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2003 Ford Ranger “Lil' Red”
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“Lil' Red”2003 Ford Ranger

49 photos documented since 2022 ♡ Follow this build

The story

I helped a friend buy this for his oldest son's first vehicle, and did some initial repairs. Both his sons were in it when a careless teen ran them off the road, causing it to roll. After it sat for a year, I acquired it to fix...

It's an XLT FX4OffRoad in FL Toreador Red Metallic paint — Steve83

Photos

2003 Ford Ranger - This is how we bought it the first time in June 2020, and I brought it home to do some repairs before it went to my friend's son as a first… 2003 Ford Ranger - This is how my friend bought it in June 2020. I drove it to my house for some repairs & a little cleaning before he gave it to his oldest s… 2003 Ford Ranger - Other than the heavy dust in all the nooks & crannies (including under the bedliner), it looks very lightly-used and reasonably well-mainta… 2003 Ford Ranger - No rust to mention, and the only body damage is a dimple on the right fender above the headlight. 2003 Ford Ranger - The interior is in good condition & looks unusually clean. 2003 Ford Ranger - The interior is in good condition & looks unusually clean. 2003 Ford Ranger - The interior is in good condition & looks unusually clean. 2003 Ford Ranger - The interior is in good condition & looks unusually clean. 2003 Ford Ranger - The interior is in good condition & looks unusually clean. 2003 Ford Ranger - The interior is in good condition & looks unusually clean. 2003 Ford Ranger - The engine bay looks good, but the battery is virtually dead. 2003 Ford Ranger - The undercarriage shows no signs of off-roading or modification, but the sway bar end link bushings are shot. 2003 Ford Ranger - There are some oil leaks... 2003 Ford Ranger - There are some oil leaks... 2003 Ford Ranger - The undercarriage shows no signs of off-roading or modification. 2003 Ford Ranger - The undercarriage shows no signs of off-roading or modification. 2003 Ford Ranger - The fuel filter was among the first things changed, but it was a MotorCraft. 2003 Ford Ranger - Most of the cruise buttons were broken away, so they got replaced with new. 2003 Ford Ranger - The oil leaks were coming from the VCGs, so they both got changed. So was the PCV valve. 2003 Ford Ranger - The oil leaks were coming from the VCGs, so they both got changed. 2003 Ford Ranger - The spark plugs were OK, but got changed anyway. The right side was a nightmare. 2003 Ford Ranger - The air filter either wasn't installed right, or was left in too long because the fresh-air duct & TB were dusty. Both got cleaned. 2003 Ford Ranger - The rear door cables were shot (as usual), but I wasn't expecting the inside to be THIS dusty. Turns out, the whole truck was, but the visi… 2003 Ford Ranger - The common RV mirror was swapped to an autodimming compass version. 2003 Ford Ranger - The center registers were broken, so after MUCH searching, a new Ford bezel (5L5Z-1004302-GAB) was installed. Later, the cigar lighter was… 2003 Ford Ranger - Pulling the RV mirror wiring required removing the cluster bezel & knee bolster. The quantity of dust was amazing. 2003 Ford Ranger - Instead of crossing the bridge & going around the curve, the truck came to rest on its side on the rocks, a few feet from the water's edge.… 2003 Ford Ranger - The last time it was here, it looked like-new. IF THE IMAGE IS TOO SMALL, click it. Surprisingly, I drove it onto & off of the trailer, wit… 2003 Ford Ranger - I think this is repairable... IF THE IMAGE IS TOO SMALL, click it. 2003 Ford Ranger - It took less than an hour to get the bed off. IF THE IMAGE IS TOO SMALL, click it. 2003 Ford Ranger - It's still amazing how dusty this truck is. IF THE IMAGE IS TOO SMALL, click it. 2003 Ford Ranger - The LHF A-arm is severely twisted, but a new Ford 7L5Z-3079-A (aka Motorcraft MCSOE45) is on the way. The wrecker driver who pulled the tru… 2003 Ford Ranger - The oppressive heat has slowed me down, but it's getting close. Right now, it's still drivable with A/C & no CEL. 2003 Ford Ranger - This is how it looked when I got it back in July 2022, with only a couple hundred more miles on it. Before: [url=https://www.supermotors.ne… 2003 Ford Ranger - After pulling the LHF suspension off, I found the steering knuckle bent through the upper caliper bolt hole. The torsion key pad [url=https… 2003 Ford Ranger - The replacement [url=https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=1328791&cc=1438311&pt=10401&jsn=1099]lower A-arm (MCSOE45) arrived, but I… 2003 Ford Ranger - I sandblasted the torsion key & pad, and painted them with graphite. IF THE IMAGE IS TOO SMALL, click it. 2003 Ford Ranger - The right outer CV boot is torn & twisted, so that side came apart. I'm sandblasting & painting most of the parts that come off. IF THE IMA… 2003 Ford Ranger - The cab is empty now, and ready to come off. 2003 Ford Ranger - While so much was apart, I decided to clean up the rear brakes. Good thing, since I found 2 Right autoadjusters had been installed. So whil…
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