'85 Ranger Restomod

[85_Ranger4x4]

I had no idea the stupid thing was there. I had to resort to YouTube to figure it out. And they were working on an older one so it had the bigger lockball. Apparently nobody loses them because I couldn’t find anyone that sold replacements.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Assembly is getting close to being finished.

Stuck the extension housing on it, worked great. Only two holes lined up but it was very stable.



Put the input shaft bearing in it, the shim for the front countershaft bearing and measured it for the input shaft bearing... gonna need a shim kit. Neither of my shims are thick enough.



I stuck my old housing on it with the thicker of my to two shims to hold things together, flipped it back over, took all my stuff off and started finishing up the rear end. Countershaft nut is torqued, had the wife leave the oven on after cooking supper and baked the output shaft bearing and installed it, just finger tightened the nut for tonight.



Trying to get it out of the basement... sounds like we get a new furnace next weekend and I want it out of the way. Need to get the one nut torqued, install the oil tray shim the front end and set the cover back on it. Tempting to sneak the 205 down stairs after next weekend but kinda leary... old gear oil will reek.

 

[Curious Hound]

Tempting to sneak the 205 down stairs after next weekend but kinda leary... old gear oil will reek

Go ahead. I won't smell it.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Go ahead. I won't smell it.

You are not the one that scares me either

I did drop the oil out of it, I wish I wouldn't have drained it into a bucket with old engine oil. It was beautiful stuff, would have been great for my shredder.

 

[RangerFabWorks]

ooooooo shiny!

 

[adsm08]

I was talking with dad how to make my stand the other day. He called me back today and told me he went ahead and just made it. I think it will work well, something similar would have been awesome when I had the C5 off and messed around with the pump a few years ago.

He thought he should put Ford on it so I didn't forget what it was for...

Super Duty rotors work nice too.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Super Duty rotors work nice too.

Do the wheel stud holes line up?

We have a whole pallet of wore out disk blades at work, the only Super Duty rotors are on a service truck.

 

[adsm08]

Do the wheel stud holes line up?

We have a whole pallet of wore out disk blades at work, the only Super Duty rotors are on a service truck.

No, but it takes quite a bit to knock the trans over.

At my last job that's how our trans tech did almost everything. He had a SD rotor that he kept in a drain pan. When he needed to tear down a 4x4 trans he'd take the transfer case off, set it on end on the rotor, which was deep enough to keep the tail shaft off the ground. He liked that better than the trans holder because it put the trans a good 6 inches lower, made it easier to reach into the case.

I'm not saying that isn't a slick setup, it is. I was just saying that a rotor works too if you have one.

I am going to look at trying to build myself an actual trans holder that mounts to the bench after I clear out a few other projects.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Hopefully this is a one and done thing, I don't figure on rebuilding old fullsize transmissions as a side gig. It is at a nice height for working on the input shaft bearing area.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Nothing really new, after two weeks this coming Monday the input shaft shims have yet to ship.

In cleaning up the basement for the furnace install I found the ball for the countershaft in the middle of the floor. Kinda stuck if I tear it back down and put the right ball in or leave the John Deere ball...

 

[Curious Hound]

Kinda stuck if I tear it back down and put the right ball in or leave the John Deere ball...

Well, at least you have 2 balls now.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Well, at least you have 2 balls now.

3 actually...

Anyway, fighting with a scammer over the shims for the transmission. Almost had the 208 sold but the guy backed out on me after I helped him confirm it is what he needs.

I did get new (to me) seat belt trim pieces installed. I don't remember the DS having one, the PS started rattling terribly so I took it off last summer. It sure feels weird to have one now.





Anyway, a new fun project cropped up after a visit to my parent's house when my F-150 wouldn't start.



PITA to get out. Set it on the tailgate to compare with the rebuilt one and the rebuilt one is missing a cap... so last nights project ended there.



Ran home and got the ignition wiring stuck back on the Ranger so I could drive it to work today. Stinkin' heater hose is leaking again but it was good to drive it again (been off the road since November)

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

My FX4 lever has kind of a goofy thread for the knob. Most ford trucks are splined, most 5 speed knobs are standard thread and/or a different pattern. I wanted something that looked it could be stock (kind of my mission with this build) Foxes have a similar pattern and the right threads but reverse isn't straight back from fifth, there is a little bit of a dogleg to the right in the pattern. Well I was rooting around the interwebs and found for whatever reason people put 1960's Mustang knobs in their Foxbodies (not sure why? ) Anyway I found a 64-66 style knob with the right shape (wanted a ball with a flat top), correct pattern and the correct 12mm threads.



Looks pretty snazzy if I do say so myself.



And I was $5 away from free freight, had a wild idea to make my own official looking build sheet with my weird tweaks as options. Need to find a typewriter or something to do it though. LMR had a blank one for an '85 Mustang... that says "Mustang" nowhere on it.

 

[Jim Oaks]

Well, at least you have 2 balls now.

3 actually...

Freak

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Freak

Well I have the 5th/rev detent ball, the lockball for the 5th inner race that I just got and the lockball that was lost and is now found... what about makes that me a freak.