ranger refit/build thread

[gwaii]

it's pretty easy.unles i want reduction,it just drives like any other truck.
the thing i get all the time is people thinking i have to shift all these trannies all the time-that makes as much sense as you having to shift through low range all the time to get to high range.unless you need it,you completely ignore the fact that you have a low range at all.
i just have more low ranges.
in normal driving i can ignore all that.

 

[Boggin]

so kinda like driving a big rig (particularly a 18spd) you dont split every gear, just usually going up through all the high range of the gears instead of L, 1L, 1H, 2L, 2H, 3L, 3H and so on..

 

[gwaii]

yup-just put it in high and it's 1,2,3,4,....and if needed..5.

unless i'm wheeling,theres no more need for the low ranges than you have for yours.

 

[RangerSVT]

okay, let me see if I can further elaborate on this, for ultra crawling, its LLLLLLLLLLLLLLL1, then LLLLLLLLLLLLLLL2, and LLLLLLLLLLLLLLL3, and...well, it'll take waaaaaaaay toooooooo looooooong....You get the picture..
SVT

 

[RangerSVT]

Hmmmm, just think, if you had an extended cab long bed, I bet you could fit 2 transmissions behind the motor, then the Tcase, then 3 mayby even 4 more transmissions, then another Tcase....Hey Tom, up for building a truck to see how many transmissions you can fit in it??
SVT

 

[gwaii]

nope...got plenty.

and as stated before,building a truck with three transmissions was never the original plan...it just sort of evolved that way.
i could take one or even both aux transmissions out of the system,but then i would need a two-piece driveshaft for the intermediate shaft,so i would now have one more u-joint and that center u-joint would be running on an angle so there would be vibration issues.also the center t-case would be mounted all alone,so would be harder to stabilise,like the old remote units in the early 70s fords.
the way it's set up now there are no downsides,and it works smoothly.

 

[gwaii]

so,back to the story.

i had moved to haida gwaii,and wanted to do some exploring.so i did a bit of work on the truck to deal with some legality issues-i needed rear fenders,and the fronts needed to be covered as well,so i streched some epdm rubber roofing over the front cage,and formed up some simple aluminum fenders for the rear.

gas was always a concern,thats what the straps on the back are for,i always had two jerry cans that i packed with me.
theres a lot of beach and logging roads to cover on this little island.

after some time,all the changes that had been made over the years were taking a toll on the frame-there were lots of holes that had been drilled,and welded on fittings that were later cut off.i was starting to see some cracks forming around some of these areas.it was time for a new frame.

 

[gwaii]

this is one area of beach i spent a lot of time at-that's alaska in the background.

anyway,the real impetus to get moving on the refit was that i found something that would kill the 460.i had forgot that it had just water in the rad coming into winter.after a good freeze,i found the cooling systen empty,so i went to refill it-the water poured out the block as fast as i put it in-there was a big crack in the side of the engine.it still ran fine,but that didn't matter anymore.

 

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

Ouch, that sucks!

 

[gwaii]

Ouch, that sucks!

ya,i was a little pissed.no one to blame but my self,though.

another thing that bugged me about the truck,especially since it was a daily driver,was that there was no place to put anything-like a bag of groceries.
i needed more room.

came upon this.looks pretty rough,but it's not too rusty.doors are shot,but i don't need those.cab is good,frame's not too bad either.it'll do,not going to find any better around here.

 

[gwaii]

i very carefully removed the cab,after stripping it.

boot.

 

[gwaii]

a little prep and some primer....

that's not too bad.

 

[gwaii]

now for the frame

all i need is the bare rails....all that other junk has to go.

note that the cab is wearing a nice red coat now.

 

[gwaii]

gutted like a fish...

 

[gwaii]

after cleaning the rails and putting on a temporary coat of primer,i jigged up the parts so i could start taking measurements.

thres lots of changes to the way things are arranged because of the extra cab,as thr relative positions of the back wall of the cab(which determines engine position)and the rear axle are different from the regular cab.the wheelbase is longer,but the rear axle sits further forward relative to the engine.