89 Linked Ranger Build (LOTS of pics)

[99_3.0]

You need to stop driving that thing into lakes, you'd get stuck less.

 

[Mud-Nut]

Okay... Another update. We're getting close to finished now!!!!

Painting some parts.

All the hardware that keeps the 4 link together.

Calipers and links coated.

Rollbar painted.

And the rear axle all coated in black Chassis Saver (I took LOTS of pics of the rear axle, haha).

And just when you thought you seen enough pics of the rear axle.... We splashed some green on it and took a billion more pics!!! HAHA!!!

And, to finish off the day, we started assembling a few things.

We were actually hoping to be wheeling by tomorrow!!! But unfortunately, the parts store ordered us the wrong bearings for the rear axle. So we're waiting for the new ones to come in, so we can finish off the disc brakes and bolt everything in!!!!

 

[Sunk]

Sweeeet... Looking good. Your '79 is awesome too, I love 70s Fords.

 

[KELLY88]

This is a really cool build. Nice work! How many do you have into it so far?

 

[kemicalburns]

i wouldnt mount that tank there. if you where to flop on your side its asking to be damaged and would be dangerous.

 

[Mud-Nut]

Thanks man!!!!

Hard to say how many hours we have into it..... Cause we just randomly work on it all the time and never really kept track.

I'm not worried about the air tank being dangerous. If the truck takes a flop on the side, those little tabs holding it onto the rollbar would bend or break first. And we're also throwing bedsides on the truck, eventually.

 

[Mud-Nut]

Another small update.

Started by welding on the caliper brackets. This pic shows the passenger side one done, and the driver side one in progress.

And then we basically bolted everything into place.

So basically, to make a long story short, we're waiting for an axle bearing. It should be in tomorrow morning. So then it's a matter of pressing on the bearings, bolting on the brakes, running the brake lines, and mounted two rear tires. Then it's TIME TO PLAY!!!!!!!!!! I don't know how much wheeling we'll do until we decide to tear apart the front and redo that front suspension, but I know we have to collect a few parts first (steel is already bought, just have to decide on which coils to run, and buy 5.13 gears and rod ends).

 

[Mud-Nut]

The rear suspension is all done finally!!!!!!!

And, of course, as soon as it was done...... We went out to play!!!!!!!

Haha... Our buddy all pumped next to the stuck Ranger (his first time coming out wheeling with us).

Stuck again, just a little further down the trail.

He wasn't the only one stuck!!!!!

And then we noticed that he broke his trac bar mount for the front.

So we yanked it off on the trail and went home with it. Here's a better pic of the damage.

And built a much stronger one!!!

And that's it for now... We'll probably go wheeling this coming weekend, so more pics will come eventually!!!

 

[JohnnyU]

And then we noticed that he broke his trac bar mount for the front.

And built a much stronger one!!!

That's a questionable assessment as best. It looks to be of similar strength to the previous mount. I would add quite a bit of gusseting to the new mount before calling it "stronger" than the old one. The load needs to be distributed to the top half of the plate by some means other another.

Looks like the primary failure was right along the weld between the square tube and the flat plate. That's concerning to me.

 

[pickuptrucker]

it looks real good i like where that puts the wheelbase! how much were your joints? and where did you get them? really cool build, can't wait to see a flex shot!

 

[TS6034]

Nice job on the suspension buildup! It looks good.

 

[Mud-Nut]

That's a questionable assessment as best. It looks to be of similar strength to the previous mount. I would add quite a bit of gusseting to the new mount before calling it "stronger" than the old one. The load needs to be distributed to the top half of the plate by some means other another.

Looks like the primary failure was right along the weld between the square tube and the flat plate. That's concerning to me.

The original piece was made from 1/4" plate, and the new one is 3/8" plate..... That's 50% thicker!!! That alone is much stronger!!!!!!! And, in fact, the primary failure was not the welds breaking. The primary failure was the plate shearing/bending. I know this because we first noticed it breaking when the truck was stuck, and then it broke right off while we were getting the truck unstuck. We also built the new one with the plate extending much further down, which will help distribute the load.

We also plan to put another plate (with a gusset or two) on the bottom (90 degrees of the main plate), so it can bolt to the bottom of the frame as well. But it was pretty impossible to do so when the truck was 60 miles away from our shop in the bush. And we'll only proceed with these plans if we use the trac bar setup for the front suspension whenever we redo it. But regardless of these possible plans, the new trac bar mount is still much stronger than the first one!!

Anyways... I'll proceed to reply to people that have some positive feedback. I have no problem with suggestions, negative feedback, and whatnot, but sometimes I wonder why someone would bother to read the ENTIRE build thread without anything positive to say!?!? You'd think someone with only negative things to say wouldn't bother checking on updates. Haha... Oh well...

it looks real good i like where that puts the wheelbase! how much were your joints? and where did you get them? really cool build, can't wait to see a flex shot!

Thanks man!!! I'm not sure how much the links costs, since I was not the one who bought them. But they were purchased from here:

http://www.ruffstuffspecialties.com/catalog/index.php

As for flex shots..... Take a closer look at the first page. There's a bunch of flexing pics!!! Now we can't wait to redo the front and really get the truck twisted!

Nice job on the suspension buildup! It looks good.

Thanks man!!! Appreciate it.

 

[JohnnyU]

but sometimes I wonder why someone would bother to read the ENTIRE build thread without anything positive to say!?!?

I've been doing this long enough that I'm not impressed by most cobbled together parts or builds. I am not afraid however, to offer criticism or advice when I see something that needs improvement or is just utterly unsafe. This is the internet, be prepared for criticism of all kinds; I was being VERY nice.

EDIT:
Here's a decent example of a home-brew track bar mount that "Nobody" built several years ago (It's in our own Tech Library):

Notice how much of the plate is consumed by the mount and it's gusseting? That helps distribute the load to all three steering box bolts, as well as through the two vertical bolts mounted underneath the frame. I'm not sure why there is a large gap in there, I would leave that out and weld completely around the corner of the frame. Many people also build a support arm to tie this mount back into the engine crossmember for extra insurance.

I also like this version that I found on a Jeep Forum:

 

[BlackBII]

I agree with JohnnyU, add some gusseting to that track bar mount, it will distribute the load among the whole plate, rather than where it sheared off last time.

 

[pickuptrucker]

thanks for that link those look like a really good deal. i really like your build good work. what are you using for the coil buckets on the bottum? thanks again. o btw, some how i missed the whole first page but i went back over it, looks awsome!