I guess I just don't like how you can see stuff behind the grille with the black. If I paint those black, then it will be "get black rims", "paint your toolbox black" etc. I do however like the 06+ grilles. Stx grilles are nice but they are hard to find.

 

I'm confused did you take your BL off?

 

Nope... the body lift is still on there. I just have a seperate thread for that. It came right after I got the 33's in May 2010. I did have to put my step bars back on because I had knee surgery, it's a lot easier to get in that way :)


EDIT: Merged Body Lift thread in with this build thread.

 

looks good, if I were you I would either redye that plastic on the rear bumper or at least hit it with some armour all cause it looks a little faded and everything else on the truck looks sooo good. Just a thought for the edge decals, you could try covering them with chrome hvac tape.

Cutting into the headliner for the ohc is tough but just take your time and I only went a little bit at a time and always cut a little less than I had to just to be on the safe side. Its a fairly easy install though.

 

Hate to say it but on my yellow edge I had the same feeling about the stupid orange edge stickers that dont go with anything! But what I did was went to the mall to one of those sticker making kiosks. Picked out a color, font, and size then put them on that was over 2 years ago and they aren't faded and I say add a nice touch that really only other ranger owners notice. Plus its really cheap to do I'm pretty sure they were only a couple bucks and I put the one on each side and then because I can added one where your 4x4 sticker is on the tailgate. Its a little smaller but I really like it. Ill grab some pics soon to show ya.

 

I'm pretty sure it was a Porsche font but here they are. Ignore how dirty it is poor thing doesnt get driven since i walk to work now and i hate the winter wheels but summer is coming soon!

 

looks great man. I wonder if i can get an 04+ wheel to work in my 03

 

Everything looks great, especially the black face gauges :-)

 

Thanks guys. Bumper was painted a year ago... put like 4 coats of krylon fusion on it. I suppose it probably does need a touch up. Still looks better than it used to.

Not sure I'm still gonna change the edge decals, will probly end up removing them altogether.

Chris, I'm not sure what would be involved in using the 04 wheel on 03.

Brian... loving the black gauge faces. I will admit it makes em harder to see during the day, but that just gives me an excuse to turn on the LED's, lol.

Also stopped by 4wheelparts today and priced out tires and wheels. Was gonna cost me more to pick them up there, then it would to order online... kinda gay. I might be holding off longer than I originally planned for new wheels/tires. :(

 

Those cruise pod led's came out really nice!

 

Yea, I love them. And they were REALLY easy to do.

 

hey where did you get those rims from????????

 

I haven't updated this thread in a LONG time, due to being over in Japan.. and being busy since I got back.. I'm going to try to get it caught up to where I am now with the truck.

July 2011-ish:
Found out about this awesome polish.. called Flitz.. here is a link:

This stuff is expensive but absolutely amazing.. a little bit goes a long way.

Before-ish


After about 5-10 minutes of polishing by hand:




And while I was at it.. I bought a clay bar kit.






Next to my beater 1989 Honda Accord that I had when I lived in Oceanside, CA.. did some rubbing compound, scratch X and claybar and wax on it also:




A cool trick I found in the Honda forums for faded black plastic.. use a heat gun on it and it brings out the pigment. NOTE: This is not a good permanent fix.. it faded again, kind of quickly.. but if you keep up on it regularly.. it's a quick option. Otherwise, I would recommend just doing Krylon Fusion spray paint.

 

So.. in the late summer of 2011, I was never truly happy with the billet grille look. So I was always on the lookout on craigslist for different stuff and got REALLY lucky and saw someone selling an Sport/STX grille that happened to be black, PERFECT! If I recall correctly I only paid about $40-50 for it, and they met me half way. I knew how hard they were to find, so I snatched it and it's been on the truck since and I haven't looked back. LOVE it.

 

Wired up some Hella 500FF's and an E-fan from a Taurus I found in a junk yard. Also.. FINALLY got around to installing my OHC. Don't have a picture of the E-fan install.









OHC and where I moved my Ultragauge

 

So.. I ended up getting married in Oct 2011.. and started preparing to go to Japan for 3 years. Wasn't taking the truck so I drove it from CA to Indiana to store it at my brother's house while I was gone.. also towed the Accord all the way across the country.



It got cold on the trip (Dec 2011). I think this was somewhere in New Mexico or Texas.









Stopping off in Minnesota to stay with the wife's family for a few days.. first snow the truck had seen since I owned it.

 

Messing around with our new Nikon D5100 when we first got it (January 2012)







My wife and the truck:





Close up of that sticker on the back window, wife bought that for me, haha




I was getting ready to leave for my flight and decided since I wasn't going to see my truck for 3 years.. I would hug it goodbye:

 

That's a cool Ranger. That STX grille really made a huge difference.

 

Thanks man.. by far one of my favorite mods. I've got a few more things to update on this thread still, but that grille isn't going to change any time soon.

 

Gonna try to catch this up to where I'm at today..

While I was in Japan.. My truck stayed at my brother's. He drove it occasionally, and would send me pictures. We would talk on the phone and he would go start it so I could hear it. Needless to say I missed my truck.

Random pictures he sent me:

 

I want a STX grille so bad. Lol at the sticker. That's awesome.

 

So.. while in Japan. They have some pretty awesome public transportation.. but walking everywhere else kind of sucks.. so I bought a car. Then I bought a bike. Learned how to ride while in Japan.. that was interesting for sure.

The car I bought was a 2000 BMW 318ti hatchback. Pretty cool little car.. and cars are cheap there.. I think I paid $2800 for it.





My first bike was 1997 Suzuki Savage LS400. Single Cylinder, 400cc. Incredible balance. I could stop at a stop-light and not put my feet down for a few seconds. Great first bike. Only paid $1000 for it.
And.. a picture of the little truck I rented to pick it up in.. thing sounded like a weed-eater. Not much bigger than a ranger, if at all.
IMG_0206.jpg Photo by RLong31 | Photobucket

 

Haha, I love that sticker. I am lucky to have a wife with a sense of humor.

STX grilles are hard to come by.. I'm always keeping an eye out for them so if I see one I'll snag it up and sell it on here for whatever I paid plus shipping.

 

So.. I had sold the BMW because I was just over it. Ended up buying a 1996 Toyota RAV4. For some reason I don't have a single picture of it. It was ugly anyway.. you guys aren't missing much.

Fast forward to this September. I'm moving back to Cali a little bit early. Found out I have a thyroid disease and decided to come back here for that. Managing it with medication. Not life threatening.. just annoying to deal with.

So.. we sold my wife's car before we left. So I had to find her something. I love the Ford Fusions.. so we went and looked at one that was more her style. Shiny rims and basically a purple/maroon car.

2013 Ford Fusion SE

 

If you find one, especially in E4, I'd love to have it. The Ranger parts market down here is terrible.

Like the Fusion too. I may be a little biased though