Dans 94, RCSB, 4.0, 4x4, 5spd

[Blmpkn]

I went a whole 3 pages back and didn't notice anything about it lol but... aftermarket steering wheel?

 

[Dantheman1540]

I went a whole 3 pages back and didn't notice anything about it lol but... aftermarket steering wheel?

Some mongrel picked pieces of the stock wheel off so it was all torn up. I would have gone back stock, but I wanted to see if a deeper dish wheel and one with slightly smaller diameter would help me fit better. These regular cabs are tight for someone 6’4”, I used to really bang my knee on the bottom of the wheel but don’t do it as much anymore.

The downside is a bought a garbage $30 wheel that’s not holding up well. Which is okay because I bought it more as a test than anything and had always expected to replace it with something nice. The downside is I believe the NRG wheel adapter is wrong and it’s gotten progressively worse about making a squeak/grime noise when turning. I have a different NRG adapter on the way that I verified with the tech support that it will fit. I also have another $26 wheel on the way to try a less deep dish wheel because most of the nice wheels I find are more flat.

 

[Blmpkn]

Some mongrel picked pieces of the stock wheel off so it was all torn up. I would have gone back stock, but I wanted to see if a deeper dish wheel and one with slightly smaller diameter would help me fit better. These regular cabs are tight for someone 6’4”, I used to really bang my knee on the bottom of the wheel but don’t do it as much anymore.

The downside is a bought a garbage $30 wheel that’s not holding up well. Which is okay because I bought it more as a test than anything and had always expected to replace it with something nice. The downside is I believe the NRG wheel adapter is wrong and it’s gotten progressively worse about making a squeak/grime noise when turning. I have a different NRG adapter on the way that I verified with the tech support that it will fit. I also have another $26 wheel on the way to try a less deep dish wheel because most of the nice wheels I find are more flat.

Right on.. I'm 6'2 with longer legs so I know the pain. If I gotta turn left from a stop my knee turns off the blinker as soon as I start to let off the clutch lol.

Do you happen to have a link to the adapter you used? I'm thinking I'd like to go with an aftermarket wheel

 

[Dantheman1540]

Right on.. I'm 6'2 with longer legs so I know the pain. If I gotta turn left from a stop my knee turns off the blinker as soon as I start to let off the clutch lol.

Do you happen to have a link to the adapter you used? I'm thinking I'd like to go with an aftermarket wheel

Well according to NRGs site they say SRK-161k fits, however, it’s not even close. It has a multi spline design as opposed to the round with two flat sides design on the steering column.

The first one I purchased looks correct, it’s SRK-174h. My problem with it is that there’s a little play and it makes horrible noises. I think I’m gonna try to reinstall it and maybe grease it somewhere, not sure where but see if it makes it better. But first I’m gonna call them tomorrow and see what they say.

I do enjoy the smaller wheel, I have the Saginaw PS pump from a Jeep Liberty with an overdrive pulley so the steering effort is butter even with the smaller wheel.

 

[Dantheman1540]

Here’s the issue I’m having with the NRG short hub on video. The hub is almost milled too large to fit tight over the ranger column, no matter how tight I torque the single bolt holding it on it still manages to slip.

NRG short hub on 1994 ranger

youtube.com

 

[Uncle Gump]

I'd throw that thing in the garbage...

 

[DRanger024]

Yikes! It almost seems like it should have a set screw to one or both of the flats.

 

[Dantheman1540]

I'd throw that thing in the garbage...

Would have tonight if I had a stock wheel to put back on. Not sure if I should try another brand hub adapter, or go back to stock. I’d just like to keep the smaller diameter wheel if at all possible.

Yikes! It almost seems like it should have a set screw to one or both of the flats.

Yeah or a key way of some sort, or maybe if ford had splined them like Gm does lol.

 

[Dantheman1540]

Spent some time this weekend just inspecting the truck, after all I did a bunch of custom stuff and then beat on it pretty hard. Here’s what I found that needed attention, and or, things I felt like upgrading.

-Rear passenger shock top bolt loose
-Rear driver fender liner flapping
-Front lower shock mounts looked cheesier than I remember, so I added a piece of plate for extra strength
-Front shock towers got welded to spring bucket
-Driver side hood stop rubber pice was MIA
-Front shock resis were rubbing on the edge metal shock tower
-Lubed all the heim joints


Also while I was at it, I rebuilt the brackets for my rock sliders. Since the 64” spring swap moved the front hanger directly over where one of the brackets in each slider used to mount.

