The Missing Linc (1987 4WD 2.9 5spd short short)

[Rick W]

When cutting aluminum, use lots of wd40 or equivalent while cutting. It keeps the blades from clogging up.

THANK YOU! I’m suspecting that’s one of those great tips that it takes you a half a lifetime to learn on your own.

That gives me an idea. My regular carbide tipped cross cut blades have a high tooth count. I have a couple of ancient ones that probably have 1/2 or 1/3 as many teeth. I’m wondering if they might work better for cutting the big stuff.

And then I have a couple of different bandsaw blades for wood, I’m thinking the same thing to use a wide blade with a fewer teeth.

I only have a couple dozen cuts to do. Maybe you should come down here and show me so I get it right.

 

[Curious Hound]

General rule of thumb; lots of tiny teeth to cut thin materials, because big teeth will catch and snag on thin material.

fewer bigger teeth for thick materials

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Aluminum is soft. With carbide: Higher tooth count and slow feed rate is better. Low tooth count needs even slower feed rate. Newish blade is best, you want sharp teeth.

 

[Rick W]

Soooo, wilted in complete defeat by my CB whooping, I pulled out the angle grinder to tackle the trailer wheel hub.

I have “turned down“ things like this before, big and small, that you can spin, by grinding on them at an angle. The intent is to use the power of the grinder to spin the item slowly, but not directly drive it, so as it rotates slowly you are constantly grinding. It keeps it smooth and concentric. Easy technique to learn and master.

This was the axle I bought cheap that had the frozen bearing on the other side that I fixed. Well, the first thing I learned was that the bearing on this side was bad too. It was difficult to turn with my hand, and I could put the edge of the grinder directly on the hub and it wouldn’t spin. So the first thing I had to do was take the hub apart, clean out the “wax“ that was in it, put some grease in it and loosen it up so it would spin. When it’s all in position, the last thing I’ll do before I flip it over, is clean all the bearings, check all the bearings, and fresh grease everything.

When I had it apart, I realized the side wall is at least a quarter inch thick, and after the spot where the dust cap rests, it may be 5/16 thick. Now that I had it spinning, I did the grinding. I was going slowly, constantly slinging the wheel up to check, but it only took about 15-20 minutes. I’m sure the next one will only take five minutes. I only had to take off about 1 mm and my aluminum bullet hole slid on. When I tried the steelie, it slid on easily.

I tapped the studs back in place and mounted the steelie, and then I slid the axle back-and-forth to get the right positioning inside the wheel well. I went back-and-forth to The Missing Linc to get it at the same depth and height from the edge of the fender well. It looks like I’ll have to make the shackles about 6 inches long to zero everything in, but I’ll add them when it’s flipped over and completely assembled.

That let me locate where I have to install the new axle mounts, and let me measure how much I have to cut out of the center of the axle, which I marked up.

Then I ran out of sunlight…

To finish up, I dug in my box of wall anchors and pulled out the right size for the center cap screws, cut them down and snugged them in the holes and smeared a little E6000 on the back to hold them in place.

Then Lincoln and I went upstairs, and I rolled around on the floor with him with a couple of his stuffed animals. With that, he felt that it was a very successful day. He was not concerned about the CB

 

[Rick W]

After the rattle plates, I tackled the Missing Linc trailer again.

I got out some of my calibrated zip ties so when I cut the axle, I got it halfway straight.

I welded it, and then located and welded the axle saddle brackets, and mounted and bolted the axle.

I cleaned out the old hub, cleaned the bearings, regreased it all and remounted it. Boy, that’s clean work….

I had to get a new 3500# 5x4.5 hub since I realized all my many 5x4.5s were for 1” axles. I greased and mounted it and got a very pleasant surprise. I picked up a steelie to get an idea of how much to turn it down with the grinder, and it slid right on! I didn’t miss doing that grinding again!

