should i buy a clapped out old ranger for fun and learning how to wrench? I already got a reliable new japanese suv for daily driving
No, get a clapped F150/F250 from the 90s instead. 300, 351 or 460. They just work for ever and parts are everywhere. Or a Chevy/GM 1500.
>>28761177those are too big and look like a pain to work on, im looking for something smol and 4 cyl
>>28761178Working on mid size trucks is piss easy. My '91 Nissan hardbody was a nightmare to wrench on compared to my '07 Tacoma.
>>28761178A half ton is going to be a fuck of a lot easier to work on than a small truck.
>>28761178I have a few fullsizes and a ranger.Ranger is a blast. The 4 banger is anemic though, they even stopped offering it in the extra cab 4x4s in like '93.Dont get the 4.0 SOHC. The 4.0 OHV is fine though, as well as the 2.8, 2.9 or 3.0.3.0 has most HP/L (other than the SOHC). 2.3 only if you're doing standard cab 2wd.The SOHC is a great engine but theyre all too high mileage now and you have to pull the engine to do the passenger cam chain (yes there's a cam chain in tje from for one head, in tje back for the other. They just used 1 head for both sides).
>>287612083.slow is garbage but I guess they are>>28761164I got my ranger for free from a friend because it was a piece of crap and a tweaker cut out the cat. I've cut my teeth on wrenching with this old girl and she's a good platform for that.
>>28761212The 3.0L Vulcan is an amazing engine.Like I said, it literally has more HP/L than the 2.3, 2.8, 2.9 or 4.0 OHV.>Ford 3.0 Vulcan- 153 HP>Chevy 4.3L Vortec- 180 HPMore than 40% increase in displacement for an 11% HP increase.Its an excellent engine when compared to any of its contemporaries.
>>28761164No, you should get a fun project car instead, then you'll actually have something to look forward to.
>>28761222>More than 40% increase in displacement for an 11% HP increase4 liter got more torks
>>28761164youre goin to be wrenching a lot because those thing are absolute heaps of shit despite what bubba tells you
>>28761164A clapped out Ranger is still going to be $3k+. You could get a decent GMT800 for about that much. It's easier to work on, parts are cheap and infinite and most junkyards have plenty of them vs maybe one Ranger. >>28761222The 4.3 is the closest you can get to a V8 with a V6 torque wise so it's not really comparable. All those, yes the 4.0 included, are all gutless car engines that don't belong in a truck.
>>28761178The 4 banger rangers are slow and boring. If you cant find with one the ohv v6 dont waste your time.
>>28761178Protip: working on *any* car is a bitch
>>28761264i saw a 4cyl one with broken headlights and ripped interior for like 1.5k says it runs fine and has a manual tranny>>28761189ive owned a 2007 tahoe before and it wasnt easy to work on. The tall and big engine bay made it a bitch for a manlet like me to do anything on it since i had to basically climb and lay down on the hood to reach anything. Also v8s are inherently much more complex and hard to work on than a simple i4
>>28761909>1.5k says it runs finethis means the engine has a whole bottle of stop leak in it and will grenade in 50-100 miles
>>28761909GMT900's are trash. That's why. Also it doesn't get much simple than a LS V8.
Don't bother if you live in a rust state
Ranger vs >>28762170
Dang it she looks like a fine old truck I tell you hwat.
>>28761164Yes. If you live somewhere where rust isn't a huge issue you can buy basically any old shit and keep it running forever. Lucky bastards.
>>28763398Ranger is available in manual, therefore it wins. I don't care about the V8.
wrenching a clapper will likely just be a money pit if you arent motivated and experienced enough to get it running reliably. youll probably learn a lot though, at the cost of a lot of time, energy and money. hopefully you find a place where you can easily source your parts. some parts depending on the clapmobile will be impossible to fix, rust on the chasis, electronics if youre retarded like 90% of /o/.t. currently wrenching a 2007 hummer h3t pick up
>>28761164If you get one make sure its the 2.3 with dual spark or 8 spark plugs for the 4 cylinder.
