"Project A59749" - My '88 Ranger XLT

[DisturbedMXer8]

Alrighty, a shot of the new rubber:

Feels nice riding on new tires. Very nice, especially for the price.

 

[DisturbedMXer8]

Welp, my Ranger has been pretty much the same for the past few months. A lot of the stuff I've wanted to do has been on the backburner to financial instability (for lack of a better term). Between rent and finances, can't even afford the registration, let alone the lift I've been wanting to do. On top of that, my sister overheated her Tracker and blew the head gasket, so I've been working on that during my days off for the past month:

My sister with her dismantled engine bay

I did learn something interesting, though: Some of the B2's came with single seats and a center console, instead of the standard bench or split-bench. I figure they probably bolt right in place of one another, if I were to replace my split bench. Would be a nice upgrade if I could find some seats in good condition...

 

[1986broncoiister]

sweet ride man hey i have 2wd lift brackets im trying to get rid of hella cheap 80 shipped to ya i would be willing to save them for ya they are 5inch pro comp

 

[DisturbedMXer8]

Haha, thanks man. What do you mean lift brackets? That for the front? I'm not very familiar with all of the suspension lifting components yet, sorry. I am looking to lift 2-3 inches, though, so if you could enlighten me that'd be great, haha.

 

[DisturbedMXer8]

I got tired of having just a couple shitty phone pics of my Truck, so I had my sister do a photoshoot for me. This is what we got:

My new favorite picture

A couple other shots

Some poser "flex" shots. Not bad for totally stock suspension and sway bars.

A picture of the two of us

My truck may not be crazy decked out, but man is she beautiful. Can't wait to get a lift under it.

 

[cody93]

id nominate you for TOTM, but im not sure if your street or off-road

 

[DisturbedMXer8]

Haha, well thanks man, I'll take the compliment.
It's more offroad oriented. Upgraded from 215/70/14 to 235/75/15's, but so far that's it. Collecting parts for a lift, and doing a bunch of stuff to the interior, but at the moment she's mostly all stock. Working with very little spare money, so progress is slow. Plus this is my DD, so I'm not planning on going crazy with it.

But seriously, thanks, that's one of the best compliments I've ever gotten on it, haha.

 

[Louisville86]

Nice '88. I have a soft spot for those since they are the last year of Gen I. Your sister did a good job with the photo shoot. Guess she owes you after saving her Tracker!

 

[jhammel85]

So clean! You're truck looks fantastic!

 

[cody93]

yea, it looks very sharp, almost factory fresh!

 

[DisturbedMXer8]

Thanks guys, I really appreciate the positive feedback. "Factory" look is what I'll always be going for. I want it to be completely unique, but look like it was designed that way from the get-go. I'm very lucky to have the last year of the Gen 1, since it's the newest possible model of that particular look and style. Always loved the way the first gen looks, inside and out. REALLY can't wait to lift it. Hoping I can get away with a 2-3 inch lift with camber bushings up front...

And yeah, that tracker was a pain in the ass to work on. Practically no room underneath that hood compared to my Ranger. Plus the way it's designed, EVERYTHING has to come apart to get the head off. It was worth it though, saved us a couple grand. Plus it is a fun little car, a lot of personality compared to most of the other modern SUV's. Don't see too many of em around here, which we like.

 

[HeadlandRam]

Love to have a first gen like that man!. Paint looks great!

 

[DisturbedMXer8]

Haha, thanks. It's a little dinged up here and there when you get a close look, but still not bad. The new Super Duty was my inspiration for this particular color scheme when I had it painted.

 

[DisturbedMXer8]

So, after doing some research, I've been thinking heavily of just saving up for the Rough Country 4" lift kit and just throwing that on there, that way I have room for 31's whenever I decide to go that route. Looks like a fairly easy install, and I figured it would be better than just springs and maxing out some camber bushings. If anyone has an opinion on this kit, feel free to chime in =P.

 

[DisturbedMXer8]

Irene and I discovered a visitor a few days ago when I went to leave work for the day:

Still not a lot going on right now with the truck, but a lot going on in life that will lead to good things for the truck. Finally found a much better job, so now I can afford throwing money at Irene here and there. Working as a Technician at a Hyundai dealership, and they're paying me a lot more than my last job, and the work is a lot more rewarding. Planning on upgrading to the Explorer radiator as soon as I get the money for it, then saving up for the lift kit. Other than that, it's just been Irene and I getting each other by.

In the meantime, I've been keeping relatively busy with my sister's Tracker. She decided she wants to upgrade it a bit, so I bought her a set of wheels for it that actually came off an old F150. Here's a picture of the rims before and after cleaning:

They're 15x7 steelies with 235/70R15 rubber (up from 205/75R15), and they look really awesome on the little Geo.

Before:

After:

Definitely looks much meaner with the Ford wheels on it. Almost makes me want to find a set for my Ranger (if anyone offers them with the proper lug pattern, these are 5x5.5).

Man, all this tracker business is really making me want to get back to the Ranger.

Soon...