‘94 4x4 Swap/Build

[DRanger024]

Whenever I get around to building new spring buckets, they’ll be an XJ style with the bump inside the spring. Hopefully by then there’s a little more lift going in.


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[DRanger024]

Got some bad news today. The owner of my semi local junk yard got caught up in a huge scandal which ended with him convicted of fraud charges and 11 years in prison. The state of Wisconsin is forcing both of his yards to shut down by the end of the year. This really sucks because it’s a huge yard with 15-20 Rangers at any given time.

He certainly deserves what he got but still sad to lose a fairly large availability of parts.

Here’s the article:

https://www.wbay.com/content/news/State-orders-Fox-Valley-salvage-companies-to-close-after-multi-million-dollar-fraud-500392261.html


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[Curious Hound]

Bummer. Maybe they'll have a really good sale before they close. Get everything you can.

This message composed solely of recycled electrons. Go green!

 

[DRanger024]

Bummer. Maybe they'll have a really good sale before they close. Get everything you can.

This message composed solely of recycled electrons. Go green!

Nope. Prices went up and they’re already crushing cars. A lot of super pissed guys out there scrambling for everything they can grab.


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[DRanger024]

In other news, my wife took the truck out for the first time since I put it together. She came home with the exhaust hanging and now it needs wheel bearings on the drivers side front. I picked up some cheap bearings and a seal today. I’ll put some SKF bearings in it in spring. Plan is to do all of the U-joints at that time too.


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[DRanger024]

Wheel bearings are done. The seal on the inside was egg shaped on the drivers side allowing dirt and water in. The passenger side had Chinese bearings in it that still looked pretty good. Completely not my wife’s fault, just timing. New Chinese bearings and National seals and its smooth sailing. I’m going to replace the bearings in the spring when I do the entire front end so quality wasn’t a major issue at this time. I can order any SKF bearing or seal through work for dirt cheap so that’s the plan.

I hung the exhaust back up. The nut on my home brew threaded rod hanger came off so that was an easy fix. Nyloc nut and away we go.

I noticed while I was under the truck that the rear pinion seal was leaking pretty profusely so that got changed as well. Surprisingly the companion flange nut came off without a fight. 230,000 miles in Wisconsin winters/salt. The lips of the seal were worn pretty flat and it looked as if though the third lip of the factory seal that rides on the plastic seal guard was the only thing holding the fluid in. My last trip the the UP surely did it in. Lots of sandy clay and water. I installed another National seal there. We’ll see how it holds up.

I also got a couple tires to replace the two badly worn BFG M/T’s. I wanted to go to a 33” tire but this time of year sucks for spare cash and we need the truck for commuting the 27 miles into town for work in winter. My birthday, my wife’s birthday and our wedding anniversary are spread out through November and we always host Thanksgiving for both of our families. So I picked up a couple 32x11.50 Mastercraft Courser MXT’s to get the truck ready for snow.

I mounted them myself and they’re balanced with air soft bb’s. $325 out the door.


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[Macneil87]

I just signed up to this site a few weeks ago. I just noticed your thread and read the entire thing in one shot. I enjoy the quality of your work. You must be a welder, mechanic or millwright. I’m in northern Ontario, Canada. Just finally convinced my father to sell me his 98 ranger that I’ve been eyeing forever. Now I am going through it in a similar fashion that you are. Luckily I am a mechanic and have a shop at work I can use when required!

Keep it up!


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[DRanger024]

I just signed up to this site a few weeks ago. I just noticed your thread and read the entire thing in one shot. I enjoy the quality of your work. You must be a welder, mechanic or millwright. I’m in northern Ontario, Canada. Just finally convinced my father to sell me his 98 ranger that I’ve been eyeing forever. Now I am going through it in a similar fashion that you are. Luckily I am a mechanic and have a shop at work I can use when required!

Keep it up!


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Thanks. I’ve been welding for work for about 10 years. Also program and run a plasma burning table from time to time.

