adsm08's Ranger build up

[brinker88]

I have an extra set of OEM blocks I can give you if/when you stop by tomorrow.

 

[doorgunner]

well.....whatg you do is.......chuck the bolt in an eeeeeeelectric drill with the offending end sticking out.....
turn on the trusty grinder.....hold the rapidly spinning side of the dowel against the grinding wheel until enuff metal is removed so that it fits...

9if i understand the problem correctly--proboaoboably not.....

 

[adsm08]

I have an extra set of OEM blocks I can give you if/when you stop by tomorrow.

That's ok. I actually have more factory lift blocks than I know what to do with right now.

well.....whatg you do is.......chuck the bolt in an eeeeeeelectric drill with the offending end sticking out.....
turn on the trusty grinder.....hold the rapidly spinning side of the dowel against the grinding wheel until enuff metal is removed so that it fits...

9if i understand the problem correctly--proboaoboably not.....

You actually weren't too far off my actual solution. I went down to Lowes and picked up a rasping bit and just carefully ground the holes out until the pins on the blocks fit.


I have the new axle in and tight, but the bolts aren't sitting straight up and down, they are sitting off at a slight angle and I can't seem to get them to sit perfectly straight even though they aren't jammed up against the perches, blocks, or springs. It seems like the holes in my plates aren't far enough apart.

 

[--weezl--]

intertesting conclusion, when i put the expo springs in my truck, i couldn't get the pins out, they were rusted or seized ro something, so i just left them upside down, i used a round file to open the lift block hole up...

 

[adsm08]

The only thing that confuses me about the whole deal is that it seems like my springs are wider than the ones the plates are for. But all my hardware, bolts, nuts, plates, is OEM FX4 LII parts. I'd think that the FX4 springs should be wider if they are different at all.

 

[--weezl--]

my springs looked identical to the expo leafs i pulled out, i put them side by side, the only difference i could see looking at them, was the eye bolt was upside down on the expo one... when i stepped on the spring, however, there was a big difference in spring rate... expos were about 1.5x stiffer

 

[88_Eddie]

here's what me did when i did the 8.8 swap. i was also working alone and couldnt move the axle around by myself.

i already had the little cart thing, my dad got it from his work. measured how high the leafs were off the ground, then got that height matched as close as possible. once i started tightening the nuts on the ubolts, it pulled the axle up and i could move the cart out of the way.

 

[adsm08]

my springs looked identical to the expo leafs i pulled out, i put them side by side, the only difference i could see looking at them, was the eye bolt was upside down on the expo one... when i stepped on the spring, however, there was a big difference in spring rate... expos were about 1.5x stiffer

Still doesn't account for the apparent width difference.

here's what me did when i did the 8.8 swap. i was also working alone and couldnt move the axle around by myself.

i already had the little cart thing, my dad got it from his work. measured how high the leafs were off the ground, then got that height matched as close as possible. once i started tightening the nuts on the ubolts, it pulled the axle up and i could move the cart out of the way.

That is very similar to what I did. I dropped the old axle onto that same dolly, dumped it off to the side of the garage, then go creative getting the new axle off the stands and onto the dolly.

It was already sitting unevenly on the stands because one was a peg lower. I set the dolly under the pumpkin, slung some ratchet straps over the rafters and then hoisted the high side off the stand and let is nicely onto the dolly. Then I just lifted the other side and kicked the stand out.

Rolled it under the truck, got it all lined up, then used ratchet straps to make slings around the spring and pull it up until I could get the U-bolts in place and started.

 

[--weezl--]

where did you source your springs from again? maybe someone put little bitch springs on your truck before...

 

[adsm08]

where did you source your springs from again? maybe someone put little bitch springs on your truck before...

To the very best of my knowledge nothing in the rear has been messed with before Saturday. Even the fluid was original until the weekend I did the M5OD swap. My dad bought the truck when it was only 6 months old. Besides, if anything my springs are TOO wide.




Anyway, the portion of the project is finally nearing its end. I'm down to where it's the nickel and dime things that are driving me up the wall.

