[Matto211]

*TO ALL MOD'S PLEASE READ FULL THREAD BEFORE ERASEING OR DELETING*

Hello all, it's Matt again with another build thread. This time it is not with a Mustang though. It's with a 1990 Ford Ranger 2.3L 5speed Manual transmission. It's got 62,900 mile's on it and it's fairly nice. It does need some easy work and I will be fixing it as soon as I get some money.

Yes, I know, I know you all are thinking well this site isn't for Ford pick up truck's. Well you see, this truck has the same engine, 2.3L. So I beleive I should be able to post a thread on here tell people how I have done certain thing's to my engine to get some extra power out of it because we all know that these engine's are hard to make fast. So hopefully the moderator's will not ban me from the site or delete this thread because I beleive it could help some people out. Also some people can help me out. No this truck is not no muddin truck, it's a 2 wheel drive 4 banger!

As some of you may know I had a 1989 Ford Mustang 2.3L 5 speed that had a lot of work done to it. So much work that it was unbeleiveable that I just traded this guy straight up for this truck. My car just needed to be finished, it needed body work and it needed the underside redone. Also needed suspenstion work. I loved the car to death, but it was time for it to go it was causing me to many problem's and to much money going into one car.

As for the Ranger it only need's some easy stuff fixed on it, so that all will have to come first.

Stuff needed to be fixed--

1. Brake's, currently the master cylender is out of it. It also might have a leak some where in the brake line's or somthing
2. It need's 2 new gas tank tie down strap's because the gas tank is being held up by two racheting straps, so that definatly need's fix soon.
3. New windshield because the hood flew up and hit the windsheild and cracked it.

But thats about it for stuff that need's to be fixed right away. As for Modification's I have ton's of plans for it. I have already started collecting parts for it.

My plans for the Ranger--

1. JVC cd player
2. Driving lights
3. Cold air intake
4. Custom mesh grill
5. Magnaflow muffler
6. Bypassed cat
7. tinted window's and more.

if anyone has a problem with me posting this please pm me thank you!

[white angel]

Hello, your thread is ok? This is All FORD Mustangs, that includes all fords as far as most are concerned. Unless your here to break a rule, your good to go! Good luck on the build!

[Matto211]

Thank's white angel! I have been on here for a while, just firgured I would post a build thread on my Ranger now that I don't have my 89 Mustang

[Matto211]

Picked up a Jvc Cd player today, really cheap. It's missing the wire harness but I am going to bye that off ebay soon. I also baught, a set of Sony Xplod 6x9" speaker's and also a set of 6x9" boxes at my local Car audio store. They sold me some small rca cable's thinking the truck was small or somthing, not sure but I am going to mount the amp under the dash now. Because I have a Sony Xplod 222 watt amp that I am hooking the 6x9" 's up to.

I cleaned it up a bit today, it really just need's to be washed and buffed, then polished. But I will have to wait until it get's a little bit warmer out side.

I also got some 16" optima rims to put on my Ranger, but I am missing the center cap's but I don't care, I am still going to put them on the truck no matter what.

So when I get the wire harness, I will be installing the cd player. Keep in mind I do hard wire my cd player's into the vehical. I do not like Jbl Connector's because it's not worth the $27.99 for these older cars. I absolutely hate searching for a JBL connector to because they always are so hard to find. But if you can find a good one for like $5.00 it is worth actually taking the time wiring the cd player harness to the JBL connector and then simply plugging it in. But I was taught better than that, I was taught a good way to do it and it usually turn's out better than a Jbl connector because of bad connections.

I also will post the wire color's up on here if anyone is looking for them.
and I do have the stock tape player out of this and my old 1989 Ford Mustang that I would give to anyone if they want it, just pm and I'll ship it out.

So if anyone is watching or reading this thread I will really like to know you'r thought's so far. My thoughts are its going to be very fun owning my first truck.

I am making a cold air intake for it soon too, so it should be very fun.

