Jwood's B4000

Jwood70

Observer
Hello all, I am a recent lurker turned poster. I have always liked the outdoors and wanted to build a capable off road truck. Last summer, I stumbled upon a gem in black paint, a 1994 Mazda B4000 (read Ford Ranger). When I got the truck, it had a whopping 53,5xx miles on it with tinted windows and 31x10.50x15 tires. The interior was mint and the paint was in great shape and for $3500, I couldn't pass it up. The Mazda replaced my long time companion in exploring, a 2000 Honda CR-V with 248,xxx miles. The Honda was a great vehicle for me (as well as my parents before me) but didnt have the things I really was looking for i.e. a dual speed transfer case and body on frame construction. The Mazda fits that bill perfectly.

Since I have had the truck, I have't done a lot of thing other than routine maintenance; oil change, flushed the coolant, visual inspection of everything. There is a bit of surface rust (the truck came from coastal Maryland) but surprisingly, nothing major.

Here is the truck as I bought it.

I pulled the fiberglass steps off and the truck stayed this way till Christmas. My parents got me a tool box for Christmas.

Next came my new rear bumper that some friends and I made one afternoon.

This is how the truck sits today.

I am hoping that soon, I can get a budget lift installed probably 2 inches front and rear.



And here is my old CR-V
 
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Jwood70

Observer
Back in March, some friends and I decided that we needed to get out of the ski shop and get into the forest. We planned an overnight trip into the Pisgah National forest for camping, socializing and some mountain bike riding. I was in the Mazda, my friend and his wife were in a stock 97 TJ with the dogs. Man it was fun.




The obligatory self shot


 

bitoy

Observer
Man your truck is way too cool.

I also like the way it stands. no need for the lift kit unless you are going to the rubicon.

Cheers!:coffeedrink:
 

Jwood70

Observer
Man your truck is way too cool.

I also like the way it stands. no need for the lift kit unless you are going to the rubicon.

Cheers!:coffeedrink:

Thanks for the kind words. A lift is more of a want than a need at this point.
 

duckhunter71

Adventurer
Awesome truck, man! I've always been fond of the Mazda pickups. If my DD wasn't so capable, I'd love to do a budget build on something like you've got there. I found my 07 Frontier with 20k miles, so I know what it is like to find a gem in black paint. Old people trucks rock!

I'll be following your thread - can't wait to see what you come up with!
 

Jwood70

Observer
Awesome truck, man! I've always been fond of the Mazda pickups. If my DD wasn't so capable, I'd love to do a budget build on something like you've got there. I found my 07 Frontier with 20k miles, so I know what it is like to find a gem in black paint. Old people trucks rock!

I'll be following your thread - can't wait to see what you come up with!

Wow, that is a find on your Frontier. That is what I really wanted to find. I had a 2wd 98 frontier in high school and like a dope sold it. I hunted high and low and couldnt find any low mileage frontiers anywhere around me.

And yes, Old people trucks do rock!
 

duckhunter71

Adventurer
Wow, that is a find on your Frontier. That is what I really wanted to find. I had a 2wd 98 frontier in high school and like a dope sold it. I hunted high and low and couldnt find any low mileage frontiers anywhere around me.

And yes, Old people trucks do rock!

I've never been quoted before! Awesome!

I love my Frontier. I forgot to mention that my brother in law has an 05 Ranger that's stock and just begging for a few tweaks.. but he's about to head to medical school so truck fun is not in his budget unfortunately.

You definitely have an advantage over the first gen Frontiers in power. The 4.0L in your truck is pretty potent for what it is powering. At that price, you also can't go wrong! What else do you have in store for this one?
 

Jwood70

Observer
I am going to keep my truck very mild. A small lift somewhere around 2 inches front and rear, a new radio (still has the factory cassette deck in it), some front recovery points, and stopping any rust that has formed.

That will be all that I have in the works for now. I may see about a camper shell once I have a garage or a basement to keep it in. For now, I get 21 mph highway and couldn't be happier
 

4x4junkie

Explorer
Very nice find!

I have a '94 Ranger myself that I bought new... It's been a great truck. Has needed almost nothing beyond normal maintenance.

Take care of it and you should easily see 250K from it too, if not much more.
 

Jwood70

Observer
I know it's been a while since an update, but not much has happened. I've been in grad school so no income to speak of. But I got out for a few hours last night and drove some forest roads. Nowhere new, but I am going to get back that way Thursday or Friday when I have a full day.

Here's NC Sr90 through the Pisgah ntl forest. Same area from my last pictures, but I want to explore more roads out this way. There is just so much land in the Pisgah.

Sorry for the crap pics, it was a bit of an after thought to snap them.


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Sent from my iPhone while I slay zombies
 
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Jwood70

Observer
So, I find that when I go camping, I really enjoy sleeping under the stars. I know there are times when a tent is appropriate, but I'd rather wake up and see the stars. So I sleep in the bed of my truck.

I use a thermo-rest under me normally, but wanted a little more padding. Until I can find the right camper shell, and build a sleeping platform, I needed to find a solution.

So I took the anti-fatigue mats that Harbor Freight sells in packs of 4, and made my template.

Right now, it's just sitting in my bed, under the weight of the spare.

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Any ideas how I can hold the mats down in the bed? I'm thinking some Velcro strips.

I'll also have some feedback on how it sleeps at the end of the week.


Sent from my iPhone while I slay zombies
 

Jwood70

Observer
So, I finished grad school, got a job and relocated to Raleigh. I did very little in the last few months except work and start saving money. I have been looking for a camper shell for a while and finally found a decent price on a shell on craigslist. Looked at it on a saturday and paid for it. Now it's mine.

233ca45c802679b2e2e94a6097bfba19.jpg


fast forward a week and I am driving to visit my parents and noticed a few things....
1. my truck was running WAY hot. so I pulled into the local service station and they performed a fulsh and cooling system service
2. my power stearing fluid was brown (not good, but who know how old it is), now it has been flushed and replaced
3. got my oil changed.

46537e29b5333ea72802cd87af891a58.jpg


I am now ready for a camping trip. I am in desperate need of some time away from civilization. Hopefully with the ending of the school soon, I can start getting out and recharging the batteries.
 
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