Ranger Midweek! (Update: I got Them!)

"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
08/08/2019 at 20:55 • Filed to: Truck Yeah, gambler 500

Update: Muddy Bois!

These are Interco TSL Thornbirds. Mine for $150!

Pro tip: Laying them down was a dumb choice. They rolled side to side and caused massive sway.

Original:

Lowering Edgewater property values since May 2019!

After almost two months of sitting idle with a blown tyre, I’m getting my Ranger back on the road again. Tonight I’m picking up practically brand new Interco 29 MTs for $150 (already paid for, so just gotta pick them up). I’m also picking up some roof rack crossbars and hopefully a basket for the crossbars. The basket then will hold a jerry can, spare tire, light bar, and anything else I can think of.

I’ll then have a friend print out a Gambler 500 stencil so I can get started with my Pink Ranger Gambler livery.

From there, I want to convert the grille and headlights to the 01-03 design, door mirrors to the 06+ years, cab lights(?), I’ll coat the remainder of the front bumper in bedliner, install a winch behind the bumper, spotlight pods, rig up a redneck skidplate, then some sort of brush guard doohickey. Hopefully I’ll be able to wire the lights to the existing fog light wiring. Else I’ll just wire in a toggle switch. No lift in the cards just yet...I kinda like having a bed I can reach into without a stool or ladder. lol

Oooh, maybe a 01-03 grille with integrated lights?

Last thing on the list will be having a fellow gambler weld in a patch for my bed so I can get it to stop twerking on bumps. Somewhere in there will be real rust fixes and replacing the awful speakers in the truck as well.

If I have the time/funds, I’ll then come back to the smart, install the ED suspension I have laying around, then try to shoehorn in the smallest Grabber AT2s you can buy.

DISCUSSION (15)

Tripper > Mercedes Streeter
08/08/2019 at 11:18

I just sold my little Ranger:( I put more work into it in the two years that I owned it than I have into any car. It was the nicest ranger I have been in when I was finished with it.

Mercedes Streeter > Tripper
08/08/2019 at 11:22

Oh yeah, I’m going to be doing more to this than I’ve ever done to my little smart. :) ...Mostly because mods for Rangers are stupidly affordable, not so much for smarts.

You can always get another! IIRC, yours was a beauty!

Tripper > Mercedes Streeter
08/08/2019 at 11:26

Some times I’d look up a part for the M3 then look up a similar part for the ranger just for the lulz, haha. It was my second, I’m sure not my last. Thanks!

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > Tripper
08/08/2019 at 11:27

Same with my 2 cars lol. Mini's are cheaper fyi.

Tripper > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability
08/08/2019 at 11:33

It’s a little of both for the 02. Either it’s really cheap or it’s a tough to find part made by BMW and its silly expensive.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Mercedes Streeter
08/08/2019 at 11:36

I imagine some of these parts you could easily get cheap from a local pick and pull yard?

Mercedes Streeter > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
08/08/2019 at 12:03

You bet! I mean, the tyres are only setting me back $150 so that should set the tone for the rest of my modding. xD

jimz > Mercedes Streeter
08/08/2019 at 12:26

I don’t have a picture of my Ranger handy, so how about its platform-mate Everest I recently drove?

Kinja'd!!!

Pickup_man > Mercedes Streeter
08/08/2019 at 12:39

One of my random automotive hatreds is cab lights, I despise them with a burning passion. If you like them though you do you.

I also never realized how easy it is to update the front end of these rangers, I figured it would be a whole new front clip, but the longer I look it sure looks like it’s only headlights and a grill. That’s a really nice upgrade that should be pretty cheap.

Mercedes Streeter > Pickup_man
08/08/2019 at 13:09

My random hatred is seeing semi-style side stacks on pickups (with exceptions to the Lil’ Red Express) , so I get ya. lol

Oh yeah. Grille, bumper, and headlights are an easy swap . You can’t get too recent on the grille design though or else you’ll have to swap the bonnet too.

nermal > Mercedes Streeter
08/08/2019 at 21:21

Better get some earplugs, those look sweet, but obnoxiously noisy.

subexpression > Mercedes Streeter
08/08/2019 at 22:43

Years ago I wanted a Ranger of about that vintage. Never got one because I couldn’t find a decent used one with the setup I wanted close enough to home .

Party-vi > Mercedes Streeter
08/08/2019 at 23:03

Thornbirds? *presses F*

shop-teacher > Mercedes Streeter
08/08/2019 at 23:25

Those are meaty!

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Mercedes Streeter
08/09/2019 at 00:25

Those tires are Chonk.