>>28761212>Vulcan>GarbageYou misunderstood the point of a vulcan. It is here for a long time, not a good time.
>>28761164Get a clapped turd gen or a s10, way less complicated than Ford electronics, carburetor is a feasible backup plan, you can always slap a 350 with a hot cam in it cheap, way more documentation online. If you're stuck to having a Ford product try to find a 2.3 foxbody , those are still cheap and there's a huge support group for the early 2.3s. The 90s 2.3 and 2.5 in the rangers cannot accommodate a dizzy or a carb.
>>28764984I hope so, just had to put a new one because the headgasket finally blew after DCO and multiple DPO's overheated it.156k 00'
>>28761164>should i buy a clapped out old rangerYes. The answer is always yes.
>>28761164I think it sounds like a good idea. If you have any friends with one, have them let you drive it first to see if you like it. I have an old toyota 4x4 that's a ton of fun to drive even though it's totally stock. Also, depending on what you want to do with it, there's a pretty big aftermarket. Or just leave it stock and keep it nice.
>>28761164I Inherited a shitbox 2.3 97 Ranger from my grandpa. Less than a month later CEL comes on and I had loads of FUN chasing down a P0171 code. Other than that it's been decent enough to work on and useful to have around. Some of the year-specific parts might be drying up though, couldn't find a new intake tube and had to go to a couple junkyards to find a used one.
>>28765087>DCO>DPOWhat is that?
>>28765614DPO is Dipshit Previous Owner.I made up DCO but you can guess what it means.
>>28761208>Dont get the 4.0 SOHC. The 4.0 OHV is fine thoughOHC has timing issues, OHVs crack heads like it's going out of style. Pick your poison.
>>28765633>OHVs crack heads like it's going out of styleOnly the early years, the 98 heads resolved that issue
>>28765687Disagree. The only 4.0 OHV I ever PERSONALLY owned, was a 1999. When I bought it the driver side head was cracked, when I sold it the passenger side was cracked.
>>28765693Is this like those surgery horror stories when they remove the wrong kidney?
>>28766254No, it's a>I found one head was cracked and replaced it and the other either cracked later or got worsestory
>>28766256I found coolant dripping behind my rear main last time I did my clutch and im a bit nervous this is happening to me now
Since this seems like a good thread for this question.I have a 2000 ranger with a clogged heater core. I already replaced the radiator and flushed it multiple times with the heater disconnected, but still seems to have shit still in the coolant and still leaks. I can just keep topping it up since it's a rather slow leak. I was wondering if I could put one of this filters before the heater core so it does clog again after I replace it. The job to replace looks like a bitch so I'd like to only do it once.
>>28765693I've put miles on both a pre 98 and a 98 OHV and never had any issues
>>28767046Heater core "clogs" because of calcium in the water.On your truck the heater core has a valve so water doesn't flow through it unless the heat setting is on. This is when the coolant becomes stagnant and the calcium solidifies into crystals.A filter wont stop that.You need to use only distilled bottled water. Anything from the tap/hose (even bottled drinking water) will contain minerals.
>>28767745Yeah my grand father filled it with well water a few times, which is probably why it clogged. When I flushed it multiple times I only used distilled water, but I still have what looks like metal flakes in the coolant
>>28767956>metal flakes in the coolant.Thats nit from the water.First guess would be water pump impeller has rotted away. Second guess is a rusted coolant pipe (nipple for bypass on thermostat or for heater hose off of water pump).The system needs to be broken down and inspected before tou blow a line on the freeway and overheat.
>>28761224This. What the fuck is the point of a car for enthusiast purposes if its not going to be fun to drive at the end?
>>28768728>t. Never driven a truck.Youre like the "racing fan" that quotes F1 specs but talks shit about rally and NASCAR.What's the purpose of having your "enthusiast's car" that hits 1.13G's on the skid pad when you only drive it for commutes to work on public streets?
