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What did you do to your Ranger today? (Part Deux!)


So, you can use the Ranger condenser, liquid line, accumulator, and evaporator core. Only things that change with the swap is the suction hose assembly and the pump. Actually the pumps might be the same, I never checked.

I know. I'm almost certain that the pumps are different, and the suction hose like you said. I could replace everything now and re-use most of it then, but when I find my donor I'd rather just pull the complete AC system intact and swap over, assuming that it works right of course. Avoid evacuating, vacuuming, and filling the system twice. If the system in the donor is no good, then I'll buy everything and rebuild the system with the new engine.
 
Just remembered I did do something Ranger related today, I spent about an hour on one of the wheels for the '97, in hind sight I should have gotten some 300 grit wet/dry sandpaper (might have some around, don't remember and didn't look...), the 600 I started with took forever... but one is nearly done with that step. I don't think I'm going to get too crazy with it since there's rough spots all over and I don't feel like doing that much labor, I need new tires worse than I need the wheels to look pretty... the front tires are worn pretty good but I've gotten like 40k miles out of $60 tires...
 
So far today, I'm not feeling well. Walked out to the ole Ranger and got in. I sat there a couple of minutes and watched the rain move in. About the time I started to hit the key, I felt it. Nope! Father's Day dinner decided to rejoin the world in a very violent way. I have to stop eating out. I almost always get sick and turn into a double ended volcano. :ROFLMAO: And that is my Ranger story so far, for the day.
 
So far today, I'm not feeling well. Walked out to the ole Ranger and got in. I sat there a couple of minutes and watched the rain move in. About the time I started to hit the key, I felt it. Nope! Father's Day dinner decided to rejoin the world in a very violent way. I have to stop eating out. I almost always get sick and turn into a double ended volcano. :ROFLMAO: And that is my Ranger story so far, for the day.
I wish I could put 2 emojis to your post... it made me chuckle but also sad. I can relate to Montezumas' revenge.
 
Well, today‘s goal is to get the brakes all serviced on the choptop and get it vacuumed out so all the accumulated dirt and leaves and stuff don’t blow around driving it. I’d like to get more done than that, but after working on the rear brakes yesterday, I’m trying to be a little more conservative in my plans. I have a thing to go to tonight and since I have to parallel park, I’d rather take the choptop.
 
While we were hammering on the frame we discovered more rust issues.
A575F7F2-ACDA-4BF9-9ED3-FAF3D31C8C09.jpeg

We hemmed and hawed about doing a frame swap or ordering made to fit caps. Throwing the truck away and saving the engine.

Decided to just deal with the extra work and fix what we have.

Had to pull the axel to get the gas tank fully removed.
DA90364A-C2A2-43C4-B6ED-C5F85C0227C3.jpeg


Cut up and welded in the patch for the rear passenger side hole, still need to fish plate the vertical splice.
F501DD2C-102B-4054-8DC2-291EE534D1D7.jpeg

Tomorrow is more welding for me and my brother is going to see if he can get the new bushings installed in the leaf springs.
 
While we were hammering on the frame we discovered more rust issues.
View attachment 94020
We hemmed and hawed about doing a frame swap or ordering made to fit caps. Throwing the truck away and saving the engine.

Decided to just deal with the extra work and fix what we have.

Had to pull the axel to get the gas tank fully removed.
View attachment 94021

Cut up and welded in the patch for the rear passenger side hole, still need to fish plate the vertical splice. View attachment 94022
Tomorrow is more welding for me and my brother is going to see if he can get the new bushings installed in the leaf springs.
Hang in there!
 
It's ok. We all backfire every now and then.

Yeah, but you gotta admit some are worse than other. Some might catch the air filter on fire, others blow off the whole damn intake and supercharger. I don't don't even want to think about backfiring while grenading the differential.

While we were hammering on the frame we discovered more rust issues.

---------------------------

We hemmed and hawed about doing a frame swap or ordering made to fit caps. Throwing the truck away and saving the engine.

