Pepe's original headlights were yellowing with age, so we decided to update to LED lights with reflectors. For her birthday in 2017, we gave our daughter the updates headlights.

Of course they had to be installed immediately. However, that meant dismantling the front end a bit.

Looks like they work.

Surprisingly, they made a big difference in the look of the front end of Pepe.

We were at the drag strip one day (a different long story), when our son calls. He had decided to go to a salvage yard in OH while away at school and came across a visor for a Ford Ranger. Visors are not easy to come by and the ones for Pepe's body style are not made any more. He was wondering if his sister would like one on her truck. We said probably, so he picked it up.

When we had a chance later to ask her, the answer was an unequivocable Yes, with another word in front for emphasis. Pretty much what we thought.

He sanded it smooth and painted it one weekend at home to match her truck, then gave it to her for Christmas.

Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of the original junk yard find. This is the painted visor.

The visor is fiberglass, which gives the underside a rough texture.

There was some orange peel, so he cut and buffed the visor to a high shine.

She was away from the house one day, so to be sure, they trial fitted the visor to Pepe.

My son watches as Dad and his best friend Adam carefully align the visor to Pepe's roofline.

Fitment was checked from all angles, then they pulled the visor back off an stowed it away until Christmas.

He even ordered stainless steel mounting hardware and installed the pieces on the visor before Christmas day.

She had completely forgotten the odd question from a few months prior so she had no clue as to what he laid in her lap on Christmas morning.

Everyone else knew what it was as she very carefully unwrapped it.

But the grin says it all.

Pepe seems to like the visor too.

One sharp looking truck, Aug 2019.

Then one day driving down the road, our daughter heard a loud bang from under the hood. Unsure, she did the smart thing. She pulled to the side of the road and popped the hood. And this is what she found. One of the AC lines had exploded, releasing all the pressure and spraying oil and freon everywhere. Easily fixable at home.

However, it left a dent in the hood from the underside to the top. Not so easily fixable. That will have to wait until . . . well, until we have time. Dad sealed the cracked paint with clear to prevent rust in the meantime.

Pepe -vs- trailer. Trailer won. In backing a trailer, the short wheelbase of the trailer coupled with Pepe's short wheelbase allowed the trailer to turn too sharply. It impacted Pepe's passenger side rear fender and left a crease in the skin. Not so easy to fix.

Our daughter enjoys her little truck and drives it almost everywhere. She's had many compliments, a few offers to buy it, and many surprised looks that it is not 4 wheel drive. She still wants to do that swap, so maybe one day we will.

In the meantime, on to other projects.