2020 FX4 Salvage Rebuild

[myothercarizahearse]

One of those things that makes me think an engineer was trying to invent something new to impress someone else.

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[Trigganometry]

One of those things that makes me think an engineer was trying to invent something new to impress someone else.

Well some of the crashes I’ve seen with the 5G’s the factory crash bars do what they were designed for. The occupants in the cab seem to be well protected in many cases.

Having a 2020 you most likely have aluminum hood and fenders on it. Your spindles are steel. You’re also going to find the FX4 shocks got to go!

Look forward to watching your build

 

[XionUAV]

Well some of the crashes I’ve seen with the 5G’s the factory crash bars do what they were designed for. The occupants in the cab seem to be well protected in many cases.

Having a 2020 you most likely have aluminum hood and fenders on it. Your spindles are steel. You’re also going to find the FX4 shocks got to go!

Look forward to watching your build

Yes, aluminum hood and fenders. So you're saying the "FX Performance Tuned" shocks aren't any good?

 

[TXRangerTim]

Yes, aluminum hood and fenders. So you're saying the "FX Performance Tuned" shocks aren't any good?

Most with the FX4 package change out the shocks for better road handling. The Tremor has Fox 2.0 shocks.

 

[oldnslow]

Having a 2020 you most likely have aluminum hood and fenders on it. Your spindles are steel. You’re also going to find the FX4 shocks got to go!

I have 2020 (bought in July 2020, so not too early) and it has aluminum spindles.

 

[Trigganometry]

I have 2020 (bought in July 2020, so not too early) and it has aluminum spindles.

You got the last of them

 

[subquark]

I like the idea of a RC front bumper I think they are the best fitting ones for the Ranger. I have one on mine and upgraded the lights to Diode Dynamics.

Two things - you need Soupie's Fast. Cheap & Friendly Dump Runner Service to get some stuff out of your garage (like those doors, but that would be like me who kept two doors in there for 15 years, tossed them, then wished he had one when he cut the cat door incorrectly on his basement door two weeks later). =(

Second, thanks for your pics, I really like the look of that bumper. I had seen others that I didn't care for (I'm not trying to look like Mad Max or do extreme overlanding). But your's fits "my style" and would score me some serious cred at the dump! =D

 

[subquark]

Hello Ranger family. I recently picked up a 2020 FX4, 35k miles with front driver damage I’ll be repairing. This is a vehicle I plan to keep and use primarily for mild off-roading, mainly desert roads/trails and fire roads.

I’m a 60-year-old “garage” mechanic and have done engine, transmission and clutch replacements, engine and suspension work, minor body work, electrical diagnostics and so forth mainly on Audi and VW, although I do own and work on a ‘95 F250 460. When there are questions about this Ranger, I’m hoping some of you might share answers or offer advice. This will be a several month project.

[....]

Thank you for taking a look. I’ll post as progress is made.

Don't listen to the damper haters, a damper is your friend. =D

But ... of course ... the only thing we (Team Damper) can "help" with is telling you to buy a damper and buff out your damage with Graphene!

Seriously though, welcome to the forum and it sounds like a great project (I restored a 1960 MGA that was going to be the parts car for a another one - I had a neighbor with a frame shop and it was fun learning how to straighten it with his floor mounted chains. I also had a ton of stick welding to do on a rotted out frame which used wood floors! Plus an ungodly amount of body work.).

Of course, being 21 at the time made it easy to remove the body and get to the bare frame. I'm 60 now, like you, and not sure I'd have the oomph to do it again - but then, that's a pretty nice looking Ranger and your approach is well thought out.

I can't wait to follow your journey - Good Luck! =)

 

[XionUAV]

Don't listen to the damper haters, a damper is your friend. =D

But ... of course ... the only thing we (Team Damper) can "help" with is telling you to buy a damper and buff out your damage with Graphene!

Seriously though, welcome to the forum and it sounds like a great project (I restored a 1960 MGA that was going to be the parts car for a another one - I had a neighbor with a frame shop and it was fun learning how to straighten it with his floor mounted chains. I also had a ton of stick welding to do on a rotted out frame which used wood floors! Plus an ungodly amount of body work.).

Of course, being 21 at the time made it easy to remove the body and get to the bare frame. I'm 60 now, like you, and not sure I'd have the oomph to do it again - but then, that's a pretty nice looking Ranger and your approach is well thought out.

