Project Trail Authority (Official Build Thread)

[88_Eddie]

yeah that's what i'm finding. i've found a few around here from people that were parting out 95+ Explorers. last one i had lined up was gonna be $100 and i had to pull it. the gear ratio ended up being too low so i didnt get it. but i figure i can find one. it's to be an open diff as well since i have a lockright.

i'm not worried about selling the old drum brake one either. i only paid $50 for it, so i have a spare set of shafts plus another open carrier.

 

[ajmiller]

Yup, your brackets will work for both. Easy stuff, and definitely worth it! The 28 should be okay for the most part, if you plan on keeping 31's (and not abusing it). I've seen their axle shafts snap under minimal abuse with 32's though. And one day, you might want to put some bigger tires on it anyway. It'll be a good piece of mind for ya.

It's too bad you're not a little closer, I'd shoot down and give you a hand. In the F-150, that's probably $100 in gas! Ha ha

Haha yeah ill be find anyways, my bro inlaw is a diesel mechanic and he knows quite a bit about this stuff so im sure he could help me out. But thanks for the offer Im thinking about pulling a D35 and getting it ready, then testing to see how much the D28 can handle with 31's lol Ill giver hell.

 

[Viva*the*Ranger]

yeah that's what i'm finding. i've found a few around here from people that were parting out 95+ Explorers. last one i had lined up was gonna be $100 and i had to pull it. the gear ratio ended up being too low so i didnt get it. but i figure i can find one. it's to be an open diff as well since i have a lockright.

i'm not worried about selling the old drum brake one either. i only paid $50 for it, so i have a spare set of shafts plus another open carrier.

50 bucks for spare parts.... Cant beat that! Eventually, you know you'll need em! Ha ha

Haha yeah ill be find anyways, my bro inlaw is a diesel mechanic and he knows quite a bit about this stuff so im sure he could help me out. But thanks for the offer Im thinking about pulling a D35 and getting it ready, then testing to see how much the D28 can handle with 31's lol Ill giver hell.

Having the replacement ready to rock, is the way to go. Make sure to bring pare axles with you, so you're not stranded. I'm sure you can get spares from someone on here, for free, or just the cost of shipping.

Make sure when you do the swap, that you do the C-clip eliminator! The spring is a serious B**** to get on there, but very much so worth it

 

[86MUDRCJ]

So I just read the whole thread and I gotta say man. IT ROCKS Very inspirational.lol

 

[Viva*the*Ranger]

Made some pretty good progress on the bed this weekend. I wasn't able to hook up my reverse lights, and a few other things, but I'm happy with the way it's looking.

The bed before:

with the top piece:

Fabed up this for the rear:

Installed:

Made boxes for the tail lights:

Used a 2-1/2" Bimetal holesaw bit, and a grinder to make the oval shaped holes:

Lights installed:

Made some removable mud flaps, and installed. I used one mud flap from a big rig, and cup it in half, then shortened it (12x19). I riveted the pieces on to 1x1x18" square tubes that slide over 1/2" cold roll round, that I welded to the frame. I turned out perfect!

I also added some sheet metal to the front bumper. It's not quite done yet, but it's starting to look more like a bumper.

That's about it till next weekend. I have lots of finish work to do on the bed, and plenty of painting. I'm really looking forward to finally getting past this stage of the build, so I'm gona try and make some extra time for the cause!

Thanks for looking!

-Denny

 

[88_Eddie]

nice work, question though, why the boxes for the tail lights? why not just mount then flush with the back of the bed?

 

[Viva*the*Ranger]

nice work, question though, why the boxes for the tail lights? why not just mount then flush with the back of the bed?

That was my original thought, but I didn't plan it out properly. I didn't quite leave myself enough room between the cross member, and the bed. I tired various things to try and make it work, but it just wasn't happening without a total redesign.

Lessons learned I guess. It worked out though. It made it easier to waterproof the lights. I'm not bummed out about it.

 

[88_Eddie]

i agree, still looks cool. what are plans for reverse lights?

 

[Viva*the*Ranger]

Thanks man! I bought two lights like this from NAPA the other day for like $12 each. I figure they should be plenty bright enough for their application. They are going to mount on the inside headache rack/roll bar thing.

 

[nuclassic]

That bed is nice, man

 

[Viva*the*Ranger]

Thanks Nuclassic! It'll look a lot better once it's all painted up, I make the spare tire mount, and a few other things. I appreciate the compliment!

 

[88_Eddie]

dont forget about the turret for the 50 cal

 

[Viva*the*Ranger]

dont forget about the turret for the 50 cal

That's next on the list How could I possibly forget about that?

 

[RangerBoy94]

That bed came out nice! Better hit it with some paint soon.

 

[Viva*the*Ranger]

That bed came out nice! Better hit it with some paint soon.

Yeah, no kidding about the paint! It already has a decent amount of surface rust I'll sand blast everything before I paint it, and make it all purdy