ForOffRoadDriving's 94 Ranger Build

[railman]

well...i didn't think it would snap off, but i did think it would bend pretty easily....

yeah, better weld in now while only one coat in.....is always better to be safe than sorry....

l8r, John

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

following railman's advice, i ground down the paint on the stop and welded on a gusset to make sure that in the event of a latch failure the tire wont swing into the side of my bed and bend it all to hell.

after letting the welds cool off i gave it a quick wipe down and put the second coat of paint on.

with the paint drying i shifted my focus to leveling the front end, which went fairly quickly but also pointed out a need for longer brake hoses. as long as i dont allow the front end to go into full droop ill be ok, but this is something that will hopefully be remedied in the next couple of days. i ordered a pair of grade 8 3/4" x 10" bolts to replace the original 8" long ones. i know they make stud extenders to achieve the same effect, but this seems like an area that i dont want any room for error.

using all of my 1/2 impact extensions i was able to easily remove the spring retaining nut by going through the coil spring from the engine bay.

i measured the springs just for future reference, they are skyjacker 132s

after i got all my tools put away i took thumper for a test drive to help settle the front end. i think i nailed the look i was going for and the fact that theres still some rake to it tells me that i wont need to put longer shackles on the rear after mounting the bumper.

 

[railman]

that is some top notch work

l8r, John

 

[AgPete139]

Looks great, man!

Where did you get the pivot bushing from?

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

I got the pivot tube from Trout Industries www.troutindustries.com , which was recommended to me from a member on here. Its is a very solid setup and i have no doubt this will last the life of the truck. This morning i put the first coat of high build flat black fleet paint on the bottom side of the bumper and the tire swing. Once it dries i will turn it over and tape off the diamond plate so i can spray duplicolor bed liner on it for extra traction, then i will paint over it with the flat black again. Im hoping i can get it mounted tonight but thats all going to depend on how fast this paint dries.

 

[DirtRoadRider]

If ya wanna try to sit it level,look up Daystar leveling kits.
I know for sure they sell one for your money pit and mine too since I actually have one on my 94 4.0 2wd.
I went the same way you are right now which was eibach leveling coils but I know yours are skyjackers.They only brought it up a half an inch which was far ffrom the inch and a half that was supposed to be.
I rode on the eibachs since february and I finally found a a daystar leveling kit for my truck on here in august and purchased it from a member on here that only ran it for 3 months.The kit came with the stud extenders,and the 2 inch spacers and they guy even throwed in the alignment bushings as well.I finally got the chance to change the leveling coils and go back to stock springs with the 2 inch coil spacer and that sat it perfectly level.I was finally satisifed with the truck suspension wise.I'm still ordering parts though for it

 

[railman]

not sure what kind of luck you will have, but i had the Daystar spacers for less than 6 months before they started to split and come apart....

the leveling coils may say 2"....and will do that for the lighter 2.3 and 3.0 engines....but with the heavy 4.0 and with a SC they don't provide as much lift....

the washers are the way to go when leveling....

l8r, John

 

[AgPete139]

I did the exact same thing with the washer lift. I bought new spring bolts and they worked perfectly, and I had peace of mind when it came to beating it around. I think I did about 1.5" of washers on each side.

It's cheaper than the Daystars, and more durable. good decision!

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

i wanted to get pictures up last night but by the time i was done screwing around in the garage it was too dark to get a good picture of the finished product. the truck sits almost perfectly level with only an inch difference between the front and the rear (32" front and 33" rear). Yesterday i finished painting the bumper and once it was dry i mounted it and then assembled the pivot bearings and seals and greased them up. i had already pre-wired the license plate light so all i had to do was make a disconnect on the vehicle side wiring so i can remove the bumper quickly and without cutting any wires. today i got a late start but managed to remove the bed and start on the cab corner repairs. i also stripped down the Hi Lift to get it ready for paint so hopefully in the next few days it will be sporting a new black paint job.

now the process of removing the bed begins, starting with getting the leaves out of the bed!

and heres the cancer i have to cure tomorrow

the picture perfect hillbilly yard

thanks for looking!

 

[Kyle M.]

Looks great, love the attention to detail and I am glad you are so good at taking pictures during...I never can.


What are you using to patch up the cab corners?

 

[MountainMike]

I'm going to level with you buddy, that bumper is awesome

 

[Ranger Sport Honduras]

wow man that tire carrier looks awesome!!

great job!

remember the roll bar/light bar i had in mind? seems like my truck might get it soon

 

[-Nathan-]

good stuff man, oh and those T-Bone creepers are awesome.

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

thanks for the compliments guys, it keeps me motivated- that and my love for building things. so today was kind of disappointing because i didnt get as much done as i had planned to, but i cant really complain about the results either. since i already cut most of the cab corners out last night, i started off the day by finishing the trimming and then measuring, taping, cutting, and measuring and cutting some more until i got the replacement panels ready to weld in.....but i didnt weld them in. instead i spent the next 4 hours cutting apart the inner rocker panel and rebuilding it piece by piece, then i welded all the seams together (it sounds a lot faster than it was) and ground the welds back down so i could prep it for some POR15. by the time i got to the passenger side it was getting dark so i started to fit the replacement panel for that side and almost got it finished when i ran out of sun power. normally i would keep working in the dark with some shop lights, but since i need to be able to see how straight things are fitting i decided to wait until tomorrow to finish that side. ok enough blabbing, on to pictures!

hopefully tomorrow i can wrap up the cutting and welding portion so i can get ready to prep and paint with more POR15 and herculiner.

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

well i almost got it all wrapped up last night, but the darkness still beat me even though i started 2 hours earlier than the previous days. at any rate, the welding is finished and all i have left to do is grind down the welds on the passenger side and then throw on the paint!

since i have to work until 4 today that only leaves me an hour of day light so i may or may not finish grinding down the passenger side welds tonight. i have tomorrow and the next day off, so i will have it finished by wednesday.