My 2000 Green Ranger 5.0 lowered AWD

[lil_Blue_Ford]

after watching the video a few more times....i would just get a frame.


need some southern iron.

I would have liked to have done that. I have nothing to drive to fetch said southern frame with though and no money to pay someone to haul one in for me.

This

I almost always a bad idea to patch a frame. If one spot is rusted through, there’s probably another spot that’s in the same shape and you haven’t found it yet.

Yes, but, this frame is mostly plated anyway. Passenger side from the rear lower control arm to the front leaf spring hanger and drivers side currently from the T-bar mount back, minus the section I’ve been working on. Entire rear frame section was replaced a few years back. Might as well just finish the job at this point.

 

[bobbywalter]

i can bring one back one of these trips

 

[bobbywalter]

that one under there 450 bux....out in cedar utah

 

[Snoranger]

Yes, but, this frame is mostly plated anyway. Passenger side from the rear lower control arm to the front leaf spring hanger and drivers side currently from the T-bar mount back, minus the section I’ve been working on. Entire rear frame section was replaced a few years back. Might as well just finish the job at this point.

So what you’re saying is that it was junk years ago.

 

[bobbywalter]

this looks like my kind of replacement junk for my junk to make it less junk looking from 60 feet away....

lil bit of rust o leum.....and some ac.....never had it so good.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

So what you’re saying is that it was junk years ago.

Unfortunately, yes. And ever since it’s been a matter of I don’t like doing this but I need it…

 

[socal_Redranger]

I continued getting the motor together in the truck and the front end back on. A new radiator/core support went in since mine was rotted to junk. I chose to bolt the new one in instead of welding and used a pile of 1/4" stainless bolts since that will make any later servicing or replacement of the motor easier. I also chose to replace the factory Ranger battery tray with the plastic Explorer tray, which aside from needing some bolt holes drilled, fit rather nicely. The 65 series battery was a little tight on the ABS module and the one ground bolt on the core support. I bent the ABS module bracket slightly to allow room and at some point here will also change the ground bolt for something more compact since I changed how the ground bolt in dad's one Ranger is and I think it would be a good option for mine.

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Also during this whole process I decided to invest in some new stuff. I bought a bunch of -6 AN PTFE braided line and fittings to replace fuel lines and other stuff. I bought some larger AN stuff to rebuild some of the heater lines since the ones with my motor were rather rusty. While I was at it, I also got a lever style brake flaring tool to make new hard lines with Ni-Copper line. The lever style flare tools are far superior to the standard cheap double flare tools. I spent the extra for the 37* AN die set for the tool as well.

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@sgtsandman came over to help me get some things handled with the project. I didn't get much in the way of pictures, but he manufactured up some brackets for me for mounting a different transmission cooler. Had to make a few adjustments to things, but I managed to mount a transmission cooler out of a 2007 F-150, which is over twice the size of the stock Ranger cooler. We also got a bunch of other stuff handled.

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I also, against my better judgement, jacked up the back of the truck and put that on jackstands as well. There was a lot of work to be done on the rear suspension and changing out the rear axle to the Explorer 8.8" rear.

what braided lines did you use on the trans cooler?