2002 Ford Ranger Sean's Ranger Build/Update

[1freaky1]

Ok so since yesterday was so busy I managed to squeeze in a little bit of udating the Ranger. I got the following either repainted or finally painted, wheels, lugs, sliders, emblems, bumpers, frame and suspension.

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j70/scwinddancers/my%20truck/002.jpg

Big improvement.

[Funrover]

Sure... make me look bad

[Funrover]

I need to wax, touch up the Rover after looking at this pic. Looks nice

[1freaky1]

Thats friggin sharp buddy. I like it! What kinda basket is that on the roof?

Dan that is one of the accessories I build and sell.

[1freaky1]

I need to wax, touch up the Rover after looking at this pic. Looks nice

Wax what is that LOL, I actually have not waxed this truck since I bought it, I know I have been really bad!!!

[Warrlord]

:thunb: :thunb: Lookin' good Sean!

[Pathrat]

Looks pretty sharp!

[Chris]

Looks good Sean!

[1freaky1]

Thanks everyone! I need to make some time to do a complete detail on her, Val I was talking this afternoon about that ans the car too, just need to make the time but with two different work schedules its kinda tuff.

[Hypoid]

It does clean up nicely!

[1freaky1]

Looks really good, Sean!

Hey...would that Maguires Gold Class work on my heap? Anyone can chime in on that.....
Thanks Pete,
It would work but I think it would tear up some polishing clothes pretty good!

[1freaky1]

Well I started builing the next stage of the truck and wouldn't you know I missed one of my measurements when bending up the pipe for the cage now I get to start over.

[1freaky1]

Just a couple hours work, no biggy tho I found a way to work around it and got it straightened out this afternoon. So tomorrow I should be welding that section on the truck.

[Hypoid]

So where are the pictures? I like pictures!!! :D

[1freaky1]

Well after and depressing run to the junk yard today I did walk out with a few things that will be added to the truck over the summer, I will be adding tube doors to it after the exo is done.
Reason it was a bummer is I had a Dana44 all picked out to get for my SAS that was comple except for the leafs, anyhoots while pulling some beamer parts for the 57 I did not notice the loader moving the 1980 Jeep Cherokee that I was getting the axle from and by the time I got done and headed back to the cherokee it was too late. The guy running the loader just dropped another veihcle right on the roof of it and picking both of them up to put in the crusher. Before I could get his attention he was gone. I did find another one but someone has pulled some of the parts so I will keep seeking another one out. If I don't find one then I will use the one I have on hand, unless someonewants to buy it from me.

[Hypoid]

Ok, I heard a grinder over the phone today. Where are the pics???

I didn't know you were considering the waggy axles. One of the NAXJA guys has a set of D-44 waggy axles with wheels to keep the same lug pattern all around.

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=994379

Of ocurse, if you have ABS you have other problems to work around. :(

[1freaky1]

Guilty about the grinder, I was working on the 57 til Val came home, no pics taken today but I will after I finish this part of the build.

[1freaky1]

Well yesterday I got the first part of the exo cage welded on to the truck and gusseted too, and know I am out of welding gas so everything is on hold til that is refilled.

[1freaky1]

Oh these guys are really good about returning the bottle, they know that out of every25-30 bottles at least one come in empty fropm their supplier so they will exchange it no problem.

[1freaky1]

so did you get charged for an empty tank?
Yes you exchange the tank then go in and pay for it, I just had to call them after I found out next time I will crack it open when doing the exchange before I load it up.

[Hypoid]

Yes you exchange the tank then go in and pay for it, I just had to call them after I found out next time I will crack it open when doing the exchange before I load it up.
Then tighten the bejezus out of it. Every now and again I'll grab an empty at work, then blame some nameless coworker. LOL It happens.

[1freaky1]

Ok so I picked up the new tank and they double checked with a gauge while I watched plus they even gave me new nozzles for my welder for my troubles which was cool.
But toady I got the bed off and the second hoop welded up plus a couple cross supports, and made a new mount for the gas filler neck. Tomorrow weather permitting hoping to get the rest of the supports in and the side rails done up. Will get pics of it for ya'll too.

[4Runninfun]

pics man we need to see!

[1freaky1]

Still need to cut & weld in 4 more cross brace for the top of the hoops and do my drops, and X bracing then its on to fabbing the new bed before doing the roof and front parts of the cage. Removing the bed made the rear shocks go to full extension and man what a rough ride!!!!
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j70/scwinddancers/my%20truck/P1060770.jpg
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j70/scwinddancers/my%20truck/P1060771.jpg
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j70/scwinddancers/my%20truck/P1060772.jpg
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j70/scwinddancers/my%20truck/P1060773.jpg

[Chris]

Looks great! Thanks for the pics!

[Funrover]

SWEET!!! The madness has begun!

[Brody]

Now ya done it! It will never be the same again...it just gets worse...trust me...

Hey..instead of doin the Chevy springs, how about trying your basic Chevy style shackle reversal on the rear. You will gain about 3 1/2 to 4" on lift and a bunch of flex..

[Hypoid]

Looks good Sean! Now I feel inspired to dig through my junk and find that hydraulic stuff I told you about. ;)

[1freaky1]

That would be awesome Mike, but right now my battle is finding a new chuck for my drill press, it has been discontinued according to Delta, I've chacked the local tool stores and no one carrys it, This has been a two day battle and stopping progress on the cage. Contemplating just buying a new DP and mess with the other at a later date.
As for the hydrualic stuff it would work great since I modified my bender which works a lot nicer now just takes my physical power to operate it tho, Heck I was getting out a shape anyway, good exercise!!!

[4Runninfun]

lookin good!

[1freaky1]

lookin good!

