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WIP 1996 Ford Ranger (Vintage)


manger

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 15, 2009
Messages
65
City
Placerville, CA
Vehicle Year
1996
Transmission
Manual
Vintage is the theme of my truck. When it's done it will have some striking vintage throw back mods. Steel wheels painted bright red with chrome 14" trim rings and center caps.(I may favor thin steel wheels with moon style hubcaps and an actual bias-ply blackwall tires keeping up with the vintage work truck theme. no chrome here.)
White wall radials. Bed mods include: tubular crown around bed, wood venier slats across bed floor and sides, embossed steel ford oval on tailgate, tailgate cables replaced with chain, stock tailights will be shaved and addressed with vintage looking free standing lights. The front will get a complete grill makeover round headlights and vintage grill material and lowered fender tops. Feel free to make suggestions about this! I think a smaller rear window that pops out would be cool. it could have a chrome bezel. My ideas are aggressive but with good planning and lots of prefitting would make could outstanding daily driver.

projvint.jpg


I like this one a 1942:

exmple1.jpg

rancomparo.jpg


Back to the WIP. so far I have been concentrating on maintenance. It got the coolant system flushed, power steering fluid flushed, new differential oil, new transmission oil, new spark plugs... other maintenace includes oiled tailgate hinge mechanisms.(well worth the time)


when I got this truck it looked like this:

ran5.jpg


It was a decent shot at a desert pre-runner. However, it was Hell to drive, rough and unpredictable bump steer. I decided it needed to be fun to drive first. Even after replacing a ball joint, adding a 4x4 pitman arm, and installing adjustable camber bushings it still drove like s__t. The coil spacers had to go.

I added the factory sway bar and replaced the radius arm bushings. I basically rebuilt most of the twin I-beam set up. Then I put aluminum wheels and realistic tires back on. It became much easier to drive.

DSCF1031.jpg


Recently I located a tailgate and bumper at a recycler for $200. I sold the 31"s and spare tire mount for $400. Picked up the Deer Prints wheels for $50.00 on craigslist. I welded up the holes in the bed and repainted it. This all started in may of 2009 and here it is today march 2010. I relocated the driving lights to the rear bumper. I have started to fix the cracked bedsides and hammer out dents in the fenders and bumpers. The heater core had to be replaced. Here's the dash pulled back, tedious.

DSCF1011.jpg


Here's the filler neck being replaced:
DSCF1053.jpg

More pics with tailgate and bumper.
DSCF1057.jpg


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DSCF1056.jpg


back soon with some more updates!
 
Last edited:
What does (WIP) and (vintage) mean in the thread title?

Is this a cali thing?

Like gang signs or something?

I think I'm missing something :black_eye:
 
WIP = work in progress

strange to see someone buy a modded truck only to put it back to stock. different strokes for different folks i guess.
 
did you put that cat on yet?
 
Yeah the Magnaflow cat is installed with a Flowmaster. appreciate you sending me that pat Reggiosme. it flows good especially with factory headers! there is quite a bit of exaust gas being pushed out the end of the muffler tip!
 
I like this project. With a Ranger one can only go so far without it getting out of hand, and this looks perfect, it is about what I would do with my Ranger, enough to improve it but not make it look like it has too much. Well done.
 
magnaflow
Posted by drivingch

I have been thinking about having a Magnaflow muffler installed without a cat-back kit, just the muffler..would the correct size be 2.5 inches on this thing? The reason I would like to do this is to have a little more hp/tq for less downshifting out of overdrive going up hills, and the added sound would be ok too. I was thinking a 22 inch muffler because I would like it to be relatively quiet, something like a factory 2004 muffler sounds maybe. The guy I talked to at Sears said it wouldn't help at all with downshifting and I would probably lose gas mileage, is he correct about that? I also mentioned putting on a cold air intake and he said that wouldn't help either. I already placed an order on a cold air intake, and am planning on having a muffler installed soon. Any info. on this would be greatly appreciated.




By far the cheapest place to get magnaflow is ebay
 
This thread reminds me of my 97 Ranger I had the "rat rod" look.
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32170510151_large.jpg

32170510156_large.jpg

God I miss this truck.....
 

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