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

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I know I'm no where near being a pro-welder but I think I'm getting ok with this Flux core wire feed. Some are worse than others but I'm kinda proud of this weldView attachment 96582

That looks better than some of the commercially welded stuff these days! It’s pretty rare I can make a nice stack of dimes, but I know my welds hold, penetration is key, you can have a textbook perfect weld that doesn’t have enough penetration to hold and you can have an ugly thing that will rip the surrounding metal apart before it fails

 

[Uncle Gump]

I didn’t experience it first hand, but from what I was told (I was at JeepFest, but we didn’t do the downtown Jeep invasion), the police tried to tell the Jeep guys that anyone who went to the invasion with no doors was getting ticketed for no doors and from what I understand they wrote over 100 tickets for no doors. I think it was a money making scheme, they didn’t care if the tickets were legal or not, but they figured a lot of people wouldn’t be from the area and would just pay up instead of fighting.

Strange they even gave warning... so it must have some sort of legality to do it.

Related... but kinda unrelated too. They use to be pretty hard on ORV usage on legal roadways in northern Michigan. They started to catch flack from the local business owners who relied heavily on the dollars these law breaking ORV'rs would spend at their establishments.

 

[ThatOneGuy]

So I tried to find the u bolts and top plates for an 8.8 I swear I had. However I guess they may have made it into the scrap haul. After calling all the parts stores around and having no luck, and all the parts yards being closed. I decided to see if I could rebend 7.5 u bolts to fit 8.8 axle shafts allowing you to use the original u bolts and top plates instead of trying to source them 20 after they stopped being readily available. I hammered the u end flatter till they were wide enough to go over the axle then with them over the axle I used a small bench vise to bring the free ends back in. Worked perfect. Is this perfect? idk is this a bad idea? idk. Does it kinda work sure. Is it gonna kill me? Idk you tell me

 

[sgtsandman]

So I tried to find the u bolts and top plates for an 8.8 I swear I had. However I guess they may have made it into the scrap haul. After calling all the parts stores around and having no luck, and all the parts yards being closed. I decided to see if I could rebend 7.5 u bolts to fit 8.8 axle shafts allowing you to use the original u bolts and top plates instead of trying to source them 20 after they stopped being readily available. I hammered the u end flatter till they were wide enough to go over the axle then with them over the axle I used a small bench vise to bring the free ends back in. Worked perfect. Is this perfect? idk is this a bad idea? idk. Does it kinda work sure. Is it gonna kill me? Idk you tell me

I had to do some what similar when I installed the new leaf springs on my 2011. The u-bolt radius was a bit tight for the axle and splayed the ends out some. That was a few years ago. It hasn't killed me yet.

 

[ThatOneGuy]

Ugh I swear if it isn't one thing it's another now i realize I don't have the drive line u joint flange I guess I'll have to find one this week. Then go buy an adapter u joint anyone know the size I'll need

 

[ThatOneGuy]

Well I was gently working the last leaf spring hanger bolt out. Trying to be so gentle back and forth heat and pen. Oil. But of course the nut spun out of the tab that captures it. So I make myself a super shorty 13/16 open and box end to try and slip over the nut. Just won't work for the life of me. Go to throw in the towel and start pulling bed bolts guess what 2 of them free spin. Now it's too late and dark and I have to start my work week in the morning so another victory delayed by rust. I know it ain't nothing like yall out east have to deal with. I just don't know how you get anything done.

 

[Bgunner]

Well I was gently working the last leaf spring hanger bolt out. Trying to be so gentle back and forth heat and pen. Oil. But of course the nut spun out of the tab that captures it. So I make myself a super shorty 13/16 open and box end to try and slip over the nut. Just won't work for the life of me. Go to throw in the towel and start pulling bed bolts guess what 2 of them free spin. Now it's too late and dark and I have to start my work week in the morning so another victory delayed by rust. I know it ain't nothing like yall out east have to deal with. I just don't know how you get anything done.

We use tons of penetrating oil for days before we actually grab a wrench. Well at home, at shops there is the heat wrench that makes the stubborn ones turn to liquid.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Strange they even gave warning... so it must have some sort of legality to do it.

