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- Joined
- Dec 16, 2011
- Messages
- 77
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- Vehicle Year
- 95 Ranger 2.3L
- Transmission
- Manual
Hi all! Its been a long time since I have had a Ranger. Back in my younger years, I had a reg cab '93 2.3L 2wd, and later an ext cab '96 4.0L 4x4. I always loved those little trucks. But, after having a family, and bigger towing requirements, now years later, I have since driven cars, SUV's and an F-150.
But, now having a bit of a commute to work, I wasn't loving the 12 MPG of my F-150 4x4, just to drive to work and back, 60 miles everyday. So, I came across this little ext cab '95 2.3L 5sp 2wd, through a guy I know from work. It doesn't look like much, but should pay for itself in less than a year, in gas savings alone, plus saving the miles on my F-150.
So, I picked it up two weeks ago, and here it is, after about 8 hrs of cleaning, inside and out. I wish I had taken pics before the cleaning. Its amazing what I huge transformation a thorough scrubbing can do for a neglected 16 year old truck!
It had been regularly parked under several huge pine trees, since new, for the past 16 years of its life. It had 100+ piles of sap about the size of chocolate chips, fused to the roof, bed rails, fenders, windows, and dripping down the sides, that were a nightmare to remove. It had the spare tossed in the bed, with 16 years worth of composted pine needles (mud) caked under and around it, and a black moldy/dirty grimy film, pasted all over the truck and bed. Bumper stickers that crumbled and shredded upon attempted removal (but sticker remover works wonders), on the tailgate. Wheels with several years of brake dust caked on and rusted. I am quite sure this truck hadn't been washed in many, many years, if ever. The interior was covered in thick dust and more and more pine needles, leaves, and dog hair.
Anyway, its clean now (still need to shampoo the carpet), but I realized it has more body damage than I noticed when looking it over, and the headliner is pretty bad (from a leaking TBR and a dog's claws I assume). I believe I have the TBR and sliding rear glass leaks fixed now. I also found out that the leaf spring hangers need replaced sooner than I originally thought...the passenger side front is broken in two pieces! But, it runs great, and only has 80K miles.
A fuel filter and air filter replacement put the MPG at 25, up from 21. I have a box full of new parts to put on; a thermostat and gaskets, a temp sender, a rad cap, timing belt and tensioner, and accessory belt. I also picked up a couple yards of a gray polyester fabric for $5, that I intend to recover the headliner with. Next to order are the leaf spring hangers and shackles, and a set of plugs, and this truck should be pretty solid. I hope to see 27 highway MPG when I am done with the tune up.
Sorta strange, but the husband of the lady I got it from, told me that the spare was not for that truck...a 15" with a 235/60R15 tire. He said that a tire shop mistakenly put that in the truck when they bought new tires (the truck now has 14" steel wheels that I have never seen on a Ranger before). A quick look at the build sticker showed that the truck came with 15"x7" wheels and 235/60R15's !? And he was the original owner. Strange, but it appears the spare is correct, and the 4 wheels on the truck were swapped. I have some nice 15x7's sitting in the garage for it anyway, just waiting on the new tires to come in. That should make a huge difference in appearance for sure. Then, some paint on the hood (or I'll find a nice used "EG" paint code hood) and front fenders, because the clearcoat is peeling in those areas, and she'll be pretty sharp for a beater!
Anyway, this is a neat forum you folks have here, and I look forward to hanging out here, as I tackle these projects. Sorry for the long winded post, here are the pics.
But, now having a bit of a commute to work, I wasn't loving the 12 MPG of my F-150 4x4, just to drive to work and back, 60 miles everyday. So, I came across this little ext cab '95 2.3L 5sp 2wd, through a guy I know from work. It doesn't look like much, but should pay for itself in less than a year, in gas savings alone, plus saving the miles on my F-150.
So, I picked it up two weeks ago, and here it is, after about 8 hrs of cleaning, inside and out. I wish I had taken pics before the cleaning. Its amazing what I huge transformation a thorough scrubbing can do for a neglected 16 year old truck!
It had been regularly parked under several huge pine trees, since new, for the past 16 years of its life. It had 100+ piles of sap about the size of chocolate chips, fused to the roof, bed rails, fenders, windows, and dripping down the sides, that were a nightmare to remove. It had the spare tossed in the bed, with 16 years worth of composted pine needles (mud) caked under and around it, and a black moldy/dirty grimy film, pasted all over the truck and bed. Bumper stickers that crumbled and shredded upon attempted removal (but sticker remover works wonders), on the tailgate. Wheels with several years of brake dust caked on and rusted. I am quite sure this truck hadn't been washed in many, many years, if ever. The interior was covered in thick dust and more and more pine needles, leaves, and dog hair.
Anyway, its clean now (still need to shampoo the carpet), but I realized it has more body damage than I noticed when looking it over, and the headliner is pretty bad (from a leaking TBR and a dog's claws I assume). I believe I have the TBR and sliding rear glass leaks fixed now. I also found out that the leaf spring hangers need replaced sooner than I originally thought...the passenger side front is broken in two pieces! But, it runs great, and only has 80K miles.
A fuel filter and air filter replacement put the MPG at 25, up from 21. I have a box full of new parts to put on; a thermostat and gaskets, a temp sender, a rad cap, timing belt and tensioner, and accessory belt. I also picked up a couple yards of a gray polyester fabric for $5, that I intend to recover the headliner with. Next to order are the leaf spring hangers and shackles, and a set of plugs, and this truck should be pretty solid. I hope to see 27 highway MPG when I am done with the tune up.
Sorta strange, but the husband of the lady I got it from, told me that the spare was not for that truck...a 15" with a 235/60R15 tire. He said that a tire shop mistakenly put that in the truck when they bought new tires (the truck now has 14" steel wheels that I have never seen on a Ranger before). A quick look at the build sticker showed that the truck came with 15"x7" wheels and 235/60R15's !? And he was the original owner. Strange, but it appears the spare is correct, and the 4 wheels on the truck were swapped. I have some nice 15x7's sitting in the garage for it anyway, just waiting on the new tires to come in. That should make a huge difference in appearance for sure. Then, some paint on the hood (or I'll find a nice used "EG" paint code hood) and front fenders, because the clearcoat is peeling in those areas, and she'll be pretty sharp for a beater!
Anyway, this is a neat forum you folks have here, and I look forward to hanging out here, as I tackle these projects. Sorry for the long winded post, here are the pics.
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