Another green 69 Ranger

[brandon.k]

Thanks Mike! I just barely remember what it looked like when it was new.(I was just a couple years old when my grandad bought it). Really the paint still looked good when i got it in the early 80's but had been in a garage its whole life up to that point. I know what you mean on the scratches. Im still pretty anal about it and half the paint is gone.

[mike68merc]

It's a neat looking old SURVIVOR that's even more special bacause of your family history.



The little blemishes show years of use...NOT abuse....& the new wheels & the dialed in stance, show you value it & are STILL actively using it!
The rubbed through paint shows that it's been around the block a couple times!!! ....It's got some scars...But it still SHINES!

....Like this clean little 70. I'd have to think twice about re-painting it, even if you offered to pay for it!!

My project was supposed to be a DRIVER with an updated chassis, but it snowballed & now I'm committed to finishing the whole truck to a much higher level than I'd originally planned. I've spent alot more on it, & when I'm done I'll have to drive it carefully, & watch where I park it, & worry about who's gonna screw with it



I personally wish MY truck looked more like this 64!...(if it were a BUMP that is)...Just straighten the dents, cut out the rust, prime the affected spots & buff whats left of the paint!!...Then go drive it anywhere & have fun with it!!

[brandon.k]

Yeahhhhh, thats how i want mine to sit. Do you have dropped beams and springs? Ive noticed the little green pickup on here a few times. I suuuure like the way it looks and sits. About the koolest thing ive done with my pickup so far was take my grandmother for a ride in it a couple years after my grandad died. Or i thought it would be anyway. I think it kinda bummed her out and i didnt think about it before i got there in it.

[mike68merc]

No I abandoned the beams. I wanted to go much lower than Beams could get me. Mine is Bagged, with a Fatman's Fabrications Mustang II IFS & 2" dropped spindles Plus a 2 " front frame kick, & Fatman's 4 Link in the rear, & a 6" Frame Kick.


This is pretty close to Ride Height. The Bags can raise/lower me 4"+/- from here.

[brandon.k]

Wow! I like that. Ive been thinking about the crown vic swap but not sure i want to jump into that right now. The main reason i was thinking about that swap was for more wheel choices. Im wanting to run the new black Weld Magnum wheels. Was thinking 15"x 3 1/2" and 15"x 12". Of coarse they dont make these in the 5x5.5 bolt size.

[mike68merc]

WOW! 15 x 3-1/2"?!...Is that a typo...? Thats some seriously skinny meats up front! Going for the Pre-Street Look!!
The Magnums are a Classic Drag look!...

I learned about the Crown Vic setup after I'd committed to the M-II setup. It looks REALLY Sanitary....But I still wanted to go a LOT LOWER than that setup seemed to allow.
Also the track width is pretty WIDE (if I remember correctly?)...You'd almost HAVE TO run a 3-1/2" front tire!...Jus kiddin..

....Another PLUS for the M-II is that they come standard with a 5"x4.5" bolt pattern, so wheel choices increase exponentially!

I tubbed mine 2" wider in the rear 'cuz when we were doing layout, it just looked too tight for the 20' x 10"s in there (with my stock width rear end).....After install though, they fit nicely.



I see now that I could have EASILY gone to the BIG 20" x 14" wheels that I was LUSTING for.....if I correctly narrowed my rearend. But in the showroom those 20" x 14"s looked like a 50 gallon barell with tread!....SO I chickened out!!

[brandon.k]

Yup, 3 1/2's . Everybody kept telling me they would drive like crap, but i had the 3 1/2's on the front of the last Mustang i had and it drove better than when the 17x8's were on it. Might be totally different for a 4000 pound pickup though, not sure. That 4 link set up is nice. I knew it would free up a lot of room but didnt realize it would be that much. How much narrower is the m-ll set up vs. the I-beams? Do you have any idea what the difference is between the Crown Vic front and a Lincoln Town Car? I can go pick up a late 90's Town Car today for free. I know the rears were air bagged but not sure what was going on with the front

[brandon.k]

Did you narrow the frame in the rear or is it still stock?

[mike68merc]

The Frame is NOT narrowed. It is boxed & raised (like a really BIG C Notch).

I'm sorry. I don't remember the exact difference in track width. If I remember correctly the Crown Vic was wider than the stock I Beams by just a bit..?...& the I Beams are wider than the M-II by a couple inches. I know the M-II is narrow enough to allow some pretty big meats up front, & still be able to TURN with minimal interferance.

But if you're gonna run 3.5"s in the front & didn't need it to ride as low as mine, the Crown Vic Setup sure sounds Good. I wonder if they make Dropped Spindles for the Vic????

...I'm not sure if the front suspension from the Town Car is the same as the Crown Vic.. ..I'd check one of the Forums discussing the Vic Front end swap...
But if you can get the car for FREE, I'd check out the engine & trans for a swap. I believe they had 5.0s till '90-91???, then went to the 4.6 modular motors. That's what the project truck in Classic Trucks magazine is using!..Looks pretty cool!

[brandon.k]

Man! Ditching the leafs frees up a ton of room. I had thought about doing a 4 link with coil over set up before but talked myself out of it. Now im starting to rethink that idea. The 325/60/15 BFG drag radials i had on there before were pretty close to the leafs on a 10 wide wheel. The next rears tires will be Hoosier drag radials.



Yeahhhh, a free Town Car is kinda hard to pass up. They said it was running fine when they parked it but the rats have gotten to the wiring harness and the air bags are shot (the reason they parked it). Its been parked for about 2 years.




What all do you like having yours done and what color or colors are you thinking?

[brandon.k]

Never mind on the color question. I see the blue, that is a kool color. Thats gonna look good finished

[mike68merc]

Back many moons ago (in the 90's) I ran the old 16" bias ply Hoosiers on my 57 CHEV, when I was going through a Pro Street trend. They were basically dirt track tires. They drove like #@%!, @ they bounced like a beach ball......But Man I looked cool! It took a couple of blocks every morning to warm em up & smooth out the flat spots! ....Gotta love em!
The "new" generation of monster sized radials are supposed to be a lot easier to live with.



I'm squirting the truck in its original color: (Medium Aqua Metallic) Above is the Virginal color that was protected under the carpet.

[brandon.k]

Very kool, i didnt realize that was a factory color. I like those seats to. Did those come out of a Mustang?



Soft tires have come a long ways in the last few years. 12 years ago i had a 76 Cobra ll drag car for a daily driver. It had Hoosier quick times on it that worked great. They were 31/16.5/15 on 15x14 weld wheels. The thing drove like a new car, even in the rain and some in the snow.

[mike68merc]

Thank you, the color is really growing on me...kinda like a Fungus!

The seats came factory in the truck. They are the same (exact) seat used in the Mustang, but with unique truck bases. The bucket seats that were in the truck when I got looked like a dog ate 'em....A LOOOONG time ago! Found this pair at a swapmeet.

I've heard that the new Hoosiers were MUCH better. A friend has 'em on his T Bucket. But with a blown 350 & that short wheel base it's a handfull!
.... You drove on em in the SNOW??!!

[brandon.k]

Yup, drove it year round, it dont snow to much here when it does though. At the time all we had was it and my "then" wifes 67 Mustang. The pickup wasnt running then. I was wrong on that tire size, they were 28/16.5/15's.



Those seats look pretty kool in there, i didnt realize the put bucket seats in these things.



A blown bucket has to be to much fun, i cant even imagine.