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97Ranger3.0
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Nov 22, 2017
- Messages
- 178
- City
- Louisville
- State - Country
- KY - USA
- Vehicle Year
- 1997
- Engine
- 3.0 V6
- Transmission
- Manual
- Total Lift
- 4"
- Tire Size
- 33x12.5
Some of you guys may have seen thread on my 97 4x4 "build" on here. I still have that truck and it is great, but I've really been wishing I had more cab space, and a less sluggish truck lol. I also don't feel that I need 4x4 anymore and want the simplicity of a 2wd truck. I've also been itching to have some sort of fun project, so I thought building a 5.0 Ranger would be a great first project like this for me since it's mostly a bolt in swap.
I've been looking on facebook marketplace for maybe a month or so and finally found what I feel is a great candidate for this project. It's a 2003 XLT 4 door, 4.0 auto. This one is overall in pretty great shape and very rust free. I like that it is a 4 door (although I need to fix the cables so they actually open correctly lol). I like that it has power windows and mirrors, and the interior is in really good shape. Also a funny coincidence it happens to be the same color as my 97.
The plan is to eventually find a donor 5.0 Explorer for this truck, and also do a 5 speed swap with the m5od-r2. Until then there's some minor cosmetic stuff I need to take care of and a bunch of TLC needed.
First thing's first I got rid of that ugly ass hood scoop someone stuck on there.
This 192k mile 4.0 leaks oil out of just about every possible spot. Supposedly it had valve cover gaskets replaced, but when I inspected the truck before buying, it appears that it also may need a rear main seal or oil pan gasket. I don’t want to put much money into this 4.0 since it's coming out eventually. So I figured I'd throw a new PCV valve in it to see if maybe the old one was just clogged and maybe this was contributing to the oil leaking from just about everywhere. The old one was definitely gnarly so we'll see if this helps at all.
I also noticed that the trans dipstick was loose, and upon further inspection it was not even seated in the transmission and just hanging around the engine bay lol. So I fixed that this morning. There is definitely a combination of engine oil and trans fluid underneath the truck just about everywhere, and one or possibly both are leaking onto the exhaust and making it smoke when you drive as it burns off. I'll have to drive it for a bit now that I've fixed these two issues and see if it has at least improved before the eventual swap.
I somehow didn't notice this until I got the truck home though lol
I'm guessing that this side drum brake was locking up or something so someone just capped the line instead of actually trying to fix it
. I did think the brakes weren't great when test driving it but I would've just guessed they were worn, not that I was only using 3 of the 4 brakes! So new brakes plus fixing this line and a fluid flush is on the list. And the truck needs outer tie rods and new front bearings as well.
Otherwise, the truck runs and drives fine and I drove it home about 2.5 hours away with no issues. Another thing I'm considering is whether I want to go with either a 3" spindle lift and 31s or maybe try a 2/3 drop and some larger wheels, although I'm not usually a huge fan of how extended cabs look lowered. Either way I'd also like to swap in the Chevy 64" leaf springs like I did in my 97.
Now to find a good donor Explorer...
I've been looking on facebook marketplace for maybe a month or so and finally found what I feel is a great candidate for this project. It's a 2003 XLT 4 door, 4.0 auto. This one is overall in pretty great shape and very rust free. I like that it is a 4 door (although I need to fix the cables so they actually open correctly lol). I like that it has power windows and mirrors, and the interior is in really good shape. Also a funny coincidence it happens to be the same color as my 97.
The plan is to eventually find a donor 5.0 Explorer for this truck, and also do a 5 speed swap with the m5od-r2. Until then there's some minor cosmetic stuff I need to take care of and a bunch of TLC needed.
First thing's first I got rid of that ugly ass hood scoop someone stuck on there.
This 192k mile 4.0 leaks oil out of just about every possible spot. Supposedly it had valve cover gaskets replaced, but when I inspected the truck before buying, it appears that it also may need a rear main seal or oil pan gasket. I don’t want to put much money into this 4.0 since it's coming out eventually. So I figured I'd throw a new PCV valve in it to see if maybe the old one was just clogged and maybe this was contributing to the oil leaking from just about everywhere. The old one was definitely gnarly so we'll see if this helps at all.
I also noticed that the trans dipstick was loose, and upon further inspection it was not even seated in the transmission and just hanging around the engine bay lol. So I fixed that this morning. There is definitely a combination of engine oil and trans fluid underneath the truck just about everywhere, and one or possibly both are leaking onto the exhaust and making it smoke when you drive as it burns off. I'll have to drive it for a bit now that I've fixed these two issues and see if it has at least improved before the eventual swap.
I somehow didn't notice this until I got the truck home though lol
I'm guessing that this side drum brake was locking up or something so someone just capped the line instead of actually trying to fix it
. I did think the brakes weren't great when test driving it but I would've just guessed they were worn, not that I was only using 3 of the 4 brakes! So new brakes plus fixing this line and a fluid flush is on the list. And the truck needs outer tie rods and new front bearings as well.Otherwise, the truck runs and drives fine and I drove it home about 2.5 hours away with no issues. Another thing I'm considering is whether I want to go with either a 3" spindle lift and 31s or maybe try a 2/3 drop and some larger wheels, although I'm not usually a huge fan of how extended cabs look lowered. Either way I'd also like to swap in the Chevy 64" leaf springs like I did in my 97.
Now to find a good donor Explorer...