Chased the threads in a dozen of my junk yard chrome lug nuts, mounted the center caps on the steelies, and then mounted the steelies.

I check fit the shackles to get the ride height, made some longer ones (5-1/2” cc), but ended up using some 3-1/2” stock shackles I had. After I got it set, I ran out of daylight. I cut a couple bolt spacers for between the shackles on top, first thing tomorrow.

I think all I still have to do upside down are the spacers over the 2x2 tube, splash some more Rustoleum on the bare spots and then flip the frame over. It’ll be sitting on the wheels tomorrow, but I still have to make the toolbox and spare tire mount, and finish the tongue.

What a bizarre feeling it is to actually get some stuff done!

 

[Rick W]

Finished everything on the bottom side, splashed some paint on the bare spots and new welds, and then flipped it off the bed right sideup to do the top welds and paint the top before the final assembly.

All of this has been taking so long, when I flipped the frame right side up and I saw it, I had a totally different inspiration. What do you guys think about me abandoning putting the bed on it, putting a lawn chair and a couple lights on it and just calling it “Ricks Ranger Rickshaw?”

Nah, scratch that…

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Finished everything on the bottom side, splashed some paint on the bare spots and new welds, and then flipped it off the bed right sideup to do the top welds and paint the top before the final assembly.

View attachment 101931

All of this has been taking so long, when I flipped the frame right side up and I saw it, I had a totally different inspiration. What do you guys think about me abandoning putting the bed on it, putting a lawn chair and a couple lights on it and just calling it “Ricks Ranger Rickshaw?”


View attachment 101932

Nah, scratch that…

Ricks' Rockin' Ranger Rickshaw!

 

[Curious Hound]

Ricks' Rockin' Ranger Rickshaw!

I'd like to see how far he could pull that thing (the traditional way) with one of us in the lawn chair.

 

[Rick W]

I'd like to see how far he could pull that thing (the traditional way) with one of us in the lawn chair.

No, no, no, I’m the one who made it, I’m the one who gets to sit in the chair and you guys pull me!

 

[Rick W]

Progress in spite of my efforts:

What you see is all bolted together, painted underneath, etc. I would be lying if I said I planned it, but if you pick it up in the front, it will rest on the back bumper. If you pick up the back bumper, it will rest on the front. Perfectly balanced. When I put the tailgate, toolbox, the rest of the tongue, and the spare in the front, that should make it a perfect 60/40 over the axle.

I have to drag out the toolbox that will sit in the front (Weatherguard, the same as the Road Ranger), and then figure out the tongue, but that shouldn’t take too long. I’m also thinking of taking both sides of the front of the bed, where it sticks out on the sides of the toolbox, and making diamond plate covers for that, so it looks finished. I’m still thinking on that one.

I have to go take sweet pea to dinner now, or she’s going to put six handles on this trailer, throw me inside, and bury me in it.

 

[RobbieD]

I have to go take sweet pea to dinner now, or she’s going to put six handles on this trailer, throw me inside, and bury me in it.

Excellent design and planning. They can just roll you, and won't have to carry you.

 

[Rick W]

A couple hours today. I have the frame fabbed up to the tongue, tacked in place. I have to put in a couple braces and finish up the welding.

I started making the spare tire frame under the box/tongue. I’m building the tire frame to hold 235/75/15, which is what’s on the truck. Right now I have 14s on the trailer. They look small, but I’ll wait till I have it finished and painted and coupled up before making any changes.

The spare is a 205/70/14. I have the back part of the cage made, but I wanted to finish the tongue and set the toolbox, so I know where to put my front cross brace, so I can slide the spare under the toolbox when it’s all together. The 14 will fit easily, but I want to make sure that 235 will go in too. I’ll probably secure the tire from theft by simply dropping a bolt through the bottom of the toolbox through one of the lug holes so you can’t slide it out if you can’t get into the box.

