Ford Enthusiasts Member Rides

winks · #1 08-08-2011, 02:45 PM

I have had my truck for over 7 years now and although I have worked it well and abused it on the trails, it has been great to me. A few months ago, some mechanical issues developed, and with the purchase of the Mustang, the Ranger was forced to sit on the side for a while. About a week ago, I got back to work on it with a friend from the Ranger forums and Matt. Since the truck is road worthy again, I decided to give it some much needed TLC.

To get an idea of what this truck as been through, I can tell you that it has been off-roading more times than most trucks combined. It has seen a lot of mud, more puddles than I can count where the water came above my knees, trails that would seem tight even for a quad, and trails that required more articulation than it was able to handle. Because of this, mud is literally everywhere, scratches are all along the truck, and there are a few dents/dings in the body, as well as cracks and a decent size piece missing from the fiberglass bed.

Although I wash and wax the truck regularly, it has been at least 4 years since I have given the truck a full detailing. Saturday I was free, so I power washed the truck and compounded out the scratches with my buffer. That alone took me 6 hours - as I said, much needed TLC. After compounding, I spent a few more hours buffing out the paint with a sealer and glaze, followed by a polymer wax, and it it turned out great. Somehow I even found the energy to clean the mud and dirt off of the floor, the seats, the interior panels... and the vents, windows, radio... somehow I managed to get at least a little mud on every part of my interior.

With the paint looking great, I saw that my rear bumper was looking... not so great. Sunday was a rare day where I was free, so I got out my straightening tools (a hydraulic jack, hammer, long 4x4 and my F250) and straightened out my bumper, then painted it the faded gray plastic to black so it would match the front bumper.

Faded gray bumper before:

After:

Straightening out the bumper (notice the sophisticated method of choice):

Back on the trails after detailing:

(Notice the lack of scratches going down the sides)

**G9-07-Eddie** · #2 08-08-2011, 03:24 PM

looks great winks nice job

winks · #3 08-08-2011, 03:27 PM

Thanks Eddie. I just noticed from the last photo that I still have to install my front skid plate. It's all banged up, so the holes are a pain in the butt to line up, I'm not looking forward to that at all.

**Matticus91** · #4 08-08-2011, 04:06 PM

Damn good job man. Looked good before, now I'll just have to steal it. Lol. That paint on the bumper and hitch made a huge difference too, really brings out the chrome. Maybe you can do my bronco next? Hahaha