'85 Ranger Restomod

[doorgunner]

The truck is looking great-----we're saying a prayer for your brother.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

The truck is looking great-----we're saying a prayer for your brother.

Thanks for both

 

[tbirdsps]

Very nice truck. Fun too I'll bet.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Very nice truck. Fun too I'll bet.

Very fun.

Bead blasted and threw some paint on that stud, chased the threads and locktighted it in (like it was originally) poked the spring back in and ripped the rotor off last night. Cleaned everything and packed the bearings during my noon hour today. Got it all put back together with new pads and slide pins, hooked the swaybar and shock back up. Ran it over to the shop so I had more room after supper.

Really kinda fun, after fighting that side the other side just went zip zip now that I have done it once. Reremembering the coil bucket was open on top and having the tools at had to run a 1/2 drive wobble, extension, ratchet and a long breakerbar and that nut didn't have a chance. Beat the heck out of an open end wrench like I used for the other side. It even came out the right way leaving the stud in the beam. I have it back together and I am thrilled to have a whole weekend to deal with the radius arm bushings now.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Both sides are done... completely.

Attacked it with a cutoff wheel, air chisel followed by an air hammer and changed the radius arm bushings while I was there. Much to my surprise the shocks I ordered Friday at noon were delivered sometime Saturday morning so I slipped them in too. Streetsideauto pulled thru great for me, free freight too. Started it shortly after 8AM and with a couple interuptions got back home at 11:00PM

All told it might ride a little smoother than it did originally, but it feels like a new truck. Firmer and more cooridinated feeling.

I am going to guess somewhere around '87 the 2.8 started at least a couple of its many oil leaks. That is factory paint.

All done.

None of my pics of the whole thing came out last night, and my camera has to be out there half an hour to defog... I just don't feel like going back out in the heat to do it right now. I will get some up later.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

The whole truck:

Kinda thinkin' I might just throw the 31's on for an upcoming car show and then pulling it off the street until I can do a D35 swap over the winter and then have it aligned.

I also went Junkin' today, got a bunch of stuff for it.

Factory tach cluster (any input on how to convert and tune to work with a V8 would be great)

Against my non-tach cluster out of my '86 parts truck.

Most of the cab wiring in my truck is dated '88, and mine has all the idiot lights so I am hoping it won't be too tough. It will be nice to have a big tach rather than the little aftermarket thing I have now between the gauge pods. The gauges won't be missed, I already have mechanical temp and oil pressure gauges. In 11 years of ownership I never have seen the ammeter do anything.

Also got a new contact for the horn contact ring, wiper switch (the variable speed in the first detent of mine quit working) factory premium sound rear speaker boxes and brackets (to end the infernal squeaking of the vinyl seatbacks against my homemade ones), 3 D35 Warn lockout hubs. I even found a D35 with the right gearing but since they have the vehicle sitting with rims under the axles I am not sure how to remove it. It was too hot to pull something like that by myself today anyway, so I grabbed the Warn lockouts off of it and another Explorer that was already missing one.

After about killing myself in the JY because of the heat and humidity I bounced up to Nebraska Furnature Mart and discovered that "since new cars come with such great radios we are getting out of aftermarket mobile audio" and that they were blowing out their inventory.

They had about half a dozen of one model HU left, an Alpine. It had been marked down to $175, $145 and finally $129... I have been wanting a USB input but for the rear but for the price difference I can live with it in the front. It is already set up for Sirius, so depending on how I like it (5 days for free) I might not need it much anyway.

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_500CDE124X/Alpine-CDE-124SXM.html?tp=5684

I like it, has kind of a simple '80s look to it.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Tires are on, I only had the front mounted, balanced and installed before it got dark.

The Dunlops rode better, but the Destinations don't vibrate all over the place at higher speeds and are quieter. Truck is still pretty spunky, didn't hurt the drivablity much.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I thought I would stretch her out a little and check clearance, it passed. If it bumps to hard while turning it might rub a little though.

Pulled it down on the level to get a couple "at rest" pics, I had my camera set goofy to deal with the glare from the first set, only the broadside one came out.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I scoured the 'net trying to find a set of these with no results what-so-ever, turned out the dealership my brother works at had a box of them. Once someone found them and got the go ahead to take them, the employees converged on them like a pack of starving hyenas... he did grab me a pair.

They are bigger than I remember seeing on F-150's. I am still working out where to put them, right now I am thinking low on the leading edge of the door like how Ford did the Powerstroke badges for several years. I will probably wait to put them on until I repaint it though.

I got it all spiffied up for my club's car show a couple weeks ago. Didn't stand a chance at the host's trophy but it was fun to get the old girl spiffied up. I don't think I have had it looking this good since my junior prom back in '02, it is already well on its way to looking like its normal self.

I need to do some more work cleaning things up, but it doesn't look half bad.

This is Stomper, my trucks little mascot. Actually my great grandparents had it on their old console radio in their kitchen, I couldn't believe it when I found it.

After the show I did a little creative posing since it is rarely this clean:

 

[Beef52751]

You need to update this thread more!!!!! I have a ton of questions about your V8 swap, i'll probably pm you sometime with them so i don't clutter your thread with my stupid questions.

Your truck kicks ass though!!!

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Not really a whole to update so far.

I have been tuning the carb, but that makes for mighty boring pictures...

Kinda ran out of fun money so play time is over until the pool gets filled back up again. And then my dd needs some work done (rust before it goes nuts and an exhaust) so the Ranger will be getting a breather for a little while.

I usually more or less park it in winter aside from goofing around in the snow in the pasture. Hoping to get that pesky 8.8 put in since aside from shocks I have everything to do it, basically just need a place to do it (and I will have it after harvest)

 

[dangerranger83]

Looking at yours is just wanting me to do v8 swap to mine even more but I want to run a manual tranny, transfercase, etc...

Looks damn good.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I would love to do a v8 swap to mine like yours but I would want a manual tranny though, along with a manual tansfercase.

Looking at yours is just wanting me to do v8 swap to mine even more but I want to run a manual tranny, transfercase, etc...

Looks damn good.

At least you are consistant.

Thanks for the compliments.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I picked up an Explorer FEAD, should make working on the thing a little easier. I still need the timing cover, after all the work getting to the Explorer one somebody at some point (it wasn't me, honest) bent and broke a bolt and I couldn't get the stub out which pretty much pinned the cover on. If a used one doesn't happen along it is worth the $100 not to have to dig to china on another Explorer for another attempt on a cover.

Right now to deal with anything aside from the belt the radiator, electric fan, tranny coolers and grille have to come out... that bugs me. The accessories are mounted nice and high with the Explorer setup independant of each other, and is also much closer to the engine.

The power steering pump is supposed to be a lot better, alternator is 130A vs my 65A 2.9 alternator.

Going from this (only running the outer belt)

To this:

I also picked up a stock HO cam, which is will do about as much good as my E6 heads will handle, the '86 HO with pathetic tube headers and HO cam was rated 50hp over the longblock I have now.

I have also been fighting tooth and nail with a ping on the highway, I finally broke down and got out the compression tester. The two I checked (#3 and #4) had 180lbs of compression. I filled it up with premium and have a quart of tranny fluid in the gas and it really helped, I am going to switch to a colder plug and see if it gets any better before my slot opens up again at work when I can pull the heads (which I would really rather not do)

 

[88ranger89camaro]

Is that the original dash or the LMC dash cap, Same for the door pannels???

i been wanting to get them, not sure of the quality tho