Thank you, here in the last 2 days whatever can pop up to slow the progess of it surely has been doing so tho.

[1freaky1]

ok hope this works, here are a few pics of what my truck would look like w/ the full size axles under it
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v335/bdcharma/sas/mytruck116.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v335/bdcharma/sas/mytruck113.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v335/bdcharma/sas/mytruck107.jpg
This one is running a 9" in the back which is what I was originally planning on doing but am rethinking this since Larry was informing of a few issues I could be faced with.

[1freaky1]

So since I saved some money from my trip to Oregon last week, I was searching out CL yesterday and scored some things for my ranger to help me along on the build up here are the pics of what I got.

This is a rolling chassis w/ HP Dana44 and 4 linked 9" rear
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j70/scwinddancers/my%20truck/P1070507.jpg

The rear
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j70/scwinddancers/my%20truck/P1070506.jpg

The Dana44 with Warn Lockouts
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j70/scwinddancers/my%20truck/P1070505.jpg

The 4 link
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j70/scwinddancers/my%20truck/P1070504.jpg

Now I am only going to be using the D44 and 9" on the ranger, as the 4 link looks pretty wimpy for offroad use & the chassis is going under the 57 w/ the stock front suspension and 4 link rear. Jon Thank you for the car dolley too!

[Brody]

Nice score!

I like the fish plate reinforcements on the chassis butt joints....:lol::lol::lol:

Nice to get all those heim joints...

[1freaky1]

I found out yesterday that a couple of the Heim Joints were the cheapie ones I busted one towing it home from south Littleton. but the rest seem to be heavier duty and can be used for a few things.

Oh yeah and Pete did you notice the arch on those leaf springs? wondering how much they will lift the ranger.

[1freaky1]

Thanks to Pete for the use of his plasma cutter I got more done yesterday, finished the behind cab X bracing and narrowed up the rear bumper just need to cap the ends today and get with Mike for the 1/8' plate for the new flooring then its on to finishing the side rails, the roof hoop and front. I post pics once I get the side rails and flooring & rear fenders done up.

[4Runninfun]

looking forward to pics! how did that tow dolly work out for you?

[1freaky1]

it did fine Thank you John! How is the new parts rig, it looked fairly complete when it went by us.

[4Runninfun]

good glad it worked for you.

[Brody]

Oh yeah and Pete did you notice the arch on those leaf springs? wondering how much they will lift the ranger.


The only thing I looked at was the front springs and they aren't what you want to use on the rear. I didn't take a look at the rear springs.

If I were you, I would do the shackle reversal and see how it all looks. You will get about 5" of lift in the rear just by doing that. Probably want to do the shackle reversal anyway and if the Ranger springs don't do it, toss the other chassis springs on.

[1freaky1]

I decided to work I got the rear on the rear bumper and change it up a bit so here is what I did, after I got the rear X brace finished
Before;
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j70/scwinddancers/my%20truck/P1070544.jpg

After notching the ends and narrowing it;
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j70/scwinddancers/my%20truck/P1070546.jpg

Cutting the rear frame;
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j70/scwinddancers/my%20truck/P1070547.jpg

New mounting location is up 5 inches and forward 7 inches, this will increase my departure angle about 5-7 degrees I think;
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j70/scwinddancers/my%20truck/P1070556.jpg

I also welded in some expanded steel to protect my driving lights and welded on my signature plate I fabbed up a while back;
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j70/scwinddancers/my%20truck/P1070557.jpg

[Brody]

Sweet, Sean! Keep 'em coming! I am glad the plasma cutter is working out well for you!

[Funrover]

PLASMA CUTTER!!!! SWEET!! BTW How is old green working for ya?

[1freaky1]

Old Green?? Aaron you mean the car dolly or the ranger?

[Funrover]

Old Green?? Aaron you mean the car dolly or the ranger?

Dolly, I am sure Jon told you the story I have with it!

[Chris]

Looks great Sean, look forward to seeing it in person!

[1freaky1]

Dolly, I am sure Jon told you the story I have with it!
Nope he didn't, but it is doing fine.



Looks great Sean, look forward to seeing it in person!

Thank you Chris, one of these days we'll meet up.

[1freaky1]

Okay here are a few from what I got done yesterday the rear fenders,

this is the frame work
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j70/scwinddancers/my%20truck/P1070558.jpg
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j70/scwinddancers/my%20truck/P1070559.jpg
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j70/scwinddancers/my%20truck/P1070560.jpg

and test fitting the Aluminuim Diamond plate
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j70/scwinddancers/my%20truck/P1070561.jpg

and a side shot of the finished fender, should give me plenty of clearance for the 35s
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j70/scwinddancers/my%20truck/P1070562.jpg

[Brody]

You are going to have way more than enough room for the 35s when you do the shackle reversal. Think another 4-5" of clearance and you'll be close..

Looking good!

[1freaky1]

Well it has been a week since I did anymore work on her, the last that I got done was the bed fabbed and welded up(SUPER BIG THANKS to Mike for steel), next is to finish the rear part of the exo. Over the last 2-1/2 days I spent it digging a pond, building a waterfall and pouring a sidewalk. so now its time to relax and I do that by working on the truck.

[Hypoid]

Well it has been a week since I did anymore work on her, the last that I got done was the bed fabbed and welded up(SUPER BIG THANKS to Mike for steel), next is to finish the rear part of the exo. Over the last 2-1/2 days I spent it digging a pond, building a waterfall and pouring a sidewalk. so now its time to relax and I do that by working on the truck.
So where's the freakin pictures?!?!?!? I was starting to wonder if you were OK or having a bad week or something...LOL

[1freaky1]

So where's the freakin pictures?!?!?!? I was starting to wonder if you were OK or having a bad week or something...LOL

LOL Mike, I got to do Pics when I get home from work.

