'85 Ranger Restomod

[1qaz]

Wedding is Saturday, supposed to rain Saturday.

Congratulations! And I wish you and your bride many happy and fulfilling years!

 

[Mark_88]

Congratulations...I guess by now it's all legal and you're off in your garage doing the front end swap...

I was wondering where you got to the last few days...

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

sound like its peanut butter......












































peanut




























peanut butter LS TIME!!!!!!!!



























ecoboost?




it deserves some badassery.

Skipped straight over the LS/EB swap... went all the way and got a Dodge Journey instead.

Congratulations! And I wish you and your bride many happy and fulfilling years!

Thanks!

Congratulations...I guess by now it's all legal and you're off in your garage doing the front end swap...

I was wondering where you got to the last few days...

Thanks!

Now that things are back to normal and we are back from Hawaii I have some catch up things to do to the dd... then attention goes to the Ranger.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

On my umpteen hours stuck in steerage class of a pressurized tube hurtling thru the air 30k+ feet above the ground at 500+mph it occurred to me that while I talked about it I never did run a dedicated ignition ground.

The tach was inconsistent on the way home from the wedding... I have noticed that is usually an indication the module is on the way out. So tonight I did that, spliced a wire between the dizzy and module then ran it to the block. Also dragged the NP208 out of the barn so I can wash the 5 years of barn dirt off of it.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Went junking again, good pillaging yesterday.



Absolutly mint OEM grille, nice looking Warn hub, two nice armrests, distributor boot and a access hole plug for my M5OD.

They had a nice tan cloth bench seat too, a little faded but in nice shape. Didn't have a way to get it home (had a tinge of panic just trying to get the grille into the wifes car)

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Had a brainy idea the other day...



Why not bring it into my crude yet heated basement to work on this winter?

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Been so much fun around here:



Got a bad vibration on the highway, pulled over and saw I was missing a cap. Locked in the hubs, turned it around to slowly limp it home and put it in 4wd to take some strain off the rear... made it a couple hundred feet. Lost the shaft at like 3mph so no big crisis that way.

So I get a new cross, put it in and a roller must have shifted so I go to pop it apart... no dice, go the other way, cap still won't come out. Get channel locks wiggle and pull and eventually get it.

Cap is extra long on MOOG crosses. Left to right is the GMB that spit a cap, OEM Spicer from my parts truck shaft I robbed a flange from and the MOOG. Probably stronger but a PITA to get a new cap out of a bead blasted flange... going to be a riot when some rust gets in the picture.



Go in the garage after fighting that at work... what is that? Its freaking antifreeze! Sure enough the heater core is leaking YET AGAIN.



Pretty much back up three times and punt on all that, get back to the NP208.



New seal installed, we have progress for the day!



No rear driveshaft, heater core is leaking coolant down the firewall although the truck hasn't ran in three weeks but I have a nifty boot on the distributor now.



Edit: Ordered a new output bearing for the NP208. Parts stores didn't have any close that didn't require freight so I ordered a Timkin from Rockauto yesterday, due this Thursday which was great so I could get this thing moving and off my bench while it was warm. Received an email this morning their inventory was off and they were out of stock. So I order an SKF... should be here by next Tuesday. :annoyed

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Pressure tested heater core I replaced last spring and it doesn't leak, suspecting hoses. Coolant is out of the truck, intend to pull hoses and inspect, may shorten and see if that helps for now. Car shows are over for the year so looks don't matter if the hoses are too short.

Driveshaft is fixed and I intend to install tonight since it is warm.

Output shaft bearing was shipped from Los Angeles to San Antonio and is now delayed... didn't see that coming.

M5 is still basking in my basement until the t-case is back in one piece. I did get a new input shaft for it. Only needing the 3-4 slider now for actual parts.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Trimming the heater hoses fixed that, driveshaft is back in and last weekend I got the output housing back together last weekend. Been too freaking cold to get much done outside.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Finally warmed up enough to get the Ranger out. I didn't see the need when we were barely having single digit highs but it was nice so I stuck the gopro on it and took it for a spin.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiaJQwMjScY&index=1&list=UUPsEQoFNDYaLWZ33HUvYCVw

Then I put it to work picking up a big branch that blew down and was also waiting for warmer weather. Second load (not pictured) was the brush from said branch... and the Christmas tree finally.

 

[bobbywalter]

you gonna run the jeep 208?

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Out of a '84 Bronco actually. But yes, it it is parts of the M5OD plan.

 

[bobbywalter]

i like the jeep 208 much better as it allows ya to stay center. usually just put the ford stuff out back to keep ford speedo/vss.


i use the actual bronco/reg cab ford currently because the damn jeep units are hard to get locally....

with the big diesel though i am still cocked past the 1.25 deg from pin face so its a trade off on vibes.


really considering just running the 241.

 

[bobbywalter]

i was planning a 241/205 combo.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Playing it by ear on fitment. Some say it is tight, some say you need to trim an extra nub off and some say no issue.

It was a target of opportunity 5 years ago, I had the money so I grabbed it when I could.