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Rolled it, body swap?


changed_my_name

Active Member
Joined
Dec 15, 2021
Messages
25
City
texas
Vehicle Year
1995
Transmission
Manual
So I rolled my 1995 standard cab and it is now very beat up, what should I do about this?
How much would it cost to have a body swap done? Like buy a broken ranger and give mine a new shell.
Note: I am not in a position to do this my self due to my current place of residence.

What other ideas do yall have?

Update: I drove it around some more and noticed the check engine light (has always had codes but indicator never worked) and gas gauge now work. Everything seems to be it in working order other than the busted lights and exterior. The only thing I haven't checked is AC but with a busted window and decent weather I didn't see the point in testing.

Upon further inspection all the body damage starts about 3-4 inches below the top of the bed. with only more minor cab damage below that line.

A body swap alternative that came to mind is to buy another cab and cut them both in half only keeping the upper half of the new cab. (roof swap) This has the benefit of less wiring and connectors to deal with but the downside of keeping my crud interior.
I am no body guy or welder but is this more feasible to have someone do than a true body swap?

Update 2: attached files.
 

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Having someone do a body swap would be stupid expensive.

Doing it yourself it would be a worthwhile option though...but not with your current situation.

Id buy another similar truck and keep yours for mechanical parts if you can
 
If you are confident you could do it in a certain amount of time you might rent a spot somehow
 
Having someone do a body swap would be stupid expensive.

Doing it yourself it would be a worthwhile option though...but not with your current situation.

Id buy another similar truck and keep yours for mechanical parts if you can
like how expensive?
 
like how expensive?
Well...however many hours of labor it takes to undo every electrical connection, steering joint, trans linkage, rusted and now probably tweaked cab/box bolts, filler neck, and probably a bunch of shit im forgetting...

Then the labor to reconnect all that shit.

Times whatever a shops hourly rate is....probably 120-130/hr. Figure in all the stuff thatll have to be replaced when it breaks...

I would say 5-8k on the conservative side. But its a total piss in the wind. But itll be frickin pricy.
 
It would be a lot easier and cheaper to buy an identical non running Ranger of the same year and do an engine/transmission swap.
But again, if you have to pay someone else to do it, it would still be expensive.

Swapping cabs can be tricky, especially with the VIN, the new cab won't match your current registration/title.

You'll have to save all receipts/titles/paperwork as proof that they were legally obtained and take them and truck to state police to get them all inspected and be assigned a new VIN
 
If you found an old school body guy that was willing to do the work, I’d guess it would be around $3000 or so.
Lots of people just can’t be bothered in getting involved with stuff like this these days.

Depends on how much leg work you do yourself too. Sourcing all the doner stuff yourself will do a few things.
Takes a lot of the unpaid man hours out of the equation for them. Save you from having to find someone that’s willing to find a suitable body and take that responsibility. They’ll want to find something that perfect, and charge you for it. So you get more say to way the options more.
Plus if you call a couple guys and say you have the doner and lil they have to do is the labor, opens up your pool a bit.
Otherwise I’d guess you will get a lot of straight up NOs, “I’ll call you back with a quote” that never comes, or they give you a go away price.
 
If you found an old school body guy that was willing to do the work, I’d guess it would be around $3000 or so.
Lots of people just can’t be bothered in getting involved with stuff like this these days.

Depends on how much leg work you do yourself too. Sourcing all the doner stuff yourself will do a few things.
Takes a lot of the unpaid man hours out of the equation for them. Save you from having to find someone that’s willing to find a suitable body and take that responsibility. They’ll want to find something that perfect, and charge you for it. So you get more say to way the options more.
Plus if you call a couple guys and say you have the doner and lil they have to do is the labor, opens up your pool a bit.
Otherwise I’d guess you will get a lot of straight up NOs, “I’ll call you back with a quote” that never comes, or they give you a go away price.
That sounds much more reasonable.
I would for sure source the donor my self.
I would try the whole thing myself but my college wouldn't allow that and I am 8 hours from home.
 