I have three or four huge eye bolts that I’ve been planning on using for a Pintle Hitch for years. I tried one today, and the hole is too small to go over a 2 inch ball. Damn. I’ll have to dig through my hitch/spring/shackle pile to see if I have something that’ll work. I like the Pintle because it makes it much harder to steal. I make up a cable that will go through the holes on the wheels, run both ends up to the Pintle, and then I use a bicycle lock. It takes a minute to put on and take off, but no more than I use the trailer, it’s good security. BTW, I bought a mile of the cable and the crimps and a crimping tool for about the same as it cost to get a decent bicycle lock.

Sun went down and brought raindrops with it….

 

[Shran]

Inquiring minds must know, what's wrong with using the back half of a Ranger frame & axle, and just bending the frame rails in to meet up with a piece of tube for a hitch? It is so easy... I have built at least 10 pickup box trailers out of Rangers that way, if you make the tube long enough and add some tongue weight they track really well. And it takes like maybe an hour or two.

 

[Rick W]

Inquiring minds must know, what's wrong with using the back half of a Ranger frame & axle, and just bending the frame rails in to meet up with a piece of tube for a hitch? It is so easy... I have built at least 10 pickup box trailers out of Rangers that way, if you make the tube long enough and add some tongue weight they track really well. And it takes like maybe an hour or two.

When I was injured and sick, and all this was therapy, and I had a couple of Harbor Freight trailers and I had a couple of truck beds. On the surface it seemed like a Harbor freight trailer would be the perfect thing to put underneath one of the beds. But they’re too wide. I’ve said it before, but that actually complicated everything and took more time, and probably compromised the result.

But here’s what I learned. To your point, the Ranger frame is very heavy, and using the existing axle means you have to deal with the rear end.

For a trailer, the bed is incredibly strong, rigid, and easy to work with. If I had to do over again, I would’ve used some 2 x 2, by at least 3/16, square tubing, or 2“ x 4“ tubing, and made the new frame. Inexpensive materials, and the bed is set up for it. To your point, I would have brought it out front, notched it, and bent it inwards to make the tongue.

The Ranger frame bows up and down, so you would still need to put spacers in between the tube and the bed. The tubing is very clean and light weight. The wall thickness would depend on how much weight you’re thinking of putting in/on the trailer.

To this day, I don’t know how you modify the rear end for a trailer, but I have seen many where the frame has been cut and bent inward. Remember my stuff is all for fun, not for work, for parades and fooling around with car clubs. Alot of my work was therapy while I was injured and sick.

Now, having said that all, I’m very happy with the way it’s working out. A lot of the truck bed trailers I’ve seen on top of the original frame, might be very very functional, but they look like something that was chopped. It may sound silly, but I’m looking for something more “elegant,” To match The Missing Linc.

 

[Shran]

This is how I do Ranger trailers... and others. Note how much frame I left, lots of them have a really short tongue and they track like shit. You want long so you can put a tool box or something on there and generate some tongue weight.

I build a T out of whatever is on hand - 2" square works good. Tack that between the frame, cut pie shapes out of each frame rail near where you put the top of the T and bend the frame in so that it's touching the middle piece. Clean the ends of the frame up so it looks nice, burn it all together and then put a cap of flat strap over the ends of the frame and bend that around. The T also serves as an excellent place to mount a jack but I've done them on the outside that pivot on a swivel deal too.

As I've said before I'm not judging your project, most of mine just focus on two things - (a) the easiest route to my goal and (b) what I feel is the safest. I have no doubt that a Ranger rear frame can handle a reasonable load and not break. In fact the trailer pictured has two complete 351w engines and a 4.0 engine in it, plus a whole bunch of other heavy stuff. I build things so that if I died tomorrow and my wife had to sell all my crap to strangers, I could rest easy knowing that it wasn't going to fall apart on the road.

You can make these look as nice as you want. I spent way more time than usual on this one because I wanted to keep it... it's not done, I am going to build a storage box on the front and make it look a little more elegant like you say.