Hey y'all, I hit a patch of ice, regained grip and went up a hill into a pole. Pole isn't ok but truck is other than the fiberglass bed. Kudos to ford for a great safety design. The center link is bent, steering box shaft snapped, driveshaft came apart at the splines, leaf spring bent, and front leaf hanger came apart. The parking cable broke but I won't include that, I've had enough of those rot to pieces. Anyway, to my question. What do I inspect or look for before starting repairs? I don't think the frame is bent. Drive train is ok, I pulled it forward in 4 wheel drive so the wrecker guy could get the driveshaft out of the ground. Still need to look for cracks and leaks yet. I don't want pitty, if anything the poor truck needs it, can't leave out the pole though. I just need help and advice so I can get the thing back on the road. Thanks! I'll post pics sometime of proof that the metal body on these things are indestructible. Oh, almost forgot, I'm not sure if this is in the right "Section". If it is, have a moderator move it because I don't know how.
wrecked, what to look for
- Thread starter ZappyBear
- Start date
Yeah, I would like to a rear disk brake swap sometime, but not this time. I replaced everything on the rear drum brakes except for the drums themselves less than a year ago. I was expecting the door and front fender to be destroyed, but some how Ford got the thing so it knocks down poles without too much damage to the body. I thought it would need a new A-arm but it's just the radius arm mount got shoved into the frame. It's going to have to be an over the summer project. For now I'm going to drive my F150, but that thing is a gas pig. (Has the 351W, holley 4bbl, and C6 tranny) So, dare I say this on a ford forum, I'm going to get a GMC sonoma, get rid of the F150, and fix up the ranger over the summer to use for hauling and winter driving. I hate ford's choice of a mazda manual tranny for their truck. All mazda made was 4 cylinder truck and they put a weak transmission designed for a weak 4 cylinder behind ford's powerful 4.0L and it couldn't take it. But, from what I know from my sister's S10, the GMC 2.2L can barely haul itself up to speed. I'm just hoping I'm not missing anything when inspecting the ranger for hidden issues that could be a safety concern after I get it back on the road, I'm just amazed that pole struck the fender hard enough to cause me to black out and the only thing it left was a little dent.
mhoward
Member
Dang, Zappy! Glad you are okay, but looks like the Splash is gonna need some TLC! It will be hard to determine if there is frame damage with the springs bent like that. I would get it in a garage and look really close with good lighting underneath. Look for flaking rust and such, which would be a sign of metal flexing. Good luck!
Update. Ranger is ready for the road, pictures to come. Jamey, I took the ranger out and forgot how nice it was. The GMC is a 2.2 but has almost no torque or horsepower compared to the ranger. Suspension is also better on the ranger, as long as I can get my 18-20 mpg back on the ranger the GMC is going away. Pictures coming, just need to get a few more. Seems to me like it's dog tracking, but we'll have to see what the tires look like in a week or so after insurance gets put back on it.
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