[1freaky1]

okay here are the bed pics.
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j70/scwinddancers/my%20truck/P1070672.jpg
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j70/scwinddancers/my%20truck/P1070673.jpg
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j70/scwinddancers/my%20truck/P1070676.jpg

This is under the drivers side to protect the fuel filler and also the inside on the fender
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j70/scwinddancers/my%20truck/P1070674.jpg
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j70/scwinddancers/my%20truck/P1070675.jpg

Now to move on to finishing the rear exo!

[Funrover]

That's pretty slick!

[Hypoid]

Tee-hee, look what I can do!

http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee120/Hypoid/Misc%20stuff/UPLOADS402.jpg

[Hypoid]

The more I look at those back lights, the more I see them not living there.

It's a little late to recess lights in the rear cross member/bumper. What about an add-on mounting plate that wraps around the side to hold the marker lights?

[1freaky1]

That is another idea I am considering, thanks Mike!

[Funrover]

That is another idea I am considering, thanks Mike!

recess: I know it would be a PITA but I was at Layton hitch and found some 4" LED lights that were tail/stop/turn and reverse. The turn was amber not red. They were pretty slick

[Brody]

The more I look at those back lights, the more I see them not living there.

It's a little late to recess lights in the rear cross member/bumper. What about an add-on mounting plate that wraps around the side to hold the marker lights?

Or another thought: take some of that same aluminum diamond plate and fashion a cool cover that follows the side and top contours of the lights. I have some more kicking around at the house if you don't...

[ShutUpHippie]

I like them too Roland.
LEDs are awesome these days, they never run out and are (with technological advances) becoming seriously bright!

[1freaky1]

Recessing them would not be a problem w/ a plasma cutter just burn some holes in it as long as I don't put them where the cross supports are located inside, LOL. Yeah the LEDs today have come a ways since the earlier ones say 5-10yrs ago. I have been checking into a few of them too. I do like the oval lights that are on the truck tho and making covers is a nice added touch.

[1freaky1]

Ok so its been a while since I did anything to the truck and the last major discussions where about the tail lights and you guys had several ideas for me so here is the latest on that subject; I think it cleaned up pretty good! Still need to do a back up light also. But other than that its done!

[Funrover]

That looks a lot better, Are you thinking the same idea for reverse lights?

[Chris]

Great Shawn, that looks really n1ce!

[Brody]

I like that much better! It just looks really tight...

[1freaky1]

Not sure yet for the back up lights just thinking of using one of my old offroad lights but will look at it more cause there is limited space for it. Thanks guys!

[Funrover]

Not sure yet for the back up lights just thinking of using one of my old offroad lights but will look at it more cause there is limited space for it. Thanks guys!

Some of those recessed LED ovals have impressed me for brightness and they are not that big.

[Brody]

Sean and I got the two exo bars cut and bent for the front fenders yesterday, too, so the exo is progressing. They follow the contour of the plastic fender flares (no longer there) and tie into the front bumper.

Pictures coming down the road...this was just a teaser...

[1freaky1]

I did ponder the thought of using my 1940 Ford tail lights but I hated to see a set of $100+ lights get trashed. Also if anyone needs a set of after market ranger tail lights let me know I have a extra set now.
Yes Pete & I did some custom tube work yesterday and it turned out pretty cool. Pics will come once more is done to tie it all together so ya'll just gonna have to wait.

[1freaky1]

Well after having the crud for a couple days (that is going around) I started feeling better yesterday afternoon so I thought I would hit good old Western Auto up. Well for a change luck was on my side, I scored the diff for my 9" from a 68 T-Bird that had 31 splines, the Heavy duty housing. It had also came from the Factory with the Big 428 or 429 Thunderjet motor & C6. So a couple hrs and one smashed forearm (stepsons) later it was mine. By the time we got it out and loaded in the truck it occurred to me wrong thing to do as I felt worse than the day before. But its all worth it since I scored a great find. I also got some small lights to use for my reverse lights too.
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j70/scwinddancers/my%20truck/0911091424.jpg

[1freaky1]

Well scratch this about the differential it is not going to work for my plans!

[1freaky1]

Today was a catch up day to tackle a bunch of the little things that have been getting behind on. New backup lights, wiring for extra outlet, and new mount for trailer wiring are done. Now to move light switches and upgrade the camera mount for easier use. Then back on the exo again.
Need you guy's opinion; swap out the axles or do the new winches first?

[Brody]

Need you guy's opinion; swap out the axles or do the new winches first?

HA....axles first...then you can get in trouble and find out just how badly you need the winch.

Besides which, winches are relatively easy, axles are not. Ask yourself what you would rather be doing in the cold and wet ...a hard, muti day project(axles) or a few hour project(winch)...

[1freaky1]

Well got the diff. exchanged yesterday even tho they don't normally exchange them and got a good surprise in the process, got lucky enough to get a 9" that is what appears to be a limited slip. will post pics after I get some of it.

[Hypoid]

HA....axles first...then you can get in trouble and find out just how badly you need the winch.

Besides which, winches are relatively easy, axles are not. Ask yourself what you would rather be doing in the cold and wet ...a hard, muti day project(axles) or a few hour project(winch)...
Ahhhh, so YOU brought the snow!

[1freaky1]

Well the 4:88s for the 9" are paid for as of this afternoon and should be here by next Tuesday so I have got a bit of time to clean it all up, cut all the junk off of the housing and start fabbing up my axle truss then welding on the new tabs and perches. Then get the brake set up and it will be ready to trans plant. I will also be selling my wheels and tires once both axles are swapped out since the wheels won't fit the full size axles. And I won't have a need for the 33s anymore since I will be using my new 35s.