Rotors and calipers are on, left half is plumbed up. New master cylinder is bench bled but not in yet, I just capped the ports. Waiting for a hose to finish the plumbing of the right side, tech article to come.

Parting brake is not hooked up properly yet, but the cables won't drag, that's good enough for now.

Two new shocks in the rear, one got stuck to the old axle, so I just replaced them both, I was still dating my first girlfriend when I put the old ones in, that makes them close to 10 years old so it was time anyway.


So, the final run down is to install master cylinder and the last hose, put the drive shaft back in, bleed brakes, wheels, and then elevenses .

 

[adsm08]

Did some late night, sweat running down my face, work tonight.

.


I know, these pics came out really dark, but they looked better on the camera screen.


The burn marks are hard to see in the pics, but they are there.


It's not quite ready to drive, has an awful scraping noise while moving, probably the backing plates touching the rear rotors. They were a little bent when I got the axle and I'm not sure I ever got them 100% straightened out. Got a bit of axle hop during the peel too, not sure what that was since I've only gone about 1000 feet with it so far.

 

[adsm08]

Wow, I haven't updated this for a while.

Drove it with the 8.8 just long enough to get the speedo corrected and to be confidant that it was together right and not going to come apart anytime soon.

Then I took the dash out to seal a water leak from the interior wiper access panel. Got it back together, had the steering wheel upside down (still haven't fixed that) and promptly blew a brake line about a mile from home.

She was down for a week while I didn't have time to fix the lines. Fixed them, made a half-assed attempt to bleed them myself, then moved from the yard to the garage. Put the front end up on stands and dropped the front axle out on Labor Day morning. My dad came up and helped me get the D-35 in later that day, it is in, and mostly together. brakes are on, sway bar is not bolted up yet, nor is the LH shock. I found the LH shock/spring tower to be in rough shape. Years of power steering leaks took most of the coating off the tower (but somehow left the frame itself alone for the most part ) and now the tower looks a lot like Kip's old truck (the few spots on the frame that lost their coating are clean shiny steel).

I cleaned both areas well, acid-treated the tower, and will prime it tomorrow, get the shock and sway-bar in, and hook the steering back up. Then I just need to get the brakes and clutch bled out and she will be back on the road, hopefully at least until May (4.0 swap is now in the works).

A large portion of the brake lines are now less than 6 months old. Everything rear of the fuel conditioner except the rubber line (that is next on my "on-purpose" list), as well as the hard line from the front splitter to the LF wheel, and both front hoses.

I dinked up my hose retaining clips pretty good getting them off (first time they had ever been off) so I went out and got some snap-rings to put on the back to hold them into the towers instead. Seems to hold pretty well, but they were a bugger to get on, I'd really like to replace them with some E-clips but I couldn't find any that would go on.

Pics to come when I find the camera cable.

 

[jhammel85]

Sounds like you've been busy. I need to pull my dash soon...I've got the infamous cowl leak going on....Time to get to welding...

 

[adsm08]

Sounds like you've been busy. I need to pull my dash soon...I've got the infamous cowl leak going on....Time to get to welding...

Are you 100% sure it is the cowl? I thought that's what mine was. Then I got things apart and found nothing but pristine glossy metal in there and water marks all around the access patch.

 

[jhammel85]

Are you 100% sure it is the cowl? I thought that's what mine was. Then I got things apart and found nothing but pristine glossy metal in there and water marks all around the access patch.

Fairly certain. When I removed the middle access panel, it looked great. The driverside one however, had a small rust hole starting in the back corner. Of course...Can't just be something easy to get to.

Here's the bad part: last year my Master Cyl died on me. When I pulled it, I found a rust hole in it which is why it died on me. The hole was on the thin cylindrical part that the arm is housed in. Water comes down and sits on top of the master cyl. It basically (from what I can tell) comes down between the steel that makes up the firewall on each side.

Also...On a side note....Previous owner tried to fix other areas that are easy to reach with good ol' blue gasket maker...........