Thread: Thinking of Buying a new project

Ok heres my question... im thinking of buying this 93 ranger with front and rear glass, bent beams up front, deavers in the back, custom bumbers, 4.10 gears, and is in good condition. However, it is the 4Cylnender with a 5 speed. That does not bother me...infact i like the 4 banger especially with a stick. the problem is it has 160k miles. he says it runs good though.

is that too many miles on the engine to make it worth buying??
the guys only asking 3k for it and id really like to buy it... its not going to be a daily driver.. and probalby will be a trailer queen for the trips. so with that in mind is it worth buying? can those 4 bangers go much longer than 160k without me having to spend tons of money fixing it after that?

any input is nice... thanks in advance

i know RCprerunners' 4 cyl has like 260k miles on it or something like that and it still drives great

I have a 1995 2.3 ranger, and I run the crap out of it and the only thing that I have had to replace is the power steering pump. dosen't have alot of power so just get t he right rear end gears, I am running 5.14's and It dose great.

buyer beware.......

if you get it the first thing you are going to want to do is get jd fabs motor mounts for it. if you actually use the truck to its full capabilities you will snapp both every trip you take it out. its a factory Ford design flaw to say the least. also, you will want to check the beams (they will most likely be cast) for crack, or just replace them with forged ones straight away. reason is because when using that truck to its full potential if there is a crack you will snap the beam in half....1st hand experience. the nest thing you will want to do is either make sure, or do it if they are on it, but limit straps.....most ppl dont lower the bump from the stock location if with bent beams.....this causes the coil to be the bump stop as it eventually will not compress anymore. this happening repeadedly cause you stock coil bucket to bend and you will throw your coil...threw mine at 60 or 70....not good. other than that you will want a nicely valved 2.5 with resi and maybe throw some gussets on the stock coil bucket, or get a custom one so that it is strong....j-clips arent a big deal as they just get mangled if the coil falls out, plus if the strap the front end then you wont need them.

check for exhaust leaks, burnt valves, and make sure the syncros arent all f'd up.


the best advice on a high mileage motor is to take it to a mechanic that you actually know and have them take a quick look at it.....they will be able to tell you whether it is going to blow up soon, or need some work soon.

by the way..check blue book on the truck itself with that much mileage...go to Kelly Blue Book linkwith that many miles not sure if the truck will be worth a whole lot, having the mods or not...maybe for a little less than that.