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

[Rick W]

Arm rest slop and padding:

The 87 has 93 seats in it and the 97 has the original 97 seats in it. Both are the 6040 high back with the fold up/fold down armrest mounted on the inside side of the driver seat. The 97 folds down too far, and on the 87 not only does it fold down too far, it also folds away from the seat, and it’s real loose and rattley .

When I had the seat out and sitting on a bench, I took the armrest off. I cut open the side of my seat a little bit to look at the steel frame that receives the bolt that holds the armrest. It’s straight as an arrow, it’s built like a brick out house, so that’s not the problem. The seat has a seat cover, I took it off, so I wasn’t too worried about taking a little of the OEM seat fabric off from around where it swings.

I know from messing with them before there is a big washer, a spring washer, and a couple of fine shim looking washers. Those are missing from this unit. You can torque down the screw, and the armrest is still wobbly. I took it apart. The steel bracket that is part of the arm breast is also built like a brick outhouse and is doubtfully the problem.

This bar goes between the seat frame and the armrest. The armrest rotates on the front round hole, and the left rear hole has a pin with a cotter pin through it that acts as a stop for how far the armrest can move up and down.

This shot shows the star bolt that goes from the inside of the armrest through to the side of the seat. I don’t have the thin shims, and two regular old hardware store washers were there so it wouldn’t wobble too much, but I don’t think they are OEM. I fabricated a new plate there.

The holes on the armrest and on the chair looked fine. The holes on this plate that goes between them were egg out maybe a 16th of an inch. When you put the arm rest on it, you could wiggle it up and down like an inch or two. I think it’s supposed to be snug. I made the new plate with the holes in the exact same place, and the forward hole egged a little bit elongated. Seems to work fine.

I cut a 1/8 inch thick piece of diamond plate to make an inside spacer for the bolt that holds it together. Basically I made an aluminum washer, 1/8 inch thick. If you look at it in the picture, the flange is pretty thin, but it does fit securely into the armrest and acts as an axle for that armrest to pivot. When I cut the hole in the aluminum, I drilled a hole that was a hair too small for the fat part of that bolt to slide in. I closed the jaws on grandpa’s vice close enough so I can sit the washer there and actually tap the bolt through with a small hammer until the aluminum was up against that outside flange. Then I put the whole thing together.

The arm armrest now sits dead level and does not wobble from side to side at all. It should still pivot up and back, but the bolt is so tight that you have to pull on it really hard. I think if I can find one of the thin shims to put between the armrest and the seat, it will work perfectly functionally. No biggie for me since I never put it up. It’s Lincoln’s pedestal when we take trips together.

The padding on top of the arm rest was just about worn out. When it was wobbling left to right, I think my elbow would rest more on the corner edge than on the top, and I’m sure that contributed to my elbow nerve damage requiring the surgery. No fun considering it’s a stupid easy fix.

The seat cover has an independent unit that is a “bucket” that goes around the bottom of the armrest, and then a similar shallow bucket, kind of like an old ladies hat you put on with a drawstring for the top.

I went down to 5 Below and got one of the dense foam stadium seats. It’s the right length from front to back, and it’s easy to cut off the excess on the side. I drilled holes and used four or five zip ties to hold the pad in place under the cover. When I put the cover back on, there was just enough extra fabric that I could use three or four zip ties and pull the bottom sides around over the lip so you didn’t see the old arm rest material, and I did the same thing with the top.

It’s just the right consistency that I could put my elbow on it and not go instantly numb.

I’m going to do the same thing to the 97 when I catch my breath a little bit. It will help, but what it has now is it horrible, so I’ve got a little time.

ATTACH=full]137465[/ATTACH]

EDITED out a bunch of typos.Driving it a few times now, it seems to do the trick.

 

[superj]

So, I have a stock 8.8” cover now. I was really trying to get my hands on something like a Solid cover or something more substantial than the stamped tin stock covers since this is supposed to be an off-road capable rig and had been putting off installing the locker as a result.

Well, winter sucks and I’m over it. I can’t afford to drop the money on a cover for at least another month if not three and by then winter will be more over than not. The one-wheel-peel isn’t cutting it. I’m intending on stuffing the passenger side axle shaft back in come next week too so I can have 4x4 again. Frickin tired of not having a decent vehicle.

I bought onw of those cheap generic aluminum finned ford motorsport clones off ebay or amazon about two years ago and put on mine. It had some fins inside and one fin hit the gear on my 4.10 so i ground it off smooth with a 4" grinder. That cover fit and looks great and it was cheap. 50 bucks or so

Aluminum (Finned) 8.8" Axle Rear Differential Cover for 1985-2014 Ford Mustang | eBay

1985-2014 Ford Mustang. 1 YEAR WARRANTY For all products. All of our parts, be it suspension parts, electrical parts, engine parts, body panels, drivetrain parts are ISO/TS16949 certified by quality manufactures from all across the globe.

ebay.us

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

So if you want cheap limited slip, you can add an extra shim to the side gears. I've personally done this to a 9" and a d-28. Its cheap. Cost of fluid and a shim if the shim is new. Thats pretty cheap. This does put extra pressure on the side gears and the shims will wear much quicker until its not limited slip anymore. But its cheap. There is also a very slim chance of something breaking. Did i mention its cheap?

