Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

kishy's 1985 Ranger

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    kishy's 1985 Ranger

    Finally, I can stop spamming this subforum with new threads as I pull them out of My Rides:

    This is my 1985 Ford Ranger, purchased with 123,768km in May 2015 for $600, which in retrospect was too much.

    Originally posted by kishy View Post
    ...In May of 2015 I bought a 1985 Ranger, total rustbucket, as a winter beater. Carb 2.0, TK5 manual, manual steering, basest of the base everything. I dragged my heels finishing the work on it, by November 2015 it was pretty much ready to rock. I've taken to slathering it in obnoxious ironic stickers, and made a "Pizza Planet" sign for the roof. Check it out here on Ford Ranger Forum if you like: http://www.fordrangerforum.com/proje...85-beater.html

    However, between extreme blowby (black and dripping "oil-air separator" air filter after just a season, lol) and a carb which I'm hopeless with, I've kinda shelved the Ranger for now. I want to do some obnoxious powertrain swap into it, but I also kinda like how crappy it is with 72 crank horsepower. Conflicted. It currently gets pulled out when I need do to truck things, or when it's the most accessible vehicle and the one I'd prefer to drive is broken.

    [ATTACH=CONFIG]46551[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]46552[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]46553[/ATTACH]
    Summarized from the Ford Ranger Forum thread:

    The second day owning it, the gas tank started leaking. Drained the tank into gas cans via the fuel line (truck was given to me with a full tank). Replaced fuel tank with new.

    June through November 2015:
    • Replaced timing belt
    • Flushed coolant with old rad (which had a seeping leak). After flushing out, replaced radiator/cap, hoses, thermostat, coolant.
    • 100% new brakes and lines, both hard and soft, all around, except for the drums themselves
    • new parking brake cables
    • engine oil (first time in 7 years, but not past mileage interval yet), differential oil, trans gear oil (Redline MT-90)
    • pulled out the axle shafts to verify bearing riding surface is good and replaced axle seals
    • Air filter & fuel filter
    • license plate lights (corroded wiring due to botched trailer connector install)
    • new tail lamps (old were cracked)
    • new shocks all around (crappy yellow Monroes)
    • headlamps
    • blower motor resistor
    • New floor pans screwed in (yes, screwed)
    • Added 12V sockets, as truck wasn't optioned with a lighter socket
    • outer tie rod ends
    • Carb removal and rebuild
    • patched passenger cab corner (really half-assed)
    • Received Ontario Safety Standards Certificate. Drove it to work that day.
    • Checked compression, looked good at the time, haven't checked it since
    • ran wiring for radio and installed one
    • Installed newer Bronco II mirrors
    • replaced ignition coil (new) and Duraspark II module with good used
    • Converted all 11xx style bulb sockets to 31xx style bulb sockets
    • Converted front side markers to signals which alternate with the actual turn signal (a la Panther Blinker Mod)
    • plugs/wires/cap/rotor
    • Changed trans output shaft seal and installed obnoxious lights, because truck


    Drove it all through winter into 2016 when it was seasonally retired to drive my '91 Grand Marquis for the warm months.

    In October 2016 a junkyard Ranger showed up with a TK4 transmission, which received a more durable and much more fun to use metal ball shift lever instead of the plastic one of the TK5. I swapped the shifter and the truck became a lot easier to drive, with shorter throw due to less slop.

    As of today the toe is still out by a lot, so I don't put tires I care about a lot on this for dry weather and only run the winter tires when weather is appropriate. I still want to put a better alternator on it, I'm thinking one of the small 3Gs from a Tempo might work with some alterations for mounting.

    Here are a bunch of pics:

















    Last edited by kishy; 10-02-2017, 11:23 AM.

