2020 FX4 Salvage Rebuild

[9zero1790]

Well, here we go. Got both fenders off, the radiator and AC condenser out and removed some other stuff here and there. Tomorrow will start the radiator support removal.

The fenders are a pain because they're glued to the body at the door hinge with foam sealant. You have to cut the foam at the body to get the fenders off. It could mostly be cut from inside the fender with a little through the opening for the XLT badge and then from the door opening side. I'm assuming I'll have to cut out the plastic piece that connects the fender to the body at the door hinge and glue it to the new fender.

And then there was the "Ah chit" moment when I discovered the rack and pinion case is cracked in half. There goes another grand.

is that a frontier i see in the back ground?

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[9zero1790]

i admire the amount of work you are putting in this project!

 

[XionUAV]

is that a frontier i see in the back ground?

Good eye. Yeah. Funny story.

Had an old Xterra for mountain and desert use that was great but decided it was time to upgrade. Looked around and found the Ranger at a salvage dealer but it already had a deposit on it. Left my email and moved on.

Found the Frontier, 6-spd, new clutch and coil packs. Needs some manly-man tires and a little suspension work but very nice otherwise. Gave the guy a deposit with plans for my wife to go back with me later to pay the rest and bring it home.

Literally the day before we were to go get it, I get an email that the hold on the Ranger had been released. Made an offer and got the Ranger and still honored the deal on the Frontier. So when the Ranger goes to the frame shop I'll do the tires and suspension work on the Frontier and get it ready to sell.

 

[XionUAV]

i admire the amount of work you are putting in this project!

Thanks. Recently ordered a new front frame rail was well. Decided the existing one was too far gone to straighten.

And now needing a new steering rack, it will be even more work. Inquired about one from a salvage dealer in North Dakota so we'll see what happens. A local yard has a couple of Rangers with front end damage so I'll check those as well to see if a steering rack survived.

 

[rang19ca]

You never know what you will find that is damaged until you get to this part of the tear down. Hope everything works out ok without too many more surprises.

 

[XionUAV]

It's amazing how much work can get done when what you want to work on isn't covered in 2 feet of snow.

Got the radiator support removed. Full day drilling out those little spot welds. Tomorrow I'll try to remove the mangled lower front box. It has the body mount and support for the radiator. Then grind off the welds on the frame to remove the front frame rail.

After that it's straighten out some of the sheet metal best I can, wait for the new front frame rail to arrive then off to the frame shop.

 

[XionUAV]

Ranger is now ready for the frame shop. Got the rest of the mess removed including the front frame rail. That took a while to make sure the welds were cut and not the main frame. Power washed the grime out of the fender wells and frame and buttoned it up. Will talk to the body shop tomorrow to see when we can get it in.

Having a tough time sourcing painted parts. Ordered the fender from Painted Auto Parts a few weeks ago and have heard nothing yet. Then there was the Partify fiasco with the upper bumper cover. Painted Auto Parts has the hood available but not the upper bumper cover. Inquired to ReveMoto and got no reply.

May see if I can cancel the fender order, order bare parts and have the same body shop doing the frame work just paint everything plus the fender flares. Disappointing service from these "painted" parts companies.

Got the Bilstein shocks and struts today. They are gorgeous.

Funny story. Needed the little fender mounts to attach to the new radiator support. Most companies are about $26 to $29 for both. Saw an ad from Carparts.com for both sides for $.49. Thought it was a mistake but no, it wasn't. Invoice showed one for $.24 and the other $.25. Shipping was about $16. If you wanted just one the price was $5 something plus shipping. Cracked me up

 

[9zero1790]

Ranger is now ready for the frame shop. Got the rest of the mess removed including the front frame rail. That took a while to make sure the welds were cut and not the main frame. Power washed the grime out of the fender wells and frame and buttoned it up. Will talk to the body shop tomorrow to see when we can get it in.

Having a tough time sourcing painted parts. Ordered the fender from Painted Auto Parts a few weeks ago and have heard nothing yet. Then there was the Partify fiasco with the upper bumper cover. Painted Auto Parts has the hood available but not the upper bumper cover. Inquired to ReveMoto and got no reply.

May see if I can cancel the fender order, order bare parts and have the same body shop doing the frame work just paint everything plus the fender flares. Disappointing service from these "painted" parts companies.

Got the Bilstein shocks and struts today. They are gorgeous.

