My 1990 ranger “ first build”

[Thatbrokeranger]

It was finally back together again!!! Ran pretty good but I added a fresh heater, flushed the system and added a coolant filter for extra precautions..: now I just needed to build a new exhaust

 

[Thatbrokeranger]

I replaced the clutch line, space and full setup, built a new exhaust setup. 3” single into a vibrant resonator into a spintech protest 6000 dual 2.5” out to 3.5” tips and LOVED IT no rasp and had a unique tone

 

[Thatbrokeranger]

Finally made brackets to run the 85 front bumper. And added small 3” fog lights. I’d always wanted to run a custom bumper but fell in love with the stock front as it was.

 

[Thatbrokeranger]

Absolutely a necessary upgrade considering I was working over nights an hour away and driving home between 2am and 7am depending on my shift hours … don’t miss that job one bit

 

[Thatbrokeranger]

Sadly the joy was short lived…. The stock drum 8.8 with god knows how many miles gave up the ghost when something off the road manages to cracked the diff cover on my way into work and I had no idea anything was wrong so I managed to drive 70mph with who knows how much fluid home that night! I was coming down the road by my house and noticed what looked like a cloud behind me in the darkness illuminated by my brake lights… then pulling in the driveway the diff cover was melted… this is when I’d learn the diff cover was plastic. I never knew looked lol I didn’t do anything before but a drain and fill and it didn’t look plastic then

 

[Thatbrokeranger]

Went to the local yard who were still decent at the time and laid in the Mud and snow cutting out a 4.10 8.8 from an 01 explorer. Overhauled what I could and back in it went…. Sat way to tall in the rear though but this is why I mentioned early on the tach and door said it was a 4.10 truck! Infact wasn’t or atleast not anymore I know your asking why didn’t he check the diff??? I did the rear cover tag said 4.10s I would have checked the rear diff but in longer spun and was so heat stained and chewed up I couldn’t get much in for to begin with. The first test drive I’d felt like I had 300hp under the hood it was incred

 

[Thatbrokeranger]

With 4.10s in it now I figured maybe I’d like 33s…. I INFACT DID NOT LIKE 33s it was drivable but man these falkens were HEAVY and I felt it.

 

[Thatbrokeranger]

The 33s went on to the wife’s jeep we sold her 35s and bought some new wheels and hit up my buddy DR.Z. For his “rock ring designs” ended up going back to 32x11.50s and all was right with the world for a while… a little while…

 

[Thatbrokeranger]

Headed out to the junkyard on the hottest day of the year… lucky me but the yard 2hours out had just got in a beautiful bronco ii so I went to pull the grill and dash out since I had planned to swap the 90 dash out for the 88 dash and gauges… on my way back I noticed some smoke on start up leaving the gas station. I didn’t think much of it but was worried. Then I’d stop again and that’s when this happened… smoked horribly and lost 2cylinders. I limped it home.

 

[Thatbrokeranger]

I’d cleaned it up, checked plugs. Did a leak down test. I couldn’t find the smoking gun to what the smoke was and it was super inconsistent…. Then it started to fowl plugs ever 6-700 miles with straight oil. But still smoke was minimal and coolant temps were good. Around end of the month it had lifted rattle and a faint bottom end knock. Mind you it’s still my daily at this point so I tossed Lucas in it to help anyways it could…. It was manageable but after the next oil change it was knocking. So it got the thickest oil on the shelf 75 or 90wt I forget. And it was honestly pretty good after that I made it all summer on that 4.0 until the oil pressure switch on my night drive home decided nahhh boy and that was it…

 

[Thatbrokeranger]

In comes 4.0 #3 just needed something I could swap in a weekend and get back to work. This was a solid little motor. Honestly

 

[Thatbrokeranger]

Slammed it back in cleaned it up because that’s just who I am and sent it!

 

[Thatbrokeranger]

Not much had changed after that besides dialing in ride height and changer to amber cab lights and changing headlights back to sealed beams for winter… “LEDs don’t like cold” surprisingly the fogs actually burned off ice and snow so that was 25$ well spent overall I was really pleased

 

[Thatbrokeranger]

Then winter hit and temps got BAD coldest we had seen in years and right then somehow I’d lost heat completely. I threw in the towel and bought cheap Volvo 740 to keep warm and make my commute. As I had my hands full doing a full brake line overhaul on the wife’s jeep and a new 4.0HO swap

 

[Thatbrokeranger]

“He’s just being dramatic “ nahhh we got hammered!!! I was honestly glad I didn’t drive the ranger in snow anymore since it was terrrible! 4.10s and lsd it just blew the tires off with the m50d and front diff was sadly still 3.54 at this point since everytime I got around to get the gears and such… the motor would fail on me