What did you do to your Ranger today? (Part Deux!)

[scotts90ranger]

Yeah, I agree, fixable just a bit of work, I think I see coolant under there though...

 

[pjtoledo]

ouch, the top fender rail is right in the middle of that crunch. does the door still fit & close?

 

[ScubaMark]

I really dislike this mod too! Thanks for the tips @97RangerXLT

Radiator is good. But going to need a power steering pressure hose, front grille assembly, headlight assemblies, header panel, fender liner splash shield (maybe not), A/C condenser, bumper valance & bumper face bar (maybe a custom upgrade?), and... the radiator core support which will probably be the most difficult since it will require drilling out spot welds. I think I can source all of that for about $1500 plus a bit for hardware. I don't really have the time, but I have the work ethic and the desire to keep it. It is a manual transmission 4x4 and those are like unicorns these days.

 

[ScubaMark]

ouch, the top fender rail is right in the middle of that crunch. does the door still fit & close?

Door does open and close. Feels a bit "off". Tell me more about what that might entail?

 

[Curious Hound]

Door does open and close. Feels a bit "off". Tell me more about what that might entail?

Hopefully, just the fender is pushed back towards it. Fixing fender might free up the door.

 

[Rick W]

Door does open and close. Feels a bit "off". Tell me more about what that might entail?

Obviously, you can’t drive it the way it is. Have you ever done this big of a repair job before? A couple thoughts

Take pictures take pictures take pictures. Get a big box of quart baggies. As you start to take things apart, put the screws and bolts for each piece in a separate baggie and mark it. Print out the pictures, and then mark on the pictures where they came from. You could use a sharpie and mark where they came from too. Example, if you pull the hood hinges off, put all that hardware in a little bag and label it number one. And then mark the bent up hood with a sharpie number one by the hinges. Etc. etc..

As you take it apart, some things you may be able to salvage and some things maybe not, but you should be making a list as you go. That way you end up with the purchase sheet for what you need to get.

Obviously, I’d search the scrapyards for the same make, model and trim truck. Keep in mind that something with a bigger engine or different engine or different trim may have other hidden differences that aren’t so obvious. It’s more important you get the right make model and trim, then you get the right color for example.

You may want to run an ad in craigslist and marketplace that says “such and such a truck front clip wanted.“ Put in an unwrecked picture of the front of your truck in the ad, and put a picture of the wrecked front of your truck in the ad, so people know exactly what you’re looking for. I would also edit the cover picture, the one you see when you search Craigslist, with a big “wanted” above or below the picture, and the year make and model. Some people say I’m crazy for doing things like this, but it doesn’t cost you a nickel, and I’ve been amazed what kind of stuff I’ve been able to find just by asking for it out there.

You also need to think about the quality of repair you want to end up with, and what you will ultimately do with the truck. If you want it to be a showpiece, you’re going to have to fix it that way. If you simply want a good looking driver, you can skimp on some things underneath and still have the top straight and pretty. You may want to start hunting around for a buddy who does some bodywork and paint, and see if you can horse trade with him for something or other. Also, are you going to keep it or get rid of it? Unless you’re very good at these kind of repairs, in my opinion, the effort you’ll have to put in to get a decent price for the truck would not justify your labor and expense.

The last thought is what is your time worth? When you’re trying to save this piece of that piece, always look up what it costs first. If it’s going to take you all day to save an item that’s $30 or $40, might want to rethink that.

Nothing critical here, just trying to help you think it out. I’ve been there, and I feel for you. I hope this helps

 

[pjtoledo]

Door does open and close. Feels a bit "off". Tell me more about what that might entail?

worst case scenario is the top fender rail pushed the left firewall/pillar column back. that's what the door mounts to.
so if the door seems slightly rotated clockwise the cab may be tweaked.
since the windshield is ok and the door closes it's probably good, or not enough to worry about.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Repairable. There’s a good chance the frame is tweaked, you’ll have to strip the damaged sheet metal off to get a good look though. Rough hit though. Depending on the condition of the frame, you may or may not need a frame shop. Might be fortunate and just bend up the bumper brackets which is easily fixable.

 

[Rick W]

I installed the brake pedal switch in the Missing Linc. Like usual, I took the old one apart after I got it out. It comes apart pretty easily.

The contacts were all carboned up, which is probably why I was getting inconsistent brake lights. I cleaned them up. The rivet that held the pivoting arm looked like it was getting hot (probably from the corroded contacts). I put the switch in the vice so the bottom of the rivet was on the top of the vice jaw and then I used a center punch to just tap it a few times. I’m going to put it on the shelf as a spare.