 

[Jim Oaks]

I put 5oz of diff fluid in the rear diff of my 2021 Ranger because it has a pinion seal leak.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Off and on I think of getting a differential lock for the Road Ranger. 97 XLT five speed 4.0. After I put the stage three clutch in it, a sharper spin a drive tires almost every time I pull out. I’m concerned that if I get into any kind of bad weather, it’ll be a problem.

I’m a decent shade tree, but I haven’t done that much inside the rear ends. I don’t want to weld something, I’d prefer to put in some manufactured piece that will do the trick. And like always I don’t want to spend a lot of money. What are the options and what am I looking at?

Will it kill the gas mileage and/or will it affect the drive ability.? It drives like a dream now.

A limited slip rear axle with extra clutch disks or better yet a geared limited slip (but that means re-setting the gears, I’ve swapped in the factory limited slip with clutch disks by just finding the appropriate axle in a junkyard) is the most street friendly. A stock limited slip with a couple extra clutches will work almost like a locker. That’s what was in the Choptop until I blew the spinny bits inside apart (7.5” rear) and I never had a problem spinning a pair of 35” tires with it just like a locker would do.

A welded rear, aka a Lincoln Locker, is the least street friendly. It is, however, the absolute cheapest option.

The best locker to run is an E-locker where it works like an open rear end until you hit a switch and then it locks up. That also involves setting up gears and is the most expensive option (like $1,200+ just for the locker).

Next step down from that would be a Detroit or similar, but you’re still messing with gears.

Then there’s what I put in the Choptop last night and what’s been in my F-150 for like 15+ years. A “lunchbox locker”, which is a little fiddly but does not require messing with the gears. Both of mine are the LockRight brand, but there’s others out there like Aussie and Ox. It takes the place of the side gears and spider gears in the differential. Few hundred bucks at most.

My F-150 I’ve taken to running the clutch in and coasting around tight bends when I can because the locker will grab under load. I’m not sure if that’s an always thing or if I don’t have it quite right or what in that truck, so we’ll see how it does in the Choptop.

They also have a habit of putting you sideways quickly if both tires lose grip and they will push the front end around, I have to run 4x4 in the F-150 more often just because I need the front end digging to pull it around bends in really slippery conditions, otherwise I go straight no matter what I do with the steering wheel. So it takes some learning to drive. If you want traction though, lockers deliver.

Oh yeah, fuel economy impact is especially zero.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I bought onw of those cheap generic aluminum finned ford motorsport clones off ebay or amazon about two years ago and put on mine. It had some fins inside and one fin hit the gear on my 4.10 so i ground it off smooth with a 4" grinder. That cover fit and looks great and it was cheap. 50 bucks or so

Aluminum (Finned) 8.8" Axle Rear Differential Cover for 1985-2014 Ford Mustang | eBay

1985-2014 Ford Mustang. 1 YEAR WARRANTY For all products. All of our parts, be it suspension parts, electrical parts, engine parts, body panels, drivetrain parts are ISO/TS16949 certified by quality manufactures from all across the globe.

ebay.us

Yeah, but rocks and aluminum don’t go well together, lol. I’ve thought of this and I actually was trying to get to the junkyard and grab an aluminum cover off an Explorer but I haven’t had a chance to do that and the weather has gone to crap that every day I’ve thought of trying to make a junkyard run, and nothing pressing has interfered, the weather is to crappy to venture out with a 1-wheel drive. Doesn’t matter if the weatherman says no precipitation, it will rain or snow or both. And I have to venture out tomorrow.

Doesn’t matter anyway, I’m gonna have to pop the diff cover to deal with some other things like my shims being worn and I need to replace the pinion seal so it’s just getting packaged up and sent for now. I’ll deal with it when I can get the diff cover and parts.

 

[Rick W]

So if you want cheap limited slip, you can add an extra shim to the side gears. I've personally done this to a 9" and a d-28. Its cheap. Cost of fluid and a shim if the shim is new. Thats pretty cheap. This does put extra pressure on the side gears and the shims will wear much quicker until its not limited slip anymore. But its cheap. There is also a very slim chance of something breaking. Did i mention its cheap?

Obviously, I made my point about being cheap! But what’s the next step up that would be reliable long-term if I could squeeze out a few more nickels.

Edit: I sent this before reading the other options you mentioned. I’m not particularly averse to messing with the gears as long as I have clear instructions.

