swapping interiors

[donimbimbo]

New to the forum but not new to Rangers

I need to swap the entire interior on a 2004 Ranger Super Cab, 4x4, 4.0, auto trans, column shift. This means seats, rugs, maybe even the complete dash.

What years will have a similar interior?

This truck is a flood victim and is new to me. I'm not even sure what model Ranger it is? STX? FX4, XLT?

VIN: 1FTZR45EX4TAnnnnn

Thanks, Don

 

[snake]

Interiors were the same from 1995 up. I think in '04 the passenger side airbag flappy-thing got a horizontal line across it, and the bucket seatbacks were raised higher- and that is all I can think of that changed over all that time.

 

[Sunk]

The dash changed in 04 as well. Not so much in appearance, but the gauges are digital so the wiring is different at the very least.

 

[straycat]

I would never buy a flood damaged vehicle. Why would you do that?? So many problems that will come out ot it....electiral for one and axle issues, motor / tranny issues.

 

[Gary101386]

who knows, maybe he got it for a steal and is planning to change the motor, axles, and most or some of the wiring...

 

[straycat]

who knows, maybe he got it for a steal and is planning to change the motor, axles, and most or some of the wiring...

I hope so. I will always remember a good buddy of mine who bought water damaged POS back in 2001. It was a low milage truck with 18,000 miles on it and it was a 1999 F150 4x4. He paid right at $4,000 for it. He added a lift kit and and 35's. He had to work on it so much just to go somewhere. Motor started to knock real bad at 20,000 miles and then the rear end went out before he got home form wheeling it one weekend. I came and got him. And then....electrical issues started to happen....power windows went out and the wipers never worked again. The truck was then hard to start. The complete front end went goodbye next and he was so tired of working on it and putting money in it. He took it to a Monster Truck weekend bash and let it get bashed up. He told me he got paid $2,000 to have it crunched up. It was a good looking black F150. He was so happy to see it go. But.....I never told him not to buy the truck. He already liked it and thought how bad can water damage be??

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I would never buy a flood damaged vehicle. Why would you do that?? So many problems that will come out ot it....electiral for one and axle issues, motor / tranny issues.

I would as a parts donar. Trash the automatic trans, flush out the engine and axle/differential/t-case and they will ride another day if they haven't set underwater for a long time. Price would be key though.

The steel bodyparts wouldn't be hurt, with a truck the vintage of mine good OEM steel is hard to find.

Electrical gremlins would drive a guy nuts though... which is why I would avoid the electronics. Buy a truck of similar vintage at a steal that needs an engine, an axle or got a little crunched up and switcheroo.

 

[donimbimbo]

If you read my post over in INTRODUCTIONS you will see that it came from my Brother-in-law, and yes I got it really cheap. Taking it and giving him a few bucks was more to help him get on his feet. He lost everything in the big floods we had in Eastern PA, including the double wide that he lived in.

As I said, I'm still debating whether I fix it or junk it. I really wasn't looking for another Ranger, but I always enjoy a project with a challenge.

I'll probably visit my local salvage yard and see if they have a wrecked 2004 donor vehicle. That's the only way I would work on this project.

Thanks for the comments...

 

[adsm08]

If you do decide to scrap it, let me know first.

I'll drive up there to pick over it for certain parts.

 

[det107]

........how bad can water damage be??

Does anybody remember the Toyota truck commercial (I saw it ONE time) during the 70's that was stolen & dumped in the lake ? The owner supposedly changed the spark plugs & was able to start it right up-

 

[gribly]

Starting back up, and lasting for another 100k miles reliably are two different situations altogether. A toyota would fare FAR worse than any ranger due to all the extra electronics they have. Did you know their manual transfer cases for Tacomas (not the older pickups) are not actually manual? The shifter only activates some sensors, which activate a shift more, which is in turn even more unreliable than our own finicky electronic 4wd due to it being overly complex. When you actually look them over and how everything works on a Tacoma, they are way over-engineered, like their engineers were trying to show off. Yet they still put the oil filter under the exhaust manifold where it wraps around it, so you cannot grab it on a hot motor. Terrible designs they have. Okay, Toyota hate rant over.

donimbimbo - +1 rep for being a good guy and helping someone out!

 

[straycat]

Does anybody remember the Toyota truck commercial (I saw it ONE time) during the 70's that was stolen & dumped in the lake ? The owner supposedly changed the spark plugs & was able to start it right up-

As long as water does not seep into the motor and cause the dreaded LOCK. Water seeping into the motor can rot the crank and bearings. Water and electrical wiring do not mix very well. Another thing, how long was this Ranger in the water? I drove my Jeeps and 4x4 Rangers and BII's in 3-4 feet of water with no issues ever. But, I never let something sit for a few hours or days in the water. Was the truck submerged? And how long? That's another issue. My dirt bikes get sunk up to the motor once in awhile and sometimes I have to pull off a plug wire and blow on it to get a spark to get going again.

 

[donimbimbo]

I don't know exactly how long it was under water, but it was maybe 2 weeks. Considering the mud on the cowl and marks on the interior, it was up to the bottom of the windshield. My Brother-in-law was rescued by the National Guard and did not return to his flooded house for quite some time, so it's hard to say how long it was under.

Typically flood victims are scrapped because the labor is too expensive to fix them correctly. I'm expecting that I'll have to go through the rear end, swap the trans, go through the transfer case. My background is electronics so the electrical system doesn't scare me.

Two ways to handle the engine, tear down clean and inspect or swap it.

Anyway, as I look at it, it's worth a try. Most of the work could be in swapping the dash and going over the electrical.

(Did I mention that I also bought his 2000 Honda Shadow 1100 Sabre ? Also a flood victim. I should have this running soon.)

Don

 

[kennykenny]

Personally I would either part it out or buy a wrecked donor and swap all the essentials. Lots of work either way. Looks like a really nice truck thats a shame.

 

[adsm08]

I don't know exactly how long it was under water, but it was maybe 2 weeks.

I'm down stream from you and I am vaguely familiar with the Wellsboro area. Judging from the terrain around you guys and the way the water receded here, unless this truck was parked right next to the river, it was under for a week at most.

Rt 405, which runs right along the West Branch, was closed for 4 days. The bridge across into Lewisburg was closed a little longer. They were under water for only about 2.5 to 3 days.