'85 Ranger Restomod

[85_Ranger4x4]

I pushed the truck back out of the shed so I could get to the front and work on it some more after our fun weather over the weekend. I retested piston to valve clearance and came in right on the nose at .125, way more than the .080 minimum for the intake. The exhaust was miles away from that, needless to say the .010 minimum for that is a non-issue.

I started cleaning things up, pretty sure the PS bank is ready for the head. The DS may be but I was running out of light and couldn't see what I was doing towards the end. I dissassembled the other head and it needs a couple seats touched up, shouldn't be a big deal.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

The timing cover is on, water pump is on. The JY harmonic balancer had a big crack in the keyway and was replaced... it is also on although not tight. The oil filter lines have been rerouted to point more ahead than down which should mesh nicely with the new side port filter housing.

I did get another PS pressure line from the JY, I am going to try to couple it with my stock Ranger one so I have standard threads on one end and the preformed metal pipe with metric threads on the pump end. I had the alternator tested and it showed no signs of life so I need to get one of those and a belt to run it yet. $25 well spent...

I am going to add a flex fan to the mix to hopefully make the efan run less (it runs A LOT in the summer) I tried the adaptor Friday and I had an inch and a half between the mounting flange and the radiator, still waiting for the fan itself (low profile flex-a-lite) to show up.

Both heads have been cleaned up and I lapped the one valve on the PS head. I set the DS head on the block tonight with the gasket under it but a thunderstorm moved in. It rains about has hard inside the shed as it does outside so I threw the other head on the block for safekeeping and closed down for the night.

After I get it buttoned up this time the project will slow down greatly. I found me a nice acreage, it is in probate until late August and it will really put a hitch in my truck fixin' giddiup because I need to put the $$ towards a down payment. I also don't want to have to trailer the truck there... Dunno what the relatives are going to want for a price yet (it was my late great uncles) but most of them want me to have it. On the plus side for truck fixin' it has a decent sized one car garage with a good roof and concrete floor.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Both heads are on for good, the intake is on, oil filter mount is on. I test fitted the PS pump and alternator with their brackets and everything looks good that way. If I could what fitting the PS pressure line is and actually find the end I could crimp that end on the hose and it would fit perfect to the steering box. I am not quite there so I haven’t pulled the original line off the steering box.

The flex fan fits and I think if I had an Explorer shroud that would fit too. For whatever reason Ford moved the tabs that mount the shroud at the bottom of the radiator farther outside than on the earlier ones… so I will have to get one of those.

After a pretty good struggle I pulled the Lokar POS dipstick out and test fitting the chrome Ford Racing one with the headers looks really good. If anyone is going to go with Hedman 88400 headers I do recommend going with a steel tube dipstick, the FR one fits well.

While I was fighting with dipsticks I noticed the engine has twisted and the oil pan is now rubbing on the pivot bracket and there has been a freeze plug seeping. So I am going to have to figure out how to change that when it is pointed at the motor mount, and I am going to have to put it together and drive it somewhere with a hoist to pull the engine up and resituate it. I dumped two quarts of oil on in the valley before I put the intake on and I see both the rear drain plug and oil level sensor (which I am not using) are leaking as well. Getting kinda tired of working on this thing, I wouldn’t complain too much if I could actually drive it once in awhile…

 

[dangerranger83]

Did that oil pressure canister sensor setup work with your old FEAD? Also, have any plans for your old power steering pump setup?

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[85_Ranger4x4]

Did that oil pressure canister sensor setup work with your old FEAD? Also, have any plans for your old power steering pump setup?

Yeah IIRC it was rotated back more, I had it flipped ahead to play with the hoses. That is the the tube off of my 2.8 it is mounted on.

Because of its simplicity I will probably hang onto the old bracket in case I walk into a different project. They should be pretty cheap to buy, all you need is the one bracket. The PS should interchange and I did use my original alternator.

 

[dangerranger83]

So the 2.8 power steering bracket will work on a 5.0 setup? If so then all I need is the pulley since mine is a vbelt one and I need the serpintine one. I know the pumps are the same but wanted to avoid doing more work then needed.

Also I got a better look at the oil sender unit and before I read that it came off your 2.8 I had noticed that it had to of since it looks just like mine so if it worked for you then that what Im going to do since I am going to be using electric guages but have an analog read out on them.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

So the 2.8 power steering bracket will work on a 5.0 setup? If so then all I need is the pulley since mine is a vbelt one and I need the serpintine one. I know the pumps are the same but wanted to avoid doing more work then needed.

