ForOffRoadDriving's 94 Ranger Build

[ForOffRoadDriving]

so i just ordered up a spindle from northern tool for 12.99 + shipping and got a bearing set from work so now i just need to find the round tube for the races to rest in and then ill redo my pivot. im still going to paint my bumper but i think ill hold off on painting the tire carrier until i get the new pivot welded onto it. if there was anything that this build has taught me it would be patience, i just need to remember to practice it more often.

 

[Ranger Sport Honduras]

yeah man patience is the way to roll LOL ive learned the hard way, and had to do a thing 2 times to get it right, for being always on a rush wanting things to be done for yesterday.

 

[TheTopher]

Still learning that lesson myself. I need to have more time for projects before I can learn it. At least I've learned to expect mistakes

 

[MountainMike]

heres how it looked when i woke up and took a pic before work

Soooooooooooooooooooooooooooo..................

.............wanna make me one?

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

my trailer spindle came in yesterday and i got a trailer hub kit so now i just need to get the tubing and this thing will be ready for prep and paint! oh yeah, i still have to put a license plate light on it, but ive got a idea for that in my head.

 

[AgPete139]

Damn man! Looks great! Are you gonna build one for my Gen3 as well?





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[ForOffRoadDriving]

Not related to my build thread in any way, but this is my first post from my new smart phone!

 

[TheTopher]

Congrats mate. I'm posting from my blackberry.

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

took some pictures from my new phone and with minimal fuss i was able to upload them to photobucket and post them here. heres the pivot assembly almost completely assembled, now i just have to wait for time off to get it welded into place.

i discovered a nature area down the street from terras so i went for a morning hike and did some exploring and then took some pictures of the truck when i got back

when i got home i washed and waxed thumper with mothers california gold car wash soap and wizards mist and shine, then i parked it out of the way so i could work on getting the rescue ranger ready to go up for sale

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

Lets see if this works out well or not, im posting this from my truck which is sitting in the parking lot at work while im on my lunch break. Ive been reading more about leveling my truck lately, so today i got on the fastenal website and ordered longer bolts (3/4-10 x 10" grade 8) and i also bought a box of 18 washers (1-1/4" I.D. x 3" O.D.) so i can get thumper leveled out. Ill be welding the washers together, painting them in POR15, and the installing them after the rear bumper is installed, that way i can get the correct levelness. the spacers are going to be 1.375" so when multipled by 1.5 (i read somewhere that the height of the spacer multiplied by 1.5 will equal the actual height gained) i will get 2" of lift. in anticipation of installing these next week, i went home and took some measurements of the current wheel well height and then jacked up the front until the measurements were the same. i like the way it looks!

these are the washers ill be welding and painting

i measured the tires at 35 psi to see if they were actually 30s, but theyre not even close

heres the wheel well measurements front and rear

these are as it sits now

after floor jack leveling

and heres a random shot of the tire carrier pivot

 

[mc_muench]

you wouldnt think it would make that much of a difference, but WOW looks 1000x better, now quit teasing and get it done!!!!

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

today was the first day of my week off and im already off to a productive start. i got the new pivot welded to the bumper, got the tire swing welded to the pivot, and then got everything disassembled and put a coat of paint on it.

i started by removing the bolt from the original pivot and then torching out the hole until it was big enough to put the pivot spindle into.

next i took off the stock bumper and put the new one on so i could square up the pivot spindle and get it tacked in place.

once the pivot was where i wanted it i got the tire swing shimmed and squared and then tacked it onto the pivot tube. after i opened it up for the first time i realized there was a definite need for a stop to keep it from swinging open too far.

here ive got everything mounted up and am just making final adjustments to the license plate light bracket. i also clearanced the holes for the back up lights a little bit more so that they install easier after it gets painted.

once i was satisfied with the way things fit i removed it to finish welding it and then prep it for paint. since i had to cap the top of the vertical tube off to keep out the elements i decided to make it serve a second purpose, its also a bracket for my CB antenna.

after an hour of wiping every inch down with wax and grease remover its time to paint!

 

[scott5640]

looks awsome!

 

[railman]

looks killer

just one thing though, i hope you put a gussett on the backside of your angle iron "stop" for the tire carrier....

l8r, John

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

Damn, i knew i forgot something! Well hopefully the second one i put on will be strong enough to take the abuse. If you look back to the 1st pic of the stop and then compare it to the shots thats have the cb antenna in them youll notice they are not the same. After welding the original all the way around the base i swung the tire out and it snapped my stop in half! After looking at it a little closer i realized it was some kind of cast metal? So i looked through my pile of small scraps and found a thicker and larger piece of angle and put that on there. I guess while im only 1 coat in i should weld in a gusset, better safe than sorry.