truck bed is off frame, any mods to do while bed is off??

Can you believe that the first picture a few posts ago showing the rust hole in the frame at the rear shackle that that shackle was replaced maybe 13-14 months ago? Looks like its been 10 years already with how rusty it is. Damn Ohio weather/salt.

I highly recommend that you remove the tank so that you can really treat the rust. On the Rat, I replaced the lower flange of the left frame rail .

adsm08 said:

The rivets mushroom when they are pressed, so they have to be ground flush.

If they go through more than one piece (all do, or they would be pointless) it is common to have to grind them flush, pry the outer bracket off, then grind flush again before punching them through the rail.

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I have always just ground flush And then used a BFH around 4 or 5 lbs to drive them out. Usually no more than 3 to 4 smacks with the BFH. But I live in Arizona so I don't have to deal with very much rust.....

That's what I'd planned to do, but only one or two popped loose that way. Next time I'll definitely pop the bracket off first. Grinding the remainder of the rivets off at that point would be very easy.

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Are you brushing it on ? If so, get can of satin black, mix little at a time till you get it dark enough. Looks like it could use blue mixed in too, but do black first. If there is a Tractor Supply Co store near you, they have a urathane catalist you can mix in, hardens paint, more durable. Not Rustoleum brand, but I have been using for years. I would use a rust primer first. I would also use rust converter. If you paint over rust, any moisture will continue to rust under paint.

98 red ranger said:

Are you brushing it on ? If so, get can of satin black, mix little at a time till you get it dark enough. Looks like it could use blue mixed in too, but do black first. If there is a Tractor Supply Co store near you, they have a urathane catalist you can mix in, hardens paint, more durable. Not Rustoleum brand, but I have been using for years. I would use a rust primer first. I would also use rust converter. If you paint over rust, any moisture will continue to rust under paint.

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I actually have a gallon of ford blue of that same type of paint I thought about mixing to see if I can get a closer color. Just afraid of it turning dark turquoise or something. I know its pretty rusty and I don't have the time to sand the frame the right way. I am just going to take my air grinder and get as much rust off as possible and put a coat of black spray paint as base then the rustoleum. Or is there better way of painting over rust?

If you want to try adding blue, just put little of green in paper cup. add very small amounts of blue & or black. Can see how it will come out w/out wasting whole can. If you get color you want, you can mix whole can. Just add little of blue or black at a time, can't take it out after it is mixed in. I've done lot of mixing these paints. Only thing is sometimes the colors available don't end up mixing to what you want. I would use a spray or brush rust primer, not black paint.

98 red ranger said:

If you want to try adding blue, just put little of green in paper cup. add very small amounts of blue & or black. Can see how it will come out w/out wasting whole can. If you get color you want, you can mix whole can. Just add little of blue or black at a time, can't take it out after it is mixed in. I've done lot of mixing these paints. Only thing is sometimes the colors available don't end up mixing to what you want. I would use a spray or brush rust primer, not black paint.

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Yeah that's is why I brushed a small spot on the frame to see how bright it was going to be compared to the rest of the truck. I will mix the green and blue and see what ratio works the best. So why not a black primer? That oil based tractor paint wont matter what color it is painted on.

Black primer would be fine.

I had to do this on my old 98 I had but I had to rebuild the frame section by the shackle hangers. if you are wondering the bolts that fit real well in the rivet holes is 7/16-14 grade 8.

Mightyfordranger said:

I had to do this on my old 98 I had but I had to rebuild the frame section by the shackle hangers. if you are wondering the bolts that fit real well in the rivet holes is 7/16-14 grade 8.

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Yep, both rear shackles have been replaced already so that doesn't matter too much. I have a good assortment of bolts as well. I just replaced the fuel pump and strainer today and it fired right up. Finally, after waiting a few weeks for the pump and strainer to come in. I don't know why the new pump didn't comes with the strainer for the flex fuel engine when the non flex fuel ones came with a new strainer. Odd... But oh well. Now its time to add some steel to the rear of the frame and paint it, then reattach the bed and hopefully have a good reliable truck again. Boy do I miss driving it. Nothing like driving your own truck. I know I wouldn't have got that speeding ticket in my ranger. Hard to get those 3.0 over 65 lol. Of, course I got pulled over literally 10 seconds from my house too. grrrr. Oh, and if I didn't leave work 45 minutes late that day I wouldn't have got a speeding ticket either because I'd been home by then.

Funny. The 3.0 that I had in my '91 hit 65 quickly, and had lots of power to spare above that. My 2.9, on the other hand..... Maybe the difference is standard vs auto?

Yeah its not bad getting up to 65 but trying to go above that can be ridiculous. Auto vs manual makes a huge difference. My old one was a 2.3 5 speed and it was a peppy little truck. My truck isn't so bad now that I took the play out of the throttle cable. WOT is now WOT instead of 3/4 pedal.

When my truck ran, it had a 3.0. Hard to get to highway speeds but pulled almost anything I put on the hitch. I scrap metal and sometimes the trailer is over filled, but that little 3.0 would pull with no complaints.

Ranger850 said:

When my truck ran, it had a 3.0. Hard to get to highway speeds but pulled almost anything I put on the hitch. I scrap metal and sometimes the trailer is over filled, but that little 3.0 would pull with no complaints.

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Yeah mine pulls good too. I have a 800 pound trailer that is constantly loaded with scrap or wood. We have a few big hills here and its always been good at going up them. Has the factory tow package which I assume is just the factory button to no use overdrive lol.