ForOffRoadDriving's 94 Ranger Build

[WNY964x4]

i had the same oil problem with my truck , when i took it in to have the RMS replaced they said that it was not the cause , the cause was a well known problem (well known by ford and most long standing repair shop , unknown to me) where after the oil pan and gasket were removed and replace they would develop a leak in the left rear corner , ford's problem solver for this , RTV

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

sweet! i was just talking to my machinist and he said the same thing, that the pan gasket is probably leaking and that when i get it back apart i should recheck the main cap bolts and then use 3M yellow weather strip adhesive on the gasket to glue it in place because the black rtv is too slippery on those rubber gaskets and can cause the gasket to ooze out around the front and rear lips on the oil pan. ill be relieved if it is that simple because ive just about run out of steam on this thing.

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

started the pullin' process yesterday but got hung up when i had no one to help me lift the hood off so i could set up the crane. i decided to ditch my copper oil pressure gauge line because i could tell already that i was not going to like having to replace the copper crush sleeves every time i have to unhook it so i got a steel braided hose and some fittings from AllStar and gave my engine some more bling. I decided to remove the hood insulator pad at this time so that i could wash it and give it a coat of black carpet paint. i made a special tool (redneck ) so i wouldnt tear the pad while i was removing the push pins.

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

i got the engine out last night, but i ran out of floor dry so im going to pick up a bag today to finish cleaning up my mess and then set up the engine stand and hopefully start the tear down process again.

 

[sniper141]

This govt computer crap sucks, I can't see a single pic!!!!!! Guess I will have to wait till I got off of shift to see. I love the diff cover paint, funny as hell brah!!

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

thanks sniper, i get alot of comments about it and i havent even had it on the road yet.

 

[sniper141]

Just wait till that thing does hit the road, would be sweet to see the reations on some peoples' faces!!! I was tinking about doing a KC lights design on mine.

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

got it sitting on some crates while i clean up the floor and set up my engine stand. got some other random pictures in here too including my TRS sticker (thanks jim!) on the rescue ranger.

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

more updates guys.... i got the floor cleaned up, i got the engine on the stand and looked it over to see if i could find the leak but i got nothin, so we cracked open some beers and just relaxed for the night.

them is good beers!

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

got some "real" work done yesterday as i started chasing my oil leak using a better method than the die which had led me in circles before. I went out to my parts truck and pulled the distributor out so i could remove the gear and use my corded drill to spin the distributor which would then turn my oil pump causing the oil to squirt out of the leaking spot.

with the drill spining and the gauge reading 60psi. I suddenly got shot in the leg with oil! when i looked down i couldnt believe what i saw, the oil plug that plugs the passage from the rear main cap to the oil filter was leaking oil around the threads! i tried to tighten the plug, but i just kept going farther into the block without getting tight. i removed the plug and measured it and on the leading edge it measured .621" and on the allen wrench side it measured .619". i thought piipe plugs were supposed to get tighter as you screw them in? i went up to work, grabbed a new plug and measured it .625" - .635", much more satisfactory. i spooled up the drill again and NO MORE LEAKS!

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

i got an electric fan to replace the clutch fan that i smashed my fingers in while removing it. i made a stencil to spray on the radiator side which i think adds a little more detail to the truck.

 

[Kyle M.]

Good job, looks great as always!

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

thanks kyle, it feels like im finally getting close to having this thing on the road and i cant wait! ive been working on tying up a few loose ends over the last few days, mostly all electrical, but i also have to re-do my thermostat housing again. it was leaking prior to putting on the engine stand, but it was only a small amount of seepage, so i resurfaced the housing and installed a new gasket and now it is really leaking! im thinking maybe my thermostat popped out of the recess under the housing and now its not fully centered and is instead partially pinched under the edge of the housing causing it to leak alot? im going to find out tonight but in the mean time, here are some pictures from the last 2 days.
I finished wiring my E fan and i put in a switch to manually override the temperature switch. i also ditched the inline fuse they had which looked like a corrosion problem waiting to happen. i opted for a factory, yet custom route, as i pulled some connectors out of my parts trucks fuse panel and inserted them into an empty row in my fuse panel.

I also had to go back to my dual battery set up and figure out why my switch wasnt controlling the solenoid like i wanted it to. after probeing everything i realized that i needed more terminals on my switch to control everything and luckily i had a six prong switch just laying around in my back room.

heres a shot of my stainless steel oil pressure line that i got becuase i was tired of screwing around with the compession fittings everytime i had to disconnect my pressure line for something.

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

after loading up those last few pictures and looking at them some more i felt like the cooling fan switch looked more like it belonged on my tractor than my truck so i upgraded to a lighted one with an aluminum handle.

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

i worked out a few more bugs this weekend and FINALLY got to drive it down the road! having a fresh motor is awesome and it definately has a lot more power than my worn out 2.3l that im used to driving. I know im close to having it on the road for good, but i keep finding all these little bugs i have to work out still. i put the passenger side door handle on this weekend, i changed the blower motor out because it didnt work (why didnt i test that earlier?), i got the horns working (just as simple as changing a fuse and hooking a power wire back up), got my hood light functioning again (corroded wires and internal traces in the switch), fixed my coolant leak with a permadry-plus gasket from felpro, and i got my bumper and some hellas put on it. i still need to finish wiring my under hood lights, run the power wire for my hellas, fix a vibration i get out of the driveshaft or rear end only when im between accelerating and decelerating, and fix my "phantom wipers". heres some pictures to look at now:

i got the mounting holes drilled and the wiring ran for my underhoood lights before work this morning and then realized i had lost track of time and i was a half hour late!