[Matto211]

I am staying home from school today to work on the truck a little bit. I plan on removing the stock rear speakers and their plastic speaker boxes. I then plan on installing two brand new Sony Xplod 6x9" speaker's in brand new 6x9" speaker boxes. I will plan on wiring them into a amp so I plan on just hiding the rear speaker wires under the carpet (because there not needed for installing the 6x9"s unless I decide to add some more speaker's at some point.

So that's my plan for the day. So hopefully it gets done, but I don't know if it will because its so cold out side, and my garage is cold. But I'm going to try.

here is the cd player hard wireing diagram. If you decided to hard wire you'r cd player in I would recomend that you have a heat gun and some heat shrink, also I would recomend you have some good wire stripper's. Make sure you get a good connection and also make sure there are no bear wire's. This diagram is for the 1989-1990 Ford ranger only. I can get other wire diagram's just let me know...Constant 12V+Green/Yellow Switched 12V+Yellow/Black GroundChassis IlluminationBlue/Red Dimmern/a Antenna Triggern/a AntennaRight Front Front Speakers6 1/2" DoorsLeft Front (+)Orange/Green Left Front (-)Black/White Right Front (+)White/Green Right Front (-)Black/White Rear Speakers5" x 7" Rear WallLeft Rear (+)Pink/Green Left Rear (-)Pink/Blue Right Rear (+)Pink/Blue Right Rear (-)Green/Orange

[J. Rhapsody]

I'm rather fond of Rangers. I would say transfer your Mustang mods over to it. If you still have any. I know you probably wouldnt race it but a few performance mods go along way, sometimes increasing mpg's. I want a 07-8 Ranger. My old college teacher has a 2.3t in his.

[Matto211]

Thank you, but I still want to get another 2.3L mustang to build. I have some Modification's for the truck already such as new rim's and what not.

I have a snow day today so I plan on working on the Ranger most of the day.

Yesterday, I started collecting part's for the Ranger. I went to Autozone picked up some stuff. I got a aircraft style switch with blue cover for the bumper light's. Then I went to a local hardware store and got some steel mesh that I am going to paint aluminum/silver and put behind the grille so it will give this custom look.

Also I am looking into getting a steel roll pan for it, but it's got a custom bed on it that is off a 1998 Ford Ranger step side. So it is the step side box that is fiberglass. But it's a good, project.

If anyone has ever heard of Optima rim's and they know how to find their website it would really be help ful because I need to buy a replacement centercap. So if youknow the site to Optima rims let me know.... Thank! ! ! ! !

[Matto211]

Hello everyone again, I have finally got my rims on the truck. It look's really good. Atleast it look's good to me. It might not look very good to many other people but it looks good to me.

As for my system, I still have not finsished it because it's to cold. I will get it done though soon. I have been trying to decided weather or not to change the upper into to the Mustang upper intake, because I think it would add some more power, I am not sure though. However, I have been researching and can't find anything on it. So anyway's I might get a good upper intake out of the junk yard and port it, and give it ago and see what happen's. Maybe it will be good, and maybe it won't I can change it back if I don't like it.

Also I plan on getting a bigger throttle body off a v6 Mustang if I can somehow make it work. I am going to try to get a custom throttle body mount for it. The reasion I am going with a V6 Mustang throttle body is because there is no kill like overkill, so since the 2.3L throttle body is very small I don't want to get one that is huge and too big. I want one that is the same size as the cold air intake so that it will flow good and not have a problem. So now that I got air going into I am going to have to get the air out faster. So I am going to get a header from essliner and I am going to run the same size piping all the way back to a Thrush Turbo muffler, and going into a side pipe. So yeah, I will be working on this more when it get's warmer out.

[Matto211]

As this project seem's like it is taking for ever, it is literally not. I have not done much but the small stuff that I can do. When I start on the performance part of the project is when it is really going to start to get intresting, but for now, please bare with me.

I have decided I was going to install my Sony Xplod 6x9"s yesterday, I got them wired up and everything, but Can't really find a place to mount the boxes so they won't move around, Guess there just going sit back there and hope they don't move to much. I got my system all wired up and working great.

