1984 ranger roll-along

[Angie]

hi robbie,

On this one i took it apart, keeping every piston lined to go back into the same holes, inspect measure and in specs so i will just hone with 2 grades of stones, re-ring as the bores seem to be in good specs. trying not to add to the costs as little as i can. one reason i try not to bore engines unless they are completely screwed. the crank had been turned before as it is .020 over sized bearings, so cleaned the crank and measured. seems to be good, when i get the block back from the hot tanking i will replace in the crank, plasti the new bearings and hope they will be with in spec. when she came apart the crank spun nicely in the block so i am guessing she should be fine.

 

[RobbieD]

Thank you very much for the reply. That makes a lot of good sense, and it's exactly the same approach I'd like to take on mine, if the condition of the bottom end allows it.

Looking forward to seeing your Roll-Along rolling again; good luck!

 

[Fast Eddie]

So, what's been going on with this?

 

[Angie]

well.... at the moment it is sitting under cover in a safe barn with lots of good company .... the engine is tore down and getting the block back from the machine shop very soon as i was there yesterday and they are just giving it a final clean. i have 90 % of all the parts to rebuild the engine over the next few weeks... (only nasty thing is the weather is kinda cold here during winter in an unheated barn) .... still need to drop the camshaft off at the grinders some time next week.

this rig is pretty decent shape so it doesn't need alot of work. before we parked it in the barn we took a power washer to it and she cleaned up very good. there are a few areas that do need attention, like there are some sealing issues with the top, and it needs the back door hinges redone and new latches.

Small things like that.

 

[Angie]

getting a bit of warm weather last few days, and a few days off ... so .... out there tinkering on this a bit .....

here is a pic of what was wrong with the engine in the truck at the moment .... yep... frost plug .... however, not the problem i was guessing it to be .... was able to swing the phone camera around the side of the block to get all the plugs, the front 2 are the screw in rubber style plugs, (not leaking) and this is a factory one that is leaking. i thought the screw in was leaking before, as i had felt that style plug with my fingers a while back, then figured it to be the style that was leaking .... what a pain to get at this... i think i will just wait till we pull the whole engine out than tackle fixing this leak ....

dropped the bump stick and lifters of today for them to get a fresh grind, the block is back in the shop on the stand waiting for some more time and attention.

and that is where we are

cheers

 

[Angie]

Can give a brief update ......

Bottom end of motor is together, and if all goes to plan should have the rest together this weekend (except for final valve train work). The cam has been freshly reground and same with lifters. we were able to find a very decent set of bucket seats for the truck that came out of a B2, so looking forward to that install when get working on the inside cab section.

Hoping that the best laid plans will come together with work and free time, and should have the engines swapped out next weekend ... fingers crossed.

pics to follow cheers

 

[RobbieD]

Thanks for the update, and looking forward to the next.

Curious; if you used the seat tracks from the B2 donor, and if so, if they had the added tilt up operation, and if it played well with making more interior room in the back area when folded forward.

 

[Angie]

hi robbie,

The seats have the original tracks, and if they are to be anything like my '83 V8 build, i will need to modify the floor pan to bolt them in after removing the bench seat that is in the rig currently. as for folding back/forward, it won't make any difference to the area because there is a "bulkhead" sorta thing that will not allow them to fold back. the reason for the us placing in buckets is to make it easier to climb into the back of the "camper" section and not need to climb over the bench seat. having a set of buckets should in theory give a bit more room to struggle into the back.

We are still not 100% sure of how we are going to build the "sleeping" living area yet in the back of the rig. Our plan is to keep it as basic as possible. do all the cooking out side the rig on portable stoves, and use simple "camping" style amenities. Use the rig mainly for sleeping quarters with storage.

cheers

 

[RobbieD]

On the bench, and on the regular cab bucket seats, only the seat back folds forward. On the B2, and SuperCab bucket seats (may be, on some of them only, and may be passenger side only) the seat track allows for an additional tilt of the whole seat forward and up. It allowed better access to the rear seat or jump seats in those body styles, and if memory serves there's actually two release handles for forward tilt on these.

What I was thinking (based on the way my '90 B2 passenger seat works) is that on your rig, this type of setup may allow better access to the back area, even through the passenger door, when the seat is folded forward and up.

I built a lot of conversion vehicle stuff "back in the day". If you have any questions on the interior stuff, hit me up and I'll try to help.

 

[Angie]

I will take a couple pictures today of the inside to show more the layout of this rig. I understand what you are saying, however i don't think it will make much of a difference by accessing the back that way with it folded. I may stand to be corrected, but not sure the gains will out-way the losses.

the cab is basically a regular cab that has the back window missing and cut down leaving the frame intact around a missing hole for access. "smaller" access to boot.

will hit you up for any ideas when the time comes, for sure! thanks

cheers

 

[Angie]

wow i stand corrected... the hole is actually way larger than was first thought ... I am more concentrating on the running of the machine and not the creature comforts at the moment... here are a couple inside pics and yes there is a ton of play in here... and here is the passenger seat. complete with a second set of controls as you were saying. this might get more interesting than i first thought...

cheers

 

[RobbieD]

Cool!

On one those rigs, I think that anything you do to make access from the cab to the rear area will make it a lot more handier.

 

[Fast Eddie]

wow i stand corrected... the hole is actually way larger than was first thought ... I am more concentrating on the running of the machine and not the creature comforts at the moment... here are a couple inside pics and yes there is a ton of play in here... and here is the passenger seat. complete with a second set of controls as you were saying. this might get more interesting than i first thought...

cheers

That setup is a little weird, though I can understand why they made someone crawl over the bench seat. The platform is at that height anyway, so you have to make the leap or walk around to the back. Buckets may make it easier. You could fabricate a small 'ladder' to help with the leap

Keep posting nd best of luck.

 

[RobbieD]

Almost forgot. When you do pull the bench seat, look at the bottom. On my '84 there was a build sheet stuck between the springs and foam, but it was pretty toasted.

 

[Angie]

set back on the engine ... wrong conrod bearings .... so have to redo them as they are out .020 .... link to problem here....

whats the deal with Aluminum conrod bearings?? Vrs tri metal?

On my 2.8 build the bearings for the conrods are an Aluminum composite. WHY?? what are they good for? i have placed the pistons and rod bearings into the block, but now I am second guessing why they are made from this metal. Can anyone shed some light on this situation?? thanks

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