david85
Full Access Member
Not a diesel, but still a nice little setup. From what I can tell, it has every factory option and was well cared for by a mature previous owner. Currently, it enjoys life as my Dad's "Pet" truck. I also borrowed it as my daily while at apprenticeship training school in Vancouver. Overall, its a very easy vehicle to live with. Good handling, reliable, tight turning circle and comfortable for sort or long trips.
Having test driven later rangers from this century, as well as owning a 1987 ranger (diesel converted), I feel confident in saying the 2nd gen rangers were the best compromise.
The body and interior are mint, but there are some minor rust issues that need to be addressed. Rear bumper is toast, cab mount brackets are going and the rad support is trying to eat itself in half. However compared to my "Tin Bashing" thread, this will be a walk in the park. No patching, no bondo, no paint, no warping sheet metal from welding. Just Hack & Replace what's bad.
For now, I'm only replacing the Rad Support and the related support brackets on the frame. Unlike the F-series of the same vintage, Rangers have the rad support welded permanently into the body. So the cab, inner fenders and the rad support are all one assembly. Makes for a strong unitized construction but also makes my life more difficult.
All the pinch welds needed to be drilled out in order to remove the old rad support. Most shops would probably either plug weld, or even use panel bond to put it back together. I plan to replace each spot weld with a 1/4" SS bolt, while also sealing the joint with urethane to keep moisture out.
Here we are administering anesthesia:
Face comes off:
Yup, its malignant...
That's the main tumor removed:
Having test driven later rangers from this century, as well as owning a 1987 ranger (diesel converted), I feel confident in saying the 2nd gen rangers were the best compromise.
The body and interior are mint, but there are some minor rust issues that need to be addressed. Rear bumper is toast, cab mount brackets are going and the rad support is trying to eat itself in half. However compared to my "Tin Bashing" thread, this will be a walk in the park. No patching, no bondo, no paint, no warping sheet metal from welding. Just Hack & Replace what's bad.
For now, I'm only replacing the Rad Support and the related support brackets on the frame. Unlike the F-series of the same vintage, Rangers have the rad support welded permanently into the body. So the cab, inner fenders and the rad support are all one assembly. Makes for a strong unitized construction but also makes my life more difficult.
All the pinch welds needed to be drilled out in order to remove the old rad support. Most shops would probably either plug weld, or even use panel bond to put it back together. I plan to replace each spot weld with a 1/4" SS bolt, while also sealing the joint with urethane to keep moisture out.
Here we are administering anesthesia:
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Face comes off:
You must be registered for see images attach
Yup, its malignant...
You must be registered for see images attach
That's the main tumor removed:
You must be registered for see images attach