Madmike, You Are A Bad Influence And An Alabama Crazy @$$

[95BlueStallion]

Much newer and a computer would have been an issue, so you are lucky there. NICE PAINT AND WHEELS! The engine bay needs cleaned up to match the rest as you know. Having owned a Ranger, a limited slip and good traction tires will get you far this winter. Do real truck tires even fit those rims? Drift tires and a one wheel burnout differential will get you so stuck.

Here we are a year later, and I just bought a set of winter tires for the mustang wheels. Turns out the new Impalas use the exact stock size as the Mustang's 19" wheels. Last winter the Pirellis did indeed suck balls in a mean way, even with almost 300 lbs of sand bags in the back. I will swap these on when the temps stay down in the 40's, and hopefully get around a lot better this year.



I got to wondering why my shift indicator needle was set at 7400 RPM, and then stumbled on this picture and it dawned on me. My youngest was playing out there at some point this summer and must have had fun spinning it around.

 

[95BlueStallion]

It hasnt had a bath in ages, but I snapped this pic at work yesterday. As I was walking up to it, I really admired the view of the rear. I have 3" tips to install on the exhaust yet, but whatever. I love this little truck.



I have a little bit of movement side to side in the rear when I kick it out, so I have researched a panhard bar idea that I am going to fab up this weekend. More pics to come of that. Video will be in a few weeks when Im about to put the winter tires on.

 

[CarMichael Angelo]

It hasnt had a bath in ages, but I snapped this pic at work yesterday. As I was walking up to it, I really admired the view of the rear. I have 3" tips to install on the exhaust yet, but whatever. I love this little truck.



I have a little bit of movement side to side in the rear when I kick it out, so I have researched a panhard bar idea that I am going to fab up this weekend. More pics to come of that. Video will be in a few weeks when Im about to put the winter tires on.

I like it, It reeks of coolness.
You gotta do something about that rear bumper though.
Roll pan w/ two holee dudes for the centered exhaust to stick through?

 

[95BlueStallion]

Yeah, I am contemplating a roll pan, just havent put too much focus on it yet. I dont want to worry about painting it though, as the rest of the paint is a 5-6 out of 10 at best. I still may use the bumper that was on it after I trim it down quite a bit. I was also looking up random "rat rod" styled ideas for the rear bumper, as she is an old hot rod and not a show truck by any means. Notice the tarp in the bed that was holding my grass clippings and tree branches that I was hauling off after work that day.

 

[95BlueStallion]

One panhard bar, now resides on a 1985 Ford Ranger. Took the stock one from my Mustang, cut it down to size, welded a nut on the end to thread in a heim joint, and that was that. Both of my brackets bolted on, and the bar is nearly level with the truck at ride height. Rides good down the highway, whips good shi tties, so im happy.

 

[95BlueStallion]

As @madmike1157 pointed out, the rear of the truck just did look right. I didnt want to shell out another $100 for a roll pan, so I decided to reuse the big bulky bumper that came on the truck.

I took this:



Cut off this:



And now have this:







And now I have a not so bulky start to my smaller rear bumper. I need to finish up some edges, but its pretty close to what its gonna be. I am going to set it back inward another half inch, and contour the outside edges to match up to the truck rather than being straight. I couldnt decide on a place to put the license plate, so I kept it in the middle and just dumped off the exhaust. Too bad, cause I liked it poking out the center while I had it that way. Next up is my air bags for the rear.

 

[93mstnglx]

As @madmike1157 pointed out, the rear of the truck just did look right. I didnt want to shell out another $100 for a roll pan, so I decided to reuse the big bulky bumper that came on the truck.

I took this:



Cut off this:



And now have this:







And now I have a not so bulky start to my smaller rear bumper. I need to finish up some edges, but its pretty close to what its gonna be. I am going to set it back inward another half inch, and contour the outside edges to match up to the truck rather than being straight. I couldnt decide on a place to put the license plate, so I kept it in the middle and just dumped off the exhaust. Too bad, cause I liked it poking out the center while I had it that way. Next up is my air bags for the rear.

Sweet! I'm sure the state wouldn't mind if you cut a couple holes in your plate for the exhaust lol

 

[95BlueStallion]

I thought about it!

 

[hoopty5.0]

Still waiting on the promised burnout...

 

[95BlueStallion]

Still waiting on the promised burnout...

Well the tires on it now are already BALD, and I dont want to put the winter tires on just yet since its still pretty warm. Word on the street is they wear pretty quickly in warm temps.

 

[CarMichael Angelo]

Well the tires on it now are already BALD, and I dont want to put the winter tires on just yet since its still pretty warm. Word on the street is they wear pretty quickly in warm temps.

"Word on the street"?
Who'd you get that from?......Huggy Bear?

 

[95BlueStallion]

"Word on the street"?
Who'd you get that from?......Huggy Bear?

I once heard this guy tell a story in a back alley forum about ruining a brand new paint job by running slicks in the Iowa winter. I dont want to re-enact that by wearing out my winter tires' tread before winter. I promise you though, a smokey show will be had, and filmed for all to see. In the mean time, I will be installing my rear air bags and posting pics of that.

 

[elarm1]

You guys amaze me with your ingenuity!

 

[RaggedGT]

Not to be digging up old threads or anything,but what ever happened with the Ranger ?

 

[elarm1]

Thread ain't that old! I'm sure he swapped out the tires on the Mustang and is driving the pis$ outta that Ranger!

 

[95BlueStallion]

I havent done too much. I installed helper air bags on the rear, but since its my winter DD, I havent done any more air suspension work. I read up on how to wire up push button shifting, similar to paddle shifting, and bought a couple buttons to install on the back side of steering wheel. With the holidays, and two young boys at home, I havent had much time to get out and make any progress. I am still planning the burnout video, but we havent had any real snow yet, so I havent had a need to put on the winter tires yet. I have plans in the spring to do a full air suspension, and have the push button shifting complete. No plans for a body drop, just want to be able to have a nicer ride and set the frame down when I park.

 

[85rkyboby]

What brand of air suspension are you going with? I'd love to bag my fox!

 

[95BlueStallion]

I am going to piece together my own kit, using the rear air kit I already have. The front will have to be custom made, but that is what I love about this truck. Its paid for, and I dont mind cutting and welding on the rusty ol' girl.

 

[hoopty5.0]

Did the mustang ever get fixed or was it totaled?

 

[95BlueStallion]

The body of the Mustang is a little tweaked out of shape from the hit, but otherwise it was only drivetrain and suspension damage. There actually isnt a scrape to be found under the car. I already installed a new front control arm, strut, inner and outer tie rod ends, ball joint and spindle. I have new axles and axle bearings for the rear, but will most likely replace the trac lok as well. I cant imagine it took that hit without fubaring it somewhat. Last thing I want is to finally get it on a road course, and have it come apart on me at high speeds or cornering. I need to remove the LCA relocation bracket on the left side, and straighten it in my vice. Once its back on its feet, I'll take it to the body shop to have the body/frame straightened. While its being straightened out, Im going to have subframe/jacking rails welded on to be sure it stays the correct shape. I never turned it in to insurance, as ts all stuff I can fix with the exception of the frame straightening.