Talon19 Low Budget 2004 Build

Kobault · #1 09-05-2016, 06:11 PM

Hey y'all. My name is Whiton and I live in southern Virginia. So I've had my current Ranger for a while now and I just decided I wanted some input on my mods and future mods... and I want to show people pictures of my truck, so here's the last year summarized. My first vehicle was a 2000 Ford Ranger XLT 4x2 (not my house, btw).

It treated me well, but after a while, I decided I was tired of getting stuck and needing to be pulled out by my buddy's S-10, so I began the search for a nice 4x4 Ranger. Looked at quite a few including a 1994 with 90,000 on it, which I wasn't fast enough with the check, so I missed that one, but after several months I ended up with a 2004 Ford Ranger XLT 4x4 with 103,000 on it. It was well taken care of, it seemed, and looked like it had some good potential. I later discovered it lived in northern Pennsylvania and was more rust than Ford in some parts, but we'll get to that later. Some pics when I bought it. It came with a p.o.s. truck box... which is better than nothing I reckon.

At one point I assume it was used for volunteer rescue squad work or something like that because it had leftover wiring from headlight flashers and marks from a magnet beacon on the roof.

Not long after the truck was purchased we had some unusual heavy snow here, which was AWESOME. New truck + snow = some real fun. It ran great in the snow (which was surprising based on the condition of the tires). I used it to make a few trips into town and even pulled a few tractors from the snow with it.

Well, with all this success with my shiny new truck, I got a little arrogant and... *sigh*.

But, luckily, I didn't die. About 2 days after the snow bank jumped in front of me, the Takata airbag recall came out for it. Dodged that bullet. Well, no time to waste. New radiator, aibag control module reset, junkyard airbags, ripped off what was left of the bumper valance, bent back the bumper, and cleaned up a little.

I also noticed the cheap piece of plastic that covers the radiator and condenser at the bottom and pretends to protect them was gone, and I didn't like the idea of plowing through a trail with an exposed radiator. Only problem is, I have like 2 nickels to my name after the airbag ordeal, so.... wheelbarrow? Sure. I also fixed with grille with the man's secret weapon: duct tape. Don't judge.

And that's how it stays. For quite some time. I do fix the cheap truck box.

I also decided black rims look cool. They are also expensive. I also dislike change that I can't undo, so Plastidip it is, for now.

I also washed my engine... because it's free.

Painted the wheelbarrow black.

Played in the mud.

Added some patriotism.

Then the rust started to be a major problem. I had never heard of a leaf spring shackle breaking, until mine broke. Although only the driver's side broke, they both looked horrible as well as the hangers, so I figured I'd replace both of them. Now, why Ford decided it'd be a good idea to rivet the hangers on is beyond me, but with help from my friend, we got them replaced.

Then my passenger side wheel bearing/hub busted, so I replaced them on both sides, but in the meantime, I pulled an old friend out.

Had some nostalgic fun with it.

The tires also started to show just how old, dry rotted, and cheap they were, so time for some new ones.

Ya gotta go bigger, of course, so T-bar crank it is. Unfortunately, even with the driver's side maxed out, I still only just barely got a half an inch out of them. Ranger lean is a real problem, people. Spread the word. Maybe we can combat this disease. Oh well, 265/75/R16 KO2s still fit easily, so that'll do.

It's amazing how it improves the look of the truck. It still makes me smile to look at them.

Then my buddy and I got bored, so... Front receiver!

Junkyard rear receiver. $20

Too much patriotism doesn't exist.

Butterfly.

Sitting behind a stock 4x2 Ranger makes me feel so tall. It's awesome.

This thing sounds like a car. Time for a new muffler. I settled on a Thrush Welded muffler. When I first was installing it, it started pouring, so my friend and I just used some aluminum duct tape to hold it together... Yeah. It held for about a week. Then we decided we should weld up a steel pipe properly... so welded a fan base to it. And somehow, it sounds orgasmic. Like, starting it is a heavenly experience. I would have liked to side pipe it with a nice chrome tip, but VA law is stupid. The exhaust has to dump at least 30 inches from the cab, so that's what we did.

My truck in front of a 2002 Toyota Corolla.

Then I replaced shocks and sway bar links (both of which were rusted almost to nothing) and took a trip up to the Marriott Ranch in northern Virginia to film some stuff for some customers. I ended up driving 150+ miles without touching pavement over the weekend up there. It was a blast and some of the most fun I've had. Here are some of the pics I took while up there.

