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

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Afterthought, but the driveline shop is an almost 100 year old family business. Pleasant people, good service, great knowledge, hospitality, and a thank you for doing business with us when you’re done.

They literally have driveline parts from model T’s to modern Peterbilts. Dirty, nasty, greasy pitstop kind of place off the main road, with all kinds of junk around the perimeter, sorted as if it was placed there by a large explosion in the middle of the place.

When I went out and walked Lincoln, I passed this stack of driveshafts that was marked “60s“.

View attachment 128045

my favorite was the show and tell assortment on the counter when you walk in the front door

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I call that kind of stuff “shop art” and it’s even better when you make the art yourself

 

[ekrampitzjr]

my favorite was the show and tell assortment on the counter when you walk in the front door

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Now that's a cringeworthy collection.

 

[Rick W]

Air conditioning question:

97 4.0 5sp 2WD

Last year, @snoranger and @97RangerXLT (and some others of you) were a great help in restoring the air conditioning on that truck. I apparently have a teeny tiny leak as I had to put in a couple cans of Freon over the last 12 months, but I can live with that till it gets worse.

Here’s my question: it’s blowing icy cold, but it doesn’t seem like enough air is coming through the dashboard. I looked around, and I checked the fuses, but I didn’t find anything.

What else can I check? Is there some kind of high speed, low speed controller gizmo I should check on the high and low fan settings? Is it maybe just full of crud in the ducts? Or ???

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Air conditioning question:

97 4.0 5sp 2WD

Last year, @snoranger and @97RangerXLT (and some others of you) were a great help in restoring the air conditioning on that truck. I apparently have a teeny tiny leak as I had to put in a couple cans of Freon over the last 12 months, but I can live with that till it gets worse.

Here’s my question: it’s blowing icy cold, but it doesn’t seem like enough air is coming through the dashboard. I looked around, and I checked the fuses, but I didn’t find anything.

What else can I check? Is there some kind of high speed, low speed controller gizmo I should check on the high and low fan settings? Is it maybe just full of crud in the ducts? Or ???

Does fan speed change when you adjust it and it’s just not moving much air?

If the fan speed really doesn’t change, it may be the blower motor resistor, common problem. Sometimes the connector for it goes bad. It’s in the engine compartment in between the blower motor and AC evaporator core. If it’s just not moving much air, could be blend door problem, plugged duct (mice), or blower motor/squirrel cage fan bit on it.

 

[Briansshop]

What you got in the rear now? Looks like maybe a shackle flip.

Yup. Did that first a year or so ago. Now with the beams,needing a bit more. Adding front hangers to see if that'll do.

 

[JoshT]

Yup. Did that first a year or so ago. Now with the beams,needing a bit more. Adding front hangers to see if that'll do.

If that doesn;t get you where you want, consider reversing the shackle flip and doing an axle flip instead.

 

[Snatchsquatch]

The issue I see with putting them in the open is control. I'm not sugesting that it is it is his plan, but what if @Snatchsquatch wanted to provide the file for those of us with printers (which I appreciate) and wanted to print them for those that don't. Maybe make a small profit on priting them for as payment for his time creating the file and as a service to fellow Ranger owners. If that STL is placed where it is publicly available, it won't take long for a third party to take it and start selling them on ETSY or Ebay with no credit or kickback to him. Not accusing anyone on this site of doing that, there are sellers on both of those sites that make a lifing from doing exactly that, scraping the internet for STL files to steal and profit from.

Actually I sell most of my other printed and machined stuff on feebay. The Ranger parts are mostly for me but I'd share with whoever as most of the parts are kinda fussy to fit and a lot of buyers are a pain to deal with.

 

[Snatchsquatch]

I printed the 2 repair parts for the steering column repair, now just waiting for the glue to dry so I can put it together tomorrow.

 

[rubydist]

".stl" files are not currently accepted for upload. I have contacted Jim and Ryan to see if that is something that could or should be added as a forum feature. We may need to wait until the next forum software update coming in the next few months. So, please be patient.

In the mean time, You may be able to use Google drive as a place to share your files. It is fairly easy if you have a Google account. Just put the file in your Google drive, perhaps in a separate folder. Then make that file and/or folder shareable. Then post the link to it in a TRS forum thread.

I think most of the .stl files will be too big to want to upload anyway. I think the best way to both make them available and control what is going on with it is to make a thread stating what files are available, put them on the Google drive and then have people pm to get access to that Google drive location.

 

[Briansshop]

If that doesn;t get you where you want, consider reversing the shackle flip and doing an axle flip instead.

