the rustbucket rat
#1
the rustbucket rat
picked this up on march 1st 2013 for $1100.... 1990 ranger S longbed, 2.3, 5 speed, 2wd, stock and rusty but ran and drove really good, gas guage didnt work ( still need to fix that) and tailgate didnt open
at first I thought about an offroad build, but it wasnt in the budget and I saw a rat rod ranger build on another ranger site and thought that a rat rod shop truck build could be done on the cheap
picked up a toolbox for $50.... found more surface rust.... with some work manged to make the tailgate work
started some poormans bodywork
at first I thought about an offroad build, but it wasnt in the budget and I saw a rat rod ranger build on another ranger site and thought that a rat rod shop truck build could be done on the cheap
picked up a toolbox for $50.... found more surface rust.... with some work manged to make the tailgate work
started some poormans bodywork
Last edited by 90longbed; 08-09-2013 at 10:15 PM. Reason: photobucket issues
#3
telephone pole and a comealong work good forr pulling out bumpers.... heres some of the rust
the interior when I bought it
took off the tow ball and painted part of the bumper
more poormans bodywork
first shift **** I put on it.... more on that later
at this point was when I changed to a rat rod build.... painted the wheels fire red and removed the fender emblems
#4
found a stash of emblems was gonne use a ranger emblem fron a 73-79 f series, it broke when I went to install it, but I had another one that would fit in the same holes I drilled
cut 12" off the antenna and put a skull on the end of it
at this point here is what the truck looked like
did a color change on the grille emblem
was missing a cargo hook on the rear and the front ones were usless with the box so I used one to replace the missing one and put the other on the tailgate
the letters were peeling off on the tailgate so I removed them
didnt like the look so I hand painted them
cut 12" off the antenna and put a skull on the end of it
at this point here is what the truck looked like
did a color change on the grille emblem
was missing a cargo hook on the rear and the front ones were usless with the box so I used one to replace the missing one and put the other on the tailgate
the letters were peeling off on the tailgate so I removed them
didnt like the look so I hand painted them
#5
the air silencer and preheater were in really bad shape so I took it off.... the heatshield on the exhaust manifold was pretty rusty so I removed it too
made a trip to the local pick n pull and picked up a few things... a full size spare , a LF light bezel ( could only find a chrome one so I took it apart and painted it to match)
shift **** came apart so I changed it
also found these window cranks from an older ranger
found these one day while shopping with the wife
took off the stupid duralast plaque that was on the toolbox and raided ny emblem stash again
through some horse trading I got these mirrors to replace the floppy stock ones
on another trip to the junkyard I snagged this shiftboot from an older ranger and modified it to fit
also grabbed this headlight **** that fits my oldschool theme
made a trip to the local pick n pull and picked up a few things... a full size spare , a LF light bezel ( could only find a chrome one so I took it apart and painted it to match)
shift **** came apart so I changed it
also found these window cranks from an older ranger
found these one day while shopping with the wife
took off the stupid duralast plaque that was on the toolbox and raided ny emblem stash again
through some horse trading I got these mirrors to replace the floppy stock ones
on another trip to the junkyard I snagged this shiftboot from an older ranger and modified it to fit
also grabbed this headlight **** that fits my oldschool theme
#6
the muffler went out so I cut it off and measured and headed off to the auto parts store
here is what I got for $46
got it put on and it sounds good
was hard to use the mirrors in the stock location so I moved them
neglected to take pics but I gutted the interior and got rid of 23 years of dirt, broken glass and change... only 26 cents
here is how it looks now
here is what I got for $46
got it put on and it sounds good
was hard to use the mirrors in the stock location so I moved them
neglected to take pics but I gutted the interior and got rid of 23 years of dirt, broken glass and change... only 26 cents
here is how it looks now
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#13
did some more painting parts today.... the fan motor and the brake booster had some surface rust on them so I sanded them and painted them.... also cleaned off all the dirt on the fan itself
also found the bracket broken off the oil dipdtick tube and the PO put it back together with zipties... I removed the bracket, drilled a small hole in it and put a rubberized holddown for plastic conduit around the dipstick tube and attached the bracket with a screw, had the stuff laying around so it didnt cost me anything
I also had a short in the licence lights... had to cut out 3 of the original solder connections because if you fiddled with them the lights would stop working...now they work fine after repairs
also found the bracket broken off the oil dipdtick tube and the PO put it back together with zipties... I removed the bracket, drilled a small hole in it and put a rubberized holddown for plastic conduit around the dipstick tube and attached the bracket with a screw, had the stuff laying around so it didnt cost me anything
I also had a short in the licence lights... had to cut out 3 of the original solder connections because if you fiddled with them the lights would stop working...now they work fine after repairs
#14
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#17
bought these driving lights to put on the back of my k5 blazer as back up lights and ended up going another way , so I decided to put them on the ranger
mounted the toggle switch on the empty spot on the left side of the dash below the headlight switch.... also used a relay which I mounted near the underhood fuse and relay center
mounted the toggle switch on the empty spot on the left side of the dash below the headlight switch.... also used a relay which I mounted near the underhood fuse and relay center
#20
a few weeks ago the rustbucket rat was in a fender bender with a lowered s10...me making a left turn and he came speeding around a corner.... was ruled my fault because I was making a left turn even though I was stopped when he hit me
so I took off the air deflector and the broken driving lights and pulled the bumper off and beat the bumper back into shape the best I could
lost one of the hubcaps, so I took them off
bumper still didnt look right, so loosened it and put flat washers on the upper mounting bolts between the bumper and frame... much better
still need to get some driving lights and a few other odds n ends
so I took off the air deflector and the broken driving lights and pulled the bumper off and beat the bumper back into shape the best I could
lost one of the hubcaps, so I took them off
bumper still didnt look right, so loosened it and put flat washers on the upper mounting bolts between the bumper and frame... much better
still need to get some driving lights and a few other odds n ends
#22
#23
not much new here....fixed the damage from the wreck , put on some utility lights I had laying around from my k5 blazer.....did a budget fix on the windshield washers....hooked up to a toggle switch... had to get another tank, found one at the junkyard...today I made a skull headlight ****...
#24
right now the ranger is the only driver at my house.... the other rigs we have are either not running or have expired tags......money is really tight , so driving my 4x4 is out and the tags expired last week....build is gonna be more towards a practical daily driver..... here is how it looks at the moment
stock 90 window cranks are back in because one of the old school ones broke...I am done working on my k5 blazer for now so I am working on the ranger ....gonna see what else I want to do to it... will keep ya posted
stock 90 window cranks are back in because one of the old school ones broke...I am done working on my k5 blazer for now so I am working on the ranger ....gonna see what else I want to do to it... will keep ya posted