What did you do to your Ranger today? (Part Deux!)

[Uncle Gump]

cool I was looking at the 4x innovation hinge, probably gonna end up buying a whole ready to weld kit maybe theirs. because I’m too lazy to go buy metal. I also only have a grinder to cut stuff and it gets old blow through death wheels on these projects.

I didn't like their latch. @85_Ranger4x4 bought one and I think he told me he wished he did a Destaco.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I didn't like their latch. @85_Ranger4x4 bought one and I think he told me he wished he did a Destaco.

It gets bound up at times, I really snugged down the hinge bolt and it really helped.

It works fine for the most part and looks intimidating for a layman to figure out (first like of defense for unauthorized personal getting into my topper)

 

[sgtsandman]

I got the fall preventative maintenance done on the 2011. Outside of the normal oil change, brake inspection, tire rotation, the air filter and fuel filter needed to be changed this time as well. I also chipped some mud out from under the truck that the garden hose didn't get when I cleaned the truck after LBL. So, other than spraying the under carriage with fluid film, it ready for winter.

 

[ericbphoto]

I got the fall preventative maintenance done on the 2011.

What kind of maintenance do you do to prevent falling in your truck?

 

[sgtsandman]

What kind of maintenance do you do to prevent falling in your truck?

I have nothing in retort. Nope, nothing.

 

[pjtoledo]

do not Armor-All the rubber floor liner.

 

[sgtsandman]

do not Armor-All the rubber floor liner.

I imagine that would be almost as bad or as bad as Armor-All on a vinyl bench seat.

 

[pjtoledo]

Friday I parked the Missing Linc on the front driveway, which is pretty steep after they “fixed“ the road, facing in/down. I rarely park anything out front.

Sooo, when I got up for church today and headed out, there was a nice little grease spot under the rear end. So when I got home, I pulled it in the back and checked the diff level. The level was fine, but once I was underneath, it’s obvious it’s been leaking for a little while because there’s a little oil spray around the underside of the truck in line with the universal which was also wet. So I ordered a pinion seal.

I once again ask the wise ones to chime in on what I need to know when I change out the seal.

God forbid they should all work okay at the same time…,

I used a 3 foot cheater on a 3/4 drive bar to loosen an 8.8 pinion nut yesterday. rust belt special

 

[ericbphoto]

I used a 3 foot cheater on a 3/4 drive bar to loosen an 8.8 pinion nut yesterday. rust belt special

Thats what it takes at the normal torque without rust.

 

[pjtoledo]

yep, sure does.
I have a plate that bolts to the yolk with a 3/4 square hole.
big ratchet on the nut, big bar on the plate, fumble around with cheater pipe on each.

the '98-up D35 has a bigger pinion nut. 7/8 vs 3/4 for the 8.8 etc.

 

[Rick W]

I used a 3 foot cheater on a 3/4 drive bar to loosen an 8.8 pinion nut yesterday. rust belt special

that reminded me of something. About a year ago I got a vibration out of nowhere, and I initially couldn’t figure it out. Thinking it might be the rear end, from something I read online. (probably not you guys), I tightened that pinion nut just a hair. That didn’t do anything to stop the vibration.

A few days later, the rear driveshaft snapped off, it was rusted out from the inside. I had it rebuilt at a local shop. Then, when I reinstalled it, I backed the pinion nut off about the same amount that I had tightened it. I actually wrote down how much I twisted it, so when I back twisted it, it was the same amount.

This stuff is not my long suit. Could playing with that nut have affected the seal failing? Since I put the new driveshaft in, it actually runs very smooth, I haven’t noticed an issue until I saw the drip.

maybe the actual snapping of the driveshaft (it broke loose in the rear by the pinion.) could have damaged the seal, yes, no?

Coincidentally, with these thoughts, today was the first time I went over 80 miles an hour in that thing, and nothing big fell off (just a little bit of the dry window gasket flew off). I did it by accident on the interstate, I’m not sure of the wisdom of attempting those speeds in that rickety old thing.

 

[Rick W]

The Missing Linc runs like a top, but it’s 37 years old with over 300,000 miles, etc. I use it a lot because Lincoln likes it, it’s easy to drive because it’s so small compared to the rest of my fleet, easy on gas, and it always gets a giggle from people I meet. But I usually stick to the side streets.

Well, today, we put it to the test. I ran the interstate back-and-forth to Kennesaw, 20+ miles one way, 99% interstate. Not that I haven’t been on the interstate before, but today we went 82 miles an hour! Woo hoo! I haven’t even come close to that before in that thing.

It ran really good, but it was noisy, so Lincoln laid down low in the passenger seat. Even he knew it was crazy to go that fast and the thing. And no big pieces fell off the truck, just some of the dried out window seal. And yes, I was sober. I might do it again someday.

And the springs came in for the matching trailer I’m putting together. They sure look pretty when they come out of the box….

 

[Rick W]

Craigslist is my junkie pipeline, my connection, and aluminum is my cocaine:

Two 4”x6” aluminum beams, 22 feet plus long. Basically 4 pieces of 4” C-Channel with some gussets. One is bent a tiny bit. Supports from a big satellite dish on top of COX broadcast news building.

$150 and $20 in diesel & he’s going to have a couple more in a couple weeks with all the smaller pieces (2 x 2 by quarter aluminum angle, various lengths and such).

Of course I have no idea what I’m going to do with them, but I know they’re going to get pulled behind one of the Rangers. They were too big for the little guys to pick up, so I had to go get them with Big Red.

One of my favorite parts was the roof rack that I modified with a 2x4 for the top of the cab, so I didn’t mess up my code-3 lights. That one-owner roof rack was from Sears for my father’s 1968 Mercury Montego.

My vision is it’ll be the frame for some kind of funky trailer, but I’d like everybody to chime in what they think I could do with them. I’ll even put up a six of PBR as a grand prize for the best idea.

 

[ben_2_go]

@Rick W I would use that aluminum to build a super light weight v nose camper trailer, with a foam and fiberglass shell, that wouldn't cause my wimpy little '01 Ranger to toss the engine and transmission internals all over the road. I built a similar trailer in the late 90s for my '85 Ranger long bed 4x4. It was a 5x10 v nose trailer based on a self built 1.5 x 3 x .120 tube steel trailer. The shell and most of the internals was 2 inch and 1 inch XPS foam, fiberglass, and epoxy, ala boat building style. It weight just under 2000lbs all loaded up. I pack light.

 

[Dantheman1540]

Was having a good time hitting my neighborhood ditch line when I noticed an Amazon EV van buried in the sand down a road next to my house that everyone gets stuck down. Decided since my rear bumper isn’t done or even fully bolted on I’d use the winch in the front bumper. Winch was going great until it started pulling my truck towards the van. I foolishly tried backing up in 4lo while the winch was tight and compressing the front suspension hard. Got the van moving and pow! Front hub killed itself. Oh well these hubs are old and I was being dumb.

what’s the best hub out there now? All I really see is Mile Marker or china brands on Amazon.