So I bought a new little ranger.

The good.... for being an 89 its clean.
The body is in great shape little to no dents or dings
The Factory paint is good (the window trim and most of the bed is all yucky though)
Its got a 2.3L (This is my daily drivers doing little to no hauling)
Clean title with tags paid
New tires, timing belt.
Brakes feel great but im going to check them.

The bad....
The transmission whines all the time (So if you have one fore sale! 5 speed let me know) and I checked everything its either the counter shaft bearing or input shaft bearing.
The exhaust is ghettoized with what looks like a $10 cherry bomb and drops down before the axle (going to get that replaced with a little turbo muffler and have the pipe run out the back)
The suspension is a little clangy. Going to tear the front down today and see if I can make it feel a little more secure.
The seats are trashed and its missing carpet inside and the dash is cracked.
The Radiator is full of rust soup. Well not anymore I flushed it best I could.

A new little project in the works.

Parts seem quite cheap. If I can find a transmission for a good price I think I will be all set. That howl from the transmission and exhaust will give ya a headache pretty quick.

 

Nice! Easier to work on than the '87, the parts are lighter

I had an '85 with a 5 speed (TK) that whined all the time, even after I replaced the input shaft bearing...don't know if the '89 used that same trans or not.

 

Well I did a bunch of reading from across the web and they said its the counter shaft bearing...

its $180 for the rebuild kit but you need a press for some of the bearings.

Well im doing the suspension for the truck too and for my white f250 and for my dads crown vic.... So I said F* and bought a $200 press at harbor freight with my 20% off coupon.

Having a press is AMAZING. I can hammer out u joints in like 30 minutes flat.

 

So where's the pics?