Yeah it was chilly today, 19 degrees up here lol. Looks good, how does the exhaust sound?

 

looking good frank, you and dan ever set a date?

 

Yeah I'm on spring break from the 8th to the 16th, if you guys need a extra hand during then don't hesitate to ask.

 

if i was you id put new heads on that motor, the early 2.9s are bad for crackin

 

WELL aware of it. I may get to that, but as of now I just want to stabilize everything and get everything working and in good shape.

 

nice job frank, how does that new muffler sound?

 

Quieter than not having one, haha. It still have a nice grumble to it. The muffler was a cheap one (Walker I believe). I bought a kit to save money and as a result the muffler was a cheap one, at least compared to the dynomax on the Ranger. The cat on the other hand is really well made. Gotta love Magnaflow products.

I'm going to try and get some Explorer coils and leaf springs tomorrow. Care to help me install them this weekend?

 

looks good Frank!

 

Good lord that is a big parking space. You could put that BII in there sideways.

 

I will be out of town this weekend but if your not busy during the week tues/thurs are my days off so I could help out then or the following weekend.

 

 

I parked it there for a reason...nothing else but minimize the dents it already has, haha. Granted, I'm probably NOT going to go crazy with dent removal aside from replacing the smashed up fenders.

 

Setback Day :( Well, I was able to get the horn working, but it's definitely going to need adjusting to get it so you don't have to slam down on the wheel to make it sound.

Therangerofdanger, aka Tony, came by to help me. The plan was to go to the junkyard to upgrade the suspension, but Tony and some mechanics agree that the suspension is fine. I'm going to trim my fenders instead to stop the rubbing on the tires and install some new shocks.

THE BAD NEWS. We turned the engine on and let it idle...and the muffler started smoking. Uh oh. We took it to some mechanics I've worked with and the engine is running REALLY rich...way too rich. They think it's either an ignition or a fuel problem. Now I get to wait and see what the problem is...and what it costs. Sigh. Well, at least I only have to change out the shocks. Looks like the interior and rust proofing will be what I spend the bulk of my time with.

 

Before you do that, get your chilton's manual out and check the codes. My '87 Ranger with the 2.9l started doing that and it coded the EGR valve as being the culprit. After doing some searching around it turns out the plastic mount the vacuum tube went to cracked. I got one out of a junk yard and replaced it, no more black smoke.

 

They checked all the hoses and didn't find any cracks. On two of the cylinders the spark is REALLY weak and this appears to be why the vehicle is running rich and has next to know power. Hopefully whatever it is won't be too pricey.

 

You could always do the spark plugs, wires, distributor cap and rotor button change. It's not that expensive or hard to do and who knows, it could save you a bunch later on. It certainly can't hurt to do it. I'd still pull the codes out of it as well. Would be a good thing for peace of mind to do.

 

Well, with the Bronco in the shop I opted to get some parts to fix a few problems I found.

Here's a photo of the bunch...not back for $25 total ($2 to get in the yard)



I got two door handle covers, a turn signal unit, horn sensor unit, the fasteners for the fuse panel cover, a dome light, a bunch of tree fasteners for the door panels, the plastic cover for the top of the steering column, pin covers of the door locks, and a console armrest. I wasn't planning on grabbing the armrest, but since I NEVER see them in decent shape, I grabbed it. The cloth has no tears and is a nice dark grey. I'll add a console at some point...I need to get some decent seats first. At least all of this should get the steering column fixed up, haha.

 

wanna sell it Frank $1000 cash?

 

Dang, I just got it! Don't know if I can turn it around that fast.

 

lol.....

 

bit much dont ya think? course i may be a bit jaded, i can find rangers/bronks in simmiler shap for less then that, course around hillbilly hell here eveybodys got one they want to get rid of. (unless you want one lol)

 

I trimmed the stock fenders today. Overall I removed a little over an inch all around, and close to two inches at the bottoms where I was having rubbing issues. This should more than clear my 30" tires. My paint job is rattle can blue...laugh now, because it is terrible, but as long as things don't rust I really could care less right now.

 

looks good Frank.....

i can't wait to find me a BII......

 

Thanks Maurice. I've never done sheetmetal work before, so I found the experience quite enjoyable, and didn't think I did that bad a job at it. I thought I would get more comments on the work too, haha.

 

Nice job Frank. Cutting and rolling wheel well opening is not fun and can be a pain in the butt sometimes.