Airtruksrus’s 1987 Ford Ranger Regular Cab

Transmission repair (T5 Borg Warner)Here is a breakdown of the problems encountered while hunting for compatible parts.While the transmission is currently torn down to just the housing and the shaft, the pictures show the major differences between the original Molybdenum solid one piece cast 2nd gear and the updated part that the engine loves to disassemble into 6 different pieces.The original, which shows the synchro teeth formed and machined out of the same casting as the 2nd drive gear.  Notice the worn down nature of the synchro teeth due to a worn out synchro and why i choose not to try and reuse it.  The metal is hardened and trying to re file flat teeth is out of the question since it dulled the file. I could try the dremel and cutter wheel if this search goes south.

Good luck in winning any awards, great way to show off the mods and engine work, had quite a bit of interest.Finally had another ranger enter into the specialized category and the owner managed to stuff the 4.6 under the hood, the thing is able to be shoehorned onto the frame as long as you replace the hood.

2/27/11I had the chance of helping a friend do a 2.9 engine swap out for another Ranger he picked up and gave me a Glasstite shell for the Ranger with the 7' bed.  When i picked it up, it was covered in moss and had to clean out the spider nests but managed to scrub the mess off and ended up with a fairly decent shell.  The only problems i found so far was it needed a different paint job and some protection for the paint by getting a new seal around the lip for easier mounting.

Current additional projects toward the bottomUpdated 4/25/11 Found some new toys to play with...Did the long search on Craigslist and came up with 2 good candidates for a new rear drive.  Almost ended up with an entire 91 exploder for $400, too bad there was no title.  The second was off of a 2000 exploder with the disc brakes and anti sway bars, fairly standard and set up with 3.55 gearing.

Fabricating the new instrument panelThe time has come to start looking at getting the replacement instruments.  Thought about making a panel out of carbon fiber mat so that the instruments could be arranged in a different layout and allow the use of additional guages to be incorporated as well.Started off by prepping the surface to lay out the carbon mat.  1000 to 2000 grit wet sanding on the aluminum sheet followed by aluminum polish gives a fairly polished finish.

Wonders never cease... updated 4/25/11 1/17/09 I was looking around for something change the sleeper look, perhaps a hood scoop.  Well, what do you know, just have to ask the sales guy behind the counter at the wrecking yard.  Check this out.

Clutch problem solved!!!Finally worked out the clutch engagement once and for all.Throught trial by fire and plenty of needless creativity, all i had to do was order the right part through Summit to make it all work right the first time...The first time hooking up the clutch to make it work it was already going to prove a challenge since the Mustang used a clutch cable to move the clutch back and forth.  The biggest hurdle was in moving the 5.0 into the ranger, was using the headers from Advanced that put the cable input out of reach. Looked for a cable that could be used and found one with a plastic housing.

