'85 Ranger Restomod

[85_Ranger4x4]

Caught a big tomcat last night, I am thinking it is probably what I saw anyway.

Me and my lab walking around, opening and shutting the truck door and blinking lights directly in its face... I don't think a mink would have waited until I walked around the front of the truck to get out of Dodge. Also to pin it on the tomcat... trusting little kitten sees and another cat and thinks "friend!" and logically thinking about it if someone was murdered and someone else was found hiding in the garage behind them it would be pretty suspicious.

Anyway my head gaskets came in so I got the threads cleaned up in the block:



Block surface is also prepped.

So I decided since without the head on the block the front bracketry can move out of the way more I might as well go ahead and slip the water pump off and prep the timing cover so when I am done with the heads I can just slip it on and be done with it.



Of course one bolt fought. I tried working it back and forth, I tried putting penetraiting oil in every seam I could to help it... it didn't make it. Looks like it broke off flush with the block. So now I gotta pull the timing cover which is spectacular. Hopefully I don't screw up the oil pan gasket too much so I don't have to redo that too.



Kinda crazy it wasn't that old, 11 years. No idea on miles, I would guess around 5-10k really. Coolant has never been flushed but gets rotated at least somewhat about every year. Drain some out to do something and refill with new.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Covered a lot of ground today.

Had to unbolt the A/C condenser and prop it up for the bolt in my harmonic balancer puller to clear.



Mild PITA but I did get the timing cover pulled to survey the damage. At least it broke off flush so I didn't have to drop the oil pan to pull the timing cover.





Onto other things...





Helper came out with his plastic crescent wrench and a couple big plastic screws.

Pushrods are installed and everything else is tight too.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Rolled the engine over and got the rocker arms torqued for head #1.

Dad came over and we got a hole punched thru the bolt broken off in the block. It is resisting the easy out, might try heating it tomorrow.



And transferred the valvetrain to the new head and got head #2 pulled off.



All the valve seals are in place (or close to it, kinda hard to tell with the springs in the way) but three of the exhaust valves on that side are really gunky with oily sludge.



And my brother was cleaning stuff up at the local dealer and asked if I wanted a spare set of heads or else they are going into the iron. From the dealer's owners halfway disowned youngest kid's '94 Mustang. Only had 40k on it when he went aftermarket maybe 10 years ago. THE DAY AFTER I BOLT ON MY FIRST E6!

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Kind of a boring night for pictures tonight. Cleaned all the threads on the passenger side head.

Dad came over and got the rest of the bolt out. Easy out wouldn't bite, reverse drill bit chewed thru it and eventually spun the last 1/4" of the bolt out of the hole.

Different cover bolt screwed right in the hole much to the crowd's pleasure.



So I chased the threads in the front of the block for the timing cover including the former problem one.



So that came out better than great. No rethreading threads, no helicoil no nothing.

Anyway yesterday (THE DAY AFTER I TORQUED DOWN THE FIRST CYLINDER HEAD OF THIS DEBACLE) my brother texts me. They are cleaning out some extra stuff at the dealer he works at and he came across a set of heads and a set of Ford Racing valve covers slated to get pitched in scrap. Said they looked barely used. So I say sure, worst case I have a scrap pile too.







Drumroll...



So yeah, instead of trying to make something out of barely more than nothing I literally could have probably waited a freaking day and slapped these on.

The story is the dealer owner's kid bought a foxbody with a "built" motor and a turbo kit. New replacement Ford headgaskets didn't like said blower and let go. "Built" motor was actually not-cheaply rebuilt using all Ford stuff. Ford headgasket, overbore pistons, rods etc. Just not built for what the guy was doing. Dealer's owner's kid decided to blow it apart and built it for the blower... and I am guessing that involved trick flow heads.

And I am guessing Ford Racing valve covers because these (factory late Foxbody valve covers) where in the Ford Racing boxes.



Kind of a neat art deco look, always kinda liked them but never really had a need for them.

 

[PlumCrazy]

Kind of a boring night for pictures tonight. Cleaned all the threads on the passenger side head.

Dad came over and got the rest of the bolt out. Easy out wouldn't bite, reverse drill bit chewed thru it and eventually spun the last 1/4" of the bolt out of the hole.

Different cover bolt screwed right in the hole much to the crowd's pleasure.



So I chased the threads in the front of the block for the timing cover including the former problem one.



So that came out better than great. No rethreading threads, no helicoil no nothing.

Anyway yesterday (THE DAY AFTER I TORQUED DOWN THE FIRST CYLINDER HEAD OF THIS DEBACLE) my brother texts me. They are cleaning out some extra stuff at the dealer he works at and he came across a set of heads and a set of Ford Racing valve covers slated to get pitched in scrap. Said they looked barely used. So I say sure, worst case I have a scrap pile too.







Drumroll...



So yeah, instead of trying to make something out of barely more than nothing I literally could have probably waited a freaking day and slapped these on.

The story is the dealer owner's kid bought a foxbody with a "built" motor and a turbo kit. New replacement Ford headgaskets didn't like said blower and let go. "Built" motor was actually not-cheaply rebuilt using all Ford stuff. Ford headgasket, overbore pistons, rods etc. Just not built for what the guy was doing. Dealer's owner's kid decided to blow it apart and built it for the blower... and I am guessing that involved trick flow heads.

