'85 Ranger Restomod

[85_Ranger4x4]

If you are squeamish you should just skip this post... go change the air in your tires or something.

Attacked the coil bucket with the grinder:



Now to go gag in the corner:

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

If you are squeamish you should just skip this post... go change the air in your tires or something.

Attacked the coil bucket with the grinder:



Now to go gag in the corner:

I feel you... Doing similar to mine right now.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Mine wasn't quite as bad. I ended up plating with 1/8" using the bucket as part of the plate. So I extended the flanges on either side of the bucket by about 10". There are pics in my build thread. Post #44

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

What we all wouldn't do to have stainless frames...

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

OOhh, even the crossmember got hit....

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

What we all wouldn't do to have stainless frames...

View attachment 27181

I think the steel frame, especially on older trucks is fine. It is all the stamped brackets that are attached to it that collect moisture and debris and can’t drain. I am very temped to drill drain holes in the pocket on the spring buckets so water can drain and/or I can hit it with a blow gun and blast the crap that collects in them out the top. Otherwise it can only sit in there and fester.

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

I think the steel frame, especially on older trucks is fine. It is all the stamped brackets that are attached to it that collect moisture and debris and can’t drain. I am very temped to drill drain holes in the pocket on the spring buckets so water can drain and/or I can hit it with a blow gun and blast the crap that collects in them out the top. Otherwise it can only sit in there and fester.

Good point.
However, my internal monologue says":

stainless = less susceptible to rot
less susceptible to rot = less washing
Less washing = I can be lazy
I can be lazy = win!

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Stainless can be kind of funky, softer than steel and can still rust.

 

[Bird76Mojo]

Softer than steel? Huh?

 

[Ranger850]

Softer than steel? Huh?

while both are steel........
stainless has a lower tensile strength than cobalt ? maybe?

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Softer than steel? Huh?

I was in a hurry and didn't finish my thought. Thought was dollar for dollar it is softer and all around IMO inferior, especially for something as massive as a truck frame. And it still rusts especially in a salt bath and pummeled by road debris.

For example to make up the price difference for example most hardware SS fasteners are like less than grade 2 to make it seem more on par with grade 5. So it is soft and breaks easy. It took no effort to snap a hardware store SHCS I was trying to use as a valve cover bolt (clear to back on passenger side, good time digging that out)

ARP stainless bolts are a different grade... and different price. Which is what i have for my valve covers, intake and new differential cover. Costs a lot more than hardware store junk but I have yet to break one (knocking on wood)

 

[Bird76Mojo]

Then why is stainless steel so resistant to drilling with hardened steel drill bits if it's softer?

Try to dent some 1/4" stainless sheet with a hammer. Now, try to dent some 1/4" mild steel sheet with a hammer. Guaranteed, the stainless is harder. It certainly resists rust for FAR longer than mild steel as well, and with nearly any grade of stainless alloy, it will easily outlast any of us, even if left outdoors for it's entire life.

Most stainless steel alloys don't rust easily at all unless you introduce an inferior metal in to it via welding.

It's also much harder to bend/shape/form, and it also work-hardens much faster than mild steel.

Sorry man, but I'm not buying it. I worked with stainless steel alloys in a production environment for decades, as well as both hot/cold rolled mild steel, and several aluminum alloys. Stainless steel is superior to mild steel in every way where longevity is concerned.

 

[Ranger850]

In my experience (nut & Bolts) we used stainless 1/4-20 bolts with aluminum frames, for the anti-rust factor, not for how strong they were. ( a lot of beach home owners have awnings). The stainless bolts would snap way before the mild steel ones. Never stripped or cross threaded a stainless bolt either (they break before reaching this point), while I have pulled the threads off numerous bolts hat were NOT stainless. I do not have much experience with the sheet metal aspect of it though.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Because like carbon steel there are different grades/kinds?

Bolt Depot - Bolt Grade Markings and Strength Chart

www.boltdepot.com

Interesting that SS gunbarrels are generally more accurate than carbon steel because they are easier to machine precisely... but they don't last as long.

4150 Carbon Steel vs 416-R Stainless – Which is Right for Me?

We often get asked which barrel material is best for a given application. When comparing 4150 vs 416r steel, the best choice often depends on the project.

faxonfirearms.com

There are different kinds of stainless, some are softer and more corrosion resistant which is what most normal people encounter. Pans, silverware, gunbarrels, cheaper hardware etc. The better stuff is harder to work with, not as corrosion resistant and more expensive.

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

...chaos caused, mission accomplished. ?