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Old 11-02-2012, 07:17 AM   #1 (permalink)
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97 Ranger aero project.

Short bed 5 speed code 84 (3.45 differential) with a .79 OD 5th gear, about 2k at 60 unless I put larger diameter tires on it. Picked it up for $1650 with just over 124k miles. Interior is decent (after a whole day of scrubbing). Only mechanical problem is it needs a blower motor resistor (only high speed). Drives fine and seems to roll pretty good, even though I have not even checked the tire prerssure. 195/70/14 tires, with plenty of tread left.

The exterior is fairly rough, no rust, just small dents and dings especially around the top of the bed with the biggest dent just in front of the left tail light. Bottom line is it's a perfect candidate for aero mods. Wore myself out yesterday cleaning out the interior, rubber floor mats are nice, but cloth interior, although comfortable, sure can hold a lot of dirt and this baby had a couple of pounds of it. even a foot under the rubber floor mats.

The perfect candidate for a Phil Knox tribute, with some Basjoos mixed in for a few more MPG. Since I can weld it will be mostly steel parts welded on. Not even going to try to get it paintworthy, grey urethane primer will be just fine, until I get everything sorted out.

Bed cap will be extended to the distance of the tailgate when it is down. Tailgate will be strutted in place, replaceing the cable stops with steel to keep it down, so I can make the cap latch to the existing latches in the tailgate. fender skirts at all 4 wheels, welded to the existing sheet metal, with a predetermined gap of about 1/8th inch so I can install a bead seal between the panels.

Cap will be hinged a few inches away from the cab roof so it can be sealed to the cab perfectly.

Dams in front of all 4 wheels, blocked off about 60% of the radiator inlet, contemplating loosing the clutch fan, maybe I can get an electric that is regulated by outlet hose temp instead of inlet andtest the theorey of coolant entrance temperature. The mirrors are already small, I think I may put a dam or deflector on the front of the mirror.

I'll post pics as I go along.

regards
Mech


Last edited by user removed; 11-15-2012 at 07:32 PM..
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