My Ranger has cancer

crowneagle · #1 05-27-2013, 02:16 AM

I have a 1989 ranger that has developed cancer over the past couple of years. The problem is that he made me sign a health care proxy stating that I won't pull the plug when it becomes obvious that he isn't going to make it long term. He's got bone cancer aka holes in the frame, worn springs and bushings that are shot He told me he can still move if I just weld a couple of plates, replace a shackle and some bushings. He's got lung cancer aka exhaust is shot. In this case, he's decided to opt for a lung transplant which means another catalytic converter and exhaust pipe. He's got skin cancer aka body is increasingly breaking out with holes in his rear quarter, door bottoms and a once impressive gun metal metal grey paint now looks like used up sandpaper. He may have cancer but his heart is still beating strong aka engine still purrs. So for now, I will honor his health care proxy and keep on gluing him back together.

RogueRanger · #2 05-27-2013, 02:27 AM

Sounds like you need to be a plastic surgeon, lung specialist, and witch doctor all rolled into one.

dfpgnm · #3 05-27-2013, 05:23 AM

Bless you. Keep us posted!

(My 98 has the cancer too. Just pulled the bed, getting ready to pull the cab. Got the sand blaster and the mig ready)

cowboybilly9mile · #4 05-27-2013, 08:55 AM

The problem with cancer is usually when it makes it's first appearance, almost always will it be found growing in other places that will soon be seen. This is especially true if the vehicle lives in an area that plasters the roads with NaCl in the winter. Because cancer on vehicles from these regions usually proves to be fatal, I would encourage making the vehicle an organ donor and prepare a will. Organ donor may save a few items from the cremation process.

crowneagle · #5 05-27-2013, 10:13 AM

I don't know if I made a mistake or not, but I've decided to abide by his wishes and keep him alive as long as possible. Having the exhaust and shackle done this week. I used up the holiday to assess the gas tank strap and the cross member that holds the rear strap. Both are pretty cooked. I believe the only thing holding the gas tank is the skid plate. My main problem is that I need this truck right now. So, taking the bed off is not an option. Anyone ever reinforce or repair this without taking the bed off. I just need to get through the summer. If I have to, I can take the bed off in the fall. Is it possible to just bolt or weld angle iron from one side to the other and bolt a strap to that.

dfpgnm · #6 05-27-2013, 10:27 AM

I would get the truck off the road ASAP, your frame integrity is compromised. And as cowboy says, what you can see of the cancer is never all of it. There are probably areas even more critical than that cross member/stiffener.

You say you're having the exhaust and shackles done. Are you doing it or a shop? If its a shop, hope it doesn't bend the frame when they put it on the lift. And ask for an honest opinion on how serious the rust problem is.

cowboybilly9mile · #7 05-27-2013, 11:09 AM

Yup, this vehicle needs to be removed from use on public roads (holes in the frame, gas tank straps "cooked", WTF) and put into service on private property as a field truck (at best). It's a machine, it has no feelings or emotions, but some states do have "health" inspections to force repair of vehicles with safety problems or to remove unsafe ones from public roadways. This isn't worth anyone dying over, it's a 24 year old truck.

*That "health care proxy" is lawfully null and void due to the presentor of it being of diminished mental capacity, mentally incompetent, old, senile, and dying from a terminal disease (cancer).

