1993 Splash in SC

[ericbphoto]

Driver side is painted and installed. Tomorrow, after the paint has hardened some more, I'll put the spring in, attach the shock and do the brake hose. Then it will be time to put it down on it's wheels and see if I made it "better enough".

I did the brake hose on the passenger side and put the wheel back on. It's resting on the ground now.

 

[Uncle Gump]

Without going backwards... I forget what your end game is here Eric? You just looking for some more lift... more articulation... less of something... ???

 

[ericbphoto]

Without going backwards... I forget what your end game is here Eric? You just looking for some more lift... more articulation... less of something... ???

The springs that Skyjacker sends with their 6" kit for Rangers are too soft and short. I'm trying to get my front suspension geometry dialed n better. I had spacers installed and after adding the winch, I still couldn't get camber in spec.

 

[Uncle Gump]

Gotcha...

I don't have any miles on my 6 inch skyjackers... but just looking at it I'm hoping they settle in a bit. I've got a bit to learn on this new truck.

 

[Robertmangrum.rm]

Driver side is painted and installed. Tomorrow, after the paint has hardened some more, I'll put the spring in, attach the shock and do the brake hose. Then it will be time to put it down on it's wheels and see if I made it "better enough".

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I did the brake hose on the passenger side and put the wheel back on. It's resting on the ground now.
View attachment 76203

Looking good. Can't wait to check it out in person.

 

[ericbphoto]

Finished. After putting everything back together, I bled the brakes and then cycled the steering wheel back and forth from stop to stop. Heard a weird noise. Pushed brake pedal again - right to the floor. Got out and found the new brake hose fittings hit the shocks and broke off. Put the old hoses back on and re-bled the brakes. The Skyjacker brake hoses I bought would not go on the calipers the way they needed to and I had turned them 90 degrees to fit. They cleared the tires great. But....

Got the alignment dialed in pretty good. Camber looks good by eyeball. Truck drives normal. I'll fine tune it after driving some more. The driver side seems to be on the edge of not having enough adjustment. But I think I need to turn the caster part of the bushing about 180 degrees. That might help. Passenger side is near the center of the adjustment capabilities of my bushing. So, I'm calling this a success.

One other note; Rustoleum does NOT handle brake fluid very well.

I'll recheck fluids Monday and it will be ready for overlanding on tuesday.

 

[ericbphoto]

This trip across Georgia is testing my Ranger. Those following my adventure are aware that something has begun leaking at the passenger side rear wheel.

However, the new springs are settling in and I will need to redo the alignment when I get home. Not sure what else will require tweaking. The springs are rubbing on the frame slightly, or more accurately, rubbing on the bottom part if the coil buckets. That can be addressed with a bit of grinding.

And, a new symptom showing up. Maybe 10-20 seconds after starting the engine (sometimes) the CEL will blink about twice and the rpms will jump up momentarily to about where the cold start rpm level is. It's quick, as if I had just tapped the accelerator momentarily. I need to observe that a little bit closer. More to follow on that one.

I haven't done any difficult "hard wheelin' " on this trip. But the truck is getting a lot of continuous driving and a lot of it is less than 20mph and on rough surfaces. I've coveted a little less than 400 miles in 3 days.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

 

[DRanger024]

How is the truck working?

 

[ericbphoto]

How is the truck working?

Have barely touched it since the trip. I'll do some maintenance and tweak the alignment next week. I want to plan another trip in August. But I have been preoccupied with buying a motorcycle and getting my license. I'm in a beginner's riding class tomorrow and Friday and should have my license at the end of the class.

I'm designing a spare tire carrier that will swing out and down to ground level take it easier to mount/dismount the spare and also to access the bed and tailgate easier. I need to order some bronze bushings and 1" shaft stock. Then I'll be ready to build that.

 

[Blmpkn]

Have barely touched it since the trip. I'll do some maintenance and tweak the alignment next week. I want to plan another trip in August. But I have been preoccupied with buying a motorcycle and getting my license. I'm in a beginner's riding class tomorrow and Friday and should have my license at the end of the class.

I'm designing a spare tire carrier that will swing out and down to ground level take it easier to mount/dismount the spare and also to access the bed and tailgate easier. I need to order some bronze bushings and 1" shaft stock. Then I'll be ready to build that.

Thats cool but... whatre you gonna do to the bike?

 

[ericbphoto]

Thats cool but... whatre you gonna do to the bike?

Funny. I have a list. Added a top luggage box today because I need a place to lock my helmet when I go in a store or restaurant. I did a mod to the clutch that reduces the heavy engine breaking when you let off the throttle. I've ordered a longer shift lever to more easily accommodate my big feet. I'm working on a more complete and better quality tool kit to carry.

I would eventually like better mirrors that don't vibrate so much, there's a cooling system mod that improves cooling and provides more appropriate coolant temperatures and comes with digital gauge to display coolant temp, better skid plate, brush guard for the headlight, different muffler?, add a tach, bracket to hold my ohone so I can see it for navigation, louder horn? ....

 

[Blmpkn]

Funny. I have a list. Added a top luggage box today because I need a place to lock my helmet when I go in a store or restaurant. I did a mod to the clutch that reduces the heavy engine breaking when you let off the throttle. I've ordered a longer shift lever to more easily accommodate my big feet. I'm working on a more complete and better quality tool kit to carry.

I would eventually like better mirrors that don't vibrate so much, there's a cooling system mod that improves cooling and provides more appropriate coolant temperatures and comes with digital gauge to display coolant temp, better skid plate, brush guard for the headlight, different muffler?, add a tach, bracket to hold my ohone so I can see it for navigation, louder horn? ....

Bar end mirrors don't vibrate nearly as much as mickey mouse mirrors, FMF mufflers sound the best IMO... but big gun cans usually sound just as good at a nicer price. All the rest of your mods sound perfect.. gotta start a thread for it!

What's the operating temp on that thing? New small motors are designed to run pretty hot it seems like. The rad fan on my wheeler doesn't turn on until the coolant reaches 207°

 

[ericbphoto]

Spending some time in the shop yesterday and today.

First, I made a manifold to mount up high and run my breather lines from rear diff, transfer case and transmission. Anyone who followed my recent trip on the Georgia Traverse will recall that I discovered that the bellows thingies that side-by-sides and ATVs use are not suitable for larger axles. So I'll get rid of the bellows on my 8.8 and run a hose up to this.

I also started building a new spare tire carrier. If it works, it will be great. It's going to swing out AND DOWN. Currently, my carrier mounts in the hitch receiver. That means that to open my tailgate, I must lift the 80+ lbs of tire and carrier out of the receiver and lay it on the ground. That's not bad. But putting it back is a real pain. The new carrier will pivot on a 45 degree angle and lower the tire to the ground. It will be much easier to mount and dismount the tire from the carrier. And, hopefully, will be easier to lift Into place for traveling. I'm waiting on some oilite bushings before I can finish it. Bushings are supposed to arrive today.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Nice job on the breather block.
I've thought about making a reciever mounted spare that swivels and lowers both. Swivel to access the built in steps or swivel for tire.