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

[Bgunner]

Installed the clip on the passenger door lock so I can unlock the door from the outside again.

Installed the new fan since the old one was about to break. Thankfully the Fan Clutch was off last week so it wasn't frozen or stuck on there. I backed one of the pully bolts out and used a large prybar to hold it and wacked the 21mm long handled wrench with a hammer and it finally broke loose. the rest was easy. to install I used the same bolt and the front fender well to hold the prybar and wacked the wrench with the hammer a couple times to tighten it. When it was off last week we had to fight with it and took 2 people to get it off.

Just showing some cracks in the old fan blade:

 

[Bgunner]

Ran back down to O'Reilly's and got a different starter and installed that one because the new one, not remanufactured, didn't work properly. Sometimes it would work others I'd just hear the clunk of the solenoid on the inner fender and that was it. This one is a remanufactured starter but it works every time. It's all they had in stock and I'm heading out the GF's and don't know if it would act up out there. No more worrying about being stranded and having to push it to get it started.

 

[Rick W]

Heater control valve came in, so I tackled that. And with all those hoses out of the way, it made it easier to troubleshoot the vacuum line to the HVAC control. I have a/c, but it only blows on the windshield. When I first charged the system, it would work right until I stepped on the gas hard and then blow on the windshield.

I got all the hoses out of the way, back to that little sphere accumulator tank. It all looked OK from the top. Vacuum line went in the front, vacuum line to the HVAC system out the other side of the front, and the hole on the back was plugged. I couldn’t find anything there so I proceeded with the heater hose. I ended up taking that vacuum tank out for better access to that lower heater hose

You guys know this stuff a whole lot better than me. This is what I found when I flipped it over.

You couldn’t see that big gray plug from the top. It seems to fit in the hole perfectly, but when I was taking it out to check it, I snapped it in half. I looked all over the Internet, but I couldn’t find another one, so I went into the shed of miracles and got one of the soup can vacuum accumulators from my square-body 80s Lincolns.

I was thinking of putting one in anyway, because it’s three times the size of that little sphere. If I had a little vacuum leak, that might make up for a little leak.

It wouldn’t plumb up the same way, so I dug in the shed a little more, and I found a little tiny T, and a check valve. I had to drill a second hole in the fender well to mount it, but it fits like it was made for it. During the driveway test, the AC seems to work perfectly, but I haven’t had it on the road yet.

And the Patsy Cline, ZZ Top and Martina CDs came in. Probably the only reason I could stay in the heat and finish it!

 

[scotts90ranger]

Yesterday I did some work on the Explorer, it's been sagging in the rear for a long time and the wife wants to do the tractor pull again which when it drops like 8" or so with the weight hooked on that doesn't help... I looked at my spare leaf spring pile and found a pair of Explorer second leaves. I put those in, just had to put in new center bolts... was likely too much as it's pretty stiff but it'll work for this task . While there also scraped out like 10 pounds of dried dirt from the rear inner fenders and bumper and stuff...

 

[Maritime Drag Racing]

Our track photographer just sent me this one of our Thursday night Test & Tune session. Qualified #4 on Sunday, put out an Alcohol Dragster
in round one but gave away the stripe to a big inch Roadster in round two by .0003. Starting to get the tuning bugs worked out though so it wasn't a total loss....

.

 

[Rick W]

Our track photographer just sent me this one of our Thursday night Test & Tune session. Qualified #4 on Sunday, put out an Alcohol Dragster
in round one but gave away the stripe to a big inch Roadster in round two by .0003. Starting to get the tuning bugs worked out though so it wasn't a total loss....

.View attachment 115381

way way too cool!!!

 

[Rick W]

I changed the oil in The Road Ranger today. Old oil was as nasty as I’ve seen in a while. I also checked the ATF in the transmission, all the fluids, etc., and I greased the 4 spots on the steering rack.

Question, are there any other grease fittings I should grease?

i’m going to pull the trailer off and turn it all around tomorrow, always an undertaking in my driveway, and then check the rear end.

Another afterthought, when I blew the heater hose the first time and again the second time, I don’t believe my temperature gauge went much above half or 3/4. I’m going to change the sensor, but I’d be interested in any other comments. It definitely ran hot both times, enough to stall the second time.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Hot enough to stall could be bad news…

Anyway. Today I worked a little more on my rear bumper/hitch build for the green Ranger. Can’t find the lights I want to use. I had three of four pairs with ends on them and all ready to go and a couple more in the box. Can’t find any. Need to find them so I can figure out where they will fit. Really want to put some LED auxiliary/backup lights in the bumper so I need them to figure clearances at least. Back bumper is fast running out of real estate to fit everything. I knew where almost every set of the flush mount LEDs were, but apparently somewhere along the line I moved them all. Probably thought it was a good idea at the time, but as usual I just managed to hide it from myself.