    Current driver: Ranger
    Panthers: 83 GM 2dr | 84 TC | 85 CS
    | 88 TC | 91 GM
    Not Panthers: 85 Ranger | Ranger trailer | 91 Acclaim | 05 Focus
    Gone: 97 CV | 83 TC | 04 Focus | 86 GM
    | Junkyards

    #2
    Eh, you've still got it and it's still serving you well so money well spent I guess. Looks decent. When did they put the black paddle mirrors on those? I've never liked the swing away ones, hate them on our truck.
    1985 LTD Crown Victoria - SOLD
    1988 Town Car Signature - Current Party Barge

    Comment


      #3
      Originally posted by DerekTheGreat View Post
      Eh, you've still got it and it's still serving you well so money well spent I guess. Looks decent. When did they put the black paddle mirrors on those? I've never liked the swing away ones, hate them on our truck.
      The tiny useless mirrors (when you have a camper shell on the bed...) were the factory stock base model mirrors. The passenger mirror is not convex either. The paddle-looking ones (plastic body, unlike the ones I had which were metal) came later I believe.

      Comparison...
      Before, https://i.imgur.com/p9DzqOd.jpg
      After, https://i.imgur.com/lmbvnSm.jpg
      Last edited by kishy; 10-02-2017, 03:36 PM.

      Current driver: Ranger
      Panthers: 83 GM 2dr | 84 TC | 85 CS
      | 88 TC | 91 GM
      Not Panthers: 85 Ranger | Ranger trailer | 91 Acclaim | 05 Focus
      Gone: 97 CV | 83 TC | 04 Focus | 86 GM
      | Junkyards

      Comment


        #4
        Loving the sticker on the bed. I don't do stickers but I may have to get one of those.
        1990 Country Squire - weekend cruiser, next project
        1988 Crown Vic LTD Wagon - waiting in the wings

        GMN Box Panther History
        Box Panther Horsepower and Torque Ratings
        Box Panther Production Numbers

        Comment


          #5
          You call the cap a camper shell? I like the look of the old mirror. There were other black ones that came on the later years, like '89-'92. Starting in '93 with the roundier body they got bigger paddle mirrors which looked OK but they never stayed adjusted, especially in parking lots where people bump into them. If the bottom of the mirror isn't parallel with the ground, the OCD in me gets irritated...
          1985 LTD Crown Victoria - SOLD
          1988 Town Car Signature - Current Party Barge

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by Tiggie View Post
            Loving the sticker on the bed. I don't do stickers but I may have to get one of those.
            It's got a lot more stickers than that now...it's in rough shape so I don't mind it sticking out like a sore thumb. You won't find stickers on the paint of any of my others, though the wagon is probably going to get something.

            Originally posted by DerekTheGreat View Post
            You call the cap a camper shell? I like the look of the old mirror. There were other black ones that came on the later years, like '89-'92. Starting in '93 with the roundier body they got bigger paddle mirrors which looked OK but they never stayed adjusted, especially in parking lots where people bump into them. If the bottom of the mirror isn't parallel with the ground, the OCD in me gets irritated...
            Well, I don't, but it seems like the manufacturers of such things call them camper shells. I like "cap" or "bed cap" or similar, personally.

            From an aesthetic perspective I like the mirrors it came with, which have similar if not bigger glass area to the flappy paddle looking ones you mention, but the lack of convex glass on the passenger side is a problem and overall they're undersized when you have no shoulder-check visibility out of the cab.

            Current driver: Ranger
            Panthers: 83 GM 2dr | 84 TC | 85 CS
            | 88 TC | 91 GM
            Not Panthers: 85 Ranger | Ranger trailer | 91 Acclaim | 05 Focus
            Gone: 97 CV | 83 TC | 04 Focus | 86 GM
            | Junkyards

            Comment


              #7
              It's all about the aesthetics lol. The mirrors on my '94 were pretty large. The PO put those convex stick on bubble things that I wanted to take off but my brother convinced me to keep on. Would have rather had power mirrors.
              1985 LTD Crown Victoria - SOLD
              1988 Town Car Signature - Current Party Barge