[1freaky1]

Here is the latest update, I have spent the last two days cutting and grinding on the 9" housing to get it cleaned up and ready for the truss, shock mounts, and spring perches to be welded on and then the new gears to go in and then install it.


A before shot and then a current one;
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j70/scwinddancers/my%20truck/P1070506.jpg

The junk I cut off;
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j70/scwinddancers/my%20truck/P1070773.jpg

And now all cleaned up and ready for welding;
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j70/scwinddancers/my%20truck/P1070772.jpg
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j70/scwinddancers/my%20truck/P1070770.jpg

[1freaky1]

Picked up the new gear set and master install kit yesterday, has anyone used G2 gears? Just wondering how good they are.

[1freaky1]

So here it is the 9" just about ready to go in. The truss system, new shock mounts and diff guard are done, just need to install the gears in the drop out and paint it all up then its going in. Found out that the U joints for 8.8 and 9" are the same so I got lucky there. Anyhoots here are the pics as of yesterday. I did the bar stock for the diff guard out of 1/2" round stock and 1/4" plate.

[Brody]

Looking good! If I have some time Monday or Tuesday next week, I'll maybe be able to help if you need something done.

[Mporter]

Pretty ingenious diff guard there

[1freaky1]

Here is a new tool I am making for the Dana 44 gear install. A case spreader.

[1freaky1]

Well got more done a couple days ago I got the back off road lights moved to the exo that was previously on the roof rack, mounted my big flashlight and fire extinguisher to the interior rear wall of the cab, mounts for my shovel and axe welded to the exo and finally got one of the rear jump seats removed to get ready to mount my storage box for extra clothing, food, and tools. I need to fab up some mounting brackets for this box since the floor has a 3-4 inch offset. After cleaning the storage box, making some mods and painting I will be installing it.

[scout man]

two questions for you sean. First off, your shovel and axe mounts, are they lockable? I am looking for something like that so I can lock them up when I have the top off my scout.
question 2: Any chance I can see a picture of the jump seats those rangers have? I am slightly toying with the idea of taking out my rear bench seat and installing jump seats so that I still have the seats passenger space, yet since it isnt used very often I can flip them up for additional storage. Just curious.

[Brody]

[QUOTE=scout man;66798]two questions for you sean. First off, your shovel and axe mounts, are they lockable? I am looking for something like that so I can lock them up when I have the top off my scout.
/QUOTE]

Unless Sean has changed them out, he is using some scaffolding mounts that I had kicking around that I gave him. These were off of some scaffolding outrigger legs and provide a very simple means of attaching shovels, etc. They are very simple, being two pieces of 3/8" piece of steel about 1 1/2" wide, slightly bent in the center. One piece is welded to the bar and the other attaches with a bolt with a lever type handle (You can get this piece at AA Hardware on south Broadway). As you can see, I use one for attaching the shovel and another for attaching the axe. I have had very little problem with them loosening up, too. The piece with the bolt head showing is the piece that I welded to the roll bar/cage.

As far as actually locking them, you could easily weld a locking tab that you can slide a Master Lock through on the non bar side.

Hope that these pictures give you some ideas.

[1freaky1]

two questions for you sean. First off, your shovel and axe mounts, are they lockable? I am looking for something like that so I can lock them up when I have the top off my scout.
question 2: Any chance I can see a picture of the jump seats those rangers have? I am slightly toying with the idea of taking out my rear bench seat and installing jump seats so that I still have the seats passenger space, yet since it isnt used very often I can flip them up for additional storage. Just curious.


Yes they can lock just a matter of drilling a hole thru the bolt and putting a lock on it like a keyed master lock. I have not had any trouble with people messing with anything yet so i have not put a lock on there. The scaffolding mounts Pete gave me work great as you can see in his photos, for the shovel I just welded some 3/16" tabs on and the bolt to it with another plate bent you hold the shovel.

As for the jump seat I do not see why that would not work for you would have to modify the floor mounting bracket a little but that is not a problem. I am a day behind in getting out to the garage to take pictures of everything so I will take a few hopefully this afternoon once I get home and post them up for you.

[scout man]

thanks, no rush at all on the pictures. Not even sure its the route I want to go yet, but I have certainly considered it. I wasnt sure if locking things would be an issue or not. Not worried about a shovel so much, but I could see an axe being an issue in some way or another. Thanks for the ideas!

[1freaky1]

Hey Sean. What are you going to do about the speed sensor?

Adrian I was told the speed sensor is in the tranny and the electrical going to the 8.8 diff. is for the sensor on the ABS and as long as I leave it as an open connection it should not cause a problem with that computer system. I am hoping that is correct info.

[1freaky1]

Steve here is a pic of the jump seat, these mount sideways and fold down to open up.

[1freaky1]

Well thinking of changing out the front bumper and fabbing a new one out of the extra 2" tubing I have laying around, on the + side it would cut some of the weight off the front end.

[scout man]

very interesting. I bet I could make that work, Just need to decide if it is a good route for me to go

[1freaky1]

very interesting. I bet I could make that work, Just need to decide if it is a good route for me to go

I bet you could, would be pretty basic install with a bit of modification to the lower mount. Let me know about it and we can work something out.:thunb:

[1freaky1]

Well I finally went and bought my 2 new winches and the gears for the D44 today. I picked up the Smittybuilt XRC8 & 10 was going to go with the HD series but decide that I could use the extra money for other things. Later on will change over to the synthetic line for both. The XRC10 is going on the front and the XRC8 is going on the rear. Hoping to get at least one mounted up this weekend. And soon will be starting to install the new 4:88s in both axles. Will do pics as it goes.