I'd prefer to flip/spring under it. Just thinking on the stock flat spring it'll be too much drop. Anyone have info on a rear spring with more arch? 4wd spring maybe?

Hell, I guess I could mock it up with axle on top of the springs. Could always go with a longer shackle to fine tune it....

 

[JoshT]

I'd prefer to flip/spring under it. Just thinking on the stock flat spring it'll be too much drop. Anyone have info on a rear spring with more arch? 4wd spring maybe?

Hell, I guess I could mock it up with axle on top of the springs. Could always go with a longer shackle to fine tune it....

Differences in spring packs were tied to spring rate and selected on rated load capacity. 2wds & 4wds used the same spring packs for the various load ratings, the 4wds added a lift block for the extra height.

Sounds like the stock springs are pretty worn out and sagging, they should not be flat. They could probably stand to be replaced anyway. Almost any Ranger rear spring up until 2011 will bolt in and likely give more arch as long as they aren't slap worn out like the stockers. Explorer leafs will work as well and may give more height if that is what is needed to counter too much drop from axle flip, but I'd start with Ranger leafs. You can find a lot more leaf spring information in the suspension section of our technical library.

If it were mine... Well to be honest I'd be happy with that stance, but...

I'd mock up spring under with the curent springs, which I'm sure will be too low based on flat springs. Then see if you can see if you can get away with 1-1.5" of lift to make it good, if so buy a set of chevy drop shackles from the auto parts store since they lift a Ranger (without a flipped hanger).

If that isn't going to work for height, run like it is until I can get replacement springs to install, then do the same. Given the flat springs, I'd probably do that anyway.

 

[Rick W]

Differences in spring packs were tied to spring rate and selected on rated load capacity. 2wds & 4wds used the same spring packs for the various load ratings, the 4wds added a lift block for the extra height.

Sounds like the stock springs are pretty worn out and sagging, they should not be flat. They could probably stand to be replaced anyway. Almost any Ranger rear spring up until 2011 will bolt in and likely give more arch as long as they aren't slap worn out like the stockers. Explorer leafs will work as well and may give more height if that is what is needed to counter too much drop from axle flip, but I'd start with Ranger leafs. You can find a lot more leaf spring information in the suspension section of our technical library.

If it were mine... Well to be honest I'd be happy with that stance, but...

I'd mock up spring under with the curent springs, which I'm sure will be too low based on flat springs. Then see if you can see if you can get away with 1-1.5" of lift to make it good, if so buy a set of chevy drop shackles from the auto parts store since they lift a Ranger (without a flipped hanger).

If that isn't going to work for height, run like it is until I can get replacement springs to install, then do the same. Given the flat springs, I'd probably do that anyway.

if you could write down and explain what you want for springs, or what your issue is why your springs don’t work, this drive train shop I used for my driveshaft is pretty deep into all of that stuff as well. They’re located a couple miles from my house. If you could send pictures and sketches with dimensions and how much the rise of the spring is, etc. I’d be happy to go over and talk to these guys and see what they might do and see what it might cost.

 

[Briansshop]

Differences in spring packs were tied to spring rate and selected on rated load capacity. 2wds & 4wds used the same spring packs for the various load ratings, the 4wds added a lift block for the extra height.

Sounds like the stock springs are pretty worn out and sagging, they should not be flat. They could probably stand to be replaced anyway. Almost any Ranger rear spring up until 2011 will bolt in and likely give more arch as long as they aren't slap worn out like the stockers. Explorer leafs will work as well and may give more height if that is what is needed to counter too much drop from axle flip, but I'd start with Ranger leafs. You can find a lot more leaf spring information in the suspension section of our technical library.

If it were mine... Well to be honest I'd be happy with that stance, but...

I'd mock up spring under with the curent springs, which I'm sure will be too low based on flat springs. Then see if you can see if you can get away with 1-1.5" of lift to make it good, if so buy a set of chevy drop shackles from the auto parts store since they lift a Ranger (without a flipped hanger).

If that isn't going to work for height, run like it is until I can get replacement springs to install, then do the same. Given the flat springs, I'd probably do that anyway.

Good info,thanks.

I hear ya on the stance. It's close,if it was just an 1" lower in the back I could like it.

 

[JoshT]

Maybe try the chevy drop shackles with the flipped hanger. They have two sets of spring holes that you can use. IIRC one is good for about 3/4" - 1" and the other for about 1.5" - 2".

 

[sgtsandman]

IIRC, flipping the axle from under spring to over spring yeilds about a 3" drop. If the springs are worn, replacing them with new ones will negate some of the drop and might get you where you want to be.