crowneagle · #8 05-27-2013, 05:16 PM

That's why I'm addressing everything now. I've got a guy on ebay that sells the cross member for $150.00. I just don't know for sure if his application will fit my truck. I've been under that truck more times than I can count. Believe me, if I thought it was a hopeless case, I would give it up. I believe I got to the frame issue in time. An animal had made a nest right between the frame and the gas tank. Even though the frame had a couple of rust holes, overall, it is still solid. The only part that is compromised is where the nest was. The rest of the frame is solid and straight.The rear shackle hangers were replaced a couple of years ago and I had new rear shock brackets fabricated at the same time. I believe the frame can be beefed up and repaired with a couple of well placed plates. I'm beginning to think the bed will have to come off to make this easier. I've had this truck for 8 yrs and it still rides reasonably well. If I thought I could get another truck for a reasonable price, I would have gone that route. I figure, for a budget of a $1000, I can fix this one and get a few more years out of it. I respectfully think that the late 80's to early 90's were the best Rangers Ford made. I appreciate everyone's concerns and I respect your opinions. (In deep thought for a couple of hours) Result of deep thought was I'm hungry and I've decided to get a price on doing the frame repair, cross member and strap before going any farther with anything else. . I'll upload some pictures as soon as I can.

Andy D · #9 05-28-2013, 07:22 PM

Hopefully , the Rat is a recovering patient. It came to me with substantial. but crude frame repair. I fixed more under the LF cab support. The bed is on screw-gee but the truck goes down the road straight. I added a rear strap to the tank from underneath. The tank setup is very similar to the plastic tank/ coffin rig on the Grand Wags . The tank is molded into the frame rail and is wedged in pretty well.

crowneagle · #10 05-29-2013, 02:28 AM

I got a price yesterday on the frame repair and fabricating a cross member for the fuel tank strap to attach to. The price was $400. Does anyone have any thoughts on this price? I know this guy is pretty good because he came highly recommended by Linblad Chassis, who does race cars and classic cars. Their shop is right down the street from my house. http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=...9QEwBA&dur=689

dfpgnm · #11 05-29-2013, 02:32 AM

Good luck and keep us posted (pics too!)

crowneagle · #12 05-31-2013, 03:51 AM

Phase 1 completed. With the new shackle, the truck sits much better. Also, most of the exhaust has been rebuilt. I'm including photos of the cross member, fuel tank strap and frame damage. As you can see from the overall truck picture, the truck doesn't look too bad. I just have to do some very important rehab to keep it safe on the road. I've ordered the fuel tank straps and I'm wondering if it's possible to install them without dropping the tank or removing the bed. All this work has to be done by the end of July, so that it will pass a safety inspection. Any thoughts would be welcome. Just keep in mind that I'm not looking to restore this truck. Just want to make it last for a few more years. I'm not sure how these pics are going to look on your browsers. Let me know if you think I need bigger ones. I'm not sure how big a file size they let you upload.

crowneagle · #13 05-31-2013, 04:01 AM

Try the pics again. They look bigger this time when you click on them. As you can see from the pics, the rear gas tank strap and cross member are either broken or almost broken.

dfpgnm · #14 05-31-2013, 04:08 AM

You can probably do the straps without dropping the tank. Put a floor jack under the tank (with a block of wood to distribute the weight) and lift a little bit, then replace one, then the other.

Is the Mass safety state shops or licensed independents? NY is independents and if you have a decent relationship with the shop they'll do a pre inspection to tell you what's up without logging into the state system so you know what you have to do to pass for real.

Still, fix the rust. Wire brush, scrape, needle scale, sandblast, whatever to get to good clean steel and work from there. This isn't a restore thing, its a safety (yours and anyone else on the same road as you) thing.

crowneagle · #15 05-31-2013, 04:55 AM

Being a four wheel drive, this truck has skid plate. Do I remove that or just block it under it? The front strap seems to be holding most of the weight of the fuel tank and I have temporary shims between the skid plate and fuel tank. Right now, I try to keep the tank as empty as possible until I fix this. They are shipping the new straps to me as we speak and I won't mess with it too much until they come in. We have independent shop inspections here. And they generally cut you some slack when they know your vehicle is used for business. Kinda a b2b thing. One of the reasons this truck has so few miles for an 89 is that up until a couple of years ago, I didn't drive it in the winter; had another vehicle for that. That ended when I gave the other vehicle to my daughter. So, rust damage has accelerated over the past couple of years. Because of the spot where the frame is damaged, I'm making sure I get someone experienced to fix that. Even then, I'm not expecting miracles.