Spend My Money

[insanika]

Hey guys, I need some ideas. If you read my intro post you know the truck I talk about isn't really mine, it's my hubby's. Since I've been working on my car a lot recently, my hubby has been getting mod-envy. Now mine is all cosmetic for now (minus a couple performance mods) because I just finished nursing school and, well, $$$$$

I have to admit, he previously has not had the interest in his truck like I have in my car, so while the ranger is sorta custom, it's tired and worn looking. His birthday is July 7, and I'd really like to spiffy up the truck for him. Do something so he can feel proud to drive it again.

I'm thinking a refresh on the plastics. I'm tired of the back to blacks and crap that doesn't last. I need a good product in a rattle can. Along with that, refresh the frame's black as well. I'm very good with a rattle can, just looking for product ideas here. I want to do something more expensive, maybe some Spyder heads and tails? He wants to accent here and there with Kawasaki green.. Any suggestions? Interior is not out of my range either.

I can't do any big mechanical mods right now but we are interested later in that. I'm looking to refresh and update and inspire right now. We do plan to put new tires on later this summer, so that doesn't count here lol. Also he's a techy guy and I know he wouldn't mind a stereo upgrade of some sort either. I'm not beyond a little money spent improving the nonexistent sound and look of the exhaust either. I have about a $500 budget.

Here's some pics of the truck.

 

[97RangerXLT]

Off road/ KC lights for the Grille. (look up Straycat's truck for what I am talking about)

A locking fiberglass touneau cover painted to match the truck.

AJ

 

[Chris_North]

I have a deep emerald green (or whatever the dark green color is) 98 Ranger, and I painted my torsion skid plates, entire rear axle/diff, and upper a-arms Old Caterpillar Yellow from Rustoleum. Not sure how Kawaski green would look against the silver, but IMHO nothing adds more pop on a budget than accenting undercarriage parts with a bit of color. The A-arms I painted when I changed them, before I put them on. It will probably be a real PITA to paint on the truck old because they're not in a great spot and seem to get really greasy. The axle will also require some crawling and cleaning, but otherwise shouldn't be too bad. The skid plates unbolt easily and can be cleaned and painted then reattached. There's plenty of other stuff under there that will be visible with a bit of paint too, but I ran out of enthusiasm with mine, hehe. Lay the paint on thick and prep as best you can and (as long as the frames not too rusty) it will also help keep things from rotting away and should last for years.

It looks like there's a receiver for a tow hitch, if that's the case they make a bunch of accessories to fit in there. Even if you have no intentions on towing you should be able to find something cool, like a cover or a bumper piece or something.

 

[4.0B2]

when done properly, a heat gun will make the flares look new again.
a lot of Jeep guys do it to their fender flares.

 

[dieseldane]

I haven't tried them myself, but Eastwood has a lot of stuff to consider for redoing the frame, as well as a lot of other automotive stuff.

Another idea might be to (just saw an ad for this) hydro-dip some of the interior pieces, or anything for that matter. Pretty neat process, and I don't think it's all that expensive to get done. I've been thinking about having some stuff done myself. There are some companies listed here on TRS that do this, and I saw an posting on facebook earlier for Midwest H2o Graphix that might be a little closer to ya.

 

[straycat]

Hmmmm...needs a lift, roof rack/cargo basket, offroad lights, front receiver hitch and that will get rid of that huge useless front licence plate mount!!! lol

All the mods I have done did not take very long at all. Roof rack/cargo basket installed in about 40 min. KC lights mounted and wired in about 20 min. Front receiver is bolted and welded and that took me about 1 1/2 hours total. Front stabilizer shock about 20 min. Spare tire mount and customized the bed extender to fit with the spare 33x12.5 took about 2 hours. Had to weld the tire mount plate to extra heavy metal and then drill 1 inch bolt holes through the bed to make it really strong in case of an impact. The spare tire carrier stock mount kit was fine but I like to think safety first. I just beefed it up!!

 

[bigtruck94]

Do an MBRP exhaust system. One of my friends has one on his and it sounds pretty good! Go on youtube and type in ford ranger MBRP exhaust system. They will have many videos of them. You could also paint your fender flares black and that will make it stand out better. If you know a weldor, have him make a rear tube bumper or a headache rack around 300 bucks if you find one that is cheap enough. Warn manual locking hubs conversion would make it perform better and manual lock outs are more reliable.

Here is mine:

 

[insanika]

Excellent ideas, gentlemen!

Stray- your truck is bigtime but done classy. Mines lifted but just a 2" body lift. A full suspension lift and overhaul is on hubby's wishlist.

We have a rear hitch sparkly

I think I have a good working project idea going on. I wish I could convince him to put on an exhaust like that.. Sounds sexy IMO but he's not convinced.

EDIT: ship my pants! I sent him a video of some MBRP trucks and he's in love. Sounds like an in for me to get my full turbo back exhaust later...lol.

 

[straycat]

Excellent ideas, gentlemen!

Stray- your truck is bigtime but done classy. Mines lifted but just a 2" body lift. A full suspension lift and overhaul is on hubby's wishlist.

We have a rear hitch sparkly

I think I have a good working project idea going on. I wish I could convince him to put on an exhaust like that.. Sounds sexy IMO but he's not convinced.

EDIT: ship my pants! I sent him a video of some MBRP trucks and he's in love. Sounds like an in for me to get my full turbo back exhaust later...lol.

