Project #11 - new daily driver '94 Ranger

[Shran]

If I had some injectors I would have been driving today... instead I had to quit here at 2:00 and switch projects. I would have been at quitting time a few hours before that but I had to get a new fan blade, the old one had some rather ominous cracks, and then I forgot that I needed to change the lower radiator hose and filled the rad with a junk hose which promptly puked all over the floor, so another trip to the parts store was in order.

No shortage of projects, the rest of the afternoon was spent taking apart an ancient DeWalt radial arm saw from the 40's that I won at an auction for $1.26... needs a couple bearings which are now on order.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Pic of deWalt ras. I have one from early 50's waiting for refurb.

 

[Shran]

This ranger will be a good truck after repaired correctly. What I read you found wrong, and people call that a repair job. Glad to know this truck is in good hands with you..live that color blue. Don't remember, didn't you end up with those blue ranger floor mats?

Yeah, I don't know if this was someone's project they did at home or a pro mechanic that cut corners. Wish I could have been a fly on the wall... there is just really no reason to not replace something like a timing cover gasket while you have the heads off, the time & expense are so minimal. Or assembling things dirty... a quick rinse in the parts washer eliminates so many possible problems. I get that most people don't have a shop and tools like I do or time to be meticulous like I do, but that really begs the question... why do it at all, if you're not gonna do it right?

It was me that ended up with the floor mats, they are happily residing in my stepside truck!

Pic of deWalt ras. I have one from early 50's waiting for refurb.

Will definitely post a few - it's a model MB. Motor needed both bearings replaced so it's in a bunch of pieces at the moment, and I need to build a table for it. The one that was on it is awful chewed up and missing the fence. I suppose I should rig up something to test it with before I spend a bunch of time building a table.

I was never real interested in radial arm saws until I got this one. I think it will fit right in with some of my other vintage equipment.

 

[RobbieD]

Enjoying this thread. That's a nice truck. And it's gonna be even mo better.

 

[Shran]

@alwaysFlOoReD

This is the junk table I need to replace, I'm glad to have it for a bolt pattern!

And just to keep this thread on track, here's a couple pics while I patiently wait for injectors.

 

[sgtsandman]

@alwaysFlOoReD
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This is the junk table I need to replace, I'm glad to have it for a bolt pattern!

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And just to keep this thread on track, here's a couple pics while I patiently wait for injectors.

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That saw looks like it would do a mighty fine job at removing a finger or limb and not think twice about. A cool old piece of machinery there!

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

They have a bad rap. You need to use a blade with a negative tooth rake to help prevent the saw from grabbing uncontrollably. Lots of people didn't know, or were too cheap to use those type blades, so got hurt. Any saw is wanting blood. It's your job to prevent it.

 

[DRanger024]

That thing is super nice. Manual swap is always an option unless you’d like to keep it as it was. Where did you send the injectors out to? I have a set that sat with old fuel in them for a couple years.

 

[Shran]

Seat covers and dash cover installed:

That thing is super nice. Manual swap is always an option unless you’d like to keep it as it was. Where did you send the injectors out to? I have a set that sat with old fuel in them for a couple years.

www.mrinjector.us, super good guy!

I may 5 speed swap it someday. I have everything to do it… we’ll see how long the A4LD lasts I guess.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Seat covers and dash cover installed:

View attachment 105749



www.mrinjector.com, super good guy!

I may 5 speed swap it someday. I have everything to do it… we’ll see how long the A4LD lasts I guess.

Your link takes me to a domain name for sale page;

 

[Shran]

Your link takes me to a domain name for sale page;

My bad, fixed the link

 

[Shran]

Well here it is, in all its glory...finally out of the shop and on the road.

This truck is really battling me. I put about 40 miles on it last night and today and still have not got all the air bled out of the cooling system. My tried and true "leave the cap off, rev the engine while filling the rad and put the cap back on before returning to idle" method does not work well here, the fan clutch engages sometimes while filling and blows coolant everywhere.

Issue #2, there are some erratic idle issues that come and go - usually it runs really smooth but once in a while it'll develop a really mild misfire. At idle, in Drive, not moving, there is an occasional shudder that feels not really like a miss, it just barely shakes the truck. It has also died a couple times when turning at idle or pulling away from a dead stop...it's like the IAC isn't keeping up or something. Not sure what to think of that.

Issue #3, I don't know what's in it for fuel but it pings like crazy under load, especially in 3rd & 4th gear on the highway if I go WOT to pass someone. It only has a 1/4 tank left and I dumped a whole bottle of Lucas octane boost in but it didn't seem to help. There are some other weird rattly noises under load too but not when just free revving in park.

Issue #4, I swear I am seeing a light cloud of smoke behind the truck but only under really heavy load/accelerating... maybe it is my imagination... my kid watched me drive away after I dropped him off at school and he said he saw nothing. May throw a new PCV valve on it... the one on it now rattles but I didn't really test it beyond a quick shake. The exhaust smells fine at idle, doesn't smell like fuel or oil... just normal exhaust smell.

Ideas on those would be helpful... I'm gonna try to run it down to almost an empty tank and fill it with premium I guess.

 

[scotts90ranger]

On the coolant side, I highly recommend a vacuum fill setup, harbor freight has one for like $50 and it's worth it, so much easier to fill modern systems, and no funnels!

I'd also recommend at least adding fresh gas, and from the sounds of it cleaning the IAC wouldn't hurt...

 

[RobbieD]

Issue #4, I swear I am seeing a light cloud of smoke behind the truck but only under really heavy load/accelerating...

Check the hose on the transmission's vacuum modulator for any evidence of ATF getting through the modulator. One of mine was an "occasional smoker" and it like to have drove me nuts before I stumbled on the cause being a bad modulator. It's a quick easy check, if just to rule it out.

 

[Shran]

I have always had great luck just revving the engine up a bit and filling the radiator but the the fan on this particular truck just blows coolant all over. I've seen those funnels & vacuum setups, might look into that. I think I've got just a tiny bit of air left to burp out.

#2, bad ICM is possible, I do have a spare but I'll try some fresh fuel first. I have had really old fuel cause pinging but this smelled fine.

IAC looked OK other than some oil. I will take it off and clean it. The whole upper intake had a lot of oil in it.

Hard to say what people are running for fuel, my buddy used to get gas from work where they had an ancient underground tank. Some of the gas looked like rusty water, smelled funny and had chunks floating in it.