I was given an 87 Ford Ranger XLT with 2.3L Fuel Injection (4 Cylinder) by my uncle a few years back. A few weeks ago (about 3-4) the truck was overheating and I stopped to let it cool and ask someone for directions to the nearest gas station when all of a sudden it shut off and would not start up. The truck has 225k miles, again 4 Cyl., 2.3L Fuel Injected, 2WD (rear of course), Manual Transmission. The engine turns and gets spark and seems to get fuel (a friend checked for pressure at the shrader valve) but still doesnt want to start. I have checked various parts that have been suggested such as spark plugs, wires, distributor, etc. During these checks I have had to replace some parts due to faults in the part. An example would be my spark plugs, which were covered in carbon and 2 of them had missing sections. The parts I have checked/replaced this far are:

Radiator (leaked, partial cause to overheating)
Water Pump (also leaked)
Radiator Hoses (I was told that it would be best to replace these with the radiator)
Distributor Cap (pretty worn out)
Distributor Rotor (same scenario as the radiator hoses)
Spark Plugs (explained this one already)
Spark Plug Wires
Ignition Coil
Ignition Control Module
Battery (checked out fine at both Autozone and Advance Auto)

My father-in-law suggested I check the timing belt to see if the belt is damaged and to check the timing. So far I'm working on this part.

Anyone else have any suggestions? I've put about $300-$400 into repairing this truck since it broke down (not including other repairs before it broke down) and I would really hate to junk it.

Thanks in advance,
Mike
(I hope I supplied enough information without supplying unneeded information)