[1freaky1]

Well last night I got the 10k mounted in the front bumper, which it actually fit pretty nice and I have good access to the clutch lever plus the control box (relay box) is hidden behind the trucks name plate. Now to tackle the rear winch but I am going to need some long cable for this one, anyone have any to get rid of? I also want to upgrade my alternator to a higher amp output.

[Brody]

Here is a link to a lot of alternator stuff I posted here not too long ago:

http://www.frontrange4x4.com/forums/showthread.php?7814-Alternator-Rebuild-High-Performance-links&highlight=alternator

[Hypoid]

Now to tackle the rear winch but I am going to need some long cable for this one, anyone have any to get rid of? Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaybe. What size you looking for, and how long of a run?

[1freaky1]

Thanks Pete definitely will come in handy.

Mike I figure I will need to go up to the next size bigger than what it came with since I need to run it all the way to the front where the battery is mounted, so probably close to 15-17 feet for both pos. and neg.

[Hypoid]

Mike I figure I will need to go up to the next size bigger than what it came with since I need to run it all the way to the front where the battery is mounted, so probably close to 15-17 feet for both pos. and neg.
LMAO! Is there a number associated with this next size bigger? :D I guess the electrical specs for the equipment in question would be helpful.

I've planned on doing pretty much the same with the F-100, and now the Cherokee. I hadn't put too much thought into it, was thinking to use the chasis for the ground path.

[1freaky1]

Sorry Mike with this head cold my brain is kinda limp, yeah its 2/0 gauge cable, wonder what the effects would be running the ground to the chassis instead of the neg. terminal on the battery?

[Brody]

wonder what the effects would be running the ground to the chassis instead of the neg. terminal on the battery?

You would end up spending a lot of time trying to figure out why your new winch doesn't work. Both cables have to go directly to the battery terminals.

[Hypoid]

wonder what the effects would be running the ground to the chassis instead of the neg. terminal on the battery?

You would end up spending a lot of time trying to figure out why your new winch doesn't work. Both cables have to go directly to the battery terminals.LOL I can picture your face with that wry smile you get.


yeah its 2/0 gauge cable, wonder what the effects would be running the ground to the chassis instead of the neg. terminal on the battery?

I don't think I have any 00 wire. When I was thinking about running cable under the F-100, it was to plug in jumper cables. I still want to do that; have an outlet at both ends so I don't stick out in traffic trying to help someone.

[Brody]

Yeah, maybe a wry smile, mainly because I have been there with the winches many years ago. It is also a pretty common mistake to make as it seems like it should work. The instructions all say to wire it in directly, but don't offer an explanation as to why. I don't have a good enough understanding of electrical stuff to know why it shouldn't work, but I am assuming that it is about the same difference as plugging an inverter into the cigarette lighter vs directly into the battery. If you do something with a high draw and try to run it off the lighter, it simply won't work, but directly into the battery is fine.

Here are a couple of links with some information:

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=457888

http://www.4x4grace.com/vBulletin/showthread.php?p=140307

http://www.off-road.com/offroad/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=285616

How but someone with a good electrical background doing a quick explanation here?

Think about wiring in an in cab winch control for your front winch. You'll appreciate the time you took to do it. Here is a link to a bunch of How Tos:

http://www.frontrange4x4.com/forums/showthread.php?2155-In-Cab-Winch-Control&highlight=cab+winch+control

[Hypoid]

Yeah, maybe a wry smile, mainly because I have been there with the winches many years ago. It is also a pretty common mistake to make as it seems like it should work. The instructions all say to wire it in directly, but don't offer an explanation as to why. I don't have a good enough understanding of electrical stuff to know why it shouldn't work, but I am assuming that it is about the same difference as plugging an inverter into the cigarette lighter vs directly into the battery. If you do something with a high draw and try to run it off the lighter, it simply won't work, but directly into the battery is fine.

Actually, a dedicated ground is pretty foolproof with only two connections to keep clean.

Ohm's law addresses what you allude to Pete. The simple explanation is that regardless of what answer you are solving for, changing either of the other values changes the answer. If we drop too many Volts, or build up too much Resistance, we don't have the Amps we need to run the equipment.

In our application Voltage is a big factor, but reasonably consistent. Resistance can be much less consistent and changes easily without our notice. That is why you check connections first.

Here is a formula list for the mathmatically inclined :):

http://www.kc9aop.net/images/Ohms_L2.jpg

[Hypoid]

wonder what the effects would be running the ground to the chassis instead of the neg. terminal on the battery? Now that I actually have to think about an answer, we saw one effect at Pickle Gulch. Your winch had an unintentional ground path through the light harness. It worked fine until the motor loaded up and pulled more amps. :eek:

You have to remember, electricity takes every path it can. Those wee lil' electrons just wanna go home. :smokin:

[Brody]

Thanks Mike for all of that! I knew you had a handle on electrical stuff...

[1freaky1]

Now that I actually have to think about an answer, we saw one effect at Pickle Gulch. Your winch had an unintentional ground path through the light harness. It worked fine until the motor loaded up and pulled more amps. :eek:

You have to remember, electricity takes every path it can. Those wee lil' electrons just wanna go home. :smokin:

Oh yeah I will always remember that day ugh! Yep electricity is like water always taking the path of least resisitance first.

[1freaky1]

Yeah, maybe a wry smile, mainly because I have been there with the winches many years ago. It is also a pretty common mistake to make as it seems like it should work. The instructions all say to wire it in directly, but don't offer an explanation as to why. I don't have a good enough understanding of electrical stuff to know why it shouldn't work, but I am assuming that it is about the same difference as plugging an inverter into the cigarette lighter vs directly into the battery. If you do something with a high draw and try to run it off the lighter, it simply won't work, but directly into the battery is fine.

