Interchangeable vehicles

[JoshT]

As for OP's original question. It's a 3.0L Ranger. Ranger and similar year Mazda B-series are the only things that used that drivetrain. Explorers and Navajos never got the smaller V6s (2.8, 2.9, 3.0), and BIIs never got the bigger V6s (3.0, 4.0). With work you could put the parts into either of those, but not worth the effort.

If you want to use your parts in or as spare parts for another vehicle, your best option is probably to find another Ranger or B-series of the same year range. Look for one with the same drivetrain, or one that needs a drivetrain and swap your parts in.

Unfortunately this platform and that drivetrain are some what unique. The 4 cylinder was used in a few other vehicles, the smaller and bigger V6s were used in a few other vehicles (still not many). The 3.0L in this configuration is pretty much a Ranger thing, and the transmission bellhousing pattern is specific to that engine.

 

[Brain75]

I did notice the 3.0 and 3.2 Taurus SHO has a unique bellhousing, but I though the garden run of the mill Taurus 3.0 has the same bellhousing (and a totally different transverse mounted trans)?

 

[JoshT]

If I want to make my truck road worthy, then I have to take my truck to have all the damages they listed fixed.

If you are capable you can do the work yourself and get it inspected along the way. That might bring the costs back down for you to consider fixing. If the frame is bent you can pretty much forget about it.

I think your train of thought is probably correct. Financially it doesn't make sense to repair this. That $4700 is where they stopped counting on an initial adjustment. That's probably not everything, more will likely be found when they start disassembly. Even if that was everything, the final cost of the repair is going to be higher.

That's interesting, I'll check it out!

Don;t bother, it's not going to help towards your goals. The truck has been branded with a salvage title, that means your cab is salvage title. If you swap it to a new frame, it's still salvage title. You don't want to buy a complete vehicle with a good title and swap your salvage title'd cab over onto it.

UNLESS you get the complete clear title truck dirt cheap and the cab is rotted out. If you do that, your cab is solid and it's a relatively easy nuts and bolts process. You are removing two cabs, swapping the parts between them and reinstalling one. No wreck damage to repair. If that's the plan I'd talk to the inspector/DMV people (or other approprate authorities) about your plans and see what they say, they deal with this for a living and have probably seen a lot. If their answers don't seem sound take it above their heads for clarification/confirmation. Talk to body shops that deal with the process in your area. They'd to do the love the work themselves, but many of them will also be happy to talk to you, plus they might earn the paint & body work portion for being helpful.

 

[JoshT]

I did notice the 3.0 and 3.2 Taurus SHO has a unique bellhousing, but I though the garden run of the mill Taurus 3.0 has the same bellhousing (and a totally different transverse mounted trans)?

He's mentioned wanting to be able to use most of his parts from his Ranger, or at least having them available for spares. Basically the only thing in common between an 3.0L Ranger and a 3.0L Taurus is the long block. They were 2000 models, but my parents owned both at the same time. Actually purchased both at the same time.

Having been around both, I would not go looking for a 3.0L Taurus. It was a comfortable car, but if I were going to seek one out it would be the 3.2 SHO. I'd go straight for a late model Taurus SHO if I were going to look at any Taurus. Or pick up a cheap Police Interceptor Sedan at auction and play with it. I'd probably walk right past any of those for a CVPI.

 

[Brain75]

Another thought on making it cheap.. you probably can't come close to being any cheaper than this, but if you find a donor with very good/perfect body (who cares about the engine/trans), especially a donor with a blown up motor and no title. A donor like that can be had here for around what I quoted just the front of mine.
It all boils down to IF you can get your title rebranded reasonably and you can find a good body donor.
Pick up a no title roller donor and swap all the good body to your truck, inspect, title cleaned, haul off the donor for $200 scrap value, drive happy.

The front of mine @ 500-750 is a guess because I didn't have to pay for fender, hood, headlight - those were replaced before I got it, all I had to do was bumper and stone guard ($40), and my labor. You will have way way over the $4700 threshold in labor if you try to count it or pay someone to do it - what makes it worth doing is the love of the project and counting your time as "cheap"/free.

I got a quote to repaint mine same color (no jamb work) for $1500, and then when a color change came in it was $3500. I spent $1240 on paint and paint supplies not counting a second of my labor. Unless you go with an enamel paint expect you are going to be at least that much into paint, I don't think you could do it cheaper than I did with Acrylic Urethane.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I hit a deer with my F-150 years ago. Insurance threatened to total it and when I pitched a fit they cut me a check for like $2400. What was damaged was my core support and a couple little things. Plus alignment. I bought new alternator, water pump, all the stuff to give a good tune-up plus some gaskets, pair of new fenders, core support, headlights, junkyard grill, and a ton of other stuff. Did all the work myself and spent roughly what I got, but did way more work then they were going to do. Granted, paint was a rattlecan.

A salvage title makes things more complicated and most insurance will never give you more than liability on one. Never mind that most states that let you rebuild them require it to be as good as OEM.

There are ways to remove a title brand. They may or may not be legal. But I’ve seen totaled cars with a “clean Carfax, one owner” so I know it can be done.

The two easiest solutions are to research what is required and put yours back together with junkyard and aftermarket parts; or to find a similar truck that say needs an engine or trans and swap over. For that matter, anything 95-97 is an option and don’t worry about engine because you can just bolt the whole drivetrain in from yours.

 

[pjtoledo]

I did notice the 3.0 and 3.2 Taurus SHO has a unique bellhousing, but I though the garden run of the mill Taurus 3.0 has the same bellhousing (and a totally different transverse mounted trans)?

the 3.0 & 3.2 SHO motors from 89-95/93-95 have the 3.0 Vulcan bell housing bolt pattern.
some minor grinding needs done to the bell housing to clear 1 small bolt on the seal retaining plate.

other engines with the Vulcan pattern are the FWD 3.8 and a few 4.6 for FWD Continentals.