ranger diaries...revalation

Having a decent-looking car does wonders for your ego. Having something to improve on is great.

I washed my truck last night and a guy at the carwash came up and told me how much he liked it. Yeah, I see now why people get into fixing cars...it's a form of self-gratification....kind of like masturbation.

Got my stereo, antenna, tires, and mirrors. I went with a Pioneer, my personal favorite. I'll need better speakers eventually, but not yet.

I really needed good tires on the Ranger. It was like riding a horse and buggy, and certainly not fit for running down interstate. I was able to get BF Goodrich Radial T/A's for it and they make all the difference in the world.

My chrome mirrors came in and they are really good for that truck. With older cars, I think it's hard to put too much chrome on them. I need my front bumper.

There is a downside to messing with older vehicles.....everything breaks. The brakes are weak, so while putting on the tires, I elected to replace the front calipers. The brake lines didn't match up. The nearest matching calipers were 40 miles away, so I got new front brake lines. While bleeding them, the rear line ruptures. Crappy luck, but better in the shop that going down interstate...so I guess I am lucky. I had metal brake line, but no flange kit. Bought a flange kit....it was stripped :-/ so had to get a new one. A cheap, hour-long job tuned into an expensive, 8 hour nightmare. But it was worth it to discover that bad brake line. If I had been going down interstate at 70 mph, I might have died due to that brake failure. I think my back drums are still screwed, but that will have to be another time. The new front brakes made a major difference, and with the new tires, it will scoot down interstate....mission accomplished. I'm going to finish the exerior before I start the interior......more to come.