One more 2wd 98 coil spring 5.0 swap.

[Jbrown1238]

I took yesterday off after work and ended up taking a late afternoon nap. I tried to make up for lost time today and picked up the pistons/rods from the machine shop. They did a nice job, got everything centered and oriented properly. I was impressed with the quality and look forward to dropping these into by block very soon.







Once I got home I decided to go ahead and set the frame under the truck to get an idea of what it is going to look like. I was planning on installing it this weekend but changed my mind and now intend to get it bolted into place tomorrow. I wanted to install the brake booster and clutch/brake pedals first but the deal fell through on the salvage pedals and the brake master cylinder needs to be replaced (the old one is “dirty”). So it will be a little longer before those pieces are secured.

 

[RangerSVT]

Looks good, but hears food for thought. Installing the motor and trans will be a lot easier if installed with the cab off. It'll also guarantee no scratches on that newly painted core support or firewall. After doing several ranger V8 swaps, that's what I would do...

SVT

 

[Jbrown1238]

Looks good, but hears food for thought. Installing the motor and trans will be a lot easier if installed with the cab off. It'll also guarantee no scratches on that newly painted core support or firewall. After doing several ranger V8 swaps, that's what I would do...

SVT

I agree. I wish I had a way to get the cab high enough to slide everything under. I am a little limited on tools and space. I guess I will just need to keep a little extra Tuxedo Black Metallic close at hand.

 

[RangerSVT]

What about getting the cab set up high enough, setting the frame on furniture follies, get the motor & tranny in, wheel the frame under the cab, then jack the frame up to the cab? I've pulled cabs off of frames using nothing but a couple of 8 foot 4x4s, a farm jack, and cinder blocks. Had to lift the cab high enough to clear the frame with the bed still on it (about 4 foot to the bottom). It's tough, but doable...

SVT

SVT

 

[Jbrown1238]

What about getting the cab set up high enough, setting the frame on furniture follies, get the motor & tranny in, wheel the frame under the cab, then jack the frame up to the cab? I've pulled cabs off of frames using nothing but a couple of 8 foot 4x4s, a farm jack, and cinder blocks. Had to lift the cab high enough to clear the frame with the bed still on it (about 4 foot to the bottom). It's tough, but doable...

SVT

SVT

My specific situation makes it a little difficult. The slab I am working on is only a bit longer than the truck. When I open the fence the lawn is right there. Space is tight and walking a loaded frame back into the grass with a slight drop of the slab is more than I want to risk. I tried lifting the cab a few inches tonight and was worried about body flex and my panel fit being impacted. If I had a proper lift I would probably do it that way as it does make sense. I just don't want to push my luck now that I am dealing with finished paint work.

 

[RangerSVT]

Ok, it looks like you had more room behind the cab than that. Keep up the great work!

SVT

 

[Jbrown1238]

Ok, it looks like you had more room behind the cab than that. Keep up the great work!

SVT

No, only a foot or two. When I walked the frame out I had to lift the back 2/3rds of it by myself with a furniture dolly under the k frame.

Thanks. When I get a little further along I am sure I will be drawing on some of that knowledge of yours regarding wiring and so forth. I already bookmarked a few of your threads.

 

[RangerSVT]

Not a problem. I'll be happy to help with any questions when you get to that point...

SVT

 

[Jbrown1238]

When I got home today the sun was hitting the Tuxedo Black Metallic at just the right angle to cast my favorite shade of the color. I could not help but share it with everyone here.



Well enough of that! Let’s get back to work.

I double checked my frame/body alignment and made sure everything was centered by dropping wooden dowels through the floor pan and body mounts.









Once I was comfortable I went ahead and dropped the bolts through the body and started drawing the frame up little by little until it was secured in place by all six body mounts and fasteners.

 

[Jbrown1238]

As I mentioned in an early post, I have several assemblies being worked at the same time so the thread may bounce around a bit from one to another as the project progresses. This week I have been preparing engine parts for final measurements and cleaning before assembly and at the same time my son has been working on the disassembly and reassembly of my 31 spline 8.8 Traction Lok differential.