So now, I have the driver seat out I thought I would get a set of blue under dash neon's ( no neon hater's comment's this is a truck and everything can be done to a truck. ), I only had enough for 1 blue l.e.d today, but I should have enough for another one soon, hopefully it won't be long. I decided I am going to remove the ash tray and use the Cigerette lighter wire's as the wire's for the neon's. I am going to make a custom switch pannel as soon as I have time and it is a little bit warmer out in my garage. As for right now it is so cold that I can only be out there for a little while to work on the truck, I would really like to start working on the brake's and everything but I really don't have time right now. Maybe if I take the day off from school tomarow (not sure if I will yet, but possibly.), I can get some work done.

[J. Rhapsody]

You should post pictures of this truck. No wories, I'm running neons or leds inside my car too. It's yours to enjoy, if sombody thinks its rice then thats their opinion, let them be happy its not their truck. You may want the intake and exhaust milled or something aswell, thats another change in the 2.3 is I think after 85 the exhaust changes to D-Port which doesnt flow aswell as older ones do, another reason older ones make more hp modded. Oh and for a more custom look check out the Metalcast in the paint asles any lil metalic/chrome surface can be sprayed with this, since you are going blue the mesh you bought can be sprayed to look like chrome or anodized blue, or gold, smoke, red, purple, chrome. Id use a clear coat asweel just in case.

[Matto211]

Well it's been a few day's, I have got some work done. But I got some more to get done.

I finally got all this done-

1. System finally complete, including speaker's and all tuned.
2. The dash put back togeather.
3. The driver seat back in.

[Matto211]

Well it's been a few day's, I have got some work done. But I got some more to get done.

I finally got all this done-

1. System finally complete, including speaker's and all tuned.
2. The dash put back togeather.
3. The driver seat back in.
4. Cleaned everything up.
5. Mounted the driver side blue l.e.d. bar from pilot automotive under the dash.

What I plan on doing next week-

1. Removing the upper and lower intake and porting them to the max.
2. Installing brand new Felpro Performance gaskets.
3. Removing the stock air box and installing a custom mount plate for a K&N cone filter on the MAF meter.
4. Then I plan on finishing up the interior, I have to install a passenger side blue l.e.d bar from Pilot automotive.
5. Cleaning up everything on the inside, basically cleaning the carpet.
6. Make a custom switch plate where the ash tray is suposed to be (don't smoke, DON'T Need it).

Pretty much going to be done after that because I have no money, and I still need to fix a few things. I have been working on trying to find every thing.

I wish I had a job, so that maybe I could possibly turbo this truck or maybe even supercharge it? hehe, lol I have seen it done only once.

I believe if I could find a Supercharger off a ford focus I might be able to make it work. But I doubt it, how ever it would be extreamly cool. I would love it.

I have been trying to decide what to do with the head light's. I am thinking about trying to find some blue bulb's or somthing like that. I have seen a lot of wierd color head light's but I really want somthing else. I have been working on this truck a lot and I enjoy it.

[ExtrmZ]

is that all you know how to do? visual mods? why dont you do something to improve the way it runs/drives?? starting to take the ricer approach to this ranger.. bad start

[Matto211]

Well kinda, I have had a eagle talon that I did full engine swap too, but I had all the tool's in my garage to do it. Now that my dad moved out I have almost no tool's. I have been buying tools but I still don't have basically what I need.

Bye the way you I seem to remeber my 89 having ton's of bolt on's done to it. But in case you don't remeber, I have no job, there is no where for me to work, especially since no one want's to hire someone who is going to a alternative school. So yeah, it's kinda hard.

I know how to do alot thing's, like installing cold air intake's, exaust work, changing ignition, installling gauges, and ton's of other stuff. But just forget it, everything I do is "Ricey" so I'm done modifying it. I am going to get a 2.3L mustang and just start tearing it down, for engine swap, but I doubt it will ever run again.

[ExtrmZ]

you just posted the pm you sent me on this thread.. that makes no sense to what was going on in the thread