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

[tw205]

Axle shopping for my lifted 85 BII with 33s. I think I scored . She has a Dana 35 out front and an open 7” Ford in the rear. Geared at 3.73. I found a used set, Dana 35 and 8.8 w/ disks and spring perches moved. Geared with Yukon 5.13 gears. Guy wants $300. If all is what he says I’m gonna take it. I can’t buy the gears for that money. 6 hour drive but I think it’s worth it. He also has a M50D 4x4 trans too. Waiting on his price but that would make a good trans for my other 85 BII. Yank out that A4LD.

 

[ThatOneGuy]

Well I went put to the big junk yard, about 20 acres of cars, and started searching for a single peice driveline for the 89. I found one a spicer product, had a single small shallow dent in it, but I'm not putting it behind a torq monster soo. Got it home got the remembered I have a u joint tool, so no more socket and hammer like last weekend. Got it apart, had a good amount of surface rust cleaned and sprayed with rust converter, than some enamel paint. I need to grind the rivets off the crossmember for the carrier bearing mount. Also got a set of air shocks to install.

 

[ThatOneGuy]

OK well I worked into the dark got the air ride shocks installed. Will just need to drill the hole for the Schrader valve. Going was slow due to the contents of that yeti cup

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Hey!! I’ll be there 150% in spirit, moral support!!’

View attachment 97735

(Yeah, like that’s worth a crap…)

Hey, I’ll take any support I can get at this point, moral support, good vibes, actual help, and definitely prayers because this is getting brutal quick. Woke up sore and with a headache. I’m gonna press on because it’s what I have to do, but I’m going to really pay for such indiscretions soon…

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

So yesterday the prep got finished on the frame section and with some help from dad, a couple pry bars, and a 3# drift, the section is roughly in place. Having some alignment issues, somehow I have a larger gap than expected (no worries, I’m plating with 3/16” plate and welding everything solid). Going to verify things off an undamaged Ranger today and get welding. Also got my rear shock mount bolts marked out to drill whenever, figured out how to make it work without modify a shock mount (passenger side mount had to move back by the tire hanger). Also hacked my way down to my barn and came up with my good crossmember for across the back of the cab, unfortunately the little bolt on bracket wasn’t with it. I think that part I’ve seen at Paul’s so at some point I’ll have to run up there and check, but if not I think I can weld a bit of flat stock to the old part and get past the rust that way on it. One way or another, it will go back together.

Also have an idea for fixing some of my issues. When I rebuild the spring packs again, I’m thinking take off the lift shackle and replace it with stock, then move the front leaf spring hangers down on the frame, so the top holes on the hanger bolt through the bottom holes on the frame, then weld a brace to the frame to catch the lower bolt holes on the bracket and weld extensions to the top to catch the upper frame bolt holes. Hopefully that won’t put too much leverage on the frame, but I think with all that bracing it should be ok. That would fix my ride height and most to all of my pinion angle issues. It’s a downward movement of the front hanger of 3.5” roughly. It also helps how the rear shock mounts look.

 

[Blmpkn]

Got the '96 insured and registered yesterday.. took it for a ride to get cat litter and put some gas in it.

Felt good to be back in a little truck.. needs some tinkering though. I feel like front end needs some attention? Although having never driven a TIB vehicle before... it might just be how these drive lol

 

[Uncle Gump]

TIB Motto...

It be like it be

 

[Uncle Gump]

I haven't done it yet... but I wanna.

Probably gonna create a new level of road noise.

Probably lose a mpg with it... two with the canoe.

Still considering drillin holes... what y'all think?

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Well, I’ve measured three trucks and have three different measurements but splitting the difference seems to make the most sense so we are about to weld the frame solid. Splitting the difference also puts me at my original numbers for my frame so I’m calling that close enough….

 

[ThatOneGuy]

There

And for those who said JUST remove the carrier bearing mount, wish engineers could over engineer everything like they did the metallurgy in them rivets. And I also disassembled part of the original parking brake adjuster to get this part to conect the 2 ends.

 

[sgtsandman]

I haven't done it yet... but I wanna.

Probably gonna create a new level of road noise.

Probably lose a mpg with it... two with the canoe.

Still considering drillin holes... what y'all think?

View attachment 97828

I would mount that on a removable low profile roof rack if it’s in your budget. You’re still drilling holes but you won’t taking the mpg hit until you need to.

A set of racks is going to be about a 1 mpg hit with aero bars and there will be some whistling. Throw an air dam on there to eliminate the whistling will cost you another mpg.

I have no idea what a basket will do but it will drop the mpg and it will probably be noisy.

 

[Blmpkn]

I had a basket on the roof of my old turbo outback.. IIRC the only time I really noticed a meaningful amount of noise was during cross-winds.

 

[Rick W]

So yesterday the prep got finished on the frame section and with some help from dad, a couple pry bars, and a 3# drift, the section is roughly in place. Having some alignment issues, somehow I have a larger gap than expected (no worries, I’m plating with 3/16” plate and welding everything solid). Going to verify things off an undamaged Ranger today and get welding. Also got my rear shock mount bolts marked out to drill whenever, figured out how to make it work without modify a shock mount (passenger side mount had to move back by the tire hanger). Also hacked my way down to my barn and came up with my good crossmember for across the back of the cab, unfortunately the little bolt on bracket wasn’t with it. I think that part I’ve seen at Paul’s so at some point I’ll have to run up there and check, but if not I think I can weld a bit of flat stock to the old part and get past the rust that way on it. One way or another, it will go back together.

Also have an idea for fixing some of my issues. When I rebuild the spring packs again, I’m thinking take off the lift shackle and replace it with stock, then move the front leaf spring hangers down on the frame, so the top holes on the hanger bolt through the bottom holes on the frame, then weld a brace to the frame to catch the lower bolt holes on the bracket and weld extensions to the top to catch the upper frame bolt holes. Hopefully that won’t put too much leverage on the frame, but I think with all that bracing it should be ok. That would fix my ride height and most to all of my pinion angle issues. It’s a downward movement of the front hanger of 3.5” roughly. It also helps how the rear shock mounts look.

TIB?

 

[Rick W]

I haven't done it yet... but I wanna.

Probably gonna create a new level of road noise.

Probably lose a mpg with it... two with the canoe.

Still considering drillin holes... what y'all think?

View attachment 97828

I’m lost. Drill what? Tires will go flat if you mean them….

 

[Rick W]

Well, I’ve measured three trucks and have three different measurements but splitting the difference seems to make the most sense so we are about to weld the frame solid. Splitting the difference also puts me at my original numbers for my frame so I’m calling that close enough….

Actually triangulate…