ForOffRoadDriving's 94 Ranger Build

[ForOffRoadDriving]

On the bumpers i used 5x2 channel and then lipped the angled cuts with 1/4x2 flat stock to keep it ridgid. The looseness im getting in the wheel seems to be circumstantial to the road im driving on. If its got a lot of crown then the wheel needs to be turned to the drivers side to keep the truck from turning to the passenger side and into a ditch. When going straight on a flat road the wheel is centered but if i turn the wheel to the left or right just a bit it will turn instantly. Im going to try to get a bettter pic of the tie rod angles with more sunlight today as im leaning toward steering angles as the cause of the lazy steering. I was thinking the other day and if it were my caster that was bad then the wheels would have trouble returning to the straight position after turning but it does have this condition. Maybe i just need a new mod to focus on so i can leave this alone?

 

[WNY964x4]

On the bumpers i used 5x2 channel and then lipped the angled cuts with 1/4x2 flat stock to keep it ridgid. The looseness im getting in the wheel seems to be circumstantial to the road im driving on. If its got a lot of crown then the wheel needs to be turned to the drivers side to keep the truck from turning to the passenger side and into a ditch. When going straight on a flat road the wheel is centered but if i turn the wheel to the left or right just a bit it will turn instantly. Im going to try to get a bettter pic of the tie rod angles with more sunlight today as im leaning toward steering angles as the cause of the lazy steering. I was thinking the other day and if it were my caster that was bad then the wheels would have trouble returning to the straight position after turning but it does have this condition. Maybe i just need a new mod to focus on so i can leave this alone?

how many feet would you say you got of it , and what size tubing did you use on the front ?

as for your steering issue , how good of shape is your steering shaft in , beacuse if the flex coupler is starting to go bad it can cause loose steering like that

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

im thinking 12' of channel should cover both bumpers, the tubes on the brushguard are 3" and the head light guards on the front are 1-1/2" black pipe. ya know the steering coupler was a thought in my mind until i looked through my photo album and saw the pic of the new coupler being built. i drilled out the rivets and got new rubber discs from motormite and then used grade 8 - 1/4" bolts with prevailing torque nuts to fasten them back together. there was some binding so i got out the cut off wheel and did some clearancing on the heads until it moved freely.

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

yesterday i got an early christmas present and for once it wasnt wool socks or a flashlight......... it was a set of belltech shackles! i spent the day lying in the slush and changing them out, then caught my jacket on fire when i was welding the exhaust back together, but im really happy with the way they affected the ride quality and the way the truck sits now.

yes i know the brake hose is completely maxed out, but its not stretched tightly, i wanted the axle to drop as far as it would go so i could get the leaf spring bolts out easily, but i had to keep an eye on the hose to make sure i didnt go too far. both leaf spring bolts came out easily, but i had to cut one of the shackle to bracket bolts off because it rusted into the bushing sleeve. it took 8 sawzall blades but i got it, those 12.9 bolts are hard!

heres a picture of how i extended the tail pipe so it wouldnt get hit by the spring and shackle. i forgot to grab a piece of exhaust pipe from work before i started working, but luckily i had a 2" OD piece scrap that was long enough and was already flared on one end and i found a 2" ID / ID coupler to join the extension to the original pipe.

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

heres the pictures of the tie rods, tell me what you guys think about the angles

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

took some flex shots at work today with the hi-low, which was promted by my curiosity of the brake hose lengths on both the front and rear of the truck. with the belltechs the rear flexes very nicely.... almost enough to make me consider a locker, but the front leaves a lot to be desired. i knew the moog coils wouldnt flex as much as the skyjackers but i wanted it that way because im not running sway bars and this is my DD.

this is the passenger side front hose when it is flexed as far as it will go.

heres the parts ive gathered so far for my rear hose, im still waiting on one adapter and im going to have to make a bracket to mount the hose to the diff.

im also thinking about welding another tab onto the brush guard so i can run another light. heres a pic of what it might look like - tell me what you think?

 

[railman]

looks really good.....

I like the look of the extra light up front....but, you are the only one that has to like it....since it is your truck.....

l8r, John

 

[Grey_04]

that truck has came a long way. I enjoy reading your updates and find the information very useful and well written. with your 3rd light on the bumper idea, I'd suggest getting 2 more and having 5 lights evenly spaced on your roll bar if you put the 3rd light down on your bumper to even things out. awesome job so far..

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

thanks for the input guys. the grille does look a little crowded with that extra light, but since the bumper mounted ones are aimed at the same height as my low beams i think ill be able to get a better beam spread with one in the center. i usually use them when im on twisty, hilly back roads cause. they are very bright compared to the silverstars in the headlights and when you come up to the top of a hill and start going down the back side there are no dark voids in the road, having them pointed down takes car of that. the only place im looking to make improvement is with the width of the beam, sometimes when going around corners (usually sharp or blind corners) i wish i could see to my left and right farther. by adding the middle light i can then aim the outer lights farther off to the sides and still have the same effect as before when going straight. but as gray 04 said, id need to add 2 more to the top to make them look spaced evenly. its probably not going to happen until spring since i would have to grind off the paint and then weld on the tab and paint it again. being that its been in the 20s all week i dont think the paint will dry and i dont want to mess with the electrical when its this cold!

 

[Grey_04]

being that its been in the 20s all week i dont think the paint will dry and i dont want to mess with the electrical when its this cold!

my vote is we have a winter meet in a heated garage for a weekend and get some stuff done were there's heat...

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

my vote is we have a winter meet in a heated garage for a weekend and get some stuff done were there's heat...

i vote for this too! even if it was just to vaccum out and detail the truck, life is less pleasant when you have to freeze your ass off to work on your truck.

 

[Grey_04]

i vote for this too! even if it was just to vaccum out and detail the truck, life is less pleasant when you have to freeze your ass off to work on your truck.

agreed it's only 26* here in Venango county,pa tonight.... the only good thing about it is i have a small room off my garage and the beer stays cold but not frozen back there but it sucks for getting any work done.

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

ive got a wood stove in my garage and it does a great job keeping things toasty , but im going to need to sacrifice a whole day off just to clean things up enough to start a fire and then ill have to get some wood up to the house and stack it in the storage box. maybe this weekend ill get it taken care of, ive got 4 days of work coming up soon and its supposed to be flirting with 40* mark, so maybe ill be doing my brake hose in the heat?

 

[Grey_04]

good luck with getting the garage cleaned and full of wood. don't forget to stock the fridge.. with your fav, or

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

got the final adapters for my rear hose, i should have this thing on sometime this weekend, even if i have to put my rain suit on and sit in the slush!