Also I got a better look at the oil sender unit and before I read that it came off your 2.8 I had noticed that it had to of since it looks just like mine so if it worked for you then that what Im going to do since I am going to be using electric guages but have an analog read out on them.

No, no, the 2.8 bracket is completly different than the 5.0. The PS pump and alternator can be switched though. My Ranger pump was a howler so I didn't even try swapping that, but the alternator bolted right and worked fine with a pulley change.

The bracket I had was cast aluminum as opposed to the stamped steel 2.8 bracket. It housed the PS pump in the bottom and the alternator set on the top, there was a stamped steel piece for the alternator I forgot about. There was also a brace rod on top but it interfered with my vacuum advance canister so I couldn't use it because it physically would not fit.

I have the canister for the stock gauge on the dash, a gauge reading zero bugs the heck out of me. I have the line for the mechanical gauge tied into the oil filter mount.

 

[RangerBoy94]

That engine is screaming for some chrome headers!!!

 

[dangerranger83]

Guess I'll just order a pulley and rent a pulley puller and do that. I want to put a saginaw pump on but it may be out of the budget for now but will be on it in the future. As for an alternator, I have one of a marque that I got from my "local" pick a part for cheap. Looks to be in good shape and not to old so I will use it since it has a higher output then my current alternator that is showing slow signs of dying. Just need to figure out what wires do what and go from there.

My thing is once I start the work on this truck, I have to get it done fast since it is my only vehicle but good thing is work isnt that far of a walk away. Plans are to have evrything at hand and everything ready and it swapped within a matter of days.

 

[Bigandrw]

Truck looks great man. Makes me want to get mine built and running asap.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

That engine is screaming for some chrome headers!!!

I wish I had gotten the coated ones, I stripped and painted the plain headers I have again... I have doubts the paint will last any longer than it did last time. I am going to run them until I have a problem though, they are still like new metalwise, they just surface rust really easy.

Guess I'll just order a pulley and rent a pulley puller and do that. I want to put a saginaw pump on but it may be out of the budget for now but will be on it in the future. As for an alternator, I have one of a marque that I got from my "local" pick a part for cheap. Looks to be in good shape and not to old so I will use it since it has a higher output then my current alternator that is showing slow signs of dying. Just need to figure out what wires do what and go from there.

My thing is once I start the work on this truck, I have to get it done fast since it is my only vehicle but good thing is work isnt that far of a walk away. Plans are to have evrything at hand and everything ready and it swapped within a matter of days.

TRS has wiring diagrams on Rangers, it is where I found the one for the alternator I have now.

http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/WiringByColor.html

I picked the best looking alternator in the JY, even had a "remanufactured" sticker on it. It had absolutely no sign of life on the test stand. At first I was upset I wasted $25 on a junk alternator until I saw the new one had a $55 core. On the plus side I now have a 130A alternator with a lifetime warrenty.

Best of luck at getting it knocked out in a couple days, working a couple hours every night and most of the weekends it took me more than a month.

 

[dangerranger83]

Plans are to work on it sun up to sun down until she is at least RWD. I'm going to be taking out the core support to aid in the installation. I plan on putting the engine and trans in together minus the transfercase. If anything is in the way, a sawzal will help with that.

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[Robert_1967]

Have the headers ceramic coated, from what i hear it doesn't cost much, and makes them last a pretty good long time




Robert




posted using a Dell computer while staring at the moon.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Plans are to work on it sun up to sun down until she is at least RWD. I'm going to be taking out the core support to aid in the installation. I plan on putting the engine and trans in together minus the transfercase. If anything is in the way, a sawzal will help with that.

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I set the 302 and C5 down in there together very nicely with the radiator support in place.

The devil in the details, didn't think you needed this part and they have to order it, why doesn't this work like they said it would? blah blah blah.

As far as the headers go, I have pretty much blown my budget for this year and I really want to get it to move before it gets ungodly hot. My steel shed is like an oven when summer gets cranked up.

 

[dangerranger83]

Swaps I have seen say they had to separate the trans from the engine but yet both can be pulled at the sametime. Only reason for me taking the core support off is I can't lift my setup high enough plus want to "push" it all in as straight and level as possible. Hopefully the few next months and if everything goes smoothly then I can finish gathering everything that I need, its always aft the end of things stuff slows down to a creep for me.

What rad hoses did you use for your swap, with the old FEAD that is, thats one thing that I am having a hard time finding out.

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