'85 Ranger Restomod

85_Ranger4x4 · Jul 23, 2016

1qaz said:
Looking good! That Dana 35 is going to look great when its in.

Thanks,

I can't wait for the axle to get in so I can move on to something else. It is stressful when I have to assemble the thing on the truck and keep track of everything...

85_Ranger4x4 · Aug 15, 2016

Car show is this weekend so I have been trying to get my wiring situation wrapped up. Not sure it is done for good (what is?) but it looks much better.

"Before pics" before its annual scrub down:

And it got a little period correct roommate. It will both make a neat accessory for car shows and handy for spraying weeds.

Its story and build thread is here:

http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1572068#post1572068

85_Ranger4x4 · Aug 22, 2016

Car show was perfect weatherwise, a storm the night before I am sure chased a few away but mid 70's for the car show is unheard of. It was chilly for most of the morning and perfect in the afternoon.

Noticed this while walking past a neighboring car:

It waiting for me as we tore down after the show:

And they had a photographer there so I got a professionally done "before" pic.

I noticed more people checking it out than ever which was weird. Also had two guys tell be they don't know how I can restore it since they have never heard of anyone reproducing parts for them. Different companies than they deal with for their muscle car parts is all...

I went junking yesterday trying to find just plain polished aluminum windshield trim to no avail, I did find this:

I got it and the clamp, I just need the wrench so I can get everything to clamp in correctly.

pr4d55 · Sep 26, 2016

awesome build! exactly what i wanna do with my 86 single cab long box diesel! love how it sits! not too high and not too low! Great job excited to see what the future holds

85_Ranger4x4 · Sep 28, 2016

pr4d55 said:
awesome build! exactly what i wanna do with my 86 single cab long box diesel! love how it sits! not too high and not too low! Great job excited to see what the future holds

Thanks!

Always in motion the future is. :icon_thumby:

Anyway, it is always hard to get her back into the groove of things after the car show, I took these pics a few weeks ago and just refound them on my phone:

Flexy time (backing out of the barn lot onto my driveway):

85_Ranger4x4 · Oct 2, 2016

Ranger got cruise control today. :headbang:

It will take a little fanagaling making the cable from a 2.9 work on a 4bbl but assuming everything else worked before (which is probably a lost hope) I think in theory it should be plug and play.
http://i376.photobucket.com/albums/oo203/125_puller/Ranger Buildup/IMG_6462_zpsyl6tqopa.jpg
Also got a 2x manual shifter bezel in case the day ever comes that i get a 5 speed. It might not even work but I have it anyway I also found nice black windshield trim and a brake reservoir off a second gen, for some reason they seem to hold up a lot better than first generation stuff.

1qaz · Oct 2, 2016

Gotta love good salvage yard finds! I hope everything still works. :icon_thumby:

85_Ranger4x4 · Oct 3, 2016

1qaz said:
Gotta love good salvage yard finds! I hope everything still works.

Me too.

Strongly thinking about going back up next weekend and grabbing the steel dash support (perfect shape and tan) with the dash harness.

In its previous life some ninny drilled holes and scratched my dash support all up and I know like my radio harness was hacked by the PO... the BII had a factory tach. On the fence about snagging the cluster, it is about 10k closer (within 1000 miles) of where the cluster is in my truck right now.

dangerranger83 · Oct 3, 2016

My new 92 ranger came with cruise control, have yet to use it though haven't been on a highway. Also being a manual trans, it will take practice on using it. I do question why it didn't come with a tach, was an option yet being a manual, but came with all the other bells and wistles. But because my speedo needle is broken, I might try and find a dash with the tach in it and hook it up, want to keep the factory look.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk

85_Ranger4x4 · Oct 3, 2016

dangerranger83 said:
My new 92 ranger came with cruise control, have yet to use it though haven't been on a highway. Also being a manual trans, it will take practice on using it. I do question why it didn't come with a tach, was an option yet being a manual, but came with all the other bells and wistles. But because my speedo needle is broken, I might try and find a dash with the tach in it and hook it up, want to keep the factory look.

My 5 speed Eclipse had cruise, worked like cruise in anything else. But the boost gauge would climb on hills so it wasn't like downshifting was ever an issue.

As far as tachs go I think they were more likely to be found in higher end trucks. The BII I pillaged was an Eddie Bauer. The Ranger I got my first cluster out of was loaded.

I forgot to mention, I went to put the vacuum dump valve in last night so I wouldn't lose it and there was nowhere to put it. Dunno if I need a bracket, I wouldn't think the pedal support would be different.

adsm08 · Oct 3, 2016

I think the non-cruise brackets don't have the hole for the valve.

85_Ranger4x4 · Oct 3, 2016

adsm08 said:
I think the non-cruise brackets don't have the hole for the valve.

That would be very Fordlike. :annoyed:

I saw two small holes up there, I think I will try to make something I can bolt in if it comes to that.

85_Ranger4x4 · Oct 4, 2016

I popped the trim off the windshield so I can seal up the gutters and put on my pretty new-to-me trim.

There was a petrified hunk of sealer in that hole, I poked at it a little with my knife and it fell out never to be seen or heard from again.

DS (where the floor has been suffering because of water intrusion) it was in there but not sealed as tight before I started playing with it.

The cowl looks good so bonus points there I guess.

I need to clean it up and get it resealed (just using clear silicone for now), get new clips and get the trim back on it.

And I need more parts for my cruise. The harness in my truck going down to the VSS only has two wires (and my '85 EVTM agrees with that) while the '88 cruise system I got has three wires. I didn't get that pigtail or the sensor (I thought I already had it...)

85_Ranger4x4 · Oct 5, 2016

I got the gutters sealed, dunno how well it will work but the flowing clear windshield sealant by Permatex is neat stuff. Hoping in two years I can repaint it and seal it right with epoxy.

I found the bracket to hold the vacuum dump valve on the pedal assembly Lariat threw in with my D35.

And of course when you change one thing it seems like you have to change everything. I think I can trim the bracket to live with my ignition module but I don't know how my nice neat pretty wiring I just got done working on is going to fit with the vacuum servo. And of course the hole in the firewall I have ran pretty much all my wiring thru is the one I have to get the connector thru for the cruise too. :annoyed:

After that I went on to trying to save the steering wheel center. I almost didn't get it, it looked pretty bad but I figured if nothing else I might want the switches. It is amazing how Armorall and a little scrubbing seemingly melts that gunky buildup.

Came out pretty darn good I think.

Went from this:

To this:

I put the old one back on, didn't feel right having the other one on until I had everything else. I do like the new look though.

dangerranger83 · Oct 5, 2016

It is amazing how nice ranger dashes and steering wheels clean up despite the neglect they get.

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'85 Ranger Restomod

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