ForOffRoadDriving's 94 Ranger Build

[ForOffRoadDriving]

so my sending unit is acting up again, less than a week after i replaced it. now its stuck at 3/4 of a tank while my mileage (i reset the trip every tank) is telling me that im at a 1/4 tank. i wish i could figure this out so i could trust what my truck is telling me, but for now itll just have to keep lying and ill have to keep watching my tripometer.

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

well i put a few more finishing touches onto thumper over the past 2 days since the weather was nice and the motivation was there. i finally got around to wiring up the brushguard mounted hellas, painted the grilles on my new JL subs to match the amplifiers, mounted my fire extinguisher inside the cab, added another clip for my maglite to stabilize it, and then aimed the lights. i feel like i got alot accomplished and im slowly getting closer to making the axle swap happen, which is the next large purchase on the list of things to get (8.8 axle w/ 4.10:1 gears and 10" drum brakes). heres the pics:

 

[railman]

lookin good......

they have 8.8, 31 spline, disc brake axles at our local pull-a-part for $70.....

need to check around you for one....

l8r, John

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

yeah, ive found some axles at the local yards, but theyre asking $250-350 for them up here! ive already got new 10" drum brake stuff on my 7.5" so id like to just stay with a drum set up. its easy to bolt in, i dont have to cut and weld new spring perches and brackets on, parking brake cables will reattach easily, etc. i really wish i could get an axle cheaper, but im going to wait until i find one that hasnt been opened up before and has low miles on it, that way i know no ones "fixed" anything inside of it and it will be trouble free for many miles of use.

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

so last night i decided id have a quicky with thumper and i broke out the wizards mist and shine and a micro fiber towel and gave him a good rub down. this is the first time thumpers ever seen any form of wax in the 8 years ive owned him and it shows, you can really see the "custom" pinstriping up close!

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

ive just been i a pic whoring mood today, i went fishing today on my lunch break and decided to take some pics of my best friend that got me there...

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

with all the back road cruising ive been doing to get to the lakes ive finally gotten tired of my rattling drivers door so i decided to replace the door hinge pins and roller and fix it once and for all. it was actually alot simpler than i had initially thought it would be since the new bushings were the same size as the factory bushings so all i had to do was drill the heads off the original pins and change the bushings out. heres some pics of the process, taking off the door was the hardest part, that suckers pretty heavy!

kind of liking the door less look?

i also found a solution to my bicycle woes, this sweet little bike rack was found at a garage sale for $15, so i quickly grabbed it up! i made a custom square tube mount for it so i can mount a ball on it and still pull my boat trailer or bike trailer.

then i went fishing

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

my friends and i did some camping a few weeks ago and i finally got around to uploading the pics to photo bucket. it was a fun little weekend trip, but the temps were in the high 80's and there wasnt much shade to speak of. i only managed to get pics from the first night, the second night was too much of a blur to try and recall, but apparently we did some drunken bicycling in the dark. heres some pics:

left to right: me, rebecca (rays girlfriend), and ray (my best friend since 3rd grade)

some breakfast

my ranger pulling pack mule duty

all in all it was a fun trip, but when i got home sunday afternoon i noticed that my bike trailer had a busted light, and then saw that my boat cover had been torn open.... my youngest brother had a party while i was gone camping and my parents were up north at our property and i guess his guests got out of control and this is what happened.

i dont know who did it or why, but i will find out eventually and ill take care of it then.

 

[4x4b2]

sucks about the light and boat cover, i would kick some ass if someone did that to my stuff lol, nice truck dude i really like it, the only thing i would have done is i woulda built a 4x4, but thats just me, but other than that, the truck is awesome, i dont like that gen of ranger, but i love yours

 

[TheTopher]

That ride keeps looking better and better, mate. Those ZX2 seats are starting to grow on me.

 

[magnetnerd]

Awesome build, I think I've spend a good half day going through every page.

Do you lug the engine much more with those tires and wheels than the stock ones? I have a 2.3L with 235/70R16's on there and I'm considering completely copying your tire/wheel combo.

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

its really only sluggish when you take off from a dead stop, once the wheels start rollin i can get up to speed pretty quickly. i normally keep the rpms between 2500-3000 regardless of the gear im in. ive got a few side jobs going right now and im hoping to get the funds to either build a new rear bumper or buy a new rear axle (8.8 w/ 4.10s) or maybe both. just trying to find a shape that i like that resembles the front but can be made to carry a spare with or without the tail gate open (gotta be able to use my bed extender).

 

[aliker]

what did you get the center console out of

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

the center console came out of a 1997 ford explorer. i also got the overhead console, but i havent put it in yet due to lack of being "on the list" of immediate truck mods.

 

[Ranger Sport Honduras]

man i love that truck.
simply awesome.