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

[Rick W]

To anyone who really cares about English language, My OCD...
Bumper is spelled with a "p" on the second syllable.

I agree, and I am also of the school to point out little things to help elevate people. But after I read it again, it’s obviously he welded them on the bumper, but maybe he was going to go bumbing with them. Haven’t you vever bumbed?

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Only with the willing.

 

[scotts90ranger]

To anyone who really cares about English language, My OCD...
Bumper is spelled with a "p" on the second syllable.

Lol, I know, I was typing fast and it was late... I fixed it, those letters are on different hands, how'd I mess that up? I was frustrated at my computer and from doing taxes before that so yeah...

 

[DeeRanger]

Just some polishing and detailing. Great weather in the garage.

 

[IRKillroy]

I'm slowly removing the old sound deadening out of the floor. I have new 80mil matting with sound deadening for the flooring only.

 

[Rick W]

Lol, I know, I was typing fast and it was late... I fixed it, those letters are on different hands, how'd I mess that up? I was frustrated at my computer and from doing taxes before that so yeah...

Better you bumber us than the IRS…

 

[Rick W]

I finally started driving the Road Ranger again. The cam sync was the problem, & now I’m trying to shake off the dust from it sitting around mostly since August.

Other than routine maintenance, I finally aligned the new driving lamps. Halogen focus point amber driving lamps. I had them, but I would have bought them. When I go on the long trips through the hills and mountains, if there’s fog, I can’t see the road. Now I can.

I put in the new valance under the nose. I’ve driven with them a few times at night with the left blinding the guy coming at me, and the right side trying to dig a furrow 10 feet ahead of me. They’re so tight in the valence, I don’t think they’ll move, but I’m going to add a little E 6000 in a couple places to hold them in place.

Opposite that, on the top, I had put on some of those teardrop cab over lights when I was first building it. The aftermarket ones are just a piece of crap, and that’s being generous,no matter what I’d sourced. I thought I had replaced three out of the five, but when I was replacing them today, I realized I had already changed four out of five, and I think the center one got replaced two or three times. I gave up and bought the Chevy version, forgive me.

Half-and-half image, three new on the left.

The beauty is that those shorter wider lights still covered the drill holes in the roof from the teardrops, so no bodywork needed, no wasted rustoleum. So I put a good dose of E6000 over the old holes, and I was careful drilling the new holes, and the new lights I bought are fairly water tight above the roof. I was very careful putting down the foam mounting pad, and again I put E6000 on the holes, so I give them a 50-50 chance of not crapping out due to moisture.

The roof lights and the driving lamps, both the same color amber as the driving lights/turn signals.

The Chevy lights came with a wimpy LED, and I changed them to a brighter LED I had “in stock.

More to follow…

 

[Rick W]

I swapped out my 29 LTD classic CB with the front mic with an older 29LTD Classic. The old one has a better reputation, but it has the side mic. I drilled a 1 inch hole in the side panel I made, but I’m holding off cutting the end off the driver‘s visor until I get a better understanding if it works any better. I know I’m going to redo the antennas when I put the swing out mirrors on, so I’m hesitant to cut anything up till I’m sure it’s working right.

My brand new 30-year-old spare tire from the Rolls-Royce is seeping a little tiny bit of air all around the bead on both sides, so I swapped up another bullet hole wheel that had a slightly smaller tire on it for a spare. I’m thinking I’m going to break the bead on that old tire, and make a last-minute decision on whether I want to put a tube in it or whether I just want to clean up the rim a little bit and maybe put some silicone seal around it to hold the air in. Not the first time I got pinched by being frugal.

Other than that, I’ve just been chasing gremlins from the thing sitting for 7-8 months. Nothing serious. Tomorrow is wash day to head to caffeine and octane on Sunday. Again, come join me!

 

[ISX_15]

finally got my 1st gen running after 3 years of sitting. starter grinding was main culpurt and fixed it with 10 tooth ford escort gear.
installed powerspark ignition system
fixed washer fluid pump
working on the door handle, and working on the power steering pump leak issue.

 

[ISX_15]

power steering leak is fixed i think? time will tell but it used to leak FAST, seems good now. just grabbed a return and high pressure line from oreillys.
also put new v belts on!
back then i used power steering fluid , not knowing it takes ATF. so i need to perform a flush, cause the fluid looks like a strawberry shake now. power steering pump is 10x quieter now. used to whine like a hellcat.

 

[Rick W]

A couple steps forward, and a leap back. I’m totally flummoxed, but the left front speaker in the Missing Linc isn’t working. Everything is new. I’m trying to contact the medicine man who sold me my juju in Africa in 1977 (literally) when I was out there with Colgate Palmolive. I’m sure he can help me fix it.

On the 97 Road Ranger, both 29 LTD Classics work on my bench set up, but neither one in the truck.

I replaced the GE standby down by my brake control with a Uniden 510xl, a very good radio, on the temp whip, no joy. Again, both worked on the bench. (@sgtsandman jinxed me at truck nationals ‘23). I’m redoing the antennas after I put the fold out mirrors on, maybe this week, after caffeine and octane.

Picture to follow, but I put a couple raw LEDs, one amber and one red, inside the stainless steel arrow shaped stainless ends of the seam molding from the canvas roof on a Lincoln town car signature circa 86 to 89, held them in with E6000, and finished off the face with some gasket maker so they had a black finish facing back with just the tips of the two LEDs showing. Not showroom, but they came out pretty good. Unfortunately, because my brain is actually made out of an old wasp nest, I put them a little too low on the hood, a little too far forward, so I have to lean forward to see the one on the right. Low priority, but someday I’m moving them back a couple inches, and do the bodywork to fill these holes, and waste some more rustoleum…

I did wire the amber to the left & right turn signals, and the red ones to the trailer brake lights, and they’re working perfectly. I always do that so I know if the trailer brake circuit trips a fuse, or if I’m acting like the 70 year old old fart failing feeble old man I am, and I’m running down the road with the turn signals on….

The alignment on the fog/driving lamps seems good, so I put a dab of E 6000 on the backside on the lower left & right of both lights so they don’t shift out of vibration

And I can’t explain this at all, but the bright strobes I have around the cab were not working. I looked at the wires but didn’t have time to fool with them, drove the truck, and then they were working, and then they weren’t working, and then they were working. I haven’t looked out the bedroom window to see what they’re doing now. They are independent of the strobe circuit I have for the step trailer (which also work when they want to). Witch doctor consult on those too!

I actually did check and top off all my fluids, and fixed a few other things that would be routine maintenance to you guys, to be ready for caffeine and obtained tomorrow. Never got a chance to wash it, so the alarm is set for 6 AM so I can wash and roll at 6:30.

Oh, and as bad as it sounds, life is good. Most of what I did today was work on my truck that I actually wanted to do, not that I had to do. & for $20, I bought 75 CDs, one of which was a Hank Williams greatest hits. So I was listening to Hank (SR!!!! ) while I worked on my truck on what I wanted to do, and then I drove up to the cute little brunette’s place for a Saturday night movie. She smiled at me, scratched Lincol’s neck, and sent us on our way after a good kiss (I think because she doesn’t want the alarm to go off at 6 AM at her place). I just said it this week, but life doesn’t get much better…

Oh, and we saw “A Great Awakening.” Faith is all around us, but it is up to us to invite it in, and that it is available to the last breath in our lives. If you believe, or even if you don’t, if you love this nation in our nation’s history, it’s probably worth the 15 bucks to go see it. We loved it!

It’s 12:29, and I’m taking the rest of the day off, but only because I have to get up at six to wash the truck and host any of you guys who show up…