Enough complaining I guess. Really just need my garage up. The only other thing to decide with this project is if I should put loops at the bottom of the bumper for safety chains or weld D-rings right to the face on either side of the receiver tube that’s set in the middle of the bumper. D-rings would be kinda Redneck on a lowered truck, but I’m not sure I like the idea of putting loops sticking out the bottom of the bumper, think that could be an awesome way to bang up my shins. If I stick the loops straight down off the bottom, it will be another drag point and not a clean look. Bad enough the license plate will hang down.

 

[Rick W]

Hot enough to stall could be bad news…

Anyway. Today I worked a little more on my rear bumper/hitch build for the green Ranger. Can’t find the lights I want to use. I had three of four pairs with ends on them and all ready to go and a couple more in the box. Can’t find any. Need to find them so I can figure out where they will fit. Really want to put some LED auxiliary/backup lights in the bumper so I need them to figure clearances at least. Back bumper is fast running out of real estate to fit everything. I knew where almost every set of the flush mount LEDs were, but apparently somewhere along the line I moved them all. Probably thought it was a good idea at the time, but as usual I just managed to hide it from myself.

Enough complaining I guess. Really just need my garage up. The only other thing to decide with this project is if I should put loops at the bottom of the bumper for safety chains or weld D-rings right to the face on either side of the receiver tube that’s set in the middle of the bumper. D-rings would be kinda Redneck on a lowered truck, but I’m not sure I like the idea of putting loops sticking out the bottom of the bumper, think that could be an awesome way to bang up my shins. If I stick the loops straight down off the bottom, it will be another drag point and not a clean look. Bad enough the license plate will hang down.

I drove 7 or 800 miles after that, so no engine issues thank God.

And, another dimension on the concept of the “shed of miracles.” I’ve done the same thing too many times. I give up looking for what I know I have, but then I find it later, and it’s like a miracle!

And, just a thought for your low rider shackles, maybe cut a 2 or 3 inch in diameter round hole in the bumper, with a half-inch bar running vertical or horizontal. Think of a cat’s eye. Make the hole big enough that you could loop a hook in it, but when you don’t have a hook in it, it’s just flat.

Either that or put the hooks on the top like Mickey ears.

Hope it helps

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I drove 7 or 800 miles after that, so no engine issues thank God.

And, another dimension on the concept of the “shed of miracles.” I’ve done the same thing too many times. I give up looking for what I know I have, but then I find it later, and it’s like a miracle!

And, just a thought for your low rider shackles, maybe cut a 2 or 3 inch in diameter round hole in the bumper, with a half-inch bar running vertical or horizontal. Think of a cat’s eye. Make the hole big enough that you could loop a hook in it, but when you don’t have a hook in it, it’s just flat.

Either that or put the hooks on the top like Mickey ears.

Hope it helps

Just because you drove after that doesn’t always mean that all is good. Keep an eye on oil and coolant. It’s possible to get lucky, especially with a cast iron block and cast iron heads, but the 4.0 OHV is essentially a bored and stroked 2.9, and those liked to crack heads, warp heads, and blow head gaskets when overheated.

That’s an interesting idea on the trailer safety chains, but I’m not sure it’s practical for my application. I’d have to do reinforcing around the holes, they would have to be much bigger than 2-3” to fit some of the hooks I have on some trailers here, and it would interfere with the hitch pin potentially (I really need to get some pics). Putting the hooks on the top of the bumper is not going to work well with this bumper design.

Another thought that I had, I was going to move the license plate to the passenger side of the truck and put the trailer electrical plug and accessory stuff on the drivers side but I‘m wondering if the plate should be on the drivers side and I should consider putting the electrical on the passenger side…

 

[1984RESTOMOD]

Set the Shadow camper shell on it yesterday evening. My favorite feature is the sliding glass on my back window and the shell! With the shell it’s taller than my F250 and it barely clears the 83” height limit at crew car wash so this ol girl will be a hand washer. Got driveshafts coming soon - easy does it.

 

[superj]

that is the kind of shell i wish i could find for my truck. i want the taller top so i can put my bicycle in the back

 

[1984RESTOMOD]

that is the kind of shell i wish i could find for my truck. i want the taller top so i can put my bicycle in the back

Yes, it will be handy - I'm sure you fit a small four wheeler in it facing it backwards. I found it for $100 on craigslist in St. Louis. Glass and seals on the shell are in good condition but I will have to replace the cylinders on the rear lift window.

 

[Curious Hound]

Installed the new battery. Started it up and let it run for a while. Then topped off the recently filled power steering reservoir and engine oil.

 

[Blmpkn]

View attachment 115439
Set the Shadow camper shell on it yesterday evening. My favorite feature is the sliding glass on my back window and the shell! With the shell it’s taller than my F250 and it barely clears the 83” height limit at crew car wash so this ol girl will be a hand washer. Got driveshafts coming soon - easy does it.

The wrap-around window on the front of that cap is nearly too awesome to be understood. Nice find!