My 97 is a simple open rear end. How are the clutches you’re talking about engaged? It sounds like having one I could flip on and off might be the best option for me. I have no issues driving on a dry highway, and I’m thinking of this for maybe when there’s snow or rain to help the drive tires grab better.

I also have some full chains, and the simple “belt” chains, and one set of the belt cables. When I say “Belt” I mean the ones that are a single item like the belt you wear that only go in one spot on the wheel. I haven’t checked to see if any will fit this Ranger. I think I’ve had one set since college 50 years ago, and I picked the others out of the trunks of cars in the scrapyard, and just put them on the shelf. Not a big need for them down here, and I have two four-wheel-drives for running errands. This would be for a long trip and the weather changes.

 

[Rick W]

Obviously, I made my point about being cheap! But what’s the next step up that would be reliable long-term if I could squeeze out a few more nickels.

Edit: I sent this before reading the other options you mentioned. I’m not particularly averse to messing with the gears as long as I have clear instructions.

My 97 is a simple open rear end. How are the clutches you’re talking about engaged? It sounds like having one I could flip on and off might be the best option for me. I have no issues driving on a dry highway, and I’m thinking of this for maybe when there’s snow or rain to help the drive tires grab better.

I also have some full chains, and the simple “belt” chains, and one set of the belt cables. When I say “Belt” I mean the ones that are a single item like the belt you wear that only go in one spot on the wheel. I haven’t checked to see if any will fit this Ranger. I think I’ve had one set since college 50 years ago, and I picked the others out of the trunks of cars in the scrapyard, and just put them on the shelf. Not a big need for them down here, and I have two four-wheel-drives for running errands. This would be for a long trip and the weather changes.

97 rear end:
S338A/3 55 88 7FO5: 355 open 8.8 rear

 

[sgtsandman]

Off and on I think of getting a differential lock for the Road Ranger. 97 XLT five speed 4.0. After I put the stage three clutch in it, a sharper spin a drive tires almost every time I pull out. I’m concerned that if I get into any kind of bad weather, it’ll be a problem.

I’m a decent shade tree, but I haven’t done that much inside the rear ends. I don’t want to weld something, I’d prefer to put in some manufactured piece that will do the trick. And like always I don’t want to spend a lot of money. What are the options and what am I looking at?

Will it kill the gas mileage and/or will it affect the drive ability.? It drives like a dream now.

It won't have much, if any effect fuel mileage. Drive ability depends on the style of locker you get. Auto lockers can be quirky and there is a learning curve with them. Selectable lockers act like a normal open differential when off and there is a lot of binding and scrub on dry pavement when on. Both can significantly increase turning radius when engaged.

For your purposes, a limited slip might be a better choice than a locker. If you get a gear driven one, like a Torsen or an Eaton, you don't even have to have the friction modifier.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that installing a locker or a limited slip isn't hard, it's just labor intensive and can be frustrating as all get out getting the back lash and tooth engagement right on Ford axles. Any time you change the carrier or gears, you need to reset backlash and tooth engagement changing, adding, and removing spacers from the pinion, and left and right sides of the carrier.

 

[sgtsandman]

I bought onw of those cheap generic aluminum finned ford motorsport clones off ebay or amazon about two years ago and put on mine. It had some fins inside and one fin hit the gear on my 4.10 so i ground it off smooth with a 4" grinder. That cover fit and looks great and it was cheap. 50 bucks or so

Aluminum (Finned) 8.8" Axle Rear Differential Cover for 1985-2014 Ford Mustang | eBay

1985-2014 Ford Mustang. 1 YEAR WARRANTY For all products. All of our parts, be it suspension parts, electrical parts, engine parts, body panels, drivetrain parts are ISO/TS16949 certified by quality manufactures from all across the globe.

ebay.us

For what it is worth, a major driveline company did a study on finned and other differential covers in the past (Brinks I think), because of how the air flows around the differential, the fins do not add any cooling benefit. They really don't hurt anything being there but they also don't help. Their answer was to change the fin configuration and add diverter plates to get air flow over the fins. All well and good on a road vehicle, but will get busted off pretty quick in off road applications. Something the traditional finned differential covers really don't have to worry about.

 

[SenorNoob]

I'm just gonna leave this here:

Ford 8.8 Differential Cover - Heavy Duty Axle Protection | RuffStuff Specialties

Ford 8.8" differential cover for heavy-duty axle protection. Steel construction with mounting hardware for reliable differential armor from RuffStuff Specialties.

www.ruffstuffspecialties.com

 

[ekrampitzjr]

Tweaked the front wheel bearings due to a hint of vibration, as I've had before when that was due, and checked the left front brake pads because of brake dust on that wheel. Taking the truck on Wednesday on a Christmas trip to see my brother in Pennsylvania. It turned over 185,000 miles a few days ago.

My brother is talking about trying to find an older Ranger for those times when a pickup would be handy. He doesn't want to buy anything new. He's also realized that he isn't likely to find a Toyota pickup in good condition for a reasonable price up there.