An Introduction
Thread Starter
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Banned
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 35
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From: mpls, mn,USA
An Introduction
Hello. I have been lurking here for a couple of weeks, so I thought I would introduce myself.
My name is Dan, and I live in St Paul, MN. 2 weeks ago, I bought a 1972 Ford Ranger XLT F100 2wd pickup. The truck is from Calif., and has no rust. It was stored in a garage, and has never seen a MN winter. The paint is yellow and white, and is in ex. condition. It has 69,000 miles, power steering and brakes, 360, auto (C6, right? Could it be a C4?). Everything looks to be stock, including factory air cond and am radio. It has had a topper on it from day 1. Scratches in the bed have no surface rust. The interior is in near mint cond., save for the dash (Cracked) and the headliner chrome trim, which needs to be polished. This thing is a real time machine. it rides very nice, maybe even too soft, like the springs might have sagged over time. It handles like a bag of wet cement.
The only problems I have had thus far:
The carb needs to be rebuilt.
The brake master cyl. is leaking (I have a new master waiting for a Sat. installation)
I want to add the pertronix ignition and a steel cam gear and chain set.
I'll try to post pics soon.
If anyone has questions about the truck, let me know.
It's nice to meet you all....
Vespadaddy Dan
My name is Dan, and I live in St Paul, MN. 2 weeks ago, I bought a 1972 Ford Ranger XLT F100 2wd pickup. The truck is from Calif., and has no rust. It was stored in a garage, and has never seen a MN winter. The paint is yellow and white, and is in ex. condition. It has 69,000 miles, power steering and brakes, 360, auto (C6, right? Could it be a C4?). Everything looks to be stock, including factory air cond and am radio. It has had a topper on it from day 1. Scratches in the bed have no surface rust. The interior is in near mint cond., save for the dash (Cracked) and the headliner chrome trim, which needs to be polished. This thing is a real time machine. it rides very nice, maybe even too soft, like the springs might have sagged over time. It handles like a bag of wet cement.
The only problems I have had thus far:
The carb needs to be rebuilt.
The brake master cyl. is leaking (I have a new master waiting for a Sat. installation)
I want to add the pertronix ignition and a steel cam gear and chain set.
I'll try to post pics soon.
If anyone has questions about the truck, let me know.
It's nice to meet you all....
Vespadaddy Dan
Fleet Owner
Joined: Jun 1999
Posts: 24,552
Likes: 74
From: Creedmoor, North Carolina
An Introduction
Welcome Dan, The truck would have a C6 behind the FE. Sounds like the truck that all of dream about. Those old trucks never were known for their handling packages, but unlike the cars that were, the trucks still are here and in great shape.
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John
jowilker email me
[link:www.ford-trucks.com/users/jowilker|My Club FTE Page] Member since 01 01
[link:www.ford-trucks.net/users/jowilker/NCFTE.html|NCFTO] North Carolina Ford Truck Owners Group
In the cool still quiet of night, you can hear chevies rusting away.
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John
jowilker email me
[link:www.ford-trucks.com/users/jowilker|My Club FTE Page] Member since 01 01
[link:www.ford-trucks.net/users/jowilker/NCFTE.html|NCFTO] North Carolina Ford Truck Owners Group
In the cool still quiet of night, you can hear chevies rusting away.
Elder User
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 962
Likes: 2
From: Collierville, TN
An Introduction
Congratulations. It sounds really nice.
On the handling issue, I doubt that your springs really need to be replaced. These things rode soft with tons of body lean even when new.
There are a couple of things you can do to tighten up the handling without compromising the stock appearance. The first step is to add some high quality adjustable shocks. While your springs will still be fairly soft, the increased damping can significantly reduce the "floatiness" of the stock suspension. You won't wallow around as much.
The second step is to install anti-sway bars. A front bar will make a huge difference and will go a long way toward eliminating the heavy list when turning. A rear anti-sway bar isn't really necessary unless you expect to haul a lot with your new truck. Then again, that topper weighs quite a bit and it's weight that is carried high in the rear, so you may well notice a significant improvement from a rear anti-sway bar, too.
Both shocks and sway bars are relatively simple bolt-ons that can easily be removed if you ever want to return your truck to "stock." Most of us, though, are less concerned about historical purity than we are about performance and reliability.
Good luck, and keep us posted.
On the handling issue, I doubt that your springs really need to be replaced. These things rode soft with tons of body lean even when new.
There are a couple of things you can do to tighten up the handling without compromising the stock appearance. The first step is to add some high quality adjustable shocks. While your springs will still be fairly soft, the increased damping can significantly reduce the "floatiness" of the stock suspension. You won't wallow around as much.
The second step is to install anti-sway bars. A front bar will make a huge difference and will go a long way toward eliminating the heavy list when turning. A rear anti-sway bar isn't really necessary unless you expect to haul a lot with your new truck. Then again, that topper weighs quite a bit and it's weight that is carried high in the rear, so you may well notice a significant improvement from a rear anti-sway bar, too.
Both shocks and sway bars are relatively simple bolt-ons that can easily be removed if you ever want to return your truck to "stock." Most of us, though, are less concerned about historical purity than we are about performance and reliability.
Good luck, and keep us posted.
Thread Starter
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Banned
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 35
Likes: 0
From: mpls, mn,USA
An Introduction
Hmmmm. An aftermarket sway bar, eh? I wouldn't have guessed they existed. Where might I find such an animal? I just got the truck, so I have yet to receive any parts catalogues.
Thanks for the tip!
Dan
Thanks for the tip!
Dan
