I was just tooling around town & something seemed off. Crawled underneath & saw the left cab mount rusted clear through. What had concerned me in the past was that the right side is the one that looked about ready to fail. So that one will likely in the next few days. Any suggestions? Just take it to a good shop or can I get these without much fuss? When I look up the parts, all I get are bushing kits. Fat lot of good that would do! While I'm at it, gas tank straps are wearing out (1 of 3 is rusted clear through) and other rusty bits. I'm thinking the rear brake line looks pretty crusty.
I'm about ready to sideline this thing & find solid wheels for Winter.

 

Try LMCtruck.com for your cab mounts and the straps they should carry them I have a catalog sitting next to me for a chevy truck and they carry them in there so it should be the same for your Ranger. Goodluck with everything.

Red460

 

Thanks Red460! I don't see the steel parts I need, but they have just about everything else a Ford owner could wish for. I guess they're no supposed to rust. Yeah right. I browsed & searched dozens of pages. Maybe another crack at it later with a fresh head.

 

JC Whitney may have the cab mounts, they do for alot of trucks, or you could have it plated. If there's that much rust, maybe time for a new truck.

 

But no lollipop this time. I even thought to look it up as a bracket after I left for work, so I'll be fiddling with that. I think it would be easier to find a welder to make them out of steel plates. Sheesh. I am kind of bummed I broke my nice little truck & probably end up driving another shortly. Driving it gives me a queezy twitch in my gut. Funny, the 1st response of nearly everyone else is time to retire it.

I did more research like a crazed fool learning more & more about the guts of the newer trucks. I haven't seen any decent ones lately with manual sticks at least for less than $8k (I'm figuring ~$4k) , so I learned as much about the screwy AT as I could. Supposedly, the only decent old-school AT is the 4.0L model. They're supposed to have beefed up the weakest French A4LD parts. There are a few light Fords around here in category with 4.0L. I wouldn't mind a decent F150 either. But I got spoiled by not being loaded down with lots of smog devices that the Cologne v6's haven't needed. Also think the F150 likely to lose the catalytics to clever thieves prowling my employer's parking lots in between guards.

 

Seems like you need to hook up an electrolysis anti rust system like on a battle ship!!
I put zinc anodes on my frame and painted the underside and gastank with cold galvanizing paint, To keep my truck from rusting anymore!! I used to shore launch my boat and during high tide I would have to drive through saltwater for about 200 feet to get to a channel where I could off load, there was some deep holes along the way
So I have lots o rust and I believe the anodes help keep it to a minimum!!!

 

Have to get a small loan as I've had too many business expenses & such lately, so I'm trying for it. This truck is '94 Ranger 4x4 4.0 auto supercab. Body is solid & nearly mint. Missing bumper spoiler and ignition lock is junk, talipipe looks like a 2.3 model! I think it would inherit my 2-1/4 Thrush shorty setup from the STX within a day or 2. Would hate to overheat due to back-pressure. Tires are 31.5 off-road type, nothing special, engine & powertrain sweet and mellow. The coolant looks nice if a bit thick. I'd test it at home right away for mix. I'm thinking as long as it's not more than 60% concentrate, it would serve well through the winter. 4x4 engage instantly. A good debate is whether to run my smaller '90 (p235 if I remember right) stock-spec tires off my STX. They're great Nokians. Need to verify speedo calibration either way.

 

Sounds good. I hope it works out for ya. Sorry it didn't work out with LMC truck, i'll keep looking around. Does it snow where you are? You might just keep the off-road tires.

Red460

 

My Nokian Vatiivas better, deeper tread than the cheap tires on that '94. I imagine because they hold up better through Summer. Nokian a Finnish tire company that know a lot more about traction in snow, slush and ice than us Americans and Asia. The off-road tires are much bigger though. And twice as wide. If they are still deep enough, they MIGHT track better in a heavy snow. If not, the width would be a liability. Just my experience in general but never had tires like those. Actually, I noticed a lot of Fieros cheap on Craigslist right now, so I could possibly get one of those, keep the STX around until I can gather more savings or those brackets and stuff. Or a whole parts truck for a body maybe. Amusingly, a family member noticed a few newer, prettier trucks and most weak very leaky piles of junk - one was a couple years old with a 3" body lift and rather significant tires - for almost $12k!It leaked motor oil and tranny fluid atrociously by the looks of it ad the other at that dealer leaked tranny and front diff fluids. I prefer the older truck I saw in the 1st place. And interestingly, I have not yet been approved for the loan amount I'd need. I've heard that loan outfits may not approve easily loans for older vehicles as opposed to new. Huh, well I'm saving up at least & trying to accept working overtime when family doesn't demand my time. I just got 6 hours of double-time yesterday.

 

Sounds like the underbody and frame got hammered by salt. If you do go for another truck - look under it first. If it's okay - coat the daylights out of the underside with something corrosion preventive.

 

Thanks guys. I'm going to give my STX a nice, easy winter for now. I did pick up a solid little '86 Fiero 2m4 for $300. Fix it up engine wiring, air cleaner, brakes and such. Former owner is mourning his late wife & too tired (he's getting old at 89). Then I can take my own sweet time fixing or searching for decent Rangers/ parts after the Pontiac is sound. Funny thing about that underside issue. They tend to be mechanically junk & clean, like mine & mech excellent or brand new, untested things. Except for brand new, the year & price do not correspond well with the above stats most of the time - around here in Metro Detroit.

 

Hmm, I did find a 93 Ford Explorer that I could check out for possible trade or something. Looks solid except for a bit of door sill rust behind driver's side door. Dang auto but 4.0 of course. So - beefy. I'd want my Ranger's wheels swapped on for my Nokian Vatiivas which are the same size as they have. Explorer's rims are cleaner. But thier tires are crummy cheap mush. Mix of Goodyear & no-name. Have not heard it run though. I'd still need a small loan to get me started. Actually looks clean inside & mech from what I was able to see on the lot. Head unit as cheap as my Jenson, but that is better while I work in high-crime area anyway. Fiero progressing remarkably well too. Finally got some of the 21-year old nuts & bolts loosened up! Fuel filter changed, along with air, oil & evap can. I need a long 3/8 drive breaker bar or more 1/2 drive sockets. Sheesh. Ran out of penetrating oils. Going out to get more. Still need reliable heavy cargo hauler & this 2-door Explorer looks similar cargo capacity overall to Ranger for about $2800 asking price. With sunroof & side-vents. Extra seats could be helpful. Same FL1A oil filter as 2.9L.