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

[lil_Blue_Ford]

@sgtsandman , if I had a decent vehicle, I could be available…

Choptop didn’t get fixed today. They were calling for high winds and rain so I got after it early and got it back on all four wheels and I moved into my shop to work on the driveshaft while I waited on Paul to show up with bolts…

Instead I got a call that he got the bolts but lost brakes on his vehicle, so I got to jump in the F-150 and go. He’s home and so is his vehicle, but now he has two with brake problems and two with engine problems. Sad state of affairs when the most reliable vehicle between us is my F-150 that is in shambles…

So… maybe tomorrow the Choptop can get finished…

 

[sgtsandman]

@sgtsandman , if I had a decent vehicle, I could be available…

Choptop didn’t get fixed today. They were calling for high winds and rain so I got after it early and got it back on all four wheels and I moved into my shop to work on the driveshaft while I waited on Paul to show up with bolts…

Instead I got a call that he got the bolts but lost brakes on his vehicle, so I got to jump in the F-150 and go. He’s home and so is his vehicle, but now he has two with brake problems and two with engine problems. Sad state of affairs when the most reliable vehicle between us is my F-150 that is in shambles…

So… maybe tomorrow the Choptop can get finished…

A bad explanation on my part. The person providing the help and has access to the property the freezer is coming from is the person I'm waiting on availability to help move it. He is a handyman and is doing work to clear a house that is for sale. He is giving me the freezer, with the current owner's permission, in return for me securing some long distance hole punchers for the owner until he can decide what he wants to do with them. It's a bad deal for the guy he is helping. I guess he fell, cracked his head, ended up in the hospital, and will be going to hospice after being released. From what I understand, the trauma caused loss of his ability to use his right hand and possibly some other issues.

Weather put me on hold as well. I was hoping to put the cut up wood in the firewood rack, do a final clearing of the garage to park the trailer, and maybe start on the wind break panels for the porch. None of that happened.

 

[holyford86]

Well, it was a pretty productive day considering how things have been going lately. Pulled the transfer case shift motor apart on my bench, cleaned the contacts, fixed some bent fingers, put it back together and on the truck and it shifts smoother than ever. Dad should be happy.

Got a plan together for the transmission crossmember for the Choptop. I’m not going to be able to lower the transmission any more than I have because right now the front driveshaft U-joint angles are pretty much perfect. 0.1 degree off. Lowering the transmission changes that alignment. I’m inclined to leave it alone.So I’m gonna do a little CAD (Cardboard Aided Design) tomorrow afternoon now and hopefully cut and tack together the new crossmember.

Also have a plan for the new spring perches. A close inspection of things tells me that the only thing that might have to happen is to flip one of the U-joints in the rear driveshaft because it has the grease zerk coming out at an angle and dummy me aimed it the wrong direction. Not the end of the world because I’m going to have to pull the driveshaft anyway when I go to fix my error with setting the pinion angle. Just gonna make things easier.

Speaking of that error, when I was looked at things today I realized that I should have realized that I was making a mistake when the wheel cylinders ended up sitting angled. Probably why I’ve had problems bleeding those. Argh. Well, it’s soon to be fixed and I’m going to remember this lesson.

Wish I had the money for a new diff cover, I’d like to pick up a Solid cover and stuff my LockRight in before winter hits.

Be careful with the Solid brand covers on a 28 spline 8.8, I bought one years ago and couldn't run it because there was better than 1/4 inch of interference between the ring gear and cover... one of my friends bought it from me and it fit fine on his 31 spline axle though.

Over here it was finish up the firewall and a couple small rust holes on the replacement cab. All I've got left is a little bit of work on one rear cab mount and I think I'm going to address some rust jacking between the seat support and floor pan and call it done. I'm working on a labor trade to get the cab painted in exchange for rewiring a fox body mustang from end to end. Guy has a new wiring harness for the car but it requires effectively making the engine wiring harness standalone. It's something I can do but he cannot. I can't paint to save my life, he owns a body shop, hopefully it's a win for everyone.

Here's a Pic of my pretty much finished firewall for reading all of this, haha.