Also, I did get an actual skid plate before I left. One from RCI Offroad through Ebay.

America

Got her home, cleaned her up, ready for what's next. 3" body lift maybe? Steel bumper? Light bars? Roof rack?

She still needs a name, though. Any suggestions?

1vannn · #2 09-05-2016, 06:41 PM

Damn you went all out Tyler there for a while but your truck looks great buddy.

Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk

flyboy12 · #3 09-06-2016, 03:34 PM

Good lucking truck man

Kobault · #4 10-31-2016, 07:30 AM

So, I've got a bit of a dilemma I'm hoping y'all might have an idea on. I want to replace my torsion bars. They are currently B bars and with 111,000+ on the truck, they seem to be sagging quite a bit since they are maxed out on the driver's side and it doesn't look much higher than stock height. So I want to put #1 bars on it. They are $15 from my local junkyard but, I can't get to them. At the junkyard, they remove the wheels from all the vehicles and set them on the hubs like this.

That's great for most things, but they set the trucks on the hubs by resting them on the torsion bars. You can't bring jacks and they say they won't pick them up with their forklift they use to move the hub-block things.

Any ideas?

Kobault · #5 12-16-2016, 07:06 AM

I'm gonna start putting a body lift on my truck today (Thanks, Tyler). I've looked through the Tech Info Extravaganza but I wanted to see if anyone had any other tips or suggestions.

2wdMuddin · #6 12-16-2016, 07:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kobault

I'm gonna start putting a body lift on my truck today (Thanks, Tyler). I've looked through the Tech Info Extravaganza but I wanted to see if anyone had any other tips or suggestions.

Hey man I noticed you're from va? What part? I'm from yorktown

Jimmyspy · #7 12-16-2016, 07:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kobault

I'm gonna start putting a body lift on my truck today (Thanks, Tyler). I've looked through the Tech Info Extravaganza but I wanted to see if anyone had any other tips or suggestions.

Heat and penetrating oil are gonna be your friend with the body bolts. An impact will help as well. Other than that, just follow the instructions and take your time.

Tyler46 · #8 12-16-2016, 08:29 AM

Hell yeah body lift time.

Kobault · #9 12-16-2016, 08:19 PM

Well, managed to get everything unhooked and disconnected from the frame. Tommorrow I'll actually put the blocks in and reconnect stuff. I gotta jerry-rig something for the manual shift extension. I thought it was in the box, but it wasn't, so I've ordered one and it'll be here in a week. Unfortunately I can't wait that long. If I can't figure out anything secure and reliable enough then I think if I just don't put the plastic shift console back in, I should still be able to get the stick all the way into gear. Other than that, things have gone smoothly, thank goodness.

2004 fx4 level II · #10 12-16-2016, 08:42 PM

send tyler the bill!!!

Tyler46 · #11 12-17-2016, 12:23 AM

I think the shifter extension is in the little plastic baggy. It's an odd looking piece, doesn't look like it belongs at the bottom of the shifter

Kobault · #12 12-17-2016, 07:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tyler46

I think the shifter extension is in the little plastic baggy. It's an odd looking piece, doesn't look like it belongs at the bottom of the shifter

You're talking about this, right?

I'm pretty sure that's the steering linkage extension. The shifter extension looks similar, but is longer, narrower, and less boxy.

Tyler46 · #13 12-17-2016, 08:07 AM

Only thing I can think of is if I purchased one for an Automatic. I don't remember. I thought they had the same kit for both but maybe not.

Logan03CO · #14 12-17-2016, 08:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tyler46

Only thing I can think of is if I purchased one for an Automatic. I don't remember. I thought they had the same kit for both but maybe not.

The shifter extension required for manual RBV's is a separate part number. It doesn't come with the base body lift kit.

Performance accessories #3700 ($40ish bucks)

Kobault · #15 12-18-2016, 01:21 PM

Just a quick update. I tried to make a shifter extension, but I couldn't come up with anything I felt comfortable enough with. However, I had already lifted the bed, so I just threw everything back together and called it a day. The shift extension should get here Thursday and I'll resume the lift then, but until then , I'll be driving around with a rather stupid looking truck. The other problem I found was that it says to separate the parking brake cable. Is it really necessary? And if so, does anyone have a suggestions on how to get it apart? I tried using a flathead to widen the piece of metal enough to slide one part of the cable out, but I still couldn't get it.