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I went to a local LKQ junkyard today and bought myself two 1987 Ranger fenders and a 1987 Ranger front bumper. I previously acquired a new front stone guard.

Today I pulled off the damaged front bumper and stone guard. I washed the corner lights and one of the rear taillights and removed the old exhaust pipe to make way for a new one. I removed the driver's side mirror to remove the screw that was broken off in the bracket. It looks like I'll be drilling that one out :(

The big surprise was when I pulled away the rear carpet...to find that when the new fuel pump was installed they achieved this by cutting a hole in the floor pan. Ugh. I don't have a welder nor know how, so I opted to get a piece of ventilation metal, paint it with primer on the underside, use some caulking for roof flashing, sheet metal screws, and basically patched the hole up that way. This is right above the gas tank so it is relatively protected. I'm going to be putting bedliner over the entire floor pan eventually so I'm not too worried about this for now.

Rust and stabilizing it is my big challenge after I get the new exhaust system installed. The frame rails are solid, but I don't like looking at rust. North Carolina has been in a drought, so I don't believe I legally can pressure wash the underside of the vehicle. My next best option was a wire brush on a drill...then primer-to-rust paint, and finally undercoating the frame rails. The sheet metal will have small around of stripper painted on any of the rusted areas to remove the old paint, then I will use primer, bondo if necessary, then more primer to hold it over until I paint the entire vehicle.

Here are some pictures from Day 1

Hello Hole


Hole patched


Old damaged bumper and stone guard


Replacement bumper and plastic trim (I'm going to clean the rust off the inside of the bumper, then paint the underside of it


Removed mirror on Driver's door


Some of the removed door components


Current front end look

 

I would make a rubber gasket for that panel in the floor you put in. That way if for some reason you have a fuel pump problem in the future you can remove the screws and just pull the panel and not have to deal with the sealant. It makes life alot easyer. We did this with a friends blazer, so he didnt have to drop the tank when his fuel pump went.

 

I was thinking about that...I figured this way I can always remove the screws and break the seal to access the pump if I need to. Knowing my luck, I will right after I put bedliner down, haha. The guy I bought this from did not know about this hole...he bought it from the original owner who was overhauling it, so I presume he made the hole. I'm hoping when I pull the main carpet I won't find any more surprises.

The piece of rusted metal appears to be there to hold down the rear carpet only. I'm most likely going to chuck the entire thing. I may have a piece of wood cut and carpeted to place back there on the floor in the future.

 

did i mention how jealous i am of your BII

 

nice job Frank!

if I were you, I would convert the front end to be a '90-'92 style front end......

 

good idea,i did that to an 88 a few years back and it helped the looks of it alot

 

I just bought fenders to replace the original battered ones, as well as a bumper. I thought of converting it, but money wise, right now my focus is just to get an exhaust installed, learn to drive it, then to start clean up the frame and underside. There are a myriad of issues that need to be fixed, from little things to bigger things. In good time I'll know what I need to do.

 

good luck with your project,i would like to see it when it is done

 

Thanks. Any tips you can offer based on your Bronco II work would be greatly appreciated. In early March I will be tackling the frame and trying to seal it...that alone will be quite the challenge for myself.

 

Update: I picked up a new set of WARN hubs for $90 (clearance) and cleaned the old hardware off my new "used" fenders. The hubs on the vehicle look stock and are gnarly to say the least. For $90 new, I figured it was worth the investment.

There are holes on the bottom of the fender from where this trim was mounted. I'm not sure how to go about patching it, but my plan is to to use epoxy putty...and maybe line the edges of the fenders with bed lining to cover everything up.

Anyways, here are some pics.

 

nice gob on getting the Warn's.....they are good hubs....

 

Thanks...pure luck. All it appears I need to do is unclip the old hubs, grease up the inside of the hub a bit, insert them in place, install the clips, and put the wheel back on. That's my kind of mod...quick and relatively painless :)

 

you gotter down pat......

time to get yourself a Chilton Manual for it!

