happster's 1979 XLT Ranger build

[happster]

well, i really botched up the last build thread i made with too much talk about changing plans. now that i am far away from my baby and can't do the work myself, i'm going to be sending money back and having everything done by shops down in texas so it will be functioning properly when it makes its way up here. i'll do a quick picture summary of the "progress" so far, and then tell the final plan.

when i bought it, it had been sitting outside for quite a while without any attention being given to it. the owner believed it had a stuck valve, and so he stopped driving it. it was built in Houston (iirc), it was sold at Ray Stallings dealership in Temple, and it was bought by a cop in Kerrville. it wasn't used too very much- it has under 70k on it. i looked up the dealership but it doesn't seem to exist any more. i don't think it had ever been out-of-state before i took it to school with me!
this is what it looked like the day i bought it.


you may notice that the front was really smashed up. it had definitely been ran into something a while ago. both front fenders were really messed up, especially the passenger's side.
the most apparent thing is the paint- it's missing a lot. some spots have surface rust, others have red primer, and others have paint. i'm not sure why that is, but whatever.
the interior however, was a very different story. the only thing wrong in the interior was the dash pad was settled a bit, the driver's seat had some wear, and the carpet was so old it was deteriorating. you can pull the carpet apart with your hand in some places. it was very clean though for a vehicle that had been sitting for years and years!
i picked up the whole truck for 500 bucks, and although i could have driven it home, legal and insurance issues made it necessary to have it towed back to my place.

i got a pretty good look at the underside of it while it was up on the rollback, so i took a few pics.


when it made it home i went and bought a new battery for it, and then i looked around and saw that the duraspark computer was cooked. went out, got a new one, put it on, turned it over, and she was a little reluctant at first (which makes sense considering how long the truck had been sitting), but she finally fired and i ran ATF through the intake to sort out the "stuck valve." ended up just being a spark plug. but the ATF did help get it back on its feet, and it ran a bit smoother after it was finished smoking from the ATF.
i took it on a little drive around the ranch, and i LOVED it.

before i had bought this one, i bought my '85, and this one was just a total different experience. it felt a lot sturdier, everything was still together, and it had some kick to it! he had told me the motor had been rebuilt, but you can't really prove that without going into it, but it had to have been because it was really pretty quick for a truck with the 29" tires on it.
i got tired of those really fast. so i bought a bit bigger set.


i got a set of 35X12.50X15 KM2s, and found a sweet set of turbine wheels to have them mounted on. got em put under the truck, and DANG it looked great!

that's the way it staid for a few months while i was at school, and it didn't really get driven until i drove it up to Kansas. i had an emergency when i was about to leave town to drive it up to school and the wheel almost came off! the people at the shop i took it to to get the tires put on must not have tightened down the lugs enough, and it destroyed my awesome turbines. i had to get the original white wagon wheels put back on, and had to get the tires mounted on them. that was a real bummer because i loved those turbines. oh well!

i've actually decided that i like the wagon wheels and i'm going to paint them and just keep them, instead of looking for a second set of turbines.
once i got it up to Kansas, i started to do a few more things to it. did a proper tune up, and wheeled it as much as you can in a state as flat as Kansas.

i decided i was going to paint it Ford Tractor Blue, but then i changed my mind and now it's destined to be painted the factory color which is a VIBRANT blue metallic. you can't really tell on the truck though because of how messed up the paint is, but it's going to look great when it comes out of the paint shop.
i got the hood done after blasting all the primer/rust off and shooting a coat of primer and then rattle canning the thing ford blue. i also did some rust removal and protection on the tailgate.


after this, i got a few more goodies and fixed it up with a new front grille shell, a new chrome bumper, and a nice clean chrome bull bar. i picked up an old f250 fender to replace one of my FUBAR fenders, and proceeded to make it a bit better lookin'.





ok, now that we're up to speed.... the future of the bronco IS:
rebuild on the c6
4" superflex lift using full rear packs and just some different C bushings for now, but eventually i'm going to go with a set of Duff arms
new pass side fender
new weatherstripping and window seals
regear to 4.10s or 4.56s
detroit or lockrite out back, Powr-Loc up front, but i might decide i want a lock right up there- not sure yet.
A/C compressor is in need of either a rebuild or a replacement
REPAINT- first thing i need to do is get it repainted so that it's presentable enough that my dad might think about being in it.
front carpet
cruise control

so those are the goodies. i just want to get it lookin as good as it runs, and get some clearance for the 35s as well as some traction!

[jimmers75f250]

looks good happster.

[BRONCONUT]

GIT-R-DONE

[KUIKUITZILLA]

looks good my friend, its a lot of work and money, you must be love this truck too much!!!! please take a lot of pictures of the process!!! saludos

[happster]

thanks fellas. she's my baby, it's true. right now i'm mostly in the parts collection phase, but when i get achance i'm definitely going to put as much in myself as i can. it may be a while though.

[secondechomatt]

Just stick with your plan! Pics of the interior?

[happster]

i don't have too many of the interior, but here's what i got.

[william_ace]

this sounds like a terrible idea :) . question 1, why not find a bronco up there?

[happster]

cuz i don't need a third ****! and i like mine too much to sell to you at bargain basement prices

wow... i forgot aobut the M A N G filter...

[jtrux]

How much issues did you have with those tires rubbing with stock suspension?

[happster]

the only problem i have is it rubs in the back when i turn left. i still need to adjust the steering limiting bolts to keep the tires from rubbing the radius arms i think but they don't seem to be getting damaged.

[ODBuffalo]

Happster, I love the way it looks without a lift and those 35's stuffed under there. Maybe just some 2.5 leveling springs and add-a-leafs.

Keep up the work.

[happster]

i really need to get it up in the air a bit. it looks mean this way but i really need more clearance. i was actually toying with a 6" lift but i think 4" is just what it needs. i almost went with a leveling kit but decided it wouldn't be enough. thanks for the comment though... soon there will be more progress on this build!

[rockstate45]

I think you had a sweet rig when you first put on the 35s!

It'll look even better when done though.

-rockstate

[happster]

yeah, the patina on it was ill. oh well! gotta keep it from rusting away! my friend told me not to get near it with any rust remover... the whole truck might dissolve

[7LBRONCO]

I installed used 4" springs in front, and Skye flip in the rear. No issues with anything rubbing, even at full lock.

You can do the shackle flip, without dropping the gas tank, it just takes some patience. My Bronco actually rides better now, than stock. How much of that is new shocks, I have no idea.

4.56 gears, and 35" tires, will give you the same final drive ratio, as 3.50 gears, and stock tires. That's what I'm running, and the speedo is on the money.