He will come around. I find the best prices on my stuff and I buy it all brand new with a warranty. I got the complete roof rack from ORS (Onion River Sports). You can check their website and see customer returns on brand new unopened items. My roof rack fairing was 20 bucks brand new with shipping. The bars were 30 bucks with shipping. I got the mounts and locks for 50 bucks shipped. I found brand new stuff on Ebay and Amazon for some great items shipped free. You just got to shop around and just take the time to buy what you want for the truck.
I have front and rear receivers from Reese (2 inch) that I paid 85 bucks for both of them brand new in the box on Ebay. 150 watt KC lights were 65 bucks shipped free. I found the bed extender new in a box on Craigslist in Tampa for 20 bucks. The 4x4 shop I bought it from had roof damage after a heavy storm ad had water in their store room area. The box had slight water damage and he wanted the area cleared out so they could do the repairs. Inventory clearance sale!!! I needed one and I found one. The bed extender had no issues...just the box it was in.

 

[insanika]

I hope I find some deals.. I've effectively increased my own wishlist cost to about a grand.

 

[bigtruck94]

Flowmaster also makes some good exhaust systems.

Swap your old side view mirrors with 07+ mirrors. They look good on any ranger. You could also swap out your old ranger XLT emblem with 07+ ranger emblems. For these two mods, you are only spending about 60 bucks on everything.

 

[bobbywalter]

Hmmmm...needs a lift, roof rack/cargo basket, offroad lights, front receiver hitch and that will get rid of that huge useless front licence plate mount!!! lol

All the mods I have done did not take very long at all. Roof rack/cargo basket installed in about 40 min. KC lights mounted and wired in about 20 min. Front receiver is bolted and welded and that took me about 1 1/2 hours total. Front stabilizer shock about 20 min. Spare tire mount and customized the bed extender to fit with the spare 33x12.5 took about 2 hours. Had to weld the tire mount plate to extra heavy metal and then drill 1 inch bolt holes through the bed to make it really strong in case of an impact. The spare tire carrier stock mount kit was fine but I like to think safety first. I just beefed it up!!

this looks great but on the all around i find it a bit odd.

i would not run a fullsize spare on a 2wd at the expense of bed space. bed extender maybe..

unless i regularly had something on the roof i never would put a rack up top. if i needed that i would run a ladder rack most likely but after looking at this setup you have and the fact you get way better then normal economy there may be some benefit there overall with drag. i really am thinking about that.


then hauling the occasional larger ladders off the tailgate and rack to protect the roof is still an added bonus.

i dont think i would do the exaust till it needed replacing from rot. waste of money. but i dont like listening to a v6 at all, he might love the way they sound so that would be a fair investment.

i would not paint the frame unless i could tear it down to rails outside of spot modifications or repairs. its too hard to prep it correctly and not get paint on shit you dont want to. most trucks i see dont look to good up close.


then again my truck is so ugly it makes babies cry from lack of paint care.


when it comes to it i think deep down i must hate sheet metal and paint...

i like it just like it is for a daily driver....turn the suspension in the front up a hair and call it good

 

[straycat]

this looks great but on the all around i find it a bit odd.

i would not run a fullsize spare on a 2wd at the expense of bed space. bed extender maybe..

unless i regularly had something on the roof i never would put a rack up top. if i needed that i would run a ladder rack most likely but after looking at this setup you have and the fact you get way better then normal economy there may be some benefit there overall with drag. i really am thinking about that.


then hauling the occasional larger ladders off the tailgate and rack to protect the roof is still an added bonus.

i dont think i would do the exaust till it needed replacing from rot. waste of money. but i dont like listening to a v6 at all, he might love the way they sound so that would be a fair investment.

i would not paint the frame unless i could tear it down to rails outside of spot modifications or repairs. its too hard to prep it correctly and not get paint on shit you dont want to. most trucks i see dont look to good up close.


then again my truck is so ugly it makes babies cry from lack of paint care.


when it comes to it i think deep down i must hate sheet metal and paint...

i like it just like it is for a daily driver....turn the suspension in the front up a hair and call it good

The bed is used for hauling plants, rock/ gravel in bags. My horse and cat food fits in the bed....lol. My dirt bikes used to go in there. I got a neat fold up trailer I keep in the garage. So I don't really need much room in the bed anymore. I use the bed extender a lot. I use the roof rack a lot when we go boating and camping. On the plus side, I get so many people wanting to buy my truck at every event we go to. So many people walk over at shopping centers/car and truck meets and all have to check it out. Even the extreme 4x4 guys come and check it out. I trail ride twice a month for over 100 miles round trip off road in it. I have a Jeep that I take out as well. Just love the way the Ranger drives and handles. It is smooth on the road and off the road. I don't do mud with it. Not a good idea for a 2wd...lol

 

[insanika]

I've stolen it for a good wash/clay/wax today. Gotta start SOMEWHERE!!

Need to take some better reference shots.

Also we were looking at stuff today, I guess I was surprised at the way the front suspension actually looks. No springs, just some rusty ole shock looking things. With the little experience I have with lowering springs and coilovers, I think it looks pretty simple to upgrade this suspension and therefore lift it.

Please excuse my girl terms, I'm still learning what's what. I didn't even know coil paks were a thing until I changed the spark plugs in my Vibe! But, there's only one way to learn: heart, balls and elbow grease. So here I am lol.

 

[hoosier1104]

Hell drop a V8 in it for him. I am biased though.

Sent from the front seat of my Ranger while looking damn good.