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

[Rick W]

Well, finished the new paint work for the Choptop, got the harness back together and in place on the F-150, just need to fish out and attach a bracket for the 7-pin trailer plug and put the new license plate light on when it gets here. Then I got the mower deck off and tore apart to do the spindles. Gonna have to clean the deck and sharpen the blades while it’s apart. Might see if I can modify it to lift the deck a little higher too. Hate to spend all the time when I need to mow soon, but I’ll be better off if I do it right. Anyway…

View attachment 96359

So you have a mower deck for your chop top? Cool

 

[Rick W]

Ah, no, I don’t think I’ll be trying to jump that. Might result in some rather unwanted consequences. It’s a giant spring toy.

My Rangers, however, well… My blue 2000 was airborne so many times with full send back in the day that I put a Dixie horn in place of the horn…

I may or may not have sent a couple other Rangers airborne as well. But as not all we’re mine, well, we shall just leave it there for now…

@Blmpkn silly question in my opinion. Who would try to jump a Ranger or a chop top with a mower deck?

 

[Rick W]

Sensible shoes?
Got a used set of shoes for ol’ Mable. She’s an on going project. They are the size and brand I was wanting but they are used with a couple miles on them. Price was right ($356 mounted balanced and out the door). She’s still in the trial stage so I wasn’t ready to invest in a new set but she is ready for road testing and needed something better than shop rollers. 33x12.5x15. I think I could still clear a 35” but we will see after testing and the V8 upgrade. View attachment 96412View attachment 96413

Wheels/tires - great!

Truck - too clean…

 

[Rick W]

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.

May be a dumb question, but can you just use a length of threaded rod and bend around the axle to make the U bolt?

What are the thoughts on heating a threaded rod of a larger diameter to bend it around the axle to make a U bolt?

I don’t think I do it on the driveline, but I’ve got a lot of threaded rod and I’ve got a few trailer projects I’m working on.

All information always appreciated.

 

[Rick W]

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…

Add some candle wax. Experiment so that when the hot mix cools, it’s more solid than pasty. And then apply it hot. I use an old fashioned pump oil can.

Do I have to talk about how careful you have to be heating up such a mess?

 

[Blmpkn]

@Blmpkn silly question in my opinion. Who would try to jump a Ranger or a chop top with a mower deck?

You highlight part of the problem of public schools.


Lesson #1 for our youth from day 1 should be "if it CAN be sent, it SHOULD be sent"

If I had the power to change SHOULD to SHALL I would... but alas.. I'm just a bub in the woods.

 

[Rick W]

That’s about what I was thinking, I thought compressed air at first, but that can introduce a lot of moisture into the system potentially. I have the CO2 and it’s cheaper and easier to dispose of than Freon since I don’t yet have a recovery system. The plants around here will love a burst of CO2, lol.

You can use propane or butane from Home Depot, but be careful not to blow your head off. Freon “R12A” is actually propane, and it could be used to top off either R 12 or R134 to get it colder.

 

[Rick W]

@snoranger took a look at the AC system on the road ranger which had been patched with some epoxy, and showed me which line to change out (thanks again).

All I have ever done is top off systems. When they were completely out, I always took it to a shop. So this may be a dumb question or request, but can somebody tell me exactly what I put into the system to charge it up after the vacuum pump? Doesn’t have to be a combination of oil, and dye, and leak detector, and Freon?

All help appreciated.

And I posted a question in my 97 in Ranger semi build thread about shock absorbers. Any help there is also appreciated!

My shop in my driveway are a disaster area from all the rushing I did to get the trailer done for the 40th. So “what have you done with the Ranger today” for me is more on doing all the stuff I did, the mess I made, doing the Ranger before I left…

 

[SenorNoob]

Friday and Saturday. Took the extra lights off the truck. Removed the toolbox. Took it to work and used the steam pressure washer to clean it really good. It worked so well that I now have no fender badges, and significantly less paint and chrome on the grill. Also managed to blow apart the reservoir on the brake master cylinder. So replaced that Saturday and continued cleaning. Pulled up the slack in the cargo net on the rear wall.

 

[Maritime Drag Racing]

Home in the driveway and 99.9% ready to race. All that's left to do is clean off a winter's worth of garage and fabrication dirt.

 

[Blmpkn]

Took a drive to whiskeytown to learn about the history, and saw the lake. This is an absolute wonderful area. Recently found a good clean headliner and basic pair of door panels from a 97. Needed these for my 94. Found an old cemetery, went for a walk in it, and little creepy.

Did you spend any time in the glory hole?

I love your damn truck so much.. ugh. Dibs on buying it if you ever want to sell lol.

 

[jonyrad41]

102,092 ml and the death rattle got me. WTF 10 days and $1100 later back on the road.

 

[sgtsandman]

May be a dumb question, but can you just use a length of threaded rod and bend around the axle to make the U bolt?

What are the thoughts on heating a threaded rod of a larger diameter to bend it around the axle to make a U bolt?

I don’t think I do it on the driveline, but I’ve got a lot of threaded rod and I’ve got a few trailer projects I’m working on.

All information always appreciated.

I don't know what kind of steel is used for u-bolts. So, the best answer I can give you is I don't know. It might be enough or it might not be.

 

[sgtsandman]

Did you spend any time in the glory hole?

I love your damn truck so much.. ugh. Dibs on buying it if you ever want to sell lol.

I don't think that glory hole would end in a good time.

 

[ekrampitzjr]

Don't use threaded rod to try to make a U–bolt. That's asking for trouble. Threaded rod is made of cheap soft steel. It's good for such things as hanging lighting in offices, but not much more than that.