While I was upside down and backwards, I took out the emergency/parking break switch. I think all it needed was changing the oil in the two zip ties that was holding it together (not my doing, it predated me).

I took the zip ties off, cleaned up all the contact surfaces with a teeny wire brush on a Dremel, and put it back together with a little super glue and fresh zip ties.

I didn’t realize until I went to put it back in that the top of it was snapped off who knows how many years ago, so when I went to put it in, it just wanted to spin instead of staying in place. I cut a small piece of 3M moulding double face contact tape and put it on the back of the switch, drilled the little hole out for the screw, and then held it in place while I tightened the screw. It’s actually working fine. I’ll order a new switch and tackle that another day.

On the Road Ranger, I finally finished putting together the new valance with the fog/driving lamps. I had to customize the holes to hold the lamps I’ve had for 30 or 40 years. I’ll put a few more details in my build thread.

 

[4.0blue98]

Replaced the Duralast gold battery from 2014 with a "NeverStart". Haven’t used a Wally World battery in years so hoping for the best.

 

[holyford86]

After a hiatus of a month or so, resuming work on my replacement cab. getting the last of the holes patched and getting it ready for paint in a week or two. It has been quite an endeavor so far and I'm hopeful it all works out well. What I thought was a pretty decent cab turned into well over 100 hours of patching and repairing. it still has some little dings and dents but those will stay.

 

[scotts90ranger]

Front drivers side tire looked low on the '97 so checked and it was at 22 so aired it up and checked the rest, I'll investigate someday why that one was low...

Got the '90 into the shop after making room for it, now it's cramped... also made a list of what needs done to it before the end of the month when my next outing is...

 

[Rick W]

I hate when I have an uphill battle on stupid simple things.

The Missing Linc:

I ordered the parking brake switch, it’ll be here in a few days

I replaced the brake lights switch on the brake pedal, but I’m still having intermittent illumination. There’s a little play in the pedal, I’m wondering if something is worn in the linkage. Nothing I ever felt was unsafe, the truck stops fine, but I’m thinking that little wiggle might defeat the spring loaded part of the switch. If anybody has any wisdom on this item, I would love to hear it. I’m thinking I’m going to start with bleeding the brakes.

The Road Ranger:

Fuel pressure checks out, new plugs, new wires, new fuel pump, new fuel filter, and some other things. It’s still breaks up under power or when you just rev it high with no load.

So I bought the cam position sensor. Not the whole thing that goes down in the engine, just the sensor cap. When I finally got it off, the old one looked pretty rough.

What an incredible design, huh? The diabolical Ford designer (the one who has the witche’s kettle in his office) who put the smallest screws possible on this unit that is in the most inaccessible part of the engine, well, he has become number three on my list. Number one is the guy who invented speed bumps. Number two is the marketing genius who figured out how to make a two pack for those little items that you need once every 10 years.. That one was well thought out, because of course you put the spare one away, but sometime between seven and eight years you lose it, so the next time you need it, you have to buy two more of them. And now there’s this malicious idiot who works in a dark cubicle who designed this thing with the smallest screws possible, and puts it in the hardest place to reach or you can find without removing the top of the engine. I think we should put all three of them in a dumpster that we get from behind a fish store and roll them down the hill on the seventh layer of hell for all time. But I digress…

I took the main wiring harness cable off the firewall and a couple little things and folded them over to the driver side tire. You can’t see the unit at all, so I used my ham hock hands to reach around upside down and backwards, and feel the thing out with my railroad tie fingers.

I started trying to unscrew the screws with a quarter inch ratchet with no extensions, and I could actually get it onto the screw, but there was no swing room in any direction because of all the big wiring harnesses, and whatever down there. I say whatever, cause you can’t see it unless you remove the body of the truck or something.

Then I drew on the sum of my mechanical knowledge and tools, and I came up with this:

That’s a quarter inch ratchet with about 15 or 16 inches of quarter inch extensions. There’s the socket, then a universal, then a couple of wobble end extensions, and then a long extension to get it high enough in the air that you could twist the ratchet without hitting the back of the engine or the firewall. With all that I could get a little bit of an S carve so you could work it around the back of the upper intake manifold. I finally learned to put a little masking tape on such things to hold them together after losing about 10,000 sockets somewhere down inside the engine department.