Here are a couple of links with some information:





http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=457888

http://www.4x4grace.com/vBulletin/showthread.php?p=140307

http://www.off-road.com/offroad/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=285616

How but someone with a good electrical background doing a quick explanation here?

Think about wiring in an in cab winch control for your front winch. You'll appreciate the time you took to do it. Here is a link to a bunch of How Tos:

http://www.frontrange4x4.com/forums/showthread.php?2155-In-Cab-Winch-Control&highlight=cab+winch+control

Thanks a bunch Pete for those links, now to just finish installing the rear winch then its is on to figuring out a good place to mount a switch panel for this.

[1freaky1]

Ok so I got the rear winch installed today with the help of my dad, which was cool. And here are the pics of the front and the rear winches.
Front winch already in and hooked up;
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Laying out for the fairlead;
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The rats nest of wiring for the rear of the truck;
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The wiring straightened out and secured
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The fairlead mounted;

[1freaky1]

Here is a trick for keeping the mounting nut held in place until you get the bolts put in,

1st with just the nuts;
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and 2nd with a piece of masking tape;
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Locating the winch mounting area;
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Winch control box location for easy access;
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Hole cut for selector lever access;
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And finally everything tuck away nice and neat, still need to make the main connections to the battery;
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[Brody]

Hey Sean...That is very nicely done! Looks really sweet, too...

[Mporter]

That's pretty awesome. You should make a little door for the solenoid pack, just for aesthetics (thats what i'd do)

[Funrover]

Well done, I like how it is hidden!

[1freaky1]

Thanks guys! One thing I did learn about these Smittybuilt winches is that they do not use the old solenoids like most other winches. The unit inside the control box is a one piece unit that is sealed and has 6 terminals for the wiring. So when I do go to wire up my inside switches (remote in cab) it should be fairly easy to figure out.
Also I am going to be moving the spare tire mount forward so I will have access to the lever and it will place the tire directly over the axle, but this most likely wont happen til I am closer to putting on my 35s.

[Brody]

That's pretty awesome. You should make a little door for the solenoid pack, just for aesthetics (thats what i'd do)

Just one more thing to mess with when you are stuck or needing your winch...I would pass. Stuck or unsticking someone else, you already have enough stuff going on and a cute little door is going to be a royal PITA...

[Hypoid]

Looks like you can reach the terminals for troubleshooting and maintenance. :fing:

http://www.frontrange4x4.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=8927&d=1262765585

EDIT: That needs more thumbs! :fing::fing::fing: :)

[Mporter]

Just one more thing to mess with when you are stuck or needing your winch...I would pass. Stuck or unsticking someone else, you already have enough stuff going on and a cute little door is going to be a royal PITA...

Very true.

Sean you're gonna have to tell me how the XRC10 works, that's one i've been looking at.

[1freaky1]

Will do when I get a chance to use it. After looking at several winches out there and reading the specs on them these have the highest hp motors even tho the line speed is not the fastest but it is up there with some of the more expensive winches, but then again you do not really want the fastest pull too often.

[1freaky1]

Well go figure, I drove the truck to work Saturday night and home yesterday morning with only sliding a couple times (no biggy), tell Val to take the truck to her work due to the slippery roads. She uses it in 4 Hi and comes home in 2wd, we decide to go to dinner for V-day and 13 year annie of our first date. She wants to take the truck, cool I start it up and go to back out and notice the CEL is on steady (1st time its been on since I've owned it). Shut it off and start again same deal, wondering what is up with it Val tells me it was like that when she drove it, So now I am wondering why she did not say anything earlier when there was daylight to see under the hood. So this AM 1st thing I have to find out whats going on with it so I can have it this week while working days and no real days off til next Monday.

If anyone has ideas let me know cause I am looking at the basic stuff on it first, and my scanner does not cover a 2002 Ranger only goes up to 1998.

[Brody]

Why don't you just try clearing the CEL and see if it goes back on? May just need to be reset...may be a million and one different things...

On the Escort, you take off both battery cables, hold the ends together for 20 seconds and then reattach them. This resets for the Escort and probably will work on most Fords...

[1freaky1]

That is what I am going to do after a good visual looksie.

[1freaky1]

Ok so here is the latest as of yesterday;

I did find out that the scanner I have will read all Ford OBD-IIs up to 2002 which was a big relief. I did find it interesting that one of the O2 sensors voltage was not fluctuating like the other two O2 sensors until I goosed the pedal, then it starting working.
I do not get why the Rangers use 3 O2 sensors and need to find out which one is where as far as Bank 1 & 2 sensor 1,2,3 for each bank.

There are no codes and the light has not came back on since I cleared the codes earlier, after driving around yesterday several close to home trips everything seems to be ok, but I am keeping my scanner hooked up so if and when the CEL comes back on I can scan it right away.
While looking thru the data info there were 4 things it said failed and I'm thinking that these are items on the capture mode that did not run fully before I turned the scanner off. will need to find my book for the scanner and computer codes.

Also if anyone needs some info on the OBD-II ranges (parameters) check this page out;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OBD-II_PIDs#Standard_PIDs

[Brody]

I would take some time and clean all of your O2 sensors thoroughly with carb cleaner, then stick them back in. They get gummed up much like valves or spark plugs and start sending weird signals to the ECU, which can result in the mileage fluctuations you have been experiencing. There is a chance that one of the O2 sensors has now crapped out, but at the cost for a new one vs the cost of a can of carb cleaner and a little work, I would certainly clean the old before buying any new ones. I need to do this on mine too and will probably do it in the next day or so. I usually do it once a year before the weather gets good.

