ForOffRoadDriving's 94 Ranger Build

[kurama49]

more progress was made last night; i welded my reciever tube in place and cleaned out the mounting slots with my die grinder and mounted the bumper up on the truck and i painted my KCs. the bumper fits perfectly and doesnt protrude as much as i had anticipated. now if i could only decide on what lights i want to run in the brush guard.

once i had the bolts tight i crawled underneath and started measuring for my skid plate brace. once i got my measurements i drafted it out on the table and then measured the angles with a protractor and then set my band saw to the approriate degree. i had to find a place to mount it, so i utilized the rear bolts on the sway bar bushing bracket. once the tabs were bolted down i fitted the brace and tack welded it into place. next i welded the tubes solid after rechecking clearnaces of the steering linkage, and then sanded the tube smooth.

May i ask one question?, not to be rude or that but i could never get why people put receivers on their front bumpers? could someone please answer this for me?

 

[railman]

May i ask one question?, not to be rude or that but i could never get why people put receivers on their front bumpers? could someone please answer this for me?

if ya ever tried to park a large trailer in a tight spot...a front reciever is way easier to guide it....

also, you can use a winch "cradle" and move it from the front to the rear...

and as a tow point you spread the load out over both frame mounts equally...

l8r, John

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

exactly what railman said, its use is more for pushing my trailers around and being towed by (not sure if you saw the pictures of the "duck bill" tow hook i welded onto a 2"x2" square tube, but its saved my broken down ass a few times). after looking back through the pics of the bumper build i kind of wish i would have added some gussets to the mounting brackets, but being that i left the crumple zone portion of the frame intact and its currently mounted to the original frame brackets i dont think it will be a weak spot.

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

My speakers came in yesterday and i have to say im IMPRESSED! these little suckers are heavy and make my old 8's look like stock ranger speakers. its going to be a few days before i get them installed because i have to make some 3/4" spacer rings to raise the sub out of the boxes. i could make new boxes for the seats but ive only got about 3/4" of extra space in the cubby before the box hits the plastic panel so it seems like it would be a wasted effort. im sure ill figure it out so heres some pics to look at:

this is where the trim ring comes in, my magnet hits the back of the box before it seats all the way.

i decided to kill the pyramids and see how badly damaged they were, the coil around the base of the cone was black and definatley smelled like magic smoke!

 

[TrexMex]

My speakers came in yesterday and i have to say im IMPRESSED! these little suckers are heavy and make my old 8's look like stock ranger speakers. its going to be a few days before i get them installed because i have to make some 3/4" spacer rings to raise the sub out of the boxes. i could make new boxes for the seats but ive only got about 3/4" of extra space in the cubby before the box hits the plastic panel so it seems like it would be a wasted effort. im sure ill figure it out so heres some pics to look at:

this is where the trim ring comes in, my magnet hits the back of the box before it seats all the way.

i decided to kill the pyramids and see how badly damaged they were, the coil around the base of the cone was black and definatley smelled like magic smoke!

My take is that you will have to make new enclosures.... Do you know how much airspace the new woofers need to sound the way they're supposed to?

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

im aware the enclosures will be smaller than the recommended space for the speakers, so ill be running 1 layer of polyfill to "trick" them into thinking its a bigger box. im limited to the size i can make the box because they still have to fold away into the sides of the cab. i have about 3/4"-1" of extra space between the box and the panel so if i can make it fit with just a trim ring ill go that route. i did figure the actual air space of the enclosures in one of my threads in the audio forum, but i cant remember off the top of my head what it was? ill have to do some more reading i guess.

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

got some more progress from last night to share with you guys, i found the left over wood from when i initially made the boxes so i didnt have to buy another sheet to make my rings out of and i also found a left over- full tube of PL construction adhesive to glue the ring down with. i was planning on using a rotozip to cut the holes, but my dad forgot to bring it home from his work truck so i decided just to use a jig saw instead.

inorder to check the clearance between the magnet and the back of the enclosure i put my wad of Cyber Clean down and stuck the speaker back in, i appear to have about 3/4" of clearance which i can live with.

here are the picks of the glueing and clamping process, its a good thing i picked up so many of these clamps back in my "paid fabricator" days haha!

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

i was so excited i couldnt help myself so i went ahead and installed the subs on my lunch break! the manual for the subs says to keep the volume under control (dont crank it all the way up) for the first 20 hours of use to properly break them in so im currently running each sub off from 1 channel (37.5W RMS) on each amp. the operating range for these subs is 35-150w RMS, so i figure after i run them like this for a while and get used to the sound it will be a nice reward when i bridge them (150w RMS) and give them full power!

 

[wookie13]

NICE INSTALL!! I wish my cousin could do somthing like that w/ his 86 x-cab!! What amps are those? They look like the MTX's that I have in my 02 supercrew f150!! You do som AMAZING WORK on that truck!! I just read this whole thread and if I could fit in a ranger{I'm 6ft 4-NO LEGROOM} I would build a ranger just like yours!! execpt mine would be 4x4!

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

thanks wookie13, i kind of wish mine was 4x4 but everytime i have to take apart my brothers D35 on his STX i remember why i chose to build a 2wd, its just so much simpler! if it werent for the extended cab i would have proabbly been in the market for a bigger truck because i just cant stand my standard cab anymore.

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

well i got brave and bridged both the amps last night so now the jls are getting their full RMS rated power and it sounds great (i still havent cranked the volume past 18) and it feels better (i used to be able to feel that box shifting around in the cab when id turn and brake), overall im very happy with it. last night i fixed the soldering iron burn that i put in the carpet when i initially did the install. i used some permatex super glue gel and hand full of blue fibers from the scraps of carpet i trimed from the speaker mounting hole.

 

[Andres629]

In solution to your bike problem, lookie here. Get you a blanket and fold it up and drape it over the tailgate, and hang your bike over the tailgate! Sorry about the picture, it was the only one I could find. lol

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

got another update for thumper, i had to do the fuel pump dance again due to another burnt up sending unit. after i finished the pump job i still had some ambition so i changed the center console color to blue and i have to say im suprised at how much it changed the look of the interior!

heres some pics of the pump that i took at work after doing the warranty paper work, it still looks too new to have already failed (sender only lasted 6 months, about the same amount of time as the first one i put in lasted)

 

[koda6966]

You really converted your Ranger seats to Zx2 seats? They're the most uncomfortable things I have ever sat in.

Then again, this was in a Zx2 so there wasn't much room to be comfortable anyway.

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

yeah, those seats are the whip! i drove 250 miles without stopping and my ass wasnt even sore when i got out. BUT, i had mustang seats in the Rescue Ranger and they were hard and shitty feeling, but that was in a std cab and there was no leg room to boot.