What didn't I expect...current entries toward the bottom.Much has happened since I've finally started using my truck as a reliable daily driver. Some of this might be useful for those undertaking such a project.The gauges are still working the same, the tach is still reading 2x actual rpm's, gotten used to it by now. The oil pressure indicator still blinks and found it may be nothing more than a bad or unattached ground wire. The GPS has tracked the mileage since the install showing 1,600 miles so far. Still need to get the speedometer cable that will match up.The old 2.3 4 banger was sold to a friend who was going to drop into another ranger with a trashed engine. The tranny should be traded here fairly soon for a set of 15" wheels and an 8.8 rear end. Will need some work to get it to match up but do-able. I was able to borrow a set of 15" wheels from a crown vic with 235 tires just to see what it would do with the mileage and it did add to the benefit for the short time. The wheels just didn't look right with the truck but was glad to give a trial run with the larger tires. Initially, the 5.0 started out with around 10 to 11 mpg and after enclosing the air filter, applying a home brew ram scoop, adjusting the timing, the mileage made a jump to 19 mpg with the larger tires. The smaller 14" seem to give a fairly consistent 16 to 17 mpg with mid grade unleaded.One hell of a difference adjusting the timing made to the performance. Just for kicks, went to a stretch of road not heavily patrolled and let loose on the throttle. I ended up smoking the tires all the way up to 4th gear before reaching 80. The acceleration would definitely benefit by using 8" to 10" wide tires with the back with the mustang geared rear. The gearing right now is the standard 3.45 with the 7.5 rear and is still holding up with no problems. On one occasion I found there to be a rev limiter when reaching the top rpm knowing me and the lead foot tendencies. For the most part, the timing adjustment helped improve the idle and made the biggest improvement on mileage considering the 16 to 17 is just around town.The leaks were solved over time. The remote oil locator was the only problem with oil leaks and the bolts that cap off the unused ends were able to be tightened up only after re positioning the locator where the wrench could reach and apply sufficient torque to seat the caps "all" the way down, no problems since then. The antifreeze leaks came from the hoses not seating properly. Only after constant tightening and replacing a few clamps did the leaks eventually stop. Leak free for the last month.The only other problem encountered was the clutch cable support fabricated in a makeshift way that it was only a matter of time till the bracket snapped in half. Just as I'm getting ready to leave work, step on the clutch and feeling it bottom out(oh shi*) not good. Worked out for the better since a new bracket was fabricated and now supported in a way it takes the stress off the bracket and stiffens the clutch cable.When driving around, most people don't take notice even with the loud exhaust unless they're parked next to me with small kids when starting up or when opening the throttle up. The biggest advantage I've noticed is the ability to drive in 5th gear even on hills and no hesitation whatsoever while using barely any throttle. Passing makes you feel you got a rocket attached to the rear bumper. Need to do another trip just to see if the mileage can peak over 20 mpg, wishful thinking.1/17/09Actually got some time to drive it off of the island for once and discovered some more realistic figures on the gas mileage issue and other performance checks.Was staring at the gas receipt in sort of disbelief, but actually managed to get 22 mpg with the speedometer set at around 66 to 70 for most of the trip.  That allows for just over 300 miles before the gas guage starts yelling for a drink.Got a short video taken of the third gear run from 35 to 100 mph in third and will need to finish the rest of the video clips to compile it into something a little more entertaining.With all of the intense rain that has fallen on the Puget Sound region, i found myself a victim of the maze network of water blocking off road around the Skagit valley.  Many areas flooded with farms under a 2 feet or more of water and had to wonder if water was going to start filling up the floor in the cab when there was a couple of roads i had to cross, no worries with the bigger tires, forget it with the standard 14 inch low riders, engine would have flooded for sure.Got stuck in traffic jams for the first time, hell of a time for the ground line on the cooling fan to come off.  Watched the temp guage go up the first time thinking the fan was still operating and turned on the heat as well to help with cooling.  Thought the regulator went out, but the temp never went above the "O" on the normal range, considering it sits on the "L" most of the time.  Thought for sure the engine was going to fry for sure when the steam started coming up from the hood.  The clutch cable might have to get replaced soon, probably got too hot sitting next to the catalytic converter even with the heat shielding, starts to stick.Every now and then the urge to step on the gas to pass some slow traffic comes up and found even in 5th gear you only need half throttle before you find yourself at 100mph plus in around 15 seconds.  The tachometer works out great with the new resistor in place.  Hope to find a better set of side mirrors since the ones on now flop back at around 80 all the time.6/1/09Had a really great year and a half of driving to and from work with very few incidents, lots of looks with the air intake.  A few adjustments on the timing seems to have helped smooth out the rough idle and brought the mileage back up to the 22 - 23 mpg.  The alternator was giving some problems with a dry bearing and got me worried a few times with just the sound it was making.  Now the big issue to deal with is the mushy front brakes and the clutch feeling a bit wierd, such as grabbing soft at first then all grab.  Smoked it a few times when taking off with a heavy load or determining that both tires were breaking loose on the dry pavement and leaving a nice 20 foot burn out.  Try not to do this often since the rear end is getting looser as well, probably attributed from the torque.  Scoping out old 8.8 drives from old rangers or explorers, have the wrecking yards on the lookout to let me have first crack at it.  The clutch will get replaced first which requires lifting the engine out again and will give the 5.0 a once over.  Car show in Oak Harbor is coming up and need to get it done before then, strikes up a lot of interest as i've got the only ranger at the show.  Wish there was more...7/17/09I've officially crossed into the dark side and had to perform a manifold gasket replacement on our Chevy Venture(Chevy?!?!?!?!?!), an 02 of all things.  The dealership is trying to determine if the cooling fan is coming on when it's supposed to according to the computer and it turns out fine, then they finish off the paperwork to complete the checkout and tells me the lower manifold gasket needs to be replaced as well as a flushing of the coolant.  OK, that's fine and dandy, till i look at the estimate for the two.  $1100, are they "jlkfjld" crazy.  Alright, call up Schucks, lo and behold, complete gasket kits for around $60, and a good ol haynes manual for $30.

