Project Guinea Pig

[prerunner]

If I can't get a hold of this dude with the Ranger by tomorrow morning I'm going to the backup truck. I think I mentioned it to you Rowdy in a pm.
Either way, theres a different RBV in the driveway tomorrow night when she comes home from work.

Oh, and the old dude came back and offered $700 for the Malibu which she accepted but we won't take his money or transfer for 2 weeks pending my getting another dd.
Email sent on the Sploder.

(cue the waiting music from Jeopardy*) ... and now we wait.

Edit. Dang. That guy with the Exploder returned my email fast! Going to check it out soon.

 

[Rowdy Fitzgerald]

Sweet!


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[prerunner]

Well the Ranger thing didn't work out so this was the backup deal.

1997 Exploder XLT 5.0. Needs a left upper control arm (ball joint is bagged) and a bunch of relatively minor things but runs decent and has a tow package on it so $500 was reasonable. Bought it off a former Ford dealership mechanic of 27 years.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I'm envious. And you should check the drivers side rear tire pressure, it looks low.

 

[Rowdy Fitzgerald]

That's a heck of a deal! For well under $1000 you're gonna have a nice little rig!



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[prerunner]

Gee thanks guys! I'm pretty happy with it. The seller described it as a beater and while it has some issues I think it deserves better than "beater" status. It more than met my expectations.
It was a pretty good deal and, yes, the tire pressures need to be checked. lol

I have no special plans for this other than to be my daily ride and to carry and tow stuff. Mileage is 258,xxx kilometers so should be good for a while yet. I'm just going to bring it back to stock-ish until I can get a newer dd.
I'll put updates for this ride in the guinea pig build thread for a while.

I'll post more & better pix tomorrow once its home.

 

[prerunner]

Well I drove the Explorer home this morning and I'm suitably impressed. Every damned Explorer should have had the 5.0 in it with maybe a 5 speed optional.
I'm gonna fix the front suspension and the other stuff and just use it as it was intended. No immediate 4x4 plans. Frankly, I need a reliable driver/ tow pig for a while. I'll shut up & let the pix do the talking.

Tow package.

Has a JBL/Ford stereo in it.

 

[prerunner]

Drivers seat has issues. Goes up & down but not back & forth. I'm guessing the previous owner tried to sort it out.

258,xxx kilometers on it.

Back to front, needs a vacuum which it'll get after this is posted.

Oh, and my buddy searched the upper control arm and found it in Canada (Ontario) for $41.39 with free UPS shipping. Thats 1/3 what it is out here (according to him.)

 

[prerunner]

Left upper control arm completed, except for greasing. I can't for the life of me find my grease gun. Was contemplating lower ball joints but they seem alright.
I'd better budget for shocks. I've never seen such rusty shock rods.

 

[Rowdy Fitzgerald]

Good deal! How's she running?


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[prerunner]

The 5.0 runs pretty sweet, save for an exhaust leak at the right header someplace, probably between the head and header. PO said the one headlight didn't work which was true but the other worked after it was plugged in but doesn't shut off for some reason. I'll dig through the tech articles before the weekend for that one.
Its exactly what you get in a 5.0 Exploder for $500. Overall not bad, but the details will take a while to sort out. Your probably right that I'll end up with about a grand in it.
I'm insuring it this weekend whether its sorted out or not. I wanna drive it.

 

[prerunner]

I finally reached a decision on the fate of the Ranger this afternoon.
Unfortunately, since I now have a decent dd I can turn the Ranger into a dedicated trail rig. And since I tend to kick the hell out of my 4x4's its a death sentence.
So some things are gonna change on the guinea pig. The fuel injected 4.0 will slip nicely into the B-II as I originally intended. A small block will go into the Ranger. Still sorting out details. A lot depends on what comes up on Craigslist when I have money.
I'm not going to lie. This thing will be a total abortion but a fun one.

 

[Rowdy Fitzgerald]

Lol well make it happen then capt'n!
Just pick one and concentrate on it until it's done! Don't stretch your self out by spending your money on both!


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[prerunner]

Realistically, I ought to concentrate something on the Bronco II since it was there first and the aftermarket stuff I bought for it isn't gonna survive another winter in this dump.
But honestly, as soon as the Sploder is up to dd status I'm diving back as deep as finances will allow. The search is already on for the first parts truck.
I might start a partial teardown this weekend depending on weather and gf stuff.

 

[Rowdy Fitzgerald]

What's the purpose of the bronco? I mean realistically what are you planning to use it for? Is it going to be a dd or a toy?
Do you really have the need for it? Would the ranger be a wiser choice?

Why not put the 4.0 in the ranger and wheel it? It will have more than enough power, it'll go together WAY cheaper than a 5.0 will and you'll be out having fun in 1/4 of the time.


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