ranger refit/build thread

[gwaii]

how did you get the dana 44 in like that.

i built custom arms to fit the ranger,and turned them to build in 4" lift.so no drop brackets.

 

[Boggin]

you finially made a build thread for it! awesome work buddy

 

[gwaii]

heres the full assembly...in this pic it was removed to clear mud packed into the clutch springs preventing full engagement.
this was a frequent problem.

 

[Boggin]

mud packed into the clutch springs preventing full engagement.
this was a frequent problem.

is this a common thing? i was stuck in the mud in my mazda and when i went from reverse to first she wouldnt spin the tires no matter what gear she was in,,now a couple years later im still just assuming the clutch is gone

 

[gwaii]

mud gets packed into the clutch springs an jams it in the released position,the only good way to clear it is to take it all apart and clean it out.
it's a pain in the butt,but if you are going to do deep mud runs ,especially if you have a diaphragm spring clutch,it's part of the deal.centrifugal force of the engine running forces it right in there.

 

[Boggin]

mud gets packed into the clutch springs an jams it in the released position,the only good way to clear it is to take it all apart and clean it out.
it's a pain in the butt,but if you are going to do deep mud runs ,especially if you have a diaphragm spring clutch,it's part of the deal.centrifugal force of the engine running forces it right in there.

thanks man,, i might take that apart some day see whats in there. but how does mud get in there? i dont understand that part lol

 

[gwaii]

the bellhousing on a manual is never a sealed enclosure.there are air vents to help with cooling the clutch,if the mud is deep enough or gets splashed high enough it can get in.

 

[gwaii]

in this period i was dealing with motor issues a fair bit...it was all about abuse..

the original 2.3 was subjected to excessive heat at one point-in a deep mud hole,over revved,rad plugged with mud,when it lost power.i was able to limp it home,but the head was warped.
replaced the head,and not too long after the engine sucked in a big gulp of mud.it didn't lock it,but there was enough damage that it was done.
so in goes a 2.9....i beat on that for a while till it died too,so in goes another.a few weeks later i was looking for another motor.enough with little motors.

but at some point in all this i had gone to the dump and came across some goodies.

couldn't leave that behind,could i?

 

[gwaii]

along side that was this:

they wanted $25 for both,i thought that was fair.though i wasn't having problems with the diffs in the truck,but hey-full float rear,d50 front....bigger brakes and axles.sounds good to me.

 

[gwaii]

there was a small issue with the 10.25 rear end i got though-the gears and bearings were messed up,but the outers were still good.
suited me fine,i already had a good gearset in the 9".i mostly wanted the full floaters.

so heres the plan....full float 8 lug 9" rear end.

 

[gwaii]

on the jig for welding.

 

[gwaii]

and,done.

for the axles i took the side gears from the sterling diff and turned them down to fit in a nine inch carrier,and welded them in place for a 35 spline spool.worked good.

 

[gwaii]

the front was a similar idea.

i wanted to keep my coil spring arms,rather than using the leafs from the d50,and only the lower balljoint is different,so the surgery started.the jig was a simple affair i had made up a while back for modifying ttb arms,lots were done on it.

 

[gwaii]

welding done,finish ground.the driver's side arm is the same deal.

 

[gwaii]

while i was at it i knew i needed better radius arms.i hadn't had any problems with the old ones,but i was worried beating on them.

i was working in a fab shop at the time(good union job,full benefits,good variety of jobs to work on)and was able to take advantage of the equipment as long as i paid for the material i used.i formed these out of 3/16 a.r. plate,fully boxed.they were made in two c-sections that overlapped,so the top and bottom were 3/8 thick.
heavy,but i never had to worry about them.