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by kishy View Post
                but the lack of convex glass on the passenger side is a problem
                Wish I had that problem! Instead I got a convex passenger-side glass: "objects in mirror are closer than they appear" - well how much closer is that, when I'm trying to back an 8ft wide trailer into a 9ft wide spot I need to know EXACTLY where things are and "closer than they appear doesn't really cut it for that. Anyone know where one can get a flat (not-convex) glass for OBS passenger-side mirror? Other than importing one from the UK that is.
                The ones who accomplish true greatness, are the foolish who keep pressing onward.
                The ones who accomplish nothing, are the wise who know when to quit.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by His Royal Ghostliness View Post
                  Wish I had that problem! Instead I got a convex passenger-side glass: "objects in mirror are closer than they appear" - well how much closer is that, when I'm trying to back an 8ft wide trailer into a 9ft wide spot I need to know EXACTLY where things are and "closer than they appear doesn't really cut it for that. Anyone know where one can get a flat (not-convex) glass for OBS passenger-side mirror? Other than importing one from the UK that is.
                  OBS as in the aero-ish wing mirror or the ones like on my Ranger now from the Bronco II?

                  In the case of the latter, they can be flipped from side to side, so just find a junkyard driver side mirror and put it on the passenger side.

                  Current driver: Ranger
                  Panthers: 83 GM 2dr | 84 TC | 85 CS
                  | 88 TC | 91 GM
                  Not Panthers: 85 Ranger | Ranger trailer | 91 Acclaim | 05 Focus
                  Gone: 97 CV | 83 TC | 04 Focus | 86 GM
                  | Junkyards

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Aero-ish, I got the power model (fuck manual small mirrors, talk about useless for offroading), funny shaped glass that cannot be flipped.
                    The ones who accomplish true greatness, are the foolish who keep pressing onward.
                    The ones who accomplish nothing, are the wise who know when to quit.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      I like that Ranger. Looks to be in better condition than mine; save for the floors. And you have 3 pedals! I had a lot of fun with my '92 with the 3.0L/T5 combo. I hope that truck lasts quite a bit for you.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        I drove a '94 with a 5 speed and a 3.0. Felt that was a decent combination of power for the truck. Was certainly leagues better than my 2.3 powered five speed 94.
                        1985 LTD Crown Victoria - SOLD
                        1988 Town Car Signature - Current Party Barge

                        Comment


                          #13
                          My 3.0L was a dog, but still fun to drive. I learned how to drive a manual shift with that truck Perfect commuter/work truck. I'd still have that truck if it wasn't fatally t-boned. Would totally have attempted the 5.0L swap by now.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            I can assure anyone without any hesitation, if you think a 3.0/auto is a dog, you might actually have a heart attack trying to get on the expressway with the 2.0.

                            72 horsepower when it was new and between carb tuning issues and what I suspect is a leaky head gasket I wouldn't be surprised if it's hovering around 40 available. I beat the snot out of it to get it up to speed.

                            Current driver: Ranger
                            Panthers: 83 GM 2dr | 84 TC | 85 CS
                            | 88 TC | 91 GM
                            Not Panthers: 85 Ranger | Ranger trailer | 91 Acclaim | 05 Focus
                            Gone: 97 CV | 83 TC | 04 Focus | 86 GM
                            | Junkyards

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Anything with <150HP/200ftlbs of torque coupled to a 4sp auto will feel like a turd. My 4cyl ranger wasn't too bad, but then that's probably cause I got used to it. I do remember when the A/C was on it was terrible. Then one day I was riding around with a total of four people in the truck and 300lbs of sand in the back during the winter. I got so pissed off with it I had to redneck dump the sand in the back. The '93 3.0/5sp was what I'd go with should I do another ranger, or no more than a reg cab shortbox with 4.11's if it's another 2.3.

                              You probably really aren't "Beating the snot out of it" since it's a low compression turd with a peanut cam. Keep the oil clean and it'll probably put up with that type of abuse until you're sick of it. That's one thing I noticed about the 4 banger rangers I've seen in the yards, all the stick shift ones were clean, never saw a sludgy one.
                              1985 LTD Crown Victoria - SOLD
                              1988 Town Car Signature - Current Party Barge

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X