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Parts - 97 Ford Ranger. Engine swap candidate. Clean title
1997 Ford Ranger XLT short bed pickup for parts. Clean title. Vulcan 3.0 L V6 engine. All parts present. Located in Rapid River MI and will need to be towed away.
Asking $1000 OBO. To be honest, if you beat the scrap price, it's probably yours. Selling as a full vehicle only as I have neither the time nor skills to part it out myself.
Transporting it:
Vehicle is not running, and you will need to tow it away. It rolls, or it did last time I was able to run it several months ago. Currently has a flat on the driver's left side so we'd need to put the spare on if you want to tow it with a cable. It has a donut, not a fifth real tire. Vehicle is located in Rapid River MI; I'm about 10 miles north of town proper, then about half a mile off highway 41. Text me for more specific directions if you're interested.
The good:
Clean title and VIN, never salvaged. Odometer is accurate with only 126,489 miles.
Most of the body panels are in decent shape with minimal rust considering the vehicle has lived its whole life in Wisconsin or Michigan. Fiberglass or plastic bed liner is in place. Frame seems to be stable. 3 good tires and 1 donut spare. Has 2 Ford hubcaps and 2 Warn quick-release hubcaps, I think. Glass is all present and undamaged, no chips or cracks. The vehicle had a trailer braking system installed before I bought it; no idea if it works. Frame-mounted weight-distributing tow hitch rated for 5,000 lbs. Original ball hitch is also present. All engine, body, and mechanical parts are present in some condition. Transmission has never had any issues.
Original owner's manual for the truck and for the trailer braking system.
Interior is overall good, no flood damage, no fire damage, never had cigarette smoke in it as far as I know. Has the pull-out luggage cover and jump seats intact. Original jack is also present unless you're willing to let me keep it. I put in a Bluetooth radio and I'd like to keep that; I still have the original radio with tape deck if you want it.
The bad:
I haven't tried starting or moving it in several months. Gas and coolant have been sitting in it. There's some rust on the frame, but I'm not sure how bad it is. Last time I tried, it started from a jump, so the battery may be drained from sitting too long. Battery was good before the engine problems made it sit. It's entirely likely there are mice living in the engine compartment now.
The engine does start and turn over properly, last I tried. Never misfired. Unfortunately it produces smoke from under the hood and sprays coolant when running. It may be the head gasket or something else. I lack the knowledge for a proper diagnosis. A previous mechanic told me there's rust on the engine block around the freeze plugs, and it would take a Ford expert to disassemble and repair the engine; he seemed to think it could be done, but that he wasn't the person for the job.
Rear suspension got some new parts in 2021 and the radiator and brakes were also worked on at that time. Transmission (automatic) has never had any issues and it's always shifted smoothly, but the suspension has always been pretty bad.
There is some minor interior damage. A few water marks on the ceiling, walls and floor, which I think could probably be fixed with a thorough cleaning. Main issue I've had is there's something broken in the driver's seat reclining mechanism and it won't stay sat up.
Overall:
If you already have a working engine for a 97 Ranger, this truck might be a good candidate for a swap, depending on how much rust you're willing to accept. Like I said, the transmission is good, so maybe all it needs is an engine and new tires. I'm not the right person to evaluate it for sure, but it's worth checking out if you need a roller with a clean title.
Craigslist post
1997 Ford Ranger XLT short bed pickup for parts. Clean title. Vulcan 3.0 L V6 engine. All parts present. Located in Rapid River MI and will need to be towed away.
Asking $1000 OBO. To be honest, if you beat the scrap price, it's probably yours. Selling as a full vehicle only as I have neither the time nor skills to part it out myself.
Transporting it:
Vehicle is not running, and you will need to tow it away. It rolls, or it did last time I was able to run it several months ago. Currently has a flat on the driver's left side so we'd need to put the spare on if you want to tow it with a cable. It has a donut, not a fifth real tire. Vehicle is located in Rapid River MI; I'm about 10 miles north of town proper, then about half a mile off highway 41. Text me for more specific directions if you're interested.
The good:
Clean title and VIN, never salvaged. Odometer is accurate with only 126,489 miles.
Most of the body panels are in decent shape with minimal rust considering the vehicle has lived its whole life in Wisconsin or Michigan. Fiberglass or plastic bed liner is in place. Frame seems to be stable. 3 good tires and 1 donut spare. Has 2 Ford hubcaps and 2 Warn quick-release hubcaps, I think. Glass is all present and undamaged, no chips or cracks. The vehicle had a trailer braking system installed before I bought it; no idea if it works. Frame-mounted weight-distributing tow hitch rated for 5,000 lbs. Original ball hitch is also present. All engine, body, and mechanical parts are present in some condition. Transmission has never had any issues.
Original owner's manual for the truck and for the trailer braking system.
Interior is overall good, no flood damage, no fire damage, never had cigarette smoke in it as far as I know. Has the pull-out luggage cover and jump seats intact. Original jack is also present unless you're willing to let me keep it. I put in a Bluetooth radio and I'd like to keep that; I still have the original radio with tape deck if you want it.
The bad:
I haven't tried starting or moving it in several months. Gas and coolant have been sitting in it. There's some rust on the frame, but I'm not sure how bad it is. Last time I tried, it started from a jump, so the battery may be drained from sitting too long. Battery was good before the engine problems made it sit. It's entirely likely there are mice living in the engine compartment now.
The engine does start and turn over properly, last I tried. Never misfired. Unfortunately it produces smoke from under the hood and sprays coolant when running. It may be the head gasket or something else. I lack the knowledge for a proper diagnosis. A previous mechanic told me there's rust on the engine block around the freeze plugs, and it would take a Ford expert to disassemble and repair the engine; he seemed to think it could be done, but that he wasn't the person for the job.
Rear suspension got some new parts in 2021 and the radiator and brakes were also worked on at that time. Transmission (automatic) has never had any issues and it's always shifted smoothly, but the suspension has always been pretty bad.
There is some minor interior damage. A few water marks on the ceiling, walls and floor, which I think could probably be fixed with a thorough cleaning. Main issue I've had is there's something broken in the driver's seat reclining mechanism and it won't stay sat up.
Overall:
If you already have a working engine for a 97 Ranger, this truck might be a good candidate for a swap, depending on how much rust you're willing to accept. Like I said, the transmission is good, so maybe all it needs is an engine and new tires. I'm not the right person to evaluate it for sure, but it's worth checking out if you need a roller with a clean title.
Craigslist post
