1988 302 Ranger

 

Ladder Bars are the latest addition

notice that the front of the bars is mounted to the frame via shackles to prevent travel bind & frame damage

these are pictures of the truck when I first got it


1988 ranger short bed
7.5 rear with 3.73 gears and a posi unit supported by stock leaf springs and air shocks it also has lakewood traction bars a modified c4 auto trans with 2400 rpm stall converter shifted by a B&M pro shifter the engine is a hopped up 302 I am not sure about the internals other than to say it has a non stock cam headers race only mufflers MSD ignition alumium ford intake and edelbrock carter style carb and electric fuel pump
the truck has been lowered using drop beams in the front and the rear axle has been moved from under the leaf spring and remounted on top the leaf for a 4" drop in the rear then lifted slightly with air shocks and it sports centerline warrior wheels all around

How it is now

changes made to the truck so far

I have installed a Currie custom 9" rearend 56" wide to avoid damaging the tires side walls with 31 spline axles and a tru trac diff. 3.50 gears for better mileage with all the shock mounts pre welded and the spring perches on the bottom so I dont need to use a flip kit to mount the axle over the springs. james duff leaf springs with a 3" lift .the old stock springs depended on air shocks to mantain the correct ride height and prevent damage now with the new springs installed I can use regular shocks and not bottom out or worry about tearing up tires or body work
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also I installed a new Grant steering wheel called a lemans its polished aluminum 4 spoke with the sixtys style lightning holes and "pleather" grip
the cooling system has been completely redone before the belt made very little contact with the fan pulley and slipped but I found if I used a standard rotation water pump / Fan & a grooved pump pulley and made some custom brackets I could route the serpentine belt in a way that makes 80% more contact. custom preformed hoses were cut and coupled to make custom fit radiator hoses the stock radiator was replaced with a custom James Duff aluminum unit with more capacity
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In the front I removed the 3" drop beams and installed stock beams then installed a rough country 4" suspension lift
the end result should lift the front about 7" and make it almost level with the rear . to make it look like an old gasser.
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then I replaced the race only mufflers with something quieter so I can start it without offending my neibors then I replaced the fuel filter air filter cap rotor wires and plugs once the engine was running good I took apart the B&M shifter and removed all the gates and safetys with the exception of the reverse lockout to make it less annoying for street use
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installed 5 foot long L&L Ladder Bars with custom made shackles in the front to prevent suspension bind

whats up next?

I would like to replace the noisy electric fuel pump with an inverted mechanical pump to clear the streering box. Then install all new guages
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then maybe a through the hood induction system

My friend Perry and his new MUSTANG

wow what a ride !!!
wow what a friend!!!
I am really hopeing that I can motivate him to start working on his 1972 MACH 1 again it has been a very long time since it has been on the road 25 years ??
and at least 18 years since it was EVEN STARTED come on PERRY IT IS TIME I will help any way I can

here are some nice people that washed and waxed the truck for me while I drank beer on the patio at Charlies bar

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