[1freaky1]

Yeppers that is the plan for today since it is going to be the warmest day of the week.

[1freaky1]

Whew, after pulling all 3 O2 sensors found that the front passenger side one had chaffed the insulation from rubbing on the firewall. So after taping up the 2 wires that were bare and reinstalling it is running good at this time.

[1freaky1]

Well that lasted two days before the CEL came back on so I got the codes this time around and it lead to one of the O2 sensors so I replaced the one with the chaffed wires and would'nt you know the codes cleared, that is until I left to come to work tonight, got 1/2 mile from home and the light came on again and same two codes as before P171 & P174 running to lean on both banks which leads to intake manifold gasket most likely which is a problem on these 4.0s.

[1freaky1]

Thanks Adrian, I checked all vacuum lines by spraying carb cleaner on them and did not find any leaks, but for just a short period the was a spot in the middle of the driverside intake manifold when sprayed it caused a small misfire and I could not get it to do it again even after three more time spraying the area. I will double check that line you mentioned tomorrow. The codes have cleared and not came back even after driving for 70 miles so far.

[1freaky1]

Ok so the darn light came on again today and the same two codes came up. Well after taking the throttle body cover off and climbing almost into the engine bay I could see better and reach a few areas with the carb cleaner. And with a BIG THANKS to Adrian for the input on the 90 degree vacuum line connectors I found the problem, take a look at the pics. In one you can see there is a crack about 3/8" same in the second, the third shows where I cut the hose to look inside and that is what the oil does to the rubber over time. Wonder if any of those little junks go into the engine at some point?
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10225

[Rob]

So did you get the hoses replaced? Everything working?

[1freaky1]

Yes it is replaced, I actually had a piece on my 302 that was new so I stole it LOL! It is running like it did when I first bought it 3 years ago and I got power again YES!!!!!!:D As Adrian informed this afternoon Ford does not sell just those rubber elbows you have to buy the whole line.

[Rob]

Excellent!

[1freaky1]

Well today I got one step closer to getting ready to doing the SAS on the ranger, I picked up a new to me Power steering gear box from a 89 F150 (this will replace the rack and pinion steering assembly) and a few other odds and end stuff.

[1freaky1]

Ok so I am sitting here think, cr*p I cannot remember who alls names were given to me for the folks that install gears. so I am heading out to the garage and going to take a good look at what it will take to install them and give it a whack and see if I can do it! How ever it turns out I will put up some picks of it. mainly cause I want to get the axles swapped out here super soon and the cr*appy snow is keeping me from moving further along on my exo.

[Chris]

I suggested you contact Jeff -> http://www.frontrange4x4.com/forums/member.php?u=110-Patrolman

[1freaky1]

Thanks Chris I was completely draw blanks yesterday morning, needless to say I did not get out there anyhow that snow just messed with my mind yesterday.

[Haku]

Scoutman and TwistedBronk were planning on getting together soon to setup Steve's new gears in his Dana 44 axles. Think they were planning on doing it down at Adrians workplace (he's a master tech at dealership in Monument) in the near future. Adrian seems to know what he's doing, so he might be a good person to talk to about getting it done.

JH

[1freaky1]

Thanks Josh, I will have to get with them on a date to see if I can tag along. I am getting ready to remove all the bedliner on the ranger and redo it using POR 15 for better protection since the bedliner coating is starting to show signs of rust under it, hoping to get the top part of the exo done today after I get back from having the sewer lines at the new house scoped.

[1freaky1]

Ok so yesterday Mr. Pete and I bent up some more materials for the exo, more like did some fine tuning on a few bends and last night I got one side of the front/top sides and support risers welded up. Was out there til 9pm when I could not even see anymore to be welding. I need to go an swap out my gas bottle this morning and make a run to get some more materials for the roof cross over bars. After all the tubes are welded up the I will gusset everything.
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[1freaky1]

Okay I know I have some catching up to do with the progress and pics on what has been done since the last pics so here is a quickie on where it is at now, Exo is pretty much done just need a few more gussets and paint, and now fabbing up a battery/ compressor box for my secondary battery which will be for the winches. Here are a couple pics of that so far, still need to finish the sides and top but this will give ya'll an idea of what it will be like. The compressor will be piped directly in to my air tank and lines run to the front and rear to use quick disconnects. There is a peice of 1/8th inch plate now welded to the bottom of the angle frame work to mount both down so there won't be any movement.
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The angle iron needs to be cut down and drilled for the battery tie down.
13067

[1freaky1]

Ok made some progress today the box is almost done just need to make an opening for the air filter and weld one more mounting brace to the bottom of it and just paint it from there;
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[Chris]

Looking good Sean!

[Hypoid]

Ohhhhhhhh, shiny things!!! :D Gonna install a heat sheild for the battery?

[1freaky1]

Actually I should not need a heat shield since these won't be operated too frequently and most likely not at the same time.

[1freaky1]

Here is the progress from today as well as the exo pics;

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TEST FITTING THE BOX IN ITS LOCATION
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13112

[1freaky1]

Now it is painted and welded in place, the compressor and battery are installed now. I just have to cut my diamond plate aluminum for the top;
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I did not have any bolts that were long enough so I improvised and use the longest carriage bolts I had and weld a piece of pipe to the heads of both of them to lengthen them actually worked out pretty well as it also widened the foot print so as to make a snug fit against the battery to help hold it in place.
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[1freaky1]

Well today was one of them back *ssward days where everything that can go wrong does, but I made it all work out for the most part. I got everything mounted up and some of the plumbing run from the compressor to the tank and the lid done. Tomorrow I will be hooking up a valve and the quick disconnect for the rear, and if I have time reroute the cable for the rear winch and hopefully have enough cable left to tie the two batteries together.
In the middle of working on this I had to take Val to the Dr.s and found out she has walking Pneumonia on top of inner ear inflammation, asthma flair up, and mild vertigo. So know she is heavily medicated hoping she gets better here soon! Cause man is she GRUMPY!!!!!!

