adsm08's Ranger build up

[adsm08]

So I went to Lowes to get the stuff I need to make the shift lever disconnect, bought the threaded rod, bought a tap & die set. Got home, realized that I am an idiot. I grabbed a 1/4 by 20 rod and a metric tap and die.

DOH!

Oh well. I can go get a metric threaded rod, or wait until this weekend and use my dad's standard tap set. I have to wait until this weekend anyway because I don't have a hack-saw or anything else that will cut through the shift lever up here.

 

[adsm08]

Found me a toothpick to pinstripe with today. Got it done, could be better, but a toothpick isn't exactly the easiest thing to paint with.

Managed to lacquer my hand clearing over the striping too. Will get some pics up tomorrow or the day after I hope.

Also hope to get the shifter done and mountable this weekend.

 

[adsm08]

OK, still no pics, been busy moving stuff.

Got my axles yesterday, turned out it was a guy I went to school with who was selling them. Small world huh.

Anyway, they weren't quite as ready to bolt on as I thought, but it's all good. Don't want the 3.27s that are in them and I was gonna do a substantial rebuild job on them anyway. I'm not gonna complain that he did half the disassembly for me.

 

[adsm08]

Had an idea the other day when I was out.

Ran into my body guy while i was out at Lowes and we got to talking...

Anyway, Mike said that if I got him the stuff he could probably fab up some sheet metal scoops molded off the Lund stick-on ones.

So I'm thinking... Functional Shaker hood?


Thoughts?

 

[88_Eddie]

if i had the know-how, i'd do one myself for sure

how you think you'd set that up with the 2.9? or are you goin 4.0?

 

[adsm08]

if i had the know-how, i'd do one myself for sure

how you think you'd set that up with the 2.9? or are you goin 4.0?

I'm going 4.0. I was thinking about trying to adapt the 4.6L mustang shaker intake to work with the 4.0. If that didn't work out I saw this truck once with a big old ram in the hood and the dual plate 5.0 TB, he just put a pair of those medium sized breather filters on the TB and ran them up into the scoop.

I was hoping to be a bit more elegant than that, but it might be what I do.

 

[adsm08]

Ok, so not really build related, but kinda..

Decided today that my shifter just has way too much slop in it so I went and ordered new bushings.

I figured that it was time to replace them since the Ranger has more play in gear than the S-10 (Or the old trans for that matter) has in neutral.

 

[Ranger Sport Honduras]

good call!!
maintenance over cosmetic stuff first

 

[adsm08]

Yeah. It especially sucks because we've been traveling a lot in the last week or so, and using the ranger because we need the extra torque to get moving (because we are moving), but the g/f is too used to her stick, and keeps downshifting by accident.

Hitting 2nd gear at 45 MPH and 3rd at 55 isn't helping my new trans out any.

 

[adsm08]

Ok, so I have my new 8.8 rear. I've seen a lot of guys put designs on their diff covers, thinking about doing something similar to mine. So I needs me some ideas.

Whatcha got guys?

 

[adsm08]

Well, no time or money to do anything lately. I go to get my new doors and hitch in about 2 weeks now. Been so busy with school that I almost forgot about it.

 

[adsm08]

Got the doors and hitch today.

Didn't bring the camera home with me, so pics of the doors and finished shifter to come tomorrow.

The driver's door looks like it got guard railed, but I have a guy who just might be able to pull it out for me.

 

[adsm08]

OK, so by popular demand (and by popular I mean Boggin) here are pics of the shifter now that I'm done painting it:

Also, here are are my new hitch:

Thing is hefty, I will almost need to do the 4.0 swap to haul that darn thing around.

And here are the "new" doors:

Passenger side is nice and clean, almost sorry to sand and paint it because it's so nice.

The driver's side on the other hand...

has been guard railed, and

is rotted out on the bottom.

I'm going to have my body guy look at it soon here and see what he says. I'll probably end up needing a new door.

 

[88_Eddie]

uh, is the shifter supposed to look like that or are you gonna clean it up a tad?

 

[adsm08]

That's about as about as clean as it's going to look, but that's about how I wanted it.