HELP. I’m not a mechanic but I am trying to fix my 03 ranger.

[03rangerNM]

I have an 03 ranger that I hit a deer with in January of this year. It ended up getting totaled and I kept it as a salvage title. It is my hunting truck (YES I KNOW THE IRONY IN THIS SITUATION LOL) and it still runs fine (minus the a/c and the low 4x4) but the front end has sustained decent damage. I would like to do whatever I can to get it cleaned up and stripped down before I get the frame and alignment checked. Then I’d like to replace what I can to get it back to a point where I can continue building it for off road driving in the southern Rockies. I’ve included photos of before and after the deer. I have some limited mechanic experience (working in my driveway) but I am a carpenter so I can work with my hands well!

Backstory- my brother and I were elk hunting in this truck, Katinka is her name, and the ac compressor went out. On top of a mountain pass we managed to get a shorter belt on and bypass the compressor to get the truck running again…in a pouring rain storm. She deserves to keep on rolling!

 

[franklin2]

You can do this. But instead of being used to carpentry work where you glue and fasten things tight, these vehicles are thrown together on the assembly line with plastic clips. You might hit a few bolts here and there, but most of it just snaps together. You will be surprised and think "how does this thing hold together going down the road". They are all like that, the interior of the truck is even worse.

You can check www.car-part.com for the pieces you need at a local junkyard. Just plug in the information and see what they have. Some of the bigger places cut the whole frontend off and strap it to a pallet and sell it like that. Has everything you need, though it may be the wrong color.

 

[03rangerNM]

do they mostly snap into the frame? I’ll have to pull the actual bumper, I assume that’s bolted on.