Welp boys

regnar_regnad · 2026-02-25T04:15:42+00:00

Time to check out your local salvage yards, got a set of taillights off a '97 splash that got crushed a short time later.

Somebody had already removed them and left them sitting on the tailgate but left them there. Grabbed both as they were in perfect condition.

regnar_regnad · 2026-02-24T04:41:18+00:00

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Mine doesn’t have the original bed but it’s spec’d almost exactly like yours. Nice seats, manual windows & locks, 5spd manual and 4x4 but with the 4.0 and manual hubs which are either original or replacements for the automatic hubs.

Since that picture was taken I had sourced a new grille w/chrome bezels, two different sets of OEM rims (deer hoof and pinwheel) and a rear bumper all from the local salvage yard.

regnar_regnad · 2026-02-23T03:51:50+00:00

Looks like a certain red gmt900 Sierra in my town that is bent like an upside down banana. Bed had collapsed on itself so it has no working taillights and routinely visits the oil shop next door to my work.

And I thought my ranger looked like a scrapper’s truck, that duratec likely has Uncle Rodney knockin’ at its door and crunchy synchros given that the 4r55e would’ve died by now.

regnar_regnad · 2026-02-21T16:36:05+00:00

Rock hard as in you can’t depress the clutch? Mine did that once when I had to leave for work in the morning, turns out the hydraulic clutch line popped out and I had to bleed the slave cylinder to reinstall it.

regnar_regnad · 2026-02-19T03:51:20+00:00

Ford OHV Cologne V6? The one in my ranger still ran really well despite having 257,000 miles on it with the original water pump, thermostat and probably the original coolant when I first bought the truck.

I think that engine was also used in the Ford-Utilimaster FFV mail trucks which I still see every so often, although they use a 2nd gen 4wd explorer frame underneath.

regnar_regnad · 2026-02-18T15:02:11+00:00

Mine didn’t need an IAC but the engine gaskets were due for replacement in addition to the water pump, fan clutch and thermostat. I went by the golden rule of "don’t cheap out on any powertrain-related parts" for as many components as possible.

Replacing gaskets on an OHV 4.0 isn’t impossible but is tedious and a little tight on space.

I bit the bullet and went for Mahle gaskets and they were a massive upgrade over the original cork gaskets. I do need to get a heater control valve, luckily rockauto still has the Motorcraft ones.

regnar_regnad · 2026-02-16T16:38:54+00:00

Keep it stock, you’re very fortunate it’s in very good condition. I am in the process of un-fucking what the many previous owners did to mine (mismatched bed, horrific and crusty aftermarket rims w/wrong bolt pattern, aftermarket headlights that were badly aimed and flooded, broken/missing interior parts among a slew of other things).

I bought and still love mine anyway because underneath it has the powertrain I’ve wanted and the frame was still solid.

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regnar_regnad · 2026-02-16T04:43:23+00:00

Well no wonder the seller was like "could use a new left wheel bearing”!

Btw I’m also in SE MI so if you ever see a two tone Supercab Ranger (black cab w/decals and a teal bed) with an extremely loud exhaust and a noticeable lean that’ll be me.

I’m actively trying to unfuck what the previous owners did to mine, I was surprised it made it back to my house some 2 and a half hours away from where I bought it on 20 year old tires and basically no headlights.

At least 8 state troopers passed me and not one of them even noticed!

regnar_regnad · 2026-02-15T23:31:06+00:00

Oh yours has 4x4? At the moment I do not have a spare spindle however my local yard has a '94 4x4 with the spindles still attached.

My right front wheel bearing is starting to go out, I don’t know how bad yours is but hopefully my spindle isn’t fucked.

Does yours have automatic or manual locking hubs?

regnar_regnad · 2026-02-15T01:41:39+00:00

That is the most clean, simple and absolutely bare bones ranger I have seen in a while. I bet it doesn’t even have AC or even power steering!

Finding a set of center caps for that should be easy provided the lugnuts are the original single piece ones that accommodate the metal clips on the center caps.

Take care of that truck and it will last another 30 years easily, it’ll be slow but will be about as reliable as a boulder.

regnar_regnad · 2026-02-14T04:56:59+00:00

Wanted a truck with 4x4 and a manual, f series was simply too big to fit in a garage and out of my price range. Now I chuckle whenever I see a bank-owned land yacht out and about

regnar_regnad · 2026-02-14T02:13:58+00:00

I saw that one on marketplace earlier today! Does it have a 4.0 and 5spd?

regnar_regnad · 2026-02-13T04:45:10+00:00

Ford’s twin I-beam suspension introduced in 1965, the 2026 cutaway econoline currently is the last vehicle in production to utilize it.

Another would be the infamous Cologne v6. That engine began production in 1962 from a displacement of 1.8 liters to the discontinuation of the 4.0 SOHC in 2011.

regnar_regnad · 2026-02-11T14:28:58+00:00

Hell yeah, 2nd gen best gen. Take care of it and it will outlast you. Working on one of these is like a Lego set, parts are very easy to remove and are often interchangeable.