>>28768728>someone can only be a car enthusiast if I decide they're doing it right
>>28761178Larger the truck the easier to work on.
Get the 2.5 mechanically injected turbodiesel with 5spd manual. Those trucks are bombproof and designed to operate in 3rd world conditions
Just bought me a 2005 Ranger with the 4.0 6-cylinder with a newly-rebuilt front suspension, 150k miles, rebuilt motor, clean insides, no accidents and okay paint. The clear is coming off the hood and roof. Having it and tinkering with it for the last day, she has a small exhaust leak near the back of the bay, and idles rough at 750 and 1500, which makes me think I need to hunt around the vacuum hoses and the MAP. Otherwise, no leaks, runs cool, all gauges work, no engine codes, nothing torn up on the inside, all HVAC and blend doors work perfect. No rust anywhere. Bed coating still awesome. Trailer hitch in great shape and plug too.Tell me how bad I fucked up, /o/. I know the 6 cylinders have a bad rep but this was only 7k cash. I could not resist. Been needing a small truck for the past year.
>>28772000Not offered in the U.S.
>>28768845I drive one literally every day for work.There's nothing fun about it. Maybe if you're a pathetic manlet who gets a power trip from it?>What's the purpose of having your "enthusiast's car" Its fun to drive, moment to moment, you don't have to push it to the limit for this to be true.
>>28773515>I drive one literally every day for work.Some clapped out unmodded fleet spec?Oh wow, ya thats a great benchmark.Thats like talking shit about GSXRs because you rented a Vespa on vacation once.Dumbass
>>28773506When were the timing chains last done? That is the real bitch with the SOHC.
>>28773779>When were the timing chains last done? That is the real bitch with the SOHC.Chains and guides were done in the last 2000 miles. It was part of the engine rebuild with new piston rings and such.
>>28773803Good buy then if it's manual.
>>28773666>N-no bro you gotta try a """""performance""""" truckLmao you are a fucking clown.
>>28761264For $3000 you can find someone's v8 s10 project. If it's a 305 you can find them all day. Way more power than a 2800lbs truck should have
>>28773825Yep, youre a dumbfuck.This truck will destroy your "sports car", in a straight line and on a track.
>>28765693At least you won't have to pull the engine to change the head
>>28761164Go for it.Ranger is a great platform with a huge fan base and world of resources for rebuilds, restoration or mods.Fun trucks to drive. Fun trucks to work on
>>28774098S10s are absolute trash.Frontier, Hilux, Ranger all shit on them.A fucking Colorado/Canyon or Comanche have better build quality.An Isuzi is a better choice. Thats how big of a pile of garbage the S10 is.
>>28761164only if it's a third gen, first/second parts are out of production, but even then, third gen parts are also starting to go out of stock
>>28774163>frontierrusted out >hilux$10,000 please>rangercrap drivetrain choices>isuzu hombreliterally the same thing you fucking retard>atlas engine 16 hour timing chain job trasharado lmao
>>28774179>isuzu hombre>literally the same thing you fucking retardDid I say "hombre", motherfucker?Youre some retarded zoomie that only knows about vehicles made in the last 10 years and dont realize that Isuzu made their own pickup.Makes sense since the rest of your post is stale reddit memes.Now shut the fuck up and go back to playing Cow of Dooty, adults are talking here.
>>28774199You want some 70s JDM shit cool go join and enthusiast forum to get the last parts all hoarded by some fat nigger in iowa
>>28773511Are they available as grey imports? The 4x4 system (without RFW) kicks ass and you can still get diff locks for them.
>>28774418Isuzu was making their own pickups upto 2002.
>>28774515In theory yes.But theres not enough money in it to make a profit so any that have come across were more than likely for individuals who aren't interested in selling them.There are pre-fab kits for 302/351 swaps (friend has one) so any real 'Merican just did the V8 upgrade if the wanted something "more" out of a Ranger.
