A week after buying my 97 Ranger, I filled it up and noticed gas dripping on the ground afterwards. After a quick internet search, I found that this is a common problem on Rangers. The rubber hose on the filler neck gets brittle and cracks on older trucks.

You'll need,
Ratchet with a T55 torx bit, 7mm and 8mm sockets,
New filler hose ($36 on ebay)
A buddy to help lift the bed,
Common sense; You'll be working around gas fumes, take precautions accordingly.

Replacing it was pretty easy, only took an hour once I had everything. To remove the bed take out the 6 large bolts in the bed, and the 3 small screws behind the gas cap. If you disconnect the tail lights the bed can be lifted completely off, but I just put some wood blocks underneath and slid it back a foot to get access. Undo the hose clamp on the filler neck and install the new one.

The truck bed on blocks,



and the culprit (cracked hose)