89-92 Front Fenders, Grille, Headlights (maybe Hood) on an 83-88???

[Chuck "Classic Ford" JR.]

I'm curious as to whether or not it's possible to put the front end of a 2nd gen Ranger (89-92) onto a 1st gen Ranger (83-88) without a whole lot of difficulty. I really like the look of the 2nd gen front ends, especially the January Mini-Truck of the month. Is this swap possible and, if so, how hard is it?

 

[cammeddrz]

Search. This has been covered to death.

answer is yes

 

[Chuck "Classic Ford" JR.]

Can't seem to find any threads out there, guess I'm not using the right search keywords.

 

[baddis]

yes it can be done. the fender bolts do not line up right requiring new holes and you need to trim the area behind the headlights so they fit properly.

 

[1986fordranger]

yup, as baddis said, the fender mounting bolt holes won't line up, not a big deal to fix with a drill and alittle time, to do it right your gunna need a second gen radiator core support, some people have cut out the headlight buckets to fit with the second gen lights, I tried it on a old 87 I had way back, but I never could get good headlight alignment out of it, you being down south where vehicle's don't rust bad, your best bet would be hit up the junk yards and see if you can find a good front clip on a 89 to 92 ranger or 89 to 90 bronco ll and just unbolt the rad core support from the frame, and the fenders, lighting, ect, and just pull the front clip all together with the hood, rather then try and piece it together

 

[baddis]

the core support and aprons are all welded together

 

[1986fordranger]

the core support and aprons are all welded together

what I mean is.... buy all the parts off one vehicle, not piece it together from here, there, and everywhere, I did that back then and figured it all up at the time and I spent $150 more then if I just went with the junk yard special

 

[Moomble Bee]

out of curiosity would just the hood from a 89-92 fit on an 88. i like the body lines on the 2nd gen hood better than the 1st gen, and though it would look slick. the only part of the hood im really concerned about it the front where it starts to fold over.

 

[cammeddrz]

NO, the hoods are different length/shape. Only the back portion (at the cowl) is the same.