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Joined: Wed Jan 15th, 2020
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One of the BIG drawbacks of the Ranger is the frame, too bad Ford didn't have to have a recall and replace the frames or the trucks... !
Yes, Howard, I am getting old and the old mind is still there... somewhat !
Stringer, I know it is extra work AND extra money but what about either renting a sand blaster, which isn't always the best idea, or hire a pro-sand blaster and have the rear of the frame completely sand blasted; you will have the best overall idea of where you stand.
The shock mounts, although rusted up, might still be usable, you won't know until you have them cleaned up.
The rear spring mounts, just replace them, if they aren't rusted out they will be.
If you intend to keep this truck for a while, like me... 17 year old Ranger, it might be a good idea to do what is necessary so you can drive it with confidence.
Ltr
We cleaned off the front frame section and its crossmember with a wire wheel - both are very solid so I have no worries there.
I just priced out the new shock mounts - Approx $34 ea from rockauto.com. If I am doing the shocks, I might as well just get the new mounts and not fight with the 18 year old ones lol. The pictures don't do much justice but they are looking ROUGH lol.
I checked the shackle mounts before hand and they actually look to be in excellent condition. They went bad on my last Ranger so I knew what to look for. I would assume that they were replaced recently considering the frame where they mount at is practically gone. The shackles themselves are still in decent condition but do show some signs of wear. The leaf mounts are solid as well but I am worried I may accidently cut into them while grinding the rivets off. Those are approx. $72 ea.
I started out thinking of just buying two cheaper shocks just to get this project done. But the more I am thinking about it, I may just wait until payday this Friday and put my order in then along with all four Rancho RS5000Xs front & rear like I already wanted to do at some point. I feel like spending $40-60 on two cheap shocks now just to be changed out less than a year down the road for the Ranchos would be a waste of time & money. After some more research, I may consider the KYB Gas-A-Just shocks as well - they seem to have good reviews for a Ranger. I may throw some 1-2" adjustable lift shackles in the cart like I had also planned on doing to keep the truck levelled out after I crank the T-Bars & put my Weather Guard RatPack (322lbs empty) in the bed or put a trailer behind it.
This truck is going to be around for as long as I can keep it on the road. I bought it to eliminate a second vehicle payment... I want to keep it that way as long as I can lol. Even then, it will probably be turned solely into my mobile detailing truck.
Last edited on Mon Jan 27th, 2020 02:24 pm by Stringer
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OXFORD WHITE 2002 FORD RANGER SUPERCAB 4 DOOR XLT FX4 OFF ROAD 4.0L SOHC 4.10 GEARS V2.0
OXFORD WHITE 2002 FORD RANGER SUPERCAB 4 DOOR XLT FX4 OFF ROAD 4.0L SOHC 4.10 GEARS V1.0 - SOLD