If engine runs and transmission can be tested, i.e. put into gear
Then the drive train is worth money to you or someone else

Which drive train do you have in your 1995 Ranger?
2.3l 4cyl
or
3.0l V6

Manual M5R1
or
Automatic 4R44E

For you, you would find a similar equipped 1995-1997 Ranger, regular or extended cab, with a matching bad engine and/or bad transmission
Buy it and have the drive train swapped, that's fairly straight forward, maybe 8 hours shop time for engine only, 4 hours trans only

Otherwise just sell the rolled Ranger as is and use that money as down payment for another Ranger or another vehicle

Body swaps are A LOT of hours, 25-30 hours and then a lot of troubleshooting, 4-5 hours
You are disassembling TWO Ranger bodies and all the wiring
And you still need to find and buy the body

But before all that you need to check if the frame was bent/torqued when it was rolled, looking at it doesn't work, lol, needs to be measured accurately
If its not straight then it would be a waste of money to use it
 
Last edited:
If engine runs and transmission can be tested, i.e. put into gear
Then the drive train is worth money to you or someone else

Which drive train do you have in your 1995 Ranger?
2.3l 4cyl
or
3.0l V6

Manual M5R1
or
Automatic 4R44E

For you, you would find a similar equipped 1995-1997 Ranger, regular or extended cab, with a bad engine and/or bad transmission
Buy it and have the drive train swapped, that's fairly straight forward, maybe 8 hours shop time for engine only, 4 hours trans only

Otherwise just sell the rolled Ranger as is and use that money as down payment for another Ranger or another vehicle

Body swaps are A LOT of hours, 25-30 hours and then a lot of troubleshooting, 4-5 hours, and you still need to find and buy the body
And before all that you need to check if the frame was bent/torqued when it was rolled, looking at it doesn't work, lol, need to be measured accurately
It its not straight then it would be a waste of money to use it
2.3l & M5R1
The transmission was replaced not long ago with a reman and I drove it back just fine since it landed properly.
 
If the doors shut , the windows ok and the lights are good, drive it. Are you embarrassed to take a girl out for a date in it? Borrow one of your friends cars for that. I do not think it's illegal to drive a vehicle that is all dented up.
 
If the doors shut , the windows ok and the lights are good, drive it. Are you embarrassed to take a girl out for a date in it? Borrow one of your friends cars for that. I do not think it's illegal to drive a vehicle that is all dented up.
I would never have taken a girl out in it before.
passenger door aint going anywhere and the other would work fine if I moved or hammered the drivers side fender out of the way.

The main no driving factors are:
  • The passenger window is gone and the windshield is bashed in.
  • All the mirrors are gone.
primarily the windshield

lights are easy to replace regardless of their condition (mostly fine)
 
I would never have taken a girl out in it before.
passenger door aint going anywhere and the other would work fine if I moved or hammered the drivers side fender out of the way.

The main no driving factors are:
  • The passenger window is gone and the windshield is bashed in.
  • All the mirrors are gone.
primarily the windshield

lights are easy to replace regardless of their condition (mostly fine)
Post a couple pics.

It might be able to be beat back into shape enough to get a windsheild in it....or is the cab still straight just the windsheild is smashed?

Passenger side window? Assuming the door aint tweaked 50 bucks from a boneyard...same as mirrors.

Post a few pics...maybe its saveable as is....

As for the dating thing...if shes turned off by a beat up truck she aint worth your time anyways.
 
Post a couple pics.

It might be able to be beat back into shape enough to get a windsheild in it....or is the cab still straight just the windsheild is smashed?

Passenger side window? Assuming the door aint tweaked 50 bucks from a boneyard...same as mirrors.

Post a few pics...maybe its saveable as is....

As for the dating thing...if shes turned off by a beat up truck she aint worth your time anyways.

My phone went out the window so I need to go back and get that at some point.

New glass is for sure not fitting in either spot.
 
Uhmmm, pardon the windshield darlin, my ex and I just split up :D
 

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