This is my first post here, but I'm no stranger to forums so let's get started.

I bought my first Ranger last week for $1200. It's a 1995 2.3L 5 speed truck with 180K, but it needed a little help.



First was exhaust. Broken Header studs, completely disconnected at the cat, and rotted muffler. So I drilled the studs out, welded new bolts in, , fixed the cat connection, and replaced the muffler.











I also did plugs while doing the exhaust. The wires were in good shape so I didn't replace them. The plugs that came out are some of the worst I've ever seen. I'm not sure how this thing even ran!



Then the rear suspension surgery started. All 4 leaf spring mounts were rotted to hell, and the rear shackles weren't even there. You can see in the first pic that the rear of the truck is sitting a little low. This is why:






So I spent over a full day replacing everything:











Here's all the pic since I didn't want to post a ton:

1995 Ranger Suspension Photos by robguitargod12 | Photobucket

I also replaced the ignition lock cylinder since it was broken and the key was in 2-pieces. Pics aren't uploaded, but they're not great anyway. Simple, turn key on, push retaining pin in, pull cylinder out.

I still need to replace the windshield, install a remote start, find a spare tire mount, fix the parking brake, and fix the ****-poor radio install.

 

Oh and apparently Van Halen makes these parts....