Resu-wrecked ideas

[chazzone]

Looking for ideas, and I know you guys can help.

I picked up a '98 2wd, 5 speed Ranger a couple of years ago, in trade for some work. It was in great shape, has a hard tonneau and rhino-lined bed. The 4.0 is strong, and the truck is tight.

I was on the way home this fall, and hit a huge pond of water in one of the torrential downpours we had.

The next thing I know, I'm spinning, and ended up smacking the concrete median on the left side.

If it was just the front corner, I'd hold out for a fender and hood from the same color Ranger, but it also crunched the left rear and ate up the bedside, so it's going to need some body work and paint. The left font wheel is toast, as is the fairly new tire that used to live there.

I haven't priced the paint work, but I know it's not going to be cheap. I already have a work truck, so I want this to be restored to the same nice condition it was originally.

I don't have anything invested, except the time and labor I put into the job (I do stone work, so it wasn't exactly "easy money".) I can do everything but the paint, so labor isn't a big issue.

I'm considering these options:

Parting out...lot's of time invested and I'm still out of a truck. Also not sure how much I can really make off that. $1000, if I'm lucky, maybe? I don't really know.

Pulling the motor and trans and swapping, but the trick is find a good recipient vehicle, cheap.

I also don't know how much hassle it would be to put the 4.0 into a Ranger that originally had a 3.0, if I should comne across a nice one without an engine. I know the 'puter will have to be changed, but will there be additional wiring issues if I stick with another manual trans vehicle?

Any other good ideas for this situation?

Thanks for your input.

 

[97RangerXLT]

Pics of the truck would help.

If it was a good solid truck to begin with, I would lean toward fixing it. get teh fender/ hood/ bumper/ grilles in the same color if you can, and have a bodyshop do the the bed. If the bed is tweaked bad enough, you might consider replacing it completely, and that is a two man 15 minute job after you get the rhino liner out of the bed bolts

AJ

 

[chazzone]

OK here are a couple of pics. I've got a call into a body shop I've worked with for an estimate, so I'll have a bit more info this evening, I hope.

 

[97RangerXLT]

That is not bad at all. Definitely fix it. All the bed needs is some touch up paint and a new taillight. You can have that panel repainted professionally later on after you get the front fixed

Sent from the Galaxy to the interwebs

 

[RonD]

Doesn't look like the frame was touched so from past history I would fix it.

I would look at what similar year and options Rangers are going for in your area, don't want to get buried in a restoration for what is, "in essence", a driver.

Swapping engine/trans to another vehicle has it's own issues unless both have the same engine/trans and are the same year.

 

[chazzone]

Doesn't look like the frame was touched so from past history I would fix it.

I would look at what similar year and options Rangers are going for in your area, don't want to get buried in a restoration for what is, "in essence", a driver.

That's the issue really.

This was a really nice little truck. I never took it out in the winter, and it was spotless. No rust anywhere and virtually perfect.

I don't need another "driver".

I have the BII for that.

So, if I fix it, it's going to have to be back to the same condition it started in.

The corner of the bed is going to have to be reworked. The tonneau cover is going to have to be fixed, and both repainted.

I know that I basically stole the truck for $1900 (what I allowed in credit on the work I did). Prices on Craigslist are all over the map.

Once I get an idea from a body shop on fixing it, I'll know whether I want to put the money into the parts for the front.

Meantime, I put this post out there to troll for bright ideas that I may not have come up with on my own.

 

[chvlfrk]

Fft:

I've parted out 2 trucks in the past 2 weekends, a 98 & 2000....I sold the hood, header panel, front lighting, grill, chrome bumper, and bed off the 98 for $600 and the hood, header panel, hood hinges, & front lighting off the 2000 for $200.

Should give ya an idea of what a front clip (hood, header panel, bumper, grill, & front lighting) are goin for.

I've got a painted bumper priced at $50, painted grill at $30, and priced the radiator support at $50, but have decided to keep the rad. support.

The pics you posted show IMO, that it wouldn't take much (radiator support, hood, header panel, grill, bumper, & some lights) to fix it.

 

[brokemechanic3000]

Looks like a good time to get some high clearance fiberglass front fenders,grill,winch bumper. keep it.

 

[chazzone]

Looks like a good time to get some high clearance fiberglass front fenders,grill,winch bumper. keep it.

Already got the 4wd offroad work truck thing with the BII.

It's a 2wd street truck. If I was going to do any mods, it'd be a 2" drop and suspension tuning to make it handle better.

Maybe someone has a great deal on a killer air dam and some 15" smoothies.

I'd be all over that.

 

[chazzone]

I've parted out 2 trucks in the past 2 weekends, a 98 & 2000....I sold the hood, header panel, front lighting, grill, chrome bumper, and bed off the 98 for $600 and the hood, header panel, hood hinges, & front lighting off the 2000 for $200.

Should give ya an idea of what a front clip (hood, header panel, bumper, grill, & front lighting) are goin for.

I've got a painted bumper priced at $50, painted grill at $30, and priced the radiator support at $50, but have decided to keep the rad. support.

The pics you posted show IMO, that it wouldn't take much (radiator support, hood, header panel, grill, bumper, & some lights) to fix it.

That's kind of what I thought for parting it out. Not counting the engine, trans, and axle. It's also got 3 of the high dollar 14" aluminum wheels and the tires have less than 20k, so there's a few bucks there.

The radiator support is just fine, just cracked the header panel. Hell, even the grill is fine.

 

[JoshT]

I say fix it. Now would be perfect time for a updated front end if you want it. Find the right color parts and this'll be a cheap easy fix.

 

[Andy D]

I am a function over form guy. If it works ugly is no big deal. If you like the truck,and it is a good runner. keep it.

 

[97RangerXLT]

This is way to nice of a truck to part out. my guess is you could fix this truck to pre crash condition for much less than you could buy a similar pre crash condition truck of the same year/.options/ mileage. fix it, drive it, and enjoy it!

AJ

 

[chazzone]

This is way to nice of a truck to part out. my guess is you could fix this truck to pre crash condition for much less than you could buy a similar pre crash condition truck of the same year/.options/ mileage. fix it, drive it, and enjoy it!

AJ

All right guys...you talked me into it. I'm fixing it. I heard back from one bs and they want $2000 for the paint work

Not gonna do that...

I might look for a flareside bed.

It's going to be a street truck, so I'm still interested in some kind of new front end treatment. I like the original fenders and front, but I might look at options. I know the 98-2000 are basically the same. Would anything newer bolt on and match body lines?

Anyone got any ideas on an air dam? Not going to put big bucks into that, but if I can find something reasonable, I'll be on it.

Guess I'll start a rebuild tread when I get to it.

Thanks for keeping me straight.

 

[97RangerXLT]