2011 Ranger XLT 4X4 - "Business Casual"

[Jim Oaks]

Just photos of progress today.

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@Jim Oaks I am requesting a "coilover conversion" profile badge when I get this thing done

I think you deserve more than that. I think when you go to WV for the campout, Eric should give you a crown made of springs to wear.

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

Is Charles Italian?

Sounds like something an Italian would do.

......we are not like that.

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

A bunch of random photos I found to help out for placement of brackets, bumpstops, gussets, etc.

Dropping them here for others in the future.

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

Also, for posterity:

My setup is a combination of both the North Peak 4X4 and Rick's Rangerz bracket kits.

The brackets themselves are from Rick, gussets and bumpstop brackets are North Peak. Both have pros and cons: North peaks gussets are nicer, and have the bumpstop brackets you will need, Rick's customer service is unparalleled and his brackets are nicer.


YMMV, this mod can cause uneven tire wear.

 

[Curious Hound]

Looks good.


I would have made all the springs the same color.

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

Looks good.


I would have made all the springs the same color.

Not my setup, just random ones I found on the internet.

I opted for silver. Trying to keep the truck devoid of color other than greyscale

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

Some electrolysis before and after:


After a 12 hour run:

The foam is a mix of sodium carbonate, oxygen, and hydrogen. Pls don't smoke around it.

After a 12 hour soak, all paint is Chassis Saver:

After pressure washing:

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

If anyone was curious, a lower control arm does fit in a standard electric oven

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

Trying to document the coilover swap as much as possible, I find myself using more and more components from both kits. The Rick's lower brackets are quite nice, but don't have the shock absorber divot spacer plate necessary to go under the bracket and keep it level like the North Peak kit has. Rick's kit is also lacking the spacer to put above the upper coilover bracket, so I used the North Peak one for that as well. Install photos to follow once I get the bump stop relocation worked out.

Should note that the North Peak kit does come with a bump stock relocation bracket, Rick's does not.

Currently haranged thanks to FedEx breaking my new upper control arms, and RockAuto shipping me the wrong lower control arm bushings. If anyone wants a set of upper control arms with snapped off grease fittings, let me know, free + shipping.

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

Fun powder coating notes for those following along:

Cast iron, like spindles, is a pain in the ass. You will spend a lot of time scrubbing rust in the blast cabinet to get it usable. Very hard on your media, clogs your debris screens, and generally doesn't powder coat well due to porosity. Electrolysis exacerbates this due to foreign material being stripped from the cast part.

Blasting media really matters when powder coating. You "have to" media blasting to get the powder to stick, and blasting with stuff like coal slag will usually cause the powder to fail. Stick to things like aluminum oxide or glass beads. I like aluminum since it lasts longer and I am a notorious cheapskate.

You have some options for getting your powder to stick. If it's a part you don't need to mask off, or if you want to clean areas that needed masked off with a die grinder later, you can "pre cook" your parts. Heating them up to cure temperature will let you lay down a coat that will stick on the first shot, and generally bonds better. Some color distortion will occur, tho.

When I'm dealing with parts that are badly pitted or if I'm concerned about future corrosion, I'll double coat a part with the pre-bake method. Goes as follows:

>electrolysis >pressure wash >sandblast >degrease with denatured alcohol >bake till 425° >coat >wait 5 minutes >coat again >bake 20ish mins >quench in room temp water

Quenching helps set the coat instantly. From what I've seen, makes it more durable as well. I have down hole tools that spend their lives in salt brine wells that have survived with my hillbilly powder coating for years with that method.

Is it correct? Man idk. Works tho.