I was not planning on getting this in depth on this truck. But I have to face facts. I am addicted to truck builds. This is going to be a light going over. I still have my Papa’s truck waiting to get completed. Anyhoo, what we have a 1987 Ranger STX. It was in relatively good shape when I got it. The previous owner tried to take care of it, but just did not have the knowledge to do so.

What has been done so far:
The truck ran like crap and had two dead cylinders when I drove it two hours back home. The plug wires were fried, the points in the cap were burned up and the timing was way off. I pulled the air plenum and cleaned it thoroughly. The EGR port was so clogged I had to use a ˝ drill bit. The valve cover were leaking and missing bolts. I went through and rewrapped the wiring harness with new tape and loom. I addressed many details as I went along. The tranny was dry when I bought it so I dropped the pan and serviced it. It helped, but still shifts sporadically. The interior is in great shape just needed a good cleaning. It looks great now, all it really needs a new dash pad. The large piece of trim on the tail gate of course fell off when the previous owner had it. Thankfully he saved it. I was able to repair and reinstall it. I would prefer to delete it but thanks to the big holes Ford drilled in the sheet metal I cannot. Oh my god the amount of water I have sprayed on this truck. I have no idea how much I have spent on water and degreaser. I have hit with the pressure washer many times and the underside and engine compartment it still greasy. There is more here and there but you get the idea.

Today’s plans:
I know 2.9 engines are not power monsters. But they do put out better than this one is. I have got it running 100 times better but it is still lacking. I think the cats are clogged up so I am deleting them. The previous owner had new exhaust ran from the cats back with a brand new Dynomax muffler. I do not at all like the exhaust that is on there, but it will do for now. While the exhaust is out I will be replacing the modulator. I hope that will clear up the sporadic shifting. I will also service the rear diff and install my new spare tire.

By the way, I also picked up a parts truck. My plan was to convert the STX to dual tanks. But I have to change out the bed which means new paint. I kind of like the faded green and peeling stripes. So I am going to leave it has it is and just part the parts truck out.

 

Nice! Looking forward to seeing this project.

Do you have any plans to modify the truck at all, or are you mostly just looking to return it to a reliable stock truck?

 

I have some minor mods here and there planned. But I abandoned my plans for serious mods. I like it like it is. I will be giving the engine some more kick when I rebuild it though.

 

I like it as is too. Those trucks just don't look quite right to me when they have a bunch of mods done to them.

 

Love that body style.

 

I was thinking about some suspension and running gear upgrades. But for a daily driver that will see occasional trail use, I just do not see a reason fro it.

 

I did not even come close to getting everything done this weekend. Between having to help friends unexpectedly and discovering more problems with the truck, I got very little accomplished.

The funny thing here is I have several sets of jack stands. Yet they are all being used under other non running vehicles. So, I had to improvise a bit.

This is the section of exhaust I cut out of the donor truck. Looks like the previous owner also deleted his cats. I figured there was no use in doing the same work again. Boy was I wrong. I am starting to think there should be a back ground check before someone can buy a welder. After I ground down very excessive and sloppy welds I spent a huge amount of time fixing thin areas and pin holes. I do not want to know how much I spent on electricity, gas and wire dealing with this hunk of crap. I wish the exhaust shops were open; I would have started over with new material. I plan a whole new exhaust system in the future, so this is temporary anyway.

I pulled the original 1987 spare out of the truck. Looks like it has never touched pavement before. I put its life expectancy at less than five minutes at highway speeds. I hate seeing all that meat go to waste. I picked up a never used spare at the salvage yard out of a late model Explorer. But it is an inch and a half bigger. New tires are in the works as well as a matching spare.

I got a surprise when I drained the rear diff. I did not expect to find the truck came stock with 4:10 gears. Some years back when I was building these trucks into trails rigs I would have given a left nut to find one stock with a 4L10 tag on the diff. The clutches in the LSD I think need some help. But they work well enough for now. I found out the drums are adjusted a bit too tight so I will give them some slack tomorrow.

