What did you do to your Ranger today? (Part Deux!)

[Bill]

I drove it to a job interview. Then I drove it to several places looking for the proper tape to re-tape a wiring harness. Nobody carries tape for wiring harnesses.

 

[racsan]

Got the idler axle for the ranger trailer, realized I didnt think about mounting hardware. Thought about trying to use the u-bolts & plates that held the original axle in but decided to order the right stuff instead, going to make it a “spring under” setup so it sits a little lower for loading. So far I have the 2x2 2200 rated 59” galvanized axle , two galvanized hubs , bearing buddies & the bearing kits. Didn’t really need for the axle to be galvanized but getting the size I needed (59” wheel flange to wheel flange) was only available in galvanized. The spring seats slide over the axle and are clamped with the mounting u-bolts. For what I use it for 2200# will be plenty. The most difficult thing was finding axle plates since a ranger rear spring is 3” wide and apparently most trailer springs are 2” wide.

 

[Ranger850]

I drove it to a job interview. Then I drove it to several places looking for the proper tape to re-tape a wiring harness. Nobody carries tape for wiring harnesses.

I tried to find my order from Amazon, but couldn't. A year or so ago I ordered some 1" black vinyl. I think it's 300' long, no sticky side. I use it to re-wrap harness' in my Nissan. the more you stretch it, the tighter it holds. Use a small piece of electrical tape at the end to hold it down. very simple and mess free.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

So yesterday I worked on the green Ranger some, got the lower intake on, got the rust knocked down on the valve covers and squirted some paint on them, got the timing chain on, got the rocker arms torqued down, and against my better judgement, put the timing chain cover on. I should have left that for another day. Lucky I haven’t broke it yet. Gasket between it and the block somehow got a little shifted and apparently I was a little heavy handed with the RTV so it didn’t want to fit quite right and I was hammering on it and forcing it to position. Not sure if I should call it ok or try to take it back off and get new gaskets. It’s not off by a lot, but I’m gonna have to probably trim the gasket where it’s in the water passages by a little. I used gasket shellac and was rushing it so it’s kinda glued on now, lol

 

[ekrampitzjr]

I tried to find my order from Amazon, but couldn't. A year or so ago I ordered some 1" black vinyl. I think it's 300' long, no sticky side. I use it to re-wrap harness' in my Nissan. the more you stretch it, the tighter it holds. Use a small piece of electrical tape at the end to hold it down. very simple and mess free.

Electrical supply houses also carry this tape. It's usually just called "friction tape" and works exactly as you describe.

 

[Curious Hound]

Electrical supply houses also carry this tape. It's usually just called "friction tape" and works exactly as you describe.

Friction tape used to be a cloth tape that was sticky on both side. Was used for wire harnessing and also as a mechanical barrier in electrical splices before adding an Insulating tape. Friction tape is not stretchy at all. It also stays as a sticky, gooey mess. It's useful. But I hate it.

There is also a rubber tape used for splices, called splicing tape. It has a liner you pull off. Then it stretches and conforms to odd shapes. That should normally be covered with insulating tape. Splicing tape bonds to itself and with warmer temperatures, becomes a solid rubber blob. I would not want to use that for wiring harnesses.

Common electrical tape is vinyl and has some stretch. Pretty good for wiring harness work. Except for me. I'm picky and I usually buy the good quality stuff at about $5 per roll. Get the cheap stuff to do harnesses.

And there are other electrical tapes. Common vinyl comes in colors used for identifying wires and marking phases. There is a fiberglass tape used in splicing that isn't sticky at all. Etc.

 

[Ranger850]

Electrical supply houses also carry this tape. It's usually just called "friction tape" and works exactly as you describe.

Not friction tape, just vinyl. NO ADHESIVE. I have used friction tape, and I guess I did describe it, but without the sticky stuff. The stuff I'm talking about is just like electrical tape, without the adhesive, maybe a few mils thinner.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I use the Super 33 stuff for just about everything including harnesses. Would be kinda nice to have something like that that wasn’t sticky for wrapping harnesses though. The cheap stuff tends to get hard, lose it‘s grip but stay sticky, and become brittle in cold temps. About all I use it for is pulling wires or the like, everything else gets the good stuff. I buy split loom in 50-100’ lengths and usually have some spiral wrap on hand so that kinda makes up for not having a non-sticky vinyl tape

 

[Roert42]

I like the spiral loom better then the split loom. It takes longer to install, but I feel like it's easier to work with down the road when you need to pull a wire out.

 

[Bill]

Not friction tape, just vinyl. NO ADHESIVE. I have used friction tape, and I guess I did describe it, but without the sticky stuff. The stuff I'm talking about is just like electrical tape, without the adhesive, maybe a few mils thinner.

That's the stuff I'm looking for. I saw some "made in China" tape without adhesive, but with a max 143° temperature rating, which means it's junk. It will work, but with a short lifetime. I've seen it in the 3M brand, but I can't find it on their website because they have 10 million types of tape and no real good way to filter search results. It is How is the tape from Amazon holding up? Also, that cloth electrical tape with adhesive is better for holding down the ends, and it is what Ford uses in some applications. I've also used zip ties to prevent the ends from coming apart.

 

[superj]

i think i am going to look for the seats from an 01-99 model edge because they seem to be a lot more comfortable and not like sitting on a board. i have been comparing seats in the trucks for sale on craigslist and market place and those years look the best from a single cab

 

[Bill]

I like the spiral loom better then the split loom. It takes longer to install, but I feel like it's easier to work with down the road when you need to pull a wire out.

In my case I have to rewrap something resembling a square loom that the harness for the AC, MAF, and a few other things. The original tape is breaking down and starting to flake away.

Common electrical tape is vinyl and has some stretch. Pretty good for wiring harness work. Except for me. I'm picky and I usually buy the good quality stuff at about $5 per roll. Get the cheap stuff to do harnesses.

I never use cheap electrical tape for permanent installations. When available, I usually buy 3M products. The adhesive on cheap tape is guaranteed to melt and cover your work in a sticky mess and eventually come apart.

 

[Ranger850]

That's the stuff I'm looking for. I saw some "made in China" tape without adhesive, but with a max 143° temperature rating, which means it's junk. It will work, but with a short lifetime. I've seen it in the 3M brand, but I can't find it on their website because they have 10 million types of tape and no real good way to filter search results. It is How is the tape from Amazon holding up? Also, that cloth electrical tape with adhesive is better for holding down the ends, and it is what Ford uses in some applications. I've also used zip ties to prevent the ends from coming apart.

Snapped this at lunch. Hope it helps. You can see the name brand inside the roll, not sure of the temp rating. I just used it this week, so still waiting on results. It's pretty wide. so easy to double up as you go, overlapping about half width.

 

[fastpakr]

This seems to be the same thing as what 850 has, but in a narrower roll. All I've found so far...

Amazon.com: TAEYOUNG OEM TAPE EG10B - NO-RESIDUE AUTOMOTIVE PVC TAPE (19MM x 25M,Wire Harness Adhesive,PVC,BLACK) : Industrial & Scientific

Buy TAEYOUNG OEM TAPE EG10B - NO-RESIDUE AUTOMOTIVE PVC TAPE (19MM x 25M,Wire Harness Adhesive,PVC,BLACK): Industrial & Scientific - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Made it into the paper!