Cant believe im saying this...

[rusty ol ranger]

as ive never given up on a project vehicle.

But i might on this B2 i just bought

The further i dig into this thing...the more and more im finding.

The wiring is a mess for one. I noticed today the PS pump or hose or something is leaking...bad. The transfer case is leaking. Whoever the idiot was that put a new O2 in let the wires lay on the exhaust. The floors seem worse then what i really thought at first. Then when i towed it up to the barn to really dig into it a wheel cylinder blew.

But that wasnt the real kicker.

I started digging into the rust issue (body) in the back drivers side corner. I pulled the plastic trim, rolled the carpet back, and its...for lack of a better term...f*****.

The corner of the rear sill is gone. The "box floor" around the filler neck is basicallly completly detached from the body. Around the taillight inner housing is pretty trashed.

This may be above my skill level with metal working. Im not after a showpiece....but i dont wanna literally lose the back 1/4 going down the road. Normally id say screw it but i dont want the whole back corner sitting on the rubber filler neck.

Maybe i just need to vent my disappointment....maybe i will just give up on it...which is hard because besides the things i listed...its a nice little B2. All the gauges work, the seats are nice, everything works, speedo says 10,xxx miles...i believe it to only be 110k...and honestly the body itself (on the outside) isnt bad.

Either way. Any words of encouragement? Lol. Should i let it go? No one else besides other car guys understand this struggle lol.

 

[RobbieD]

Sleep on it. Then look at it again tomorrow.

I can feel your angst.

 

[Uncle Gump]

I'd look closer st the frame... coil bucket area... spring hanger area... etc...

If that's all good... just patch up the sheet metal... make it mechanically sound. Then go have some fun with it.

Spending its life in Michigan... it's just what it is.

If you like it... start searching down south for a more rust free option. Then you'll have a parts truck.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

I'd look closer st the frame... coil bucket area... spring hanger area... etc...

If that's all good... just patch up the sheet metal... make it mechanically sound. Then go have some fun with it.

Spending its life in Michigan... it's just what it is.

If you like it... start searching down south for a more rust free option. Then you'll have a parts truck.

Ive been all over the frame. Its great. Actually its only the drivers side of the body underneath thats bad. The passenger side is completly solid...weirdly.

I kinda think the back end is so rotted cause of an unaddressed water leak. The passenger side looks new

 

[ericbphoto]

Ive been all over the frame. Its great. Actually its only the drivers side of the body underneath thats bad. The passenger side is completly solid...weirdly.

I kinda think the back end is so rotted cause of an unaddressed water leak. The passenger side looks new

Doesn’t sound so bad when you put it that way.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Ranger cab and flatbed.

Then you can wheel with us.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

Ranger cab and flatbed.

Then you can wheel with us.

Honestly if i get this thing going good coming out one of these times is on my bucket list

 

[RobbieD]

Ranger cab and flatbed.

That's not a bad idea.

If you junk the body on it, it seems that those big side windows aren't common anymore.

There may be some profit in the parts off of an otherwise hopelessly rusted body.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

How solid is the cab on Rusty #1?

 

[rusty ol ranger]

How solid is the cab on Rusty #1?

Lmao....

That's not a bad idea.

If you junk the body on it, it seems that those big side windows aren't common anymore.

There may be some profit in the parts off of an otherwise hopelessly rusted body.

Ive noticed that.

 

[gaz]

@rusty ol ranger
Boycott beauty, raise the flag of function; haul off the dead, usher in guesting, then cover it with a sheet. Get to where there is an inside...AND an outside then spill some rattle can on good primer.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

@rusty ol ranger
Boycott beauty, raise the flag of function; haul off the dead, usher in guesting, then cover it with a sheet. Get to where there is an inside...AND an outside then spill some rattle can on good primer.

Oh im not after beauty in the least. But would like to keep it a B2

 

[RobbieD]

Oh im not after beauty in the least. But would like to keep it a B2

The soul of the B2 is its wheelbase; the shortest of all RBVs.

THAT is why they are such a blast to drive. They are the nimblest, the most agile of the breed.

It's the frame. Even if it has a Ranger cab, it's still a B2.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I had a b2 with much worse rust. I bent some sheet metal and screwed it into place, then used a grinder to knock off the sharp points. I used it for a snow plow with a 3 point mounted up front...
There is a build thread somewhere.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

I had a b2 with much worse rust. I bent some sheet metal and screwed it into place, then used a grinder to knock off the sharp points. I used it for a snow plow with a 3 point mounted up front...
There is a build thread somewhere.

I think what im going to do is drop the fuel tank, get some angle iron and run all the way across on the front and back of the filler neck, above the tank (assuming theres clearence, it looked like there would be, ill measure today) drill holes down from the top (to mimmick a body crossmember), use carriage style bolts to tie everything togther, then bolt (or attempt to weld) a good solid piece of 1/4 inch plate on the floor around where its broke.

That way itll bolster up the whole back end, and should be pretty close to factory strength and deal with body flex ok. Yes it might cause it to pinto if i get ass packed but a B2 frame im sure has more structural integrity then a pinto.