homemade "hole poker", which I made from a tire iron:

View attachment 68258

It actually worked good; it could be used between an open door and fender, if needed, and it nicely rolled the inside edge of the hole, which prevented chaffing the coax cable. And then a little black sticky butyl putty sealed it all up. This "tool" was used a lot; the mushroomed end is honest wear. I still use this damn thing; it's handy for a lot of things.

I think that all of the early Rangers had cowl panels pre-punched for the antenna (I don't recall ever having to drill one on a Ranger). The radio delete trucks had a plastic plug stuck over it with double-sided tape.

It's a damn shame that aftermarket antenna's rockers always cracked the paint under the base, and let rust get started. Getting rid of the janky aftermarket antenna and putting on a good stocker is a definite improvement.

Interesting.

I had a rubber plug in the factory antenna cable hole but there is an empty hole right beside it that would have taken the same thing to hold up insulation... so I don't know.

Aftermarket antenna and no factory radio wiring had me wondering about radio delete though.

And yeah, it has bugged me forever, I can't want to get this thing painted.

If its a fluid - filled tire in the back it would be more than enough weight, too much actually. I have a sand-filled 3/4 ton truck tire thats a good 250#. Thats almost a bit much, its great for going straight but if you start to slide with extra ballast its real difficult to bring it out of it.

My 13.6x28's were good for 250lb a pop when I was tractor pulling. This one is a 12.4x38 so I suspect it would be heavier with fluid.

It is just a tire though, no tube, rim or fluid. It won't have fluid when I get it put on either.

 

[dvdswan]

Interesting use of a light socket for an extension cord...

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Interesting use of a light socket for an extension cord...

It just runs a LED light in a more useful location that the topper won't destroy.

 

[RumPunch]

Noticed several pages back you were talking about finding some old Coleman stuff thought you may think this is neat. Found it at a flea market while selling stuff to clean out my garage. $5 bucks.. 1975 mold

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Noticed several pages back you were talking about finding some old Coleman stuff thought you may think this is neat. Found it at a flea market while selling stuff to clean out my garage. $5 bucks.. 1975 mold View attachment 69226

Nice!

But its about 10 years too old. If you dig out a minty fresh green mid 80's steel case one dont keep it to yourself though!

 

[RumPunch]

Haha if I come up with one it's all yours!

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Update:

Haven't done much to it. Like at all.

I did get a new cb today though. And a more period looking mic too.

 

[Snoranger]

Update:

Haven't done much to it. Like at all.

I did get a new cb today though. And a more period looking mic too.

View attachment 70265

Did you look at that thing to interrupt your stereo so you can hear the CB?

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Did you look at that thing to interrupt your stereo so you can hear the CB?

Yup!

 

[Roert42]

I have an old Cobra 29 with an analog frequency dial.

You wanna trade, it'll look more period correct.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I have an old Cobra 29 with an analog frequency dial.

You wanna trade, it'll look more period correct.

I actually found one on ebay, I think it was a 21 made the same month my truck was built.

The smaller ones like a 21/25 will fit easier, the 21 was listed for parts since they couldn't test it which was a buzzkill

Also newer ones have the mic port on the front rather than thd side which will help fit too. Compared my 19 even the 25 is massive. The depth is going to be an issue with how I want to mount it.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

New radio is installed!

Old:



New:



Or not...



I went with a Retrosound Hermossa.



My inspiration was my factory AM/FM radio.



This one is actually out of my '86 parts truck, I sold my original one like 20 years ago. Started by modifying the support bracket to fit the much smaller new receiver.







Base of the headunit:

[

With the faceplate installed.



They have a ton of different options to make your radio looking different.

IIRC the radio bracket I had on my old radio was out of an '88, amusing how much they got tweaked between '86 and '88.



Assembled and ready to install:



Add the overlay for added effect:





Then I had to blow a bunch of the dash apart to run the blueteeth mic up above the windshield and to fish out my Sirus antenna cable which I haven't used in years.

All done!



And I even found a green that matches all the other LED screens I have going on.




And not sure my CB is gonna work, the case (not counting knobs) is 8.5".



Not giving up yet... but yay.

 

[racsan]

I had a 29 ltd classic. It was huge! for a speaker I put a old radio speaker in the headliner above the rear veiw mirror. made it easier to hear over the other radio. Dad always mounted his mobile ham radio external speaker on the doorpost by the seatback where the seatbelt loop mounts. Not a bad place for him but im partially deaf in the left ear so having a external speaker to my right works better for me. Havent had a cb in years though.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I had a 29 ltd classic. It was huge! for a speaker I put a old radio speaker in the headliner above the rear veiw mirror. made it easier to hear over the other radio. Dad always mounted his mobile ham radio external speaker on the doorpost by the seatback where the seatbelt loop mounts. Not a bad place for him but im partially deaf in the left ear so having a external speaker to my right works better for me. Havent had a cb in years though.

CB is nice when in a convoy on the road, we used the heck out of them last year going to the roundup. Plus if you want to know what is going on around you flip over 19 and listen to truck chatter.

Wondering if I could shift things over beside the t-case levers, I just need to play with it more.

 

[RobbieD]

Thanks for the tour. I like how that turned out; it "looks" right.