Decided to just deal with the extra work and fix what we have.

---------------------------

Tomorrow is more welding for me and my brother is going to see if he can get the new bushings installed in the leaf springs.

That sucks. Here I am being scared off by a floor pan replacement on the 85, and you're repairing the frame like that. That being because I'm not much of a welder, not because I'd be scared of the patch strength.

Might have hemmed and hawed, buy it looks like you're doing some great work!

I'm no engineer, but I think you'd be ok without fishplating that patch at the back. Everything that is going to bolt back into that area is going to reenforce it and I don't think that's a real high stress area, at least not as much as if it were in front of the axle. Now if it were in front of the rear hanger I'd probably worry more about reenforcement.

In the leaf spring bushings, from what I understand fire is your friend. Use a torch to buyn out the center, then a chizel and hammer (or air hammer if you have one) to knock out the old sleeve. The press the new ones in.
 
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While we were hammering on the frame we discovered more rust issues.
View attachment 94020
We hemmed and hawed about doing a frame swap or ordering made to fit caps. Throwing the truck away and saving the engine.

Decided to just deal with the extra work and fix what we have.

Had to pull the axel to get the gas tank fully removed.
View attachment 94021

Cut up and welded in the patch for the rear passenger side hole, still need to fish plate the vertical splice. View attachment 94022
Tomorrow is more welding for me and my brother is going to see if he can get the new bushings installed in the leaf springs.
Been in that boat more than once. Chin up though, we have the technology to fix it. Kinda wish somebody made replacement frames for these though. Or Ford would do what Toyota did with the Tacomas.
 
Got some bad news today. I have a vision problem that will keep me from racing for awhile. It's called Binocular Diplopia which is just a fancy name for really severe double vision. Basically it's a problem with the nerve that drives one of the muscles that moves the eye and very disorienting without wearing a patch over one eye. Trying to drive to the eye doctor without an eye patch was terrifying so I'm lucky I found a Pharmasave next door and picked one up that made the trip home a lot safer. Odd thing with this problem is it doesn't matter which eye you cover up - the double vision goes away the second you put the patch on.

Ranger will have to sit until this problem gets solved. It was a real kick to the gonads after all the thrashing the past few weeks to get this puppy ready for this weekend and now I'll be lucky if I can negotiate the ten minute trip to the track to watch(with one eye) everyone else go down the track.

2Launch01.png
 
Got some bad news today. I have a vision problem that will keep me from racing for awhile. It's called Binocular Diplopia which is just a fancy name for really severe double vision. Basically it's a problem with the nerve that drives one of the muscles that moves the eye and very disorienting without wearing a patch over one eye. Trying to drive to the eye doctor without an eye patch was terrifying so I'm lucky I found a Pharmasave next door and picked one up that made the trip home a lot safer. Odd thing with this problem is it doesn't matter which eye you cover up - the double vision goes away the second you put the patch on.

Ranger will have to sit until this problem gets solved. It was a real kick to the gonads after all the thrashing the past few weeks to get this puppy ready for this weekend and now I'll be lucky if I can negotiate the ten minute trip to the track to watch(with one eye) everyone else go down the track.

View attachment 94030
What a bummer. I hope it clears up soon. That would drive me nuts.
 
So far today, I'm not feeling well. Walked out to the ole Ranger and got in. I sat there a couple of minutes and watched the rain move in. About the time I started to hit the key, I felt it. Nope! Father's Day dinner decided to rejoin the world in a very violent way. I have to stop eating out. I almost always get sick and turn into a double ended volcano. :ROFLMAO: And that is my Ranger story so far, for the day.
So, in other words, you were full of :poop: today.
 
Tied my exhaust to the neighbor's fence and filled it with dirt...

IMG_20230619_184221357.jpg
 
Used the 2011 to do errands and test drive the utility trailer after doing some preventative maintenance and rotate the tires. It’s all good for the camping season and whatever else for the year.
 

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