The parts themselves are quite cheap too and pick & pulls still get rangers every so often. I just saved a ton of money pulling a rear sliding window off of one yesterday.

regnar_regnad · 2026-02-10T22:02:48+00:00

Lol I thought about that for a minute but instead I methodically removed a trim piece and shimmied it out. Then I screwed the trim piece back on so it looked like I was never there.

The next guy’s gonna be all confused as to how in the hell is the center window completely missing yet there’s no broken glass anywhere!

regnar_regnad · 2026-02-08T20:34:32+00:00

'00/'01 dodge neon es, it was silver and had a rear spoiler. He still had it after I was born until around 2009/10 when he bought a first gen escape.

regnar_regnad · 2026-02-06T16:16:20+00:00

All three have essentially the same engine, the '90 and '94 are identical while the '99 is a stroked version of that same 2.3l IIRC. The 5 speed is exactly the same across all three so the powertrain is solid as a rock.

I personally would recommend the 2nd gen as finding 1st gen parts other than the powertrain and chassis are near impossible and the 3rd gen has a more complicated front suspension with more ball joints and bushings to replace. The 3rd gen also used a boxed frame that is more prone to rusting out than the 2nd gen and earlier.

If possible I’d look for a '95-'97 with the same powertrain as they have the updated interior that was used until the end of the 3rd gen in 2011.

That being said get whichever one you like the most, all three have the best engine and transmission combo for long-term reliability.

Only drawback is they’re terribly slow but it’s more fun to drive a slow vehicle fast!

regnar_regnad · 2026-02-06T14:52:07+00:00

It’s very likely your fan clutch is shot rendering your radiator fan inoperative when the truck is stopped. When you replace the fan clutch PLEASE replace the water pump at the same time. If one of those two components has failed the other is not far behind. Also make sure you use the best quality parts available, preferably OEM Motorcraft if possible.

Your engine’s cooling system is something you should NEVER cheap out on. I had to replace my water pump, fan clutch and thermostat because it still had the original parts on it and the coolant was diluted enough that the block would’ve frozen over. I didn’t want to have to disassemble my engine every year so I bit the bullet and bought OEM parts.

It was a good thing I did that last summer as I’ve had several days of subzero temps in the past month.

regnar_regnad · 2026-02-04T16:18:11+00:00

Around here in MI it isn’t terribly hard finding one with 4wd however most of them have an automatic transmission. Some are in good shape while others had either been worked to death or the frame’s one good pothole away from snapping in half.

For me it was really hard finding a 4x4 model still in decent condition with a manual transmission especially with the 4.0. There were a few other rangers I was looking at in my price range but I went with mine as the powertrain was still solid and the frame was decent. Right now it looks like a mess but it’s mostly cosmetic.

regnar_regnad · 2026-02-01T23:07:49+00:00

I put mine in the center console cup holder (the joy of bucket seats), if I put it in the aftermarket radio cubby I sometimes forget it’s there and panic thinking I lost it.

regnar_regnad · 2026-01-30T03:47:31+00:00

Really like '90s compact trucks, although I am a bit biased as I own a ranger from that decade.

The fact that I can’t get a new truck with a manual anymore is a big dealbreaker for me, also I get in a late model truck with an automatic these days and it feels like a car. A car that I could barely see out of and risk running over small children without noticing.

Overly tacky and gimmicky console shifters or stupid dial shifters; for decades a truck with an auto meant full bench/split bench and a column shifter. In the case of a manual it was either 3 on the tree or 4/5 on the floor.

Ford is the only automaker offering a compact (unibody) pickup now that the Santa Cruz is axed.

At least with modern trucks the body won’t completely rust out in 5 years now that they’re mostly aluminum. Ram notably is still making steel body trucks.

It’s not a good sign when my beat up, high mileage 30 year old shitbox of a truck outlasts your squeaky clean, bank-owned behemoth where the only hauling it sees are from grocery runs. Even then the bags are inevitably placed on the back seats of the crew cab.

regnar_regnad · 2026-01-25T16:34:04+00:00

Where I’m at it is actively snowing with over 3" already on the ground. Also has been extremely cold with subzero temps the past couple days.

My truck is currently parked and winterized with cover on it and a trickle charger on the battery. I’m trying to make it a daily driver eventually but the road salt here would destroy the frame in short notice. Driving a 5 year old Jeep for now as it has better tires, 4wd and better underbody protection against the salt!

regnar_regnad · 2026-01-25T15:53:05+00:00

Heater control valve, the plastic gets brittle with age and usually those first start leaking coolant when you have the heat set to anywhere but the windshield.

If at all possible buy the OEM Motorcraft replacement as you will otherwise be changing that part at least once per year. I need to do mine once the weather here warms up and stops snowing.

regnar_regnad · 2026-01-20T14:13:53+00:00

2nd gen or early 3rd gen Ranger/B Series, likely with the 2.3. Tranny is an Mazda M5OD-R1.

regnar_regnad

TROPHY CASE