kishy's 1985 Ranger

[DerekTheGreat]

I like CFI, just not what the 5.0's got. It wasn't sophisticated enough and the only way I'd keep it is if a car was factory equipped with it, like my old '85 LTD. You could always try to retrofit a GM TBI to your Ranger, they had set ups for Iron Duke equipped S10's and such. Oh, ZDDP additive is good for flat tappet camshaft stuff or so I'm told...

[turbo2256b]

AHH just purchase my ranger ex stadium race truck on a 68 bronco frame. Has 150 front and rear axles, quad shocks in front, 4.10 gears 4wd, c6 trans, lifted etc
Just want the 351C motor you can install a 302 in it and go.

[kishy]

ZDDP is virtually unobtainium here, and when it can be found, it costs enough that I could set that money aside over the remainder of the life of the truck and buy an engine lol. I run Diesel oil/HDEO in the flat tappet cam 302s for this reason, higher zinc content. I use a more traditional high-mileage in the Ranger because of the excessive leaks.

Race truck Ranger sounds fun, but not necessarily consistent with my image goals (piece of crap beater truck) or financial goals (never pay more than $650 for a vehicle again).

As it happens, whoever called out the rear main, pat yourself on the back. That sucker leaks a LOT. Fortunately, I had the foresight to include it in the RockAuto order with the valve cover gasket that I'll have in my possession tomorrow.

Unfortunately, I never bothered to check the interchange and didn't realize the SBF uses the same rear main as the OHC 4-banger and I already had two of the "improved design" Felpros in my garage. D'oh.

[kishy]

The little crapbucket transported me to the land of chili cheese fries and coney dogs today.



It was noticeably slower with the load of 16 tires and 12 wheels in the back, but the new clutch did its job unlike the old one when the bed had some weight in it.

While dismounting and remounting the aforementioned tires, I thought to sneak a couple pics underneath:





I had the feeling that my drums were either impaired in some way or totally nonfunctional. I was right. The friction material in one of them totally delaminated and has been doing somersaults around the shoe frames for who knows how long. The excess travel in the back did trigger the dual system valve, but the switch apparently is corroded as it's very high resistance. The brake warning light isn't visible with any ambient light, it's just a faint glow in total darkness.

So, looks like a drum brake rebuild is coming. It stops OK considering it's only on the front half.

I got my valve cover (and a dash pad for the Lincoln!):


As well as the RockAuto box, containing air filters, the valve cover gasket, the redundant rear main seal I already had two of, a thermostat, and an oil cap...which I stupidly won't be able to use anymore because the 2.3T valve cover has the threaded type, not the 1/4-turn type. Whoops.

Crankcase breather routing is also going to have to change a little to use this VC. But nothing too challenging. The battle for the breather cap appears highly functional in the new VC, as opposed to combined oil fill and breather on the old one, so I will probably stop K&N-ing my air filters on a seasonal basis.

[DerekTheGreat]

Keep forgetting they put windows in the depot. You go to Mercury bar or Slows? Or Lafayette coney? Ranger looks krispy underneath, she's crying for some oil treatment...

Where'd you get that dash pad?

[kishy]

Keep forgetting they put windows in the depot. You go to Mercury bar or Slows? Or Lafayette coney? Ranger looks krispy underneath, she's crying for some oil treatment...

Where'd you get that dash pad?

None of the above, the day consisted of about 4 hours playing with the tire machine at buddy's work, then getting rained on at Parts Galore on Warren (where the valve cover from the brown Mark VI, dash pad, and some parts for a coworker came from), then food at Leo's Coney Island in Royal Oak. I paid friend for his tire machine services in food, that was his choice. I don't mind, they're good and consistent.

I've been to Lafayette coney once, didn't quite catch the appeal. American right next door produces at least equal food and you don't feel like you're in a dingy hole in the wall.

