Life after the "Terminator"

jbrown1238

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A few years ago I made the decision to get out of middle management, go back to a simpler time, and try to eliminate some stress in my life, (aka, semi-retirement). Unfortunately this meant making a few sacrifices, one of which included selling my 2003 DSG Cobra Coupe. By far the best all around vehicle I have ever owned. I can still remember how my wife cried the day we watched it drive away. To this day she still won’t talk about “The Cobra.” It was the first date car!

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I decided that a nice “simple” vehicle would be a Ford Ranger Step Side, maybe one with a V8 and a five speed. So that is how this story begins. Although this thread is new, the story has been unfolding for a couple years.

Like so many projects, “It started out simple.” The idea was to buy a 98 or 99 Ford Ranger that fit the bill and then pick up a 5.0 V8, T5 trans, and the other misc. items required. “Keep it simple and stay focused, just a quick rebuild, paint, and good to go.”

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That is when I got the bright idea to go ahead and do that frame off restoration I have always dreamed of. By this time the Black 98 Ranger was pretty much the daily driver so another truck would be required. A one owner Red 99 Ranger with the right options was located in Orlando and brought home as the new vehicle for the project.

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icd_rob

Sonic Blue PGT
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Noice. I have a 96 Ranger XLT Extended Cab as my daily. It's stock and clean. Not a bad truck and it's been pretty reliable.
 

jbrown1238

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I removed the bed and got it set up on saw horses temporarily. After it was in place I was surprised how steady it was sitting on two 8x4x4’s on top of the saw horses. I may end up making that the semi/permanent home while the body and frame are both being worked.

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jbrown1238

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I have been working the last few nights on the getting the engine and automatic transmission ready to come out. Tonight I was able to get it about half way out before I had to quit for the evening. I hope to have it sitting on the ground tomorrow night.

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jbrown1238

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The 3.0 V6 with auto trans is now out of the truck and up for sale locally. I still haven’t had a chance to clean things up after removing the drive train but hope to start pulling most of the misc items from the engine compartment next week. The new goal is to have a completely empty engine bay by May 31, 2013.

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Ok, Everything that isn't red needs to come out. : )

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jbrown1238

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The engine compartment is now almost completely empty. I still have the steering shaft, inner fender wells, A/T shifter cable, hood prop rod, and hood release cable to remove. The brake lines and fuel lines that remain will be tied off to the fame rail and removed after the body and frame have been separated.

All of the fasteners were temporarily returned to their original location where they could be photographed and individually labeled, removed, and bagged to make assembly easier when the time comes.

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jbrown1238

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Other than a couple simple last minute items (frame/body strap, frame/body harness plug, emergency brake cable) the frame has been stripped of all misc. pieces and is ready to come out. The frame and body have both been supported separately with plenty of room to spare to allow the frame to be dropped down and pulled straight back and removed from behind the cab. To allow easy access, the fuel lines, brake lines, frame wiring harness, and motor mounts will be removed from the frame after it has been separated from the body and placed on a solid work surface. Tomorrow morning the two components will be separated and the frame will be prepped to go to the media blaster.

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jbrown1238

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I picked the frame up this morning after being media blasted. Once I got it home and unloaded I set it up on jack stands and a saw horse and went to work. I used compressed air to blow the remaining media from the recessed areas and then washed it down completely with wax and grease remover. I feel the media blasting company did a very good job knocking down every last sign of paint and debris.

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jbrown1238

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After the two coats of epoxy primer were applied I shot two coats of OEM Ford Black over the entire assembly. I took my time and worked the paint into all the recessed areas as much as possible. After allowing proper dry time between coats I flipped the frame between each coat of epoxy primer and paint making sure the top and bottom of the piece received even coats.

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jbrown1238

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Stress is a killer, ranger looks great bro

Thank you. I have been wanting to start a build thread here on SVTP for awhile but have not had a chance until now. I will be catching this thread up over the next few days with the work that has already been done. Stay tuned, it is going to get good.
 

jbrown1238

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Noice. I have a 96 Ranger XLT Extended Cab as my daily. It's stock and clean. Not a bad truck and it's been pretty reliable.

Thanks, I have had a couple through the years including a 93 step side with a EFI 5.0 crate motor. Lots of fun!! I guess that is why I am back into another one at this point in my life.
 
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jbrown1238

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I spent this afternoon cleaning and installing the brake lines and fuel lines along the driver side of the frame. I should have all of the basic fasteners back in place and the frame finished this week. I hope to have the cab painted by the end of August so the frame can be bolted back into place.

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jbrown1238

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The frame has been reassembled except for a few pieces that will be attached once the body and frame is joined. The charcoal canister, fuel tank, suspension, etc. will all come into play at a later time.

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smitty2919

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I applaud the work and effort, but why all this work to a Ranger?

I could see buying a semi clean Fox which already has the motor and trans then doing a restoration of that.

In for progress and results!
 

JuStAkId

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Nice. I would like to do this to my ranger one day but for now I skipped the frame off part and put a 5.0 in. Looking good
 

jbrown1238

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I applaud the work and effort, but why all this work to a Ranger?

I could see buying a semi clean Fox which already has the motor and trans then doing a restoration of that.

In for progress and results!

I agree, a 93 Cobra would have been nice. The Ranger is old tech construction, body on frame, affordable to come by, parts everywhere, and unique. I use a truck all day every day for work and want to make my job a little more fun! Thank you for the interest and the kind words.
 

96lasersnake

storm trooper'd cobra
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Very cool! Congrats on doing something in life that makes you happier. I have always loved the look of a lowered ranger on some deep dish bullitts. Cant wait to see this project done.
 

jbrown1238

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This thread will jump around a bit between various parts of the restoration. I currently have five separate sub assemblies that I am working on. Each of these five smaller projects needs to be at a certain point of completion before all of them can be joined together.

1. The engine.
2. The frame.
3. The cab.
4. The bed.
5. The rear end.

Now that the frame is done the focus will turn to the cab and getting it ready for paint. The fenders and doors will be worked while they are attached to the body but then removed and sprayed separately along with the hood, bumpers, quarter panels, tailgate, etc. Painting those pieces will be further down the line. Right now I am just trying to get paint on the cab so I can get the frame back in place and off my patio.

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