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You're welcome. As I stated in another forum, 'my pain might be your gain.' It is disappointing how many parts suppliers don't do business to a higher standard. That's one problem. Receiving new parts that are rusty is inexcusable. Listing parts as available, allowing a person to pay for those...

Interesting development. The owner of the auto body shop called me yesterday and apologized several times for the "piss-poor" work that had been done in several areas of the repair and for how long the repair has taken. He said he had been absent from the business often to manage his car...

Thanks. This was west of Eagle Mountain, Utah. I chase and try to recover weather balloons (think geocaching for sky trash) as a hobby and excuse to go explore and hike areas all over Northern Utah and Southern Idaho. This area in the pictures with the Audi is where the weather balloon landed...

Got a text this morning that the Ranger was ready for me to inspect. Some of the problems have been resolved. Others remain. The shield at the rear of the fender at the jamb is now a large piece of dense, black foam supplied by Ford, not the OEM plastic. I would expect a sealant should be...

While at the body shop, I removed the hood insulation pad, weather stripping and windshield washer nozzles and tubes from the old hood before tossing it in their metal bin. If your weather stripping isn't ripped, you can just replace the clips. The long section that goes around the front of the...

Welcome (back) to my nightmare. Received a text from the excited young shop manager that the Ranger was ready to pick up. For those of you not familiar with this thread, it started early this year with the purchase of a salvage title 2020 XLT with modest front driver damage. No airbag...

Three months later and the Ranger is still sitting on the frame rack at the body shop. Apparently when it was delivered to them, my comment of "I'm in no rush" meant they could let it sit for weeks without working on it. Interpretation is one thing. Professional ethics and repeatedly missing...

Since the last post was about the problem orders, I figured it was only fair to list some of the companies I did business with or ordered parts from that performed professionally and as expected. The used intercooler was from OK Autoparts on eBay. Arrived in good overall condition and came with...

There's a big difference between "managing expectations" and accepting excuses and sloppy or unprofessional work as being acceptable or normal. People have different standards. As a professional businessman and entrepreneur, I have very high standards and hold other businesses, and those I deal...

You should be able to specify what you want at a repair shop, provided the insurance company doesn't give you too much grief. But yeah, Ford OEM doesn't supply an aluminum replacement fender. I was actually surprised the hood was aluminum when it arrived. When I questioned the dealer it was...

On the rack. Took the hood and upper bumper cover down today. Originally the plan was to have the fender, hood and upper bumper cover painted and I'd install them. But to get the radiator support and other pieces aligned correctly, they need to hang the fenders and install the hood. Since the...

A little good news, finally. The Ranger is at the body shop, and the fender showed up today. Amazingly it doesn't appear damaged even though it was in a stupid-big box with no packing inside. It was wrapped in some cute little cardboard clothes held together with string, like the flap on a...

You know, I was excited to start this project because I could visualize the outcome. But the longer it goes the more I wish I would have just stuck with the Frontier. Yes, the Frontier has been a bit of a hassle fixing up as well, but not remotely as frustrating as the Ranger. The last two big...

Quick update. The Ranger should be going into the frame shop next week. The shop was scheduled out this week. Hood should arrive tomorrow. Finally ordered a correct fender from Parts Geek. It's an Action Crash brand but it's CAPA certified, aluminum and has the proper front mount attached. At...

Oh I'm wrenching. Just not on the Ranger. Removed the front forks on my CRF250L to have them rebuilt. Used to do forks but they're a hassle. Have a suspension shop do them now. Ordered a Race Tech spring kit for the damper fork and a Hyper Pro progressive spring for the back. Then there's the...

Haven't tried that website but did use another parts website to find the steering assembly. The fender is glued to the body by an elastic foam that has to be cut very carefully. If not properly done, or if the panel is forced, the metal can be bent or creased. Many of the salvage dealers want...

Well guys, it's MORE FRIGGEN DRAMA. I'll start with that and share the halfway good news last. Most aftermarket parts suppliers specify whether the fender or hood is aluminum or steel based on the year of the Ranger. So I figured Ford would do something similar and send the part specific to...

That's because they aren't your trials and tribulations. :LOL:

I realize this thread has been a lot of blah, blah, blah so far and I apologize for that. Hoping to get into the meat of the rebuild starting the end of next week or the first part of the next. Last major parts are on their way. Next to last bit of parts drama. After another radiator support...

Didn't realize the place I ordered the aftermarket fender and radiator support from would take up to 10 days to ship. That seemed sketchy so I cancelled that order. Drove to a large Ford dealership in a nearby town and asked them about the mount on the OEM fender. That guy was able to pull up a...