The Ranger is beyond being saved by oil spray but I've considered taking it to one of the cheaper places. Definitely not Krown. I'll never see the ROI on that. The frame is flaking off in alarmingly thick layers and where the A-pillar meets the rocker panel on the driver side is almost not even attached.

Friend's work got a new tire machine since I was last there. Looks to be this one. https://www.hunter.com/tire-changers/tc3700
The air-powered "pull the bead over the lip of the wheel" function took some getting used to but by the time I was on the last set I was flying through them. Way less effort than the traditional setup with the prybar.

[DerekTheGreat]

Leo's.. Meh, nationals is better and that's not really saying much. Athen's was much better but that was since bought out by Nicky D's, Ash and I refuse to go. Lafayette was on par with what Athen's used to be, the hole in the wall feel is part of the experience.

Oil at least slows stuff down. Waiting for the day you say the Ranger snaps in half on you haha.

[kishy]

Leo's.. Meh, nationals is better and that's not really saying much. Athen's was much better but that was since bought out by Nicky D's, Ash and I refuse to go. Lafayette was on par with what Athen's used to be, the hole in the wall feel is part of the experience.

Oil at least slows stuff down. Waiting for the day you say the Ranger snaps in half on you haha.

I don't think it's anywhere near that yet...but who knows? If I can get in at one of the cheapy-cheap places I'll have it done. Just also trying to think of my own frustration when I have to work on stuff underneath it (the drum brake, and the rear main seal...)

I might still have the old brake shoes in the scrap pile. It'd be the quick and dirty fix. I didn't replace them due to wear, I replaced them due to "might as well"-ing my way through the entire brake system at the time.

My post above is an example of why proofreading is valuable. Valve cover from Turbocoupe. Dash pad from Mark VI.

[DerekTheGreat]

LoL I knew what you meant.

Athen's is down the road from Vinsetta Garage, about 4 miles or so. We really liked that place, such a shame they sold it and turned it into a chain.

Hell, you could get a sprayer from somewhere and use used oil mixed with mineral spirits or diesel. Sure, it's not good for the rubber bits but on the metal only places it's probably better than Krown.

[kishy]

I had the feeling that my drums were either impaired in some way or totally nonfunctional. I was right. The friction material in one of them totally delaminated and has been doing somersaults around the shoe frames for who knows how long. The excess travel in the back did trigger the dual system valve, but the switch apparently is corroded as it's very high resistance. The brake warning light isn't visible with any ambient light, it's just a faint glow in total darkness.

So, looks like a drum brake rebuild is coming. It stops OK considering it's only on the front half.

Well, that came sooner than expected.

Wheel cylinder hyper-extended and the piston popped out today on the way to work. That was exciting. Happy birthday to me!

New WC, new drums, new shoes (riveted this time!) and we're back in business.

[gadget73]

Never put off fixing the brakes. They will always give you problems at the least convenient possible time.

[turbo2256b]

Oil issues with the front and rear seals is the 2.3s wasnt helped much by the fact with a full oil pan the seals were partly below the oil level. Park on a hill it even got worse. WHEN I HAD TO REDESIGN the oil pan for the stroked 2.5 version of the 2.3 fixed that issue and other oiling problems.

[DerekTheGreat]

How soon do they find out about problems? Why do they take so long to fix them?

[His Royal Ghostliness]

Never put off fixing the brakes. They will always give you problems at the least convenient possible time.

Or worse, your ignorance of the issue can give someone else said problems. Like, you don't stop on time and you plow into someone. Some people don't have spare vehicles, and the average week or two response time from insurance adjusters is enough to drive about anyone up a wall. People have done unpleasant things to other people for lousier reasons...

How soon do they find out about problems? Why do they take so long to fix them?

Cause Ford. You ought to know by now that OEMs don't fix lousy engineering till it starts costing them a lot of money, or till a lot of people start bitching about it.

[turbo2256b]

How soon do they find out about problems? Why do they take so long to fix them?

I could write a book on how the process goes wrong from concept to finished product.