I had to lay on my stomach on the fender, and reach my left hand all the way down and around, so with that trial and error torture, I could eventually slip the socket on the head of the bolt. While the ratchet was free in the air, I was in such an awkward position, that you could barely work it back-and-forth. But I only knocked it off the screw about 10 times. And no, I did not lose the skin from my knuckles, it’s all still down there behind the engine.

Of course, the best part of this kind of a story is when it all works out. Well screw that, it didn’t fix squat. The thing still breaks up when you read it high, and it breaks up under any kind of a load.

I’ll tackle the coil pack and the fuel rail relief valve today.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but if that doesn’t fix it, the only thing left are the injectors themselves, yes/no?

Is there any kind of a throttle positioning sensor that might cause the problem?

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I hate when I have an uphill battle on stupid simple things.

The Missing Linc:

I ordered the parking brake switch, it’ll be here in a few days

I replaced the brake lights switch on the brake pedal, but I’m still having intermittent illumination. There’s a little play in the pedal, I’m wondering if something is worn in the linkage. Nothing I ever felt was unsafe, the truck stops fine, but I’m thinking that little wiggle might defeat the spring loaded part of the switch. If anybody has any wisdom on this item, I would love to hear it. I’m thinking I’m going to start with bleeding the brakes.

The Road Ranger:

Fuel pressure checks out, new plugs, new wires, new fuel pump, new fuel filter, and some other things. It’s still breaks up under power or when you just rev it high with no load.

So I bought the cam position sensor. Not the whole thing that goes down in the engine, just the sensor cap. When I finally got it off, the old one looked pretty rough.

What an incredible design, huh? The diabolical Ford designer (the one who has the witche’s kettle in his office) who put the smallest screws possible on this unit that is in the most inaccessible part of the engine, well, he has become number three on my list. Number one is the guy who invented speed bumps. Number two is the marketing genius who figured out how to make a two pack for those little items that you need once every 10 years.. That one was well thought out, because of course you put the spare one away, but sometime between seven and eight years you lose it, so the next time you need it, you have to buy two more of them. And now there’s this malicious idiot who works in a dark cubicle who designed this thing with the smallest screws possible, and puts it in the hardest place to reach or you can find without removing the top of the engine. I think we should put all three of them in a dumpster that we get from behind a fish store and roll them down the hill on the seventh layer of hell for all time. But I digress…

I took the main wiring harness cable off the firewall and a couple little things and folded them over to the driver side tire. You can’t see the unit at all, so I used my ham hock hands to reach around upside down and backwards, and feel the thing out with my railroad tie fingers.

I started trying to unscrew the screws with a quarter inch ratchet with no extensions, and I could actually get it onto the screw, but there was no swing room in any direction because of all the big wiring harnesses, and whatever down there. I say whatever, cause you can’t see it unless you remove the body of the truck or something.

Then I drew on the sum of my mechanical knowledge and tools, and I came up with this:

View attachment 140082View attachment 140083

That’s a quarter inch ratchet with about 15 or 16 inches of quarter inch extensions. There’s the socket, then a universal, then a couple of wobble end extensions, and then a long extension to get it high enough in the air that you could twist the ratchet without hitting the back of the engine or the firewall. With all that I could get a little bit of an S carve so you could work it around the back of the upper intake manifold. I finally learned to put a little masking tape on such things to hold them together after losing about 10,000 sockets somewhere down inside the engine department.

I had to lay on my stomach on the fender, and reach my left hand all the way down and around, so with that trial and error torture, I could eventually slip the socket on the head of the bolt. While the ratchet was free in the air, I was in such an awkward position, that you could barely work it back-and-forth. But I only knocked it off the screw about 10 times. And no, I did not lose the skin from my knuckles, it’s all still down there behind the engine.

Of course, the best part of this kind of a story is when it all works out. Well screw that, it didn’t fix squat. The thing still breaks up when you read it high, and it breaks up under any kind of a load.

I’ll tackle the coil pack and the fuel rail relief valve today.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but if that doesn’t fix it, the only thing left are the injectors themselves, yes/no?

Is there any kind of a throttle positioning sensor that might cause the problem?

Throttle position sensor is a possibility. It can be tested with a multimeter though.

I still say it’s possible that the lower part of the cam sensor assembly is your problem.

 

[Rick W]

Throttle position sensor is a possibility. It can be tested with a multimeter though.

I still say it’s possible that the lower part of the cam sensor assembly is your problem.

I tried wiggling on it as much as I could in that stupid position, and it seemed really tight. But I’ll keep knocking down the clowns until we find the right one.