I also replaced the original 1987 shocks. They are beyond worn out.

I found a mess of wiring. One of the biggest and most time consuming issues I have with old trucks is correcting what previous owners did. I installed the proper trailer wire connector while I was at it. I have several lying around anyway.

I did other stuff here and there as well. I hope to wrap up the exhaust tomorrow.

 

I finished up the exhaust and it is horrible. Those were by far the worse welds I have ever laid down. The material was terrible and the product I started with should have been scrapped. However, I tried to make it work anyway. I knew better and went against what I knew to be true. So, now I get to do it all over again. But this time, I will use new materials and go with the design I prefer.

 

Drove it for the first time today since my last go round. It still does not shift right. I did not drive it long enough to say for sure if there is any noticeable improvement. But I can say for sure there are still issues. I think there is something going on in the valve body.

The exhaust is going to get on my nerves until I correct it. It does feel like the engine is putting out a bit better. But at the same time, it feels like I am pulling a trailer. I have had not a chance to check the brakes. Maybe they are binding. I know the rears are adjusted a little too tight.

 

I pulled the drums to check the adjustments. All is well and the resistance I felt before was not there this time. Also, the brakes look new. The drums look like they were just installed.

 

I just drove the dog snot out of this truck. It is running so much better. It shifts better and pulls better. The cats were clogged as I suspected. The exhaust drone makes me want to strangle kittens, but I will correct that later. It still labors with hills though. I think it might be a fuel issue. I was pricing tools for cleaning fuel injections systems. That may have to happen soon.

 

Installed newish windshield wipers. One I bought new from the store and the other I found in a salvage yard. Yeah, that is all I gotten done lately.

Took the STX out of town yesterday and it did pretty well. I have seen an improvement in fuel mileage and it shifts much better. But it still idles high though. I guess I have a vacuum leak somewhere. I just do not know what else to look for. Anything thoughts?

 

great work so far! its nice to see older trucks being maintained / resurrected.

 

I am liking this one more and more.

 

Nothing real glamorous to report on this build, I am still sorting out the basics. Yesterday I repaired a pretty significant power steering leak. It left puddles on my driveway it was leaking so badly. That leak contributed to the nastiness under the truck. I have been working to clean it all up and have made a lot of headway. Next will be an oil leak I found. I am still having an idle issue but it comes and goes. I am planning to get into the fuel system soon. Today I found a few things at the salvage yard. I got a very nice spare. Now I can get rid of the 14 inch rim and tire and I have been driving around with as my spare. I picked up a few minor things that will help update the interior just a bit. I do not want to change too much though. I will get into those details when I gut the interior.

 

Now this really sucks. I have been slowly accumulating the pieces and parts I need for a while now. I was planning to get started on the suspension very soon. And I almost have what I need to finish interior. I also have a new set of tires coming from a buddy of mine. Then this happened. Another driver tried to shoot across four lanes of traffic because he “thought he could make it”. I broadsided his car as a result. This is what really pisses me off. We have the same insurance company but there is talk of them totaling the truck. I am very angry. The bad part is the whole truck will have to be painted. There is just no way to match the new fender with the old faded paint. I love the old faded green on it. Painting the whole truck will easily exceed its value. Luckily I have a friend that works at the body shop the insurance company uses. He and I are working to keep the cost down.

 

Some idiots these days. Glad that you're okay though!

 

At least the guy accepted responsibility. Most people would have tried to weasel their way out of it

 

Glad you're ok and good luck with the gtruck. It was starting out to be a good build!

 

I was just about to start the meaty part to

 

Any news from the insurance company? They better not total it!

 

Still waiting.

 

Let us know what insurance says it's a beautiful truck

 

I just got a little good news. But I am still far from knowing for sure.

 

That is a nice looking truck. I hope it doesn't get totaled.