And I am guessing Ford Racing valve covers because these (factory late Foxbody valve covers) where in the Ford Racing boxes.



Kind of a neat art deco look, always kinda liked them but never really had a need for them.

I run those valve covers because they don't warp and leak like the steel ones always do.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I run those valve covers because they don't warp and leak like the steel ones always do.

That is why I snagged my Ford Racing ones years ago.

I like the look of the foxbody's and i really like the oil fill tube but they don't have provisions for old school style pcv.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Work continues...



Head #2 is on



Valvetrain is installed and torqued.



And I think that is about a wrap for tonight.

 

[Lariat]

Work continues...



Head #2 is on



Valvetrain is installed and torqued.



And I think that is about a wrap for tonight.

That EFI intake has me going, "I need another ranger."

I've got the bug to get another B2 or standard cab short box first gen and explorer swap it.

Looks good as always!

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

That EFI intake has me going, "I need another ranger."

I've got the bug to get another B2 or standard cab short box first gen and explorer swap it.

Looks good as always!

*nudge



Not really digging it for mine, I gots no room for an air filter in the direction it is wanting to go.

Anyway, the coil has been mounted on the intake like it usually is with a 302. I am wanting to move it over the fender like a Ranger (namely a 2.0 Ranger) to get it out of the way of a correctly ran hard fuel line and to get it to a cooler environment. I thought they all used the same bracket but my intake bracket does not fit worth a darn over there. So I consulted my reference pics of a super clean 2.0 truck I found in a yard a few years ago and sure enough it is a different bracket.

Also reminds me why I didn't grab it.



Well crap, do I have anything for bracket laying around to see just how special this thing is. Heck, here is a coil I found in the garage probably from my great grandfather's Farmall H tractor... and the holes line up with threaded holes in the fender support.



So now I am adding another wire to the harness that I added that goes across the front of the truck to get power to the coil over there.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Found a coil bracket, it is currently painted JD green though so that needs addressed. Coil wiring is ran over to the DS fender and left a little long until I get the coil mounted.

Timing cover gasket surface is basically clean and ready to go. Snagged a "gasket kit" from a local parts store, it was missing the bits for the oil pan and the front seal looks really cheap... kind of a tough sale for $30.

Really wish I could just a get a timing cover gasket and be done with it. Front main seal looks fine and isn't that old, water pump gasket will come with the water pump (the only reason I am here) and I don't need a fuel pump gasket. But for $30 I can get all that plus an extra 4 water pump gaskets I will never need.

https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/c/fel-pro/engines---transmissions/engine-gaskets/timing-cover-gaskets-seals/timing-cover-gasket-and-seal/6a5aede00153/fel-pro-timing-cover-gasket-set/fel0/tcs45449/v/a/5263/automotive-suv-2001-ford-explorer?pos=0

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Spent most of the night looking for bolts that little fingers ran off with. Found enough to get the timing cover and DS accessory bracket installed.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Water pump is on!



Onto the intake...





And now the alternator has a roost to hang out again.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Got the coil relocated 2L Ranger style to the drivers side fender. Just need to trim down the coil wire but I am waiting until more pieces fall into place between the dizzy and the fender (valve cover, plug wires etc.)



Set the crank pulley set to 10* and got the rotor under #1 with room to adjust. Also swapped the hose barb with a vacuum cap for a real pipe plug (last ditch change before the roundup last year that I forgot about)

And mounted the fuel pressure regulator on the intake and stuck the carb on.



Also pushed the truck ahead like 3' and rescued the header gaskets out of the back. Tickled the faces of the headers with a wire wheel so they are ready to put on.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Today's plans...



One down, one to go



Interesting difference in valve cover baffles between Ford Racing and factory foxbody in case anyone ever wondered.



Starting to look like something again!



Alternator and belt are on



PS header is fixed to the engine.



And plug wires installed



That was easy lets go ahead and do the other side too

Kinda sad, the only Ford Motorsport thing on the truck is about the newest Ford accessory I bought for it back in 2012 and nobody can ever tell once it is installed. This is the engine dipstick, the part shown gets mounts to a header bolt.



It is a fight, it got pretty intense. In addition to having everything in the way (everything as in most of the underhood wiring, brake lines. fuel line, brake booster hose, A/C lines, A/C compressor washer squirter hose and ignition box/wiring I have to mount the header while snaking the dipstick through it and get the gasket to line up at the same time.



Dipstick goes down there...



But wait, I dropped a header bolt. Lets waste half an hour looking for it, luckily it didn't hit the floor so it shouldn't have gone too far.

It's always the last place a guy looks... it must have bounced in there thru the spring.



Fishin' was very rewarding tonight.



Remember back like a month ago I had to pull the A/C compressor to get the very front header bolt out? Yeah I forgot that too. Luckily I had room to start it by hand and sneak in with a long extsention to snug it up after all once I got wiring out of the way



So now that header is mounted to the engine and has the plug wires routed also



Made pretty good progress today

 

[Curious Hound]

Almost ready to make noise and heat with it.