*** The assembly video is about 20 minutes long but is very detailed and I found it to be extremely interesting as I was not familiar with the entire process of rebuilding the differential.

Here are a few shots of the disassembly process along with a nice video documenting the process performed on my particular differential.

Disassembly video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JJu...=/watch?v=8JJudFUVBvc&feature=em-upload_owner










All the new parts ready to go together.









Back together and ready for the new carrier bearings to be pressed on.

Assembly video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXfQWYFGeoI

 

[Lil-Pony]

When your done with this you would be able to sell it to a ford fanatic and convince him its all factory!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free

 

[Jbrown1238]

The ABS Toner Ring was in pretty bad shape from sitting inside the unused 8.8 rear end. The section of the ring that was above the fluid level rusted bad and made the piece useless. A new ABS Toner Ring was purchased and pressed on to the 31 spline Traction Lok.

 

[Jbrown1238]

The crankshaft has been washed with soap and water and the oil passages thoroughly cleaned with a wire brush. It was then sprayed with lubricant to displace the water, and then blown with compressed air to get rid of the excess lubricant. The crankshaft was then carefully wiped clean with a fresh shop towel and set aside for the moment.



The main saddles of the block have been cleaned and are ready to receive the bearings.



The main caps, main cap fasteners, and crankshaft have all been covered in plastic during the assembly process and will be uncovered individually as each piece is needed. I am doing my best to try and keep everything as clean as possible. At this point the main bearings are uncovered and ready to be installed.



The first bearing is pressed by hand into place and then followed by each of the others until the block is fully loaded.





After the main bearings in the block are covered with assembly lube the crankshaft is set into place. The first main cap is fit with its particular bearing and a generous portion of assembly lube is spread on to the bearing surface.





The main cap is gently set in place and the fasteners are lightly threaded until the remaining caps and fasteners have been brought to the same point.







Once all of the main caps have been lightly placed and the fasteners threaded each main cap is “set” with the assistance of a rubber mallet.



Then each of the main caps are torqued to 40 pounds according to sequence starting with the thrust bearing and working outward. Once all of the main caps are torqued to 40 pounds the crank is “set” with a rubber mallet in both directions to align the thrust bearing.



Once the thrust bearing is aligned the main caps are all torque to 66 pounds. Next step will be checking crankshaft end play and hopefully moving forward with installing the rods/pistons. But that will need to wait until another day.

 

[Jbrown1238]

I have been working a lot of hours the past few weeks. Not much to update other than I measured the crank shaft end play and detailed and installed the power steering rack. The end play came in at .006 which is dead center according to specs. I know the dial gauge reads .005 but there was another .001 in the other direction. I hope to get the piston/rod assemblies, rings, and rod bearings cleaned and bagged so they will be ready to install this week. It just depends on how much time I have after work over the next few days.

 

[Jbrown1238]

I know this might seem a little out of the ordinary but I just don’t have access to a proper parts washer. So I had to put together a “poor man’s version” for the final cleaning of the piston/rod assemblies. Because the Scat Rods come with a rust inhibitor and the ARP fasteners have lubricant from the factory I felt soap and water wasn’t the best method for cutting these properties. A solvent really is required for this type job. So here we go!!! Advance Auto Parts Portable Parts Washer $24.95.



The Scat Connecting Rods go right in the can and the rod caps and cap screws in the small parts bucket. The assemblies were scrubbed with a soft brush and then a wire brush was used for the passages.





Once all of the piston/rod assemblies had been through the “Parts Washer” they were then wiped clean and sprayed with brake cleaner to remove any excess cleaning solvent. Then individually bagged and set aside while the piston rings were cleaned.



The rings were then installed on each of the pistons and the assemblies were placed back inside the appropriated numbered plastic bag.





Now comes the time that I have been waiting for so patiently! Let’s drop in Piston #1!



Once it has been lined up the rod bearing is installed and the rod cap lightly set into place and torqued to spec. But first lets install the cap correctly, I got a little busy taking pictures and set the cap on in reverse orientation.



Let’s step back and take a look real quick! Oh yea, that looks nice in there!



I think I will spin it up for a closer look!





Everything checks out so I am going to keep moving. Here comes piston #5.



Then #2 and #6.