Congrats on scoring your dads truck. The 98-2000’s are my second favorite Rangers even though I’ve never owned one.


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[DRanger024]

Picked up a “new” topper last weekend. Buddy called me on his way to pick up pizza for his family saying he had spotted one on the side of the road. A couple pics later and I had the trailer loaded up and headed out.

I had been wanting a fiberglass cap ever since I picked up the aluminum one. The light weight of the aluminum is nice but it was old and leaked like crazy.

Pics he sent;

I pretty much knew right away this one was for a Ranger just by the color. For whatever reason, it’s hard to find a topper this color in my area even though there are Cayman Green Rangers everywhere here.

Had to bend my CB antenna mount a little to make it fit but it fits like a glove.

It has a windoor on one side and a slider on the other.

I had to put new rear window struts and one ball mount in it. That’s it, everything else works besides the missing 3rd brake light.


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[85_Ranger4x4]

Nice score on the topper.

They are everywhere until you decide you want one, I put one on my radar for road trips and poof they are all gone.

 

[DRanger024]

Nice score on the topper.

They are everywhere until you decide you want one, I put one on my radar for road trips and poof they are all gone.

I had the aluminum one which I only paid $20 for and was happy with other than the fact that my rear view mirror was useless. The rear window was too short. I had kind of decided that I would keep an eye out on Facebook marketplace and Craigs to find a matching fiberglass cap. Only took about 9 months and a stroke of luck.


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[DRanger024]

Finally got a tailpipe on the truck. It’s pretty ghetto but I wanted to be able to carry on a conversation in the cab at highway speeds. My oldest daughter really likes to ride in the truck and that’s important to me.

Made up the over the axle pipe with the old cut and weld strategy.

Shitty pic of final fitment.

So it’s 2.5” from the cat to an 18” glass pack with 2.5” out where the stock exhaust would exit with a chunk of 2005 Durango pipe making the exit bend. Turned out ok. A little short but I wanted it tucked in so it wouldn’t snag on anything. Not real excited about it but whenever I decide to actually put the final exhaust on, the glass pack is going in the scrap and I’ll make a real tail pipe out of pre bent tube.

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[85_Ranger4x4]

I had the aluminum one which I only paid $20 for and was happy with other than the fact that my rear view mirror was useless. The rear window was too short. I had kind of decided that I would keep an eye out on Facebook marketplace and Craigs to find a matching fiberglass cap. Only took about 9 months and a stroke of luck.


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That is a good point on the door trim being too thick and blocking the mirror, I hadn't thought of that.

I like the idea of aluminum for weight, most that I see around for mine are fiberglass though. Kinda torn on which way to go... mine is a longbox which really shrinks the topper selection pool too.

 

[DRanger024]

That is a good point on the door trim being too thick and blocking the mirror, I hadn't thought of that.



I like the idea of aluminum for weight, most that I see around for mine are fiberglass though. Kinda torn on which way to go... mine is a longbox which really shrinks the topper selection pool too.

I think it’s probably worse on my truck because it sits almost level front to back. Plus the regular cab short bed thing and I don’t have rbv seats in my truck. The Dakota bench seat I put in may sit a smidge higher. Unfortunately I have nothing to compare to.

Fiberglass toppers do seem to stand the test of time a little better than the aluminum ones. The front and side windows usually seem to be a little better too.


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[Curious Hound]

How is that CB antenna mount working out? It looks great. Any water leaks?

I mounted mine on the rear corner of the cab behind the driver. But I'm having ground plane issues (I assume) making the SWR read high as if the antenna system is too short. Couldn't use the full length 1/4 wave whip. I got an older style 5' Firestik (the kind that you have to trim the wire to tune it.) and that plus a spring bring the SWR almost to perfection since the antenna is manufatured "long"so it can be tuned. Just wondering if I should move the antenna to the roof or leave it as it is. I'm new to radio technology. So a lot of reading and learning is going on here. Radio is the Uniden Bearcat 980SSB.