Funny story. Needed the little fender mounts to attach to the new radiator support. Most companies are about $26 to $29 for both. Saw an ad from Carparts.com for both sides for $.49. Thought it was a mistake but no, it wasn't. Invoice showed one for $.24 and the other $.25. Shipping was about $16. If you wanted just one the price was $5 something plus shipping. Cracked me up

wow you are really kicking ass on this thing. it would take me bout three years to get to this point lol

 

[XionUAV]

wow you are really kicking ass on this thing. it would take me bout three years to get to this point lol

I won't lie that it's turning out to be a little more work and money than expected. But I'm like a dog with a bone when it comes to projects like this. Just need to keep at it until that vehicle I've envisioned is realized.

 

[XionUAV]

Looks like delivering the Ranger to the frame shop in 3 days will be delayed thanks to the discovery of another crap part.

The radiator support was the first thing I ordered a little over a month ago. Best deal was from CarParts.com. It arrived slightly warped with sections of bare metal all over it from scratches and rough handling. Decided to just clean it up and spray it thinking it would still be fine. Wrong.

While sanding I found a section of rust at the bottom under the paint. The rust encroaches on a layered and welded section. That's some pretty crappy work and quality control for sure. Dropped it right there, ordered a new support from OEM Ford Parts Direct, contacted CarParts.com and filed a claim.

Also still having issues with Painted Auto Parts so I cancelled the painted fender order, which they hadn't even started processing after 3 weeks. Ordered the hood, fender and upper bumper cover from Mid-Tenn Ford Truck Sales. They had the best pricing and shipping rates. The local body shop doing the frame work will paint all the parts including the fender flares.

 

[IdahoRanger]

Seems you have had bad luck on some of your parts. Don't forget about one of the forum sponsors who usually gives a discount price. Contact Benny @LevittownFordParts.com for pricing.

 

[XionUAV]

Seems you have had bad luck on some of your parts. Don't forget about one of the forum sponsors who usually gives a discount price. Contact Benny @LevittownFordParts.com for pricing.

I didn't realize they were a sponsor and provided discounts. All OEM parts I'll need except for the front engine cover have now been ordered.

Shipping has been a major factor in who parts are ordered from. Some places might have a similar price for a part but shipping costs would be drastically different. A radiator support from one OEM parts supplier would cost $200 to ship while another OEM supplier was only $60. One might be located in the Midwest while the other Texas. Not much difference in distance shipping to Utah.

Mid-Tenn Ford Truck Sales had the lowest shipping costs by far for the hood, fender and upper bumper cover. Hoping they show up in good condition. I could use a break getting the stupid parts.

Can't recall which dealer it was but after placing the order, the receipt came back as "Local Pickup Only" even though I had selected shipping options. Called them to find out they wouldn't ship the fan shrouds. That made no sense since they were smaller than other parts that were shipped by other companies without issue. So I cancelled the order and got the parts from another supplier.

Regardless, the OEM radiator support should be good quality. As soon as it shows up the Ranger goes into the frame shop.

 

[XionUAV]

This is getting ridiculous. Just got this email from OEM Ford Parts Direct this morning regarding the radiator support I ordered from them.

"Due to the size and shape of this part, we can't ship anything this big. Your order has been canceled and refunded back to you.

Thank you!

If you have any questions please contact us at [email protected] or (816)423-4300

OEM Ford Parts Direct
https://www.oemfordpartsdirect.com"

If they can't ship then why do they waste people's time allowing parts to be ordered with shipping options???

 

[9zero1790]

This is getting ridiculous. Just got this email from OEM Ford Parts Direct this morning regarding the radiator support I ordered from them.

"Due to the size and shape of this part, we can't ship anything this big. Your order has been canceled and refunded back to you.

Thank you!

If you have any questions please contact us at [email protected] or (816)423-4300

OEM Ford Parts Direct
https://www.oemfordpartsdirect.com"

If they can't ship then why do they waste people's time allowing parts to be ordered with shipping options???

id ask benny and see what he says. may be same answer. I dont see how it cannot be shipped. More like they do not want to deal with it.

 

[myothercarizahearse]

This is getting ridiculous. Just got this email from OEM Ford Parts Direct this morning regarding the radiator support I ordered from them.

"Due to the size and shape of this part, we can't ship anything this big. Your order has been canceled and refunded back to you.

Thank you!

If you have any questions please contact us at [email protected] or (816)423-4300

OEM Ford Parts Direct
https://www.oemfordpartsdirect.com"

If they can't ship then why do they waste people's time allowing parts to be ordered with shipping options???

have you tried going through a local Ferd parts department? it might be easier to put together a shopping list and haggle a better price from a single place than shop around and deal with this kind of headache.... I know, replacing 1 headache with another... stoopid ferd dealerships

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