80's Ranger 4x4 for the Trails

[85_Ranger4x4]

It is a team effort. Get heat on it and work it, let it cool and throw oil on it, work it and keep repeating until you force it to see the light.

You might be able to cut some of the nuts off with a grinder if you are careful but they are in a bad spot, some (like the ones above the fuel tank) are in worse spots than others.

 

[Curious Hound]

PB Blaster is my go-to. I think Aerokroil is better but it’s harder to find. There is also a common recipe using acetone and tranny fluid. I think its a 50-50 mix. But not sure.
I use a breaker bar for bed bolts and generously apply anti-seize when reinstalling them.

 

[eightynine4x4]

It is a team effort. Get heat on it and work it, let it cool and throw oil on it, work it and keep repeating until you force it to see the light.

You might be able to cut some of the nuts off with a grinder if you are careful but they are in a bad spot, some (like the ones above the fuel tank) are in worse spots than others.

Similarly, torching a bolt by the fuel tank sounds like a life insurance claim.

 

[Curious Hound]

Similarly, torching a bolt by the fuel tank sounds like a life insurance claim.

It’ll be ok.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Similarly, torching a bolt by the fuel tank sounds like a life insurance claim.

You can't get to it with the fuel tank in place so no worries.

 

[eightynine4x4]

My future looks BRIGHT!

What about keeping the PSI low on the air wrench, or using torque limiting adapters at the socket? Might be good to go about it lightly over and over to break up rust inside. I'm gonna want one eventually for wheel stuff anyways.

I know some folks use impact wrenches when dealing with breaking the body mount fused parts free from the brackets. I might just grab it and see how it ends up going, on some lower risk bolts at first.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I would be really tempted to leave the body lift alone if it was me... heck I put one in myself.

 

[Roert42]

May try giving it a couple of blaps forward then backwards, then PBBlaster, then a couple forward, couple backwards, ect. to help break it free w/o destroying it.

 

[eightynine4x4]

Well the truck is definitely threatening me that them bed bolts want me to keep the body lift too. Or else.

 

[sgtsandman]

I’ll get the good socket and give the bar another shot then. Don’t have a torch though, and it’s colder out from here on.
PB Blaster doesn’t seem to have done a thing so far but it might be

A propane torch, while not the best, is cheap and can help. There is another fuel cylinder option that is a little hotter but I’m drawing a blank on the name. MAP?

The idea is to heat it as hot as you can and let it cool to cause the expansion and contraction of the metal to break the rust bond. You can sometimes hear the click when the bond breaks. You hear that, you are good to go.

 

[eightynine4x4]

On the topic of rear suspension, been meaning to look into tongue weight limits for the 1989 4x4.
I have a 265 lb motorcycle that I want to tote around on one of those rear hitch rack things, mounted in hitch and the bike sits horizontally back there like a bicycle.
I don’t think the OEM tow capacity should be handling that, especially needing some work as it is. So I plan to reinforce the hitch. Any ideas on that? Or is the OEM rated for this? Not sure what the rack weight is, but certainly puts it over 300 total on tongue.

 

[MikeG]

Is the hitch marked? Should be class II, class III, etc., which would give you the weight rating for the hitch. Tow weight / tongue weight ratings in owner's manual, if you don't have that, engine size and gear ratio would give some idea.

 

[Roert42]

I think the tongue weight would be subtracted from your payload rating, so it is more of the limitation on the receiver it self. Surely you have 300lbs of payload, but is the receiver rated for a 300lb tongue weight?

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

It will be more than just tongue weight, trailers won't try to twist your reciever like a bike flopping on a carrier will. I don't know anything about them but they have always looked spooky to me.

It might be ok, with Explorer springs I did feel a difference with when I put the spare tire on my bumper though.

 

[eightynine4x4]

Looks like it’s 350/3500. Hadn’t noticed the markings on bumper before.
However, that cross piece underneath needs to be replaced or patched. Not sure what that’s doing structurally though.
Below the pics is a product of the type I’m talking about using. Haven’t scoped any others out yet.

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