 

Yesterday afternoon my new Magnaflow catalytic converter arrived. I also cleaned up my new used bumper from the JY. I cleaned off the rust on the backside, primed it and then painted it flat black with one of the duplicoat rustoleum paints. I don't think it looks too terrible. I'm waiting for my muffler and piping so I can get the exhaust hooked up and see how the engine runs with a functional exhaust on it.

 

again, nice job Frank!

if there are any parts you need, let me know. The local yard I go to has a TON, i mean A LOT of Gen I-III Rangers and a TON of BII's.....and they are cheap...

 

I may be looking for little things here and there Maurice...many thanks for the offer. I know in the interior I will be looking for little things. As for the exterior, I don't know until I really dig around. Once I get the exhaust installed I need to register the vehicle and get it inspected. I think the engine needs to be timed properly and I want to have a mechanic look over it and make sure it all checks out. That work is still beyond my ability.

 

Frank if you need someone to work on it pm me and i might be able to work on it at school for you.

 

Dan, that would be awesome. Define "at school." It's currently in the parking lot of my apartment complex. I'm going to be changing out the entire suspension at some point and installing 91-94 Four-Door Explorer coils and leaf springs, plus new shocks for the beast. Cleaning the frame and painting it over with Chassis Saver is my biggest challenge at this point in time. It's looking like I'll be wire brushing it all by hand!

If you or folks you know could help me change out the coils and leafs that would be a godsend!

 

I don't have pictures offhand, but I thought I would give folks a run down on what I have done with the Bronco the past two weeks.

The bumper I picked up at the junkyard was cleaned, the backside wirebrushed, rust-to-primer paint applied, then gray primer, then flat black rustoleum paint applied.

The stone guard had the rust wirebrushed, it sealed with rust-to-primer, then grey primer applied, then three coats of industrial strength Northern Tool OSHA Blue paint (cheap and rattle can, paint is not a major concern...rust is).

I've been cleaning paint overspray off of the stock turn signals, though that's more cosmetic than anything else.

Ordered new front radiator rubber shock mounts as the stock ones are torn and rusting apart.

Exhaust is FINALLY arriving today so I should be able to get it all installed next week.

Looks like I need to order Chassis Saver paint for the frame and to fix other rust spots here and there.

Got a new bracket to remount the driver's side mirror.

Added nylon brushings for the rear hatch so now it seals TIGHT and doesn't rattle.

Removed the rear bench seats pulled back the carpet. Carpet is in good shape for being the stock carpet, though I still will probably replace it. The floor pan has some rust in spots, a few bad bubbles under the sealed joints, but no holes. I'm not quite sure how to handle those except to clean out all the rust and liberally apply JB Weld to the joint areas.

Well, I think that is everything. I've ordered some windshield sealant that is supposed to "flow like water into cracks and leaks and then seal solid" to try and stop leaks in the one side window. Worth a shot at least!

 

The coils are very easy to change out I have the tools to do it, and I woudl be more than willing to help grind/wire wheel the frame, just pm me when you need some help.

 

it got the 2.9?

 

Yes, and it runs, though I'm not sure if it is timed correctly.

 

Dan, that would be a godsend, at least to get the coils and suspension changed out. I may, time permitting, have to put the frame off to another day. Just getting the new suspension on would help a ton. Just let me know how I can repay you for the help.

 

then it should be fine other the little odds and ends, just make sure you never run it hot, caus the head crack really easy.

 

I got the exhaust installed today in the lovely 30 degree weather. The bracket for the old catalytic converter had to be modded to fit the new cat. The guys at Midas heated it up and bent it to fit saving me a heck of a lot of time. I used new 10.9 bolts and hardware so hopefully it won't come apart. It's the not fanciest muffler or pipe, but the cat is a Magnaflow and hopefully it will last me a few years. Here are some pictures.

I never jacked up the vehicle at all...I just crawled under and bolted stuff up.