Will post pics later when it’s light out

 

[Dantheman1540]

There they are! I actually had to do a minor tweak. The driver side was almost touching where the fender bolts at the bottom and over bumps it would hit and make noise. So I bent and beat and chopped that lower fender mount so it had as much room as possible. Then I cut and smashed the inner tube of the slider that was making contact so it has almost ann inch and a half clearance now.

These sliders were free from a buddies scrap pile, no idea what they came off of but they certainly show signs of having a hard life. They are a little bent and tweaked but good enough for my usage. I’ll be happy to try them next time I’m stuck and need to get to the bed for recovery gear.

 

[Dantheman1540]

A buddy just sent me a killer deal on some Bilstein 9100 air bumps and can combos from Wheel Every Weekend. Basically $100 on a set of both bumps and cans. Since I’ve been dying to get some I ordered a set of 4” expecting to use them on the rear because I don’t have a ton of up travel in the front. However if during mockup I realize I have more uptravel than I think, I might do 4” up front as well. I figure I could always lower the pressures to lesson the initial impact and take advantage of the long stroke.

Anyway here’s a photo of me driving in a ditch over the weekend just cause I like the pics.

 

[Dantheman1540]

Finally ordered and installed limit straps in the front. Only reason I put it off so long was the spring keepers I built worked well, and during normal droop kept the shock about 1.25” from over extending. I”m happy to have these in and protecting the awesome bilsteins as I plan to start upping my aggressiveness in whoops.

Got jealous after seeing @DRanger024 new exhaust and decided I needed a bit more noise than my previous 2 muffler system made.m which was probably quieter than stock despite the headers. Plus after putting my sliders back on the exhaust dumping in front of the passenger tire was burning the paint off the sliders. So I made a full exhaust all the way out the back with 2.5” pipe and a 2.5/2.5 Thrush turbo muffler which is about 10% smaller case size than the Walker I had on before, while also being 2.5” vs the Walkers 2.25”. I would have bought one of their welded mufflers or something a hair more aggressive but not having a cat worried me that there would be drone or too much noise overall.

This ended up perfect for me! I can’t hear it at all with the windows up and even windows down it’s very very mild. But at idle if you stand next to the tip you hear a nice deep tone that won’t give you a headache. I finished the system off with a 2018 Mustang GT stainless tip and made sure the hangers were nice and tight.

1994 ranger 4.0 OHV, long tube headers, full 2.5” exhaust with no cat, and one Thrush turbo muffler

youtube.com

 

[Dantheman1540]

Got a call at 1am this morning and it wasn’t from Santa. A friend had buried his 2wd (more like 1wd) long bed gmc an hour away and didn’t know what to do. I’m not sure why he was out there and not at home with his young child and baby momma, but I could tell in his voice he was desperate so I went to rescue. Only took a bit of digging and a light bump with a kinetic rope and we were both headed back home.

The strange thing is that I stopped for gas 20miles from his location and decided to lock my hubs in at the gas station assuming where he was stuck was possibly very muddy. About 5 miles into the ride after locking the hubs I felt a couple tugs to the driver side like a wheel bearing or caliper was trying to lock up, but kept driving because what choice did I have. When I arrived 20miles later my driver wheel was very hot and my locking hub had melted the plastic turn thingy completely off.

I’m assuming it’s a wheel bearing that’s just coincidentally dying extremely prematurely but the fact it happened directly after locking the hub in has me concerned. I have driven many times with the hubs locked before just out of laziness or forgetfulness.

 

[Dantheman1540]

Here’s the hub selector that melted, such a strange event, I guess I’ll buy new bearings and seals and prepare to pull that side apart again.

 

[Dantheman1540]

Got my back window that I busted the sliders on replaced with a solid unit, I definitely like it more although I’ll have to get it tinted at some point.

Also received a new NRG hub adapter as well as a more affordable unit from Momo. The NRG one fit like trash again so Momo it is. The main difference I can tell is the NRG one is all aluminum and the Momo is cast steel on the part that goes over the shaft. Haven’t driven the truck yet but it feels nice and tight so far. Need to order a horn button next.

Dug into my mysterious melting hub selector to find some stuff appears to be F*%$ed. Not sure what the culprit was but everything other than the inner locking nut was backed almost completely off. The locking washer thing with the keyed index is missing the inner key completely, and the nut part with the little round dowel that fits into the keyed washer is also busted off. So something bad happened at some point, I would love to know if it was installation error or what. I find it so strange it happened during normal pavement driving.