The Road Ranger. 1997 SEMI

[Rick W]

engineers always take that as a compliment!

And I didn’t even go into the whole concept of stealth. If I took a ballpien hammer to the cab and made a whole bunch of waves, and I replaced the headache rack and exhaust pipes with composite materials, all bent and bowed at different angles, and then covered it all with radar absorbing material……

…. I’d probably get the same result.

 

[Rick W]

Sooooo, I went and checked the radio again. Before I pulled it out, I powered it up to check this and that. When I wiggled the new right angle antenna connection, the squelch noise would come on and off a little bit. When I held it in place with the noise and keyed the mic, I didn’t get the antenna light. I thought “aha,“ this will be an easy fix.

The radio comes off the bottom of the mount I made. That mount (with the 10,000 spaghetti wires) doesn’t have to come down to access the CB power and antenna, but it leaves you with a space about three times the size of a pack of cigarettes to play with the wires with my elephant-foot fingers.

I made up another right ankle connector on the workbench, with more attention to detail than I think I’ve ever done on such a thing.

.

I made the pigtail a couple inches longer than the initial one, so I could loop it around and connect it more easily, never stressing any wire. I know from past experience, adding a couple inches of coax isn’t gonna make a significant difference to anything. So I cut the old one out and put this one in very carefully.

When I powered it up, it eliminated the intermittent contact when I wiggled the antenna jack, so that problem was solved. But I still had no signal in or out at all. Wouldn’t you assume, as I have, that the problem is somewhere right there at that antenna connection?

I pulled the plug, and checked the continuity of the coax from the lead to the shield, that was OK. I pulled the jack off the antenna behind the driver side and checked the same thing, that was OK. I was surprised to find a little bit of corrosion, which I cleaned up.

Wondering if it might be interference between the two antennas, I tried the radio with that one side antenna disconnected. No luck. I have to remove the spare tire to access the antenna base at the other side, so I pretty much just gave up for now.

I was so frustrated I just had to let it go for a moment. I cleaned up and came inside.

I’m going to try taking the passenger side antenna loose and see if it makes any difference. If not, I’m going to take another antenna mast and attach it to the coupling behind the driver, and see if that works (only one antenna connected with the new antenna). If not, I’m going to connect the back of the radio directly to the new mast with a new cable, bypassing everything in the truck, and see if that works.

While I have the radio out, I’m going to check it on the test bench again, and wiggle the CB side of the antenna connector to see if that makes any difference. Even if it checks out OK, if I test it with the third antenna again, I’m going to try it with another LTD 29 before I put this one back in.

I’ve done this stuff a 1000 times, but this one really has got me.

If that doesn’t work, I’m thinking of just leaving the window down and shouting up and down the road….

 

[Rick W]

Not to be totally defeated, and it started misting a little bit, I decided to make my license plate hanger for the big trailer. I have the silly idea that I might actually drive this thing again someday and I’ll need a license plate.

I used a “rattle plate” design I’ve used before, where I hang the plates off S hooks under the bumper. We used to do it on the company trucks were the tail is blind so we didn’t bend them up if we backed into something.

I took a piece of light aluminum angle about 3 feet long, drilled it for the three plates, cleaned it with lacquer thinner, and stuck about 30 inches of LED strip lights across the top. I soldered the leads for the LEDs, and then sealed up/insulated that solder point with some E6000 for installation in the morning. I’ll have a picture tomorrow. I’ll screw it to the bottom of the bumper with some self tapping screws if it’s not too wet.

 

[Rick W]

Tah dah!

I’m

Last picture looks like the LEDs are facing backwards, but they’re actually facing down and that’s the reflection when I got way down on the ground to take the picture.

It’s such a bizarre feeling to do something one time and have it actually work the way I planned. I may do this more often.

 

[Rick W]

& BTW, they all work on the bench.

 

[snoranger]

& BTW, they all work on the bench.

View attachment 101898View attachment 101899

Is that can from the old method of communication?

 

[Rick W]

Is that can from the old method of communication?

What’s your point? I saved it in the shed of miracles from a few years ago…

 

[ericbphoto]

I may do this more often.

Do what? Make Long license plate brackets? Or "get it right the first time"?

 

[Rick W]

Do what? Make Long license plate brackets? Or "get it right the first time"?

if you know me, obviously make more long license plate brackets

 

[Rick W]

I finally made up a 4ft fiberglass antenna from the communications junk corner with an 18’ cord and temp mounted it on top of the headache rack. LTD 29 worked fine, no antenna light.



The dual cable ohm-ed out even, so it is definitely antenna placement.



i’m going to run the single cable before I put the interior panels back together and figure it out later.

 

[Rick W]

I ordered 50pcs each 1/2-13 x 2” stainless hex bolts, nyloc nuts and flat washers in anticipation of using my 4” aluminum (1/4” web, 1/2” flange +/-). channel to build a converter dolly for the big trailer, and then a smaller funky utility beer cooler trailer. All still in the dream stage, but I know I’ll need those bolts.

Even with the nyloc, I’ll probably use E6000 between the pieces and also as a thread lock. The aluminum is so easy to work with, I’ll probably drill and tap some of the less critical items. Design detail on the fly..,.

I could get 50 online for what it cost to get about 15 at Home Depot. I still hate paying retail, but it was all about $70.

Edit afterthought: I cut off one of the 4“ x 1 1/2“ x 2 1/2“ aluminum block spacers with a Skil saw, and then I cut it up to the right dimensions to use as the spacers on the frame of the (from an 88 Ranger Missing Linc trailer). I did an unusually crappy job, but it was a huge learning curve, the spacers were perfectly functional, and nobody will see them anyway.

 

[sgtsandman]

You may want to use some rubber sheet as a separator between the steel and aluminum to prevent dissimilar metal corrosion. You don’t deal with the road salt that we do but it could still be a problem.

 

[Rick W]

You may want to use some rubber sheet as a separator between the steel and aluminum to prevent dissimilar metal corrosion. You don’t deal with the road salt that we do but it could still be a problem.

Absolutely. Most of it was still on the truck from the original frame, and I did use a very thin gasket material on the bottom against the new frame. I also used the E 6000.

 

[Rick W]

Since I got home from the 40th early August, I’ve been saying that I want to run the Road Ranger up to (the first Sunday of the month) Cars and Caffeine. When I got back, first I fixed or corrected a bunch of things from when I slapped it together so quick, and then I started fiddling with the electronics, and of course, now I have a week to go and it’s half apart again. So I’m going to shelve work on the Missing Linc and the Lincolns, and focus on the semi and see if I can’t make it next Sunday.

Now that I figured out the CB, or at least what’s wrong with it, I’m going to run that last cable, but leave new and old all in place so I can do whatever later on without tearing the whole interior apart again.

Then fix the foam in the seats and cover them, install the carpet, put them in, and put the rest of the interior back in. Then I can drive it, even if there are things that aren’t finished. I suspect there will always be things that aren’t finished…

Question, in the three years I’ve had this thing, I’ve only had one dash light that, fortunately, that lit up the gas gauge. I’ve never pulled this dash apart, but it looks pretty easy from online video, but I was just wondering thoughts on should I do it before or after I put the seats in. Would it be easier to do with the seats out?

All comments always appreciated….

 

[sgtsandman]

You have to tear half the dash apart to pull the instrument cluster. So, seats out might be easier.