Related... but kinda unrelated too. They use to be pretty hard on ORV usage on legal roadways in northern Michigan. They started to catch flack from the local business owners who relied heavily on the dollars these law breaking ORV'rs would spend at their establishments.

I haven’t checked recently, but state law in PA was that if the doors were factory removable, then you just need an outside mirror and you’re legal. I have found, however, that police don’t usually actually know the vehicle laws. I also have found that I haven’t been bothered at all in the Choptop when I’ve run with no doors because I’m not that idiot laying tire and hanging his leg out the open door going down the road.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Ugh I swear if it isn't one thing it's another now i realize I don't have the drive line u joint flange I guess I'll have to find one this week. Then go buy an adapter u joint anyone know the size I'll need

So, there’s a couple different flanges, I did a little searching and after checking the bolt pattern on the 8.8” and what U-joint my driveshaft was and for like $30-40 a new one showed up at my door from Amazon

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Well I was gently working the last leaf spring hanger bolt out. Trying to be so gentle back and forth heat and pen. Oil. But of course the nut spun out of the tab that captures it. So I make myself a super shorty 13/16 open and box end to try and slip over the nut. Just won't work for the life of me. Go to throw in the towel and start pulling bed bolts guess what 2 of them free spin. Now it's too late and dark and I have to start my work week in the morning so another victory delayed by rust. I know it ain't nothing like yall out east have to deal with. I just don't know how you get anything done.

1,400 ft/lb Milwaukee impact gun, 3/4” drive tools, cheater pipes, grinders, vice grips, and heat wrench (aka torch, or Smokey the Blue-Tipped Wrench). I hate rust. Lately I’ve been experimenting with using a mix of grease and used motor oil as a rust proofing material…

 

[Maritime Drag Racing]

FINALLY!!!! Roll bar install all finished and painted in spite of ruining two lengths of tubing trying to get that !@#$%^& driver's door bar to fit right. 1st one I cut too short, 2nd one got kinked in the bender but on the third piece I sneaked up on the fit to the main hoop in a dozen increments or so. Fitting a six foot 300lb man and a roll cage in a little tiny truck is not easy LOL.
Also installed the fire extinguisher in a spot where my hand falls right on the bracket release with my eyes closed. Cleaned up all the tools that sat in the box all winter and loaded up the raceday pit boxes. Now I just have to design a bracket that will secure my bicycle to the rear down bars.

 

[sgtsandman]

FINALLY!!!! Roll bar install all finished and painted in spite of ruining two lengths of tubing trying to get that !@#$%^& driver's door bar to fit right. 1st one I cut too short, 2nd one got kinked in the bender but on the third piece I sneaked up on the fit to the main hoop in a dozen increments or so. Fitting a six foot 300lb man and a roll cage in a little tiny truck is not easy LOL.
Also installed the fire extinguisher in a spot where my hand falls right on the bracket release with my eyes closed. Cleaned up all the tools that sat in the box all winter and loaded up the raceday pit boxes. Now I just have to design a bracket that will secure my bicycle to the rear down bars.

View attachment 96622
View attachment 96623

Race truck to bicycle, talk about extreme opposites...

 

[Maritime Drag Racing]

Race truck to bicycle, talk about extreme opposites...

For me a bicycle is the best way to get around the pits. It's say easier on these old bones than walking and you've always got a seat and a beverage holder. Bought this one in 2012 and have put many miles on it at every track in the Maritimes. On my third set of tires so far.

 

[BroncLander]

My vent cap/oil filler (2.8) fell off and half melted on the exhaust manifold. So of course parts places can't find one, so I got some aluminum tape and sealed it up as best I could and reinstalled it. It's not moving now unless I reef on it. And it'll work just fine.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Forgot to mention, I vacuumed down the AC system in the Choptop and it leaked mostly down overnight so there’s a leak somewhere. Everything but the pump is brand new, but that doesn’t mean much. Not exactly sure what to do about trying to find the leak without filling it with Freon and dye and run it till the leak shows then dump it all and fix. The only thought that I had was I have a bottle of CO2 and a regulator that I could rig up to pressurize it and then spray everything down with soapy water and look for bubbles… no idea if that’s an acceptable solution though