It changed the speedometer reading by 5 mph at 45 according to the GPS and tach but have already seen a slight increase in mileage.  A lot more grip when taking off but takes much of the drag off as compared to the smaller wheels4/29/11Got a hold of some kickass rims to get the speedometer back to a normal reading.

Valley Auto Machine services in Mt Vernon Wa performed the clean and mag of the block, .030 bore as well as resizing the rods, installation of the piston rods, resizing the crankshaft .010 and installing the new cam bearings. The cam had no wear due to the roller cams for the HO version, apparently less wear and tear. All this ran up to $600 and was done in 4 days.

87 Ranger xlt 5.0 HO motor from beyond hope 86 Mustang gt, bored .030 over Super chip already included with the gt version. Rebuilt Borg-Warner T5 WCWilwood hydraulic clutch slave cylinderMarch Performance pulleys for no a/c, air pump and reverse water pump Mustang Cobra jet scoop with turn signals (original 1970) with custom cold air boxAdvance Adapters conversion parts (headers, 4 row radiator, mounts, remote oil adapter) Summit Racing for 2.5" exhaust tubes, H pipe, hi flow cat converters and 4" round Magnaflows Flex a Lite 1250 cfm fan stock driveshaft shortened 1 7/8", adapter ujoint on aft Explorer 8.8 with drilled and slotted disc brakes, 31spline, 3.55 gearing, trac lock differentialExplorer suspension with anti sway bar B&M line lockMustang Cobra 17x9 rimsFinish 1 acrylic enamel paint - Viper Red on hood(soon to be covering the rest of the truck) Mountain bike handlebar shifter, old one was too short and wrong angle. 1967 Ranger emblems

Guess the truck is holding up fairly well for 22 years old.Video of the acceleration run and a little bit of driving around. 5.0 Ranger first time burnout 5.0 87 Ranger daily driving 5.0 ranger speed runs A couple of shots of the gathering in Bainbridge Island 10/2/10

Picked up some acrylic enamel to use for practice and to get use to the new hvlp gravity fed spray gun in hopes of using the same color for the rest of the truck.  Used almost a quart of the Viper red which is just a little brighter than the regular truck color and a very hard and resilient finish.

The back side shows where it was machined after welding together, evidence of weld puddles are visible and can be seen in the photo in the channel.  This is the first thing to go after 2 weeks of breaking the engine in and causes the gear to slide back and forth on the hub insert and rests against 3rd gear and grinds together when driving.  This makes driving in idle in second an unpleasant experience while the whole vehicle moves back and forth in jerky motions.

Had no idea that the entire suspension, shocks and drive shaft were still attached when i showed up to pick it up.  Unfortunately my truck had a problem with the timing cover gasket and had to use the good ol' reliable "minivan" with all the seats removed just to get it to fit( with some disassembly).  Would have been up the " " creek with no paddle to get even a minor stain on the carpet, thank walmart for tarps...  Not a bad deal for $200, not sure about the condition of the gears internally, feels like a bit of slack in the gearing.  Another thing to check out down on the list.

Alot of cutting and fitting to get the instruments to align up correctly.  In this process, i found the resistor on the back of the tach which changed the indication back to normal rpm's.  The oil pressure gauge is the only item that i needed off the other cluster, still have to hook it up.  Even had time to install the 90W Blaupunkts in the door that utilize the rear speaker outputs (anything beats factory speakers).

This scoop used to be solid black with 2 gold pinstripes outlining of what is going to become the intake side.  Smokey and the Bandit came to mind, and it was just dropped off at the wrecking yard just the day before.  It's in relatively good shape for what is going to be visible above the hood.  Not bad for $5.

The clutch presented a few issues and as time goes on have found a few solutions and failures.  The first attempt to get the clutch to work was using the original master cylinder and a new external slave cylinder from an 84 ranger setup to no avail.  Couldn't develop the pressure to ensure the clutch would even operate, and it leaked fluid from every hose joint.  I decided to try the cable method that was used in the Mustang but was attached to the clutch paddle backwards since the left header was in the way of the opening normally used.

Used a dremel tool with a ball mill to clean up the oil flow areas on top of the motor and the head ports and rocker areas before dropping off at the machinist. The valves were given a good cleaning and matching prior to reinstalation.The addition of the March Pulleys ($300) removed some dead weight, since the a/c and air pump weren't even in use when I picked up the Mustang.