Vodka's 85 Ranger XLT

[NeonVodka [Veteran Member]]

Ok, I will admit, this truck was a piece of crapola when I got it. Ran long enough for me to get it home from Missouri and died in the shop. After having to shell out a cool thousand bucks for it, I was not pleased. Add on all the other goodies to have the title in your name, tags, and car insurance.

Anyway. After the truck died the first time, I got to digging around and discovered a "barely there" ground wire on the starter solinoid side. Of course, this is after I replaced the battery and the solinoid thinking they were bad. Truck cranked just fine, but had a nasty lope when it is first started. Shoving my foot on the gas did just fine and it wouldn't give me any problems once it got warmed up.

The problem? A clogged fuel filter.

And the oil leak.... My God, I don't think the man was a mechanic at all. He was complaining about a bad oil leak. I popped the hood and saw a big hole in the oil filter cap. I was staring at him like he was an idiot. Should have been my cue before I ever left the state. I replaced the valve cover gaskets as well and... Well, even working as a mechanic on military vehicles, I never saw anything quite that bad. Stripped gears yes.


Anyway.... To cut this short, here's a list of things I replaced.

Rotors on all wheels
Brake pads and shoes
Wheel bearings on the front (both sides)
Rear brake seal
Radiator & hoses
Starter side solinoid
Valve cover gaskets
Oil pan gasket
Master cylinder
Completely rewired speakers in cab
Heating element

And here's the crap that's still wrong with it.
Sticky gas gauge (works when it well pleases)
No high beams
Hazard light switch jammed
Cancer by both rear tail-lights
Wrong size rear bumper
Bed needs to be redone with proper bushings... Not with washers and sockets welded together.

Crap I've added to it:
Step one lift kit, tires, and rims
K&N Filters all the way around
2 CB antennas and CB radio. (That was FUN.)
Brush guard
Diamond Plate toolbox (To hold all my crap in the case of an inevitable break-down)
New radio complete with USB ports. The old CD player would shoot the CDs back at you with enough force to remove a finger. Just ask Bob
Cab visor (think of the ones you see on the 85 Broncos)
Tint
Replaced back glass with a solid sheet instead of the original style.

Things I intend to do to it:
Replace original bed. Cancer is pretty rough.
Repaint in black with burnt orange pinstriping of my design
Stage two lift.
Add side steps for my short butt.
Replace original tail-lights with a Euro style.
Add running lights across the top like the Ford 250.

[oO_Rogue_Oo [Veteran Member]]

That is quite a list; sounds like you've been having run LOL

There is a ride comming up at the end of May; think you'll make it. Nothing too crazy; its more of a camp out / trail ride. Bring a tent and a sleeping bag and most of the rest is handled.

http://mississippi-mud.com/Thread-Laurel...ay-26-28th

Come on out and meet everyone.

[Reserector [Veteran Member]]

That reminds me of my rig when I first drove it home. You made it home, though.

[liftedwj [Veteran Member]]

ima enjoy watching the build

[NeonVodka [Veteran Member]]

Yaayy for updates.

New problems:
Oil pressure is low (again)
Truck tends to run hot: Especially on warm days. Nights not so much. I think I need to replace the thermostat and water pump. Fiance thinks it's the thermostat.
Truck stalls in reverse. I'm pretty sure since the anti-freeze and power-steering fluids were bone dry, the truck needs ATF fluid. The hard shifts (especially reverse) leads me to think this.
Paint job. Truck needs this, so I may be spending two or three days sanding down it down to the metal and priming then adding four to six coats of black rustoleum high gloss.
Nuts won't fit onto bolts for brush guard.

[NeonVodka [Veteran Member]]

Well still not sure what the cause of the oil pressure could be. Turns out that the shroud that is supposed to be over my fan wasn't there, so it wasn't able to do its job properly. Replaced that and the was a happy truck. Still tended to stall in reverse even after the ATF was added. Also had to drain the oil because the morons at Dipstix put three quarts of oil too much and were drowning my engine. No telling how many gaskets were ruined because of the excessive pressure. The entire engine and components are just covered in motor oil.

Engine still leaks a bit, but after cleaning it appears to be the oil pan gasket. Still have some horrible blow by (you can smell it in the oil) so I'm considering rebuilding the engine or replacing it entirely.

Also added a gasket on the carborator (why it wasn't on there to begin with I have no idea) and the little garnet at the top needed one too to keep water out of the engine.

However, none of this matters. I took my truck to my local mechanic to have the wheel bearings replaced, as well as all other bearings in the front. I picked it up about ten hours later and paid him four-hundred dollars. I start driving home and the passenger side front tire locks (at sixty mph), flips me into the ditch and sends the entire wheel flying. I crawl out to make sure the dadgum thing doesn't explode, and start looking at the newly upright front end. None of the bearings had been replaced, and the U joints were so bad that they had a 1/2 inch or more slack so that the dog ears were touching. In fact, the axel bearings were obliterated on BOTH sides so bad that the only thing holding the wheel on was the locking 4 WD hubs. The hubs they were supposed to be in looked like they had been chewed on by a very angry dog.

I went and found the mechanic and broke his jaw since his negligence nearly cost me my life and did cost me my truck. I also made him give me my money back. Even if he had replaced the bearings, the U joints were so bad that he should never have let the truck leave the shop. It was painfully obvious, even to me. I was just too trusting.

So I guess this is the end of my little Ranger. I've already pulled the entire front end out and have started replacing the parts. The ruined engine is hanging from an A frame and I'm deciding whether to just sell it for scrap and get either a Dodge or another Ford. As it stands, between money funds and work, it will be at least six months before I will be able to get the "Widower" back operational again.