I can't wait to follow your journey - Good Luck! =)

Thank you. Wow. Stick/arc welding. That brought back memories from my youth.

Wish I knew someone with a frame shop who would give me that "friend" discount. Unfortunately I'll likely have to just shop around and suck it up as part of the project. But the truth is even if I spend $5k to repair this Ranger, it will still end up at least $10k less than average resale, and that was the point.

I'm a "bang for the buck" guy and have a propensity to rescue vehicles, at least I used to. Like you, there is something about taking a machine needing TLC and making it nice again. And the challenge helps clear the cobwebs and keep the mind busy, or drives you closer to a nervous breakdown, one of the two.

My challenge right now is weather. Don't have a shop large enough for a car/truck and we still have a good foot of snow on the ground with more snow and rain in the forecast. So now it's just lots of parts research and some ordering.

Most work will be done in the garage after temporarily moving the other vehicles out. I long for living in the country again where we had shops large enough to park a couple of combines, and a few tractors. Still planning to go back to that lifestyle when my wife retires.

Plan today is calling all the local Pick-N-Pulls to see who might have this generation of Ranger. Might even plan a trip to one if the clouds don't open up.

 

[XionUAV]

TXRangerTim got me thinking about bed liners. Rather than Rhino Lining, either of these would likely be fine for me. One is a Rugged Liner and the other is from Ford Accessories.

Do you guys have experience with either? Both are around the same cost. Right now I can get the Ford version for about $340 shipped. That one is the white Ranger in the pictures.

 

[subquark]

TXRangerTim got me thinking about bed liners. Rather than Rhino Lining, either of these would likely be fine for me. One is a Rugged Liner and the other is from Ford Accessories.

Do you guys have experience with either? Both are around the same cost. Right now I can get the Ford version for about $340 shipped. That one is the white Ranger in the pictures.

Plenty will pipe in with great advice and history. Bed liners is always a good topic and depends so much on your personal preferences, needs, and budget.

I like BedRug and it's been good for me so far (only 10 months but plenty of brush, wood, dirt, general trash, and even a busted up piano).

It does cost more than your options at $466 for your Ranger: https://bedrug.com/bedrug-classic-bedliners/2020/ford/ranger

And I really like how gentle it is on the knees, how groceries don't slide around as much, and how easy it is to use and clean. The only negative I have is that it was wet one day (from pressure washing) and the material that bridges the tailgate gap froze solid and I couldn't open the tailgate!

For anyone else, I'd use rubbing alcohol PLUS 3M Adhesion Promoter to solve the front of the bed issue I'm having (easy summer project).

And in the ever-so-helpful nature of this forum, I'd also have to recommend this multipurpose option for the win!

 

[XionUAV]

Reminds me of a crazy dude I saw on You Tube filling up the bed of his truck with gasoline at a filling station then driving off splashing it everywhere.

90% of my use for the bed on this Ranger will be hauling a motorcycle with a ramp and hitch stairs secured in the bed to the side of it. I have an old F250 that gets lumber yard, gravel pit and landfull duty, and a daily-driver SUV for the smaller stuff. So honestly, just something to clean up and protect the bed is all I'm really after. Leaning toward the Ford version, unless someone has a strong case for Rhino Lining.

 

[LaBalbe]

I have the Line-X spray-in liner. It's solid and resists wear & tear pretty well. Admittedly, it's a bit rough on the knees, but if I have to kneel for a bit, I just grab this little foam gardening pad that I've had forever, and that works well. I will caution that with this liner, you should use reusable bags or have a bin when grocery shopping; it'll completely shred the cheap plastic bags you get at stores.

 

[Trigganometry]

TXRangerTim got me thinking about bed liners. Rather than Rhino Lining, either of these would likely be fine for me. One is a Rugged Liner and the other is from Ford Accessories.

Do you guys have experience with either? Both are around the same cost. Right now I can get the Ford version for about $340 shipped. That one is the white Ranger in the pictures.

I got the Ford Ranger rubber mat using my ford points. It’s very heavy and the first thing I noticed about it was wow, this is going to be great on my knee caps! Retail was a few hundred for a 6’ mat.

 

[XionUAV]

Found a few other threads regarding liners and most owners were pro spray-on rather than drop-in for reasons that make sense. So I'll likely go back to my original plan to use Rhino LIning.

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