[Brody]

Nice to see the progress!

Sorry to hear about VAl. I have had both walking pneumonia and inner ear infections before and can't possible recommend them...According to the audiologist, a lot of my hearing problems stem from from scar tissue that has built up due to ear infections that I had when I was a kid and played in the water a lot....the rest of course, were from too many very loud noises....

Wish her the best from us!

[1freaky1]

Well its official in 2 weeks I will finally have my new gears installed in the new axles. So that means the ranger will be down to start the SAS and rear axle swap. Getting anxious to see how it runs then. Pete thanks for Russ' info, he seems like a really cool guy on the phone.

[scout man]

Who did you and up getting to do the gears? Mind if I ask what they are charging you? I have started gathering tools to do mine on my own, as I have discovered that the labor cost alone to have someone do it is far more than the cost of the few tools I need to buy to do it myself.

[1freaky1]

Well I am getting excited to get this underway, this morning and late last night I was online and got a bunch of parts ordered, now to just sit here and wait, wait , and wait some more for them to arrive. All I need to do now is make the final decision on what rear brakes I want to go with and get that stuff ordered.

[Brody]

Unless you already can access the rear drums with an e brake, I sure wouldn't bother with trying to do a disc conversion on the rear right now. This is something you can always do in the future without taking the axles off your rig. Simply leave the drum brakes as they are and stuff some new shoes in them....

[1freaky1]

Right now there are no brakes on the back at all, that is why I am looking into both options. It is going to cost me about the same or really close to the same(+/- $10) for everything I would need to go either way.

[1freaky1]

Well most of the parts I ordered last week came in, they are the new upper coil spring buckets, polished stainless steel spring retainers, upper shock mounts, all new nut and bolt kits and energy suspension bushing kit. Still waiting on the new track bar mount to come in. Also got my new radius arm/cross member mount too.

[Brody]

Just looking at the picture, it looks like the new shock mounts are the same size as regular stock mounts. When I did both the F150s and the 69 Bronco I had, I ended up extending the stock mounts for more travel. You may have to do the same with these so that you get enough travel out of the front end as you can get. Using the stock mounts will limit your travel and the length of the shock you can use-something you don't want to do. You may also want to run a gusset on the back side of the mount back down to the frame for strength as this is a weak point on this design.

[1freaky1]

Yep that is the plan to reinforce them and the coil mounts for added stiffiness.:thumb:

[1freaky1]

Well I actually got out in the garage yesterday and got some stuff taken care of that I hadn't been able to do for a while with the shoulder and neck being messed up. I did get 19 gussets made which gets me another step closer to finalizing the cage once and for all. Repaired the welder, made a new base for my grinder out of one of the old brake rotors, built some molds for concrete work, I got with Adrian and he is going to do the gears weekend after next since the other guy never came threw, and finally made the decision to go with disc brakes on the back. That alone will save me some swapping later down the road when I do other upgrades like a doubler transfer case and bigger tires.

[1freaky1]

So here is the latest purchase for my axle swap, this one is for the 9" it is Wilwood's disc brakes kit. Just purchased it and should be here by the time Adrian is done installing my new gears.

[Brody]

If you can, stick the slotted high dollar rotors on the front and use the standard stock rotors on the back. The front brakes/rotors take the real beating and having slotted, high performance rotors on the back is pretty much a waste of good money. Ditto goes for the calipers if they are performance calipers. The front is where you want your stopping power.

[1freaky1]

That is my plan next go around is the ones for the front, the ones in the pics is what comes in this Wilwoods kit and I got a great deal on this setup so I could not pass it up! Paid less than 1/2 what they cost normally. Hey for once I was in the right place at the right time!!!!

[Funrover]

This is going great!

[1freaky1]

Well yesterday was fairly productive in between having to take Val for her pre-surgery appointment. I got the bed ground down and all the rust removed that has accumulated since last winter and repainted. Also got 10 of the new gussets welded on the drivers side of the exo. Now today the plan is to get the 10 done on the passenger side.

[1freaky1]

I got the gussets all done until I decide how I want my top cross bars to go and now the exo is all one color finally. I actually asked Val if I must be sick or something to be this motivated and getting all this stuff done the last two days, heck I even did the annual vacuuming on it. Today is getting the front winch remounted. While taking a break I did notice that I dented up my front skid plate pretty good the last time I ran Bill Moore with Steve and Chris, here are some pics of everything from this weekend. Also realised its been a while since I changed out my welding helmet lens (no wonder I could not see what I was welding LOL).

[Brody]

Looking good!

[1freaky1]

Thanks Pete,

Yep Friday I am taking the axles down to Adrian so he can install the new gears for me on Saturday woo hoo!!! finally getting this underway. I now need to find a new yoke for the nine inch and wanting to go with one for the bigger ujoints, also need to get the ring sensor for the speedometer that mounts to the yoke. Latest update on the new disc brakes is they will be here tomorrow.

[scout man]

Looks good sean! Now that you mention it, I have been having trouble seeing out of my mask too! I should probably change that out!! So I take it you ended up not going with that other gear install guy as well? Was there drama, or just decided he wasnt worth it?

[1freaky1]

Steve it was a similar situation to yours he didn't return calls.

[Brody]

[I]So I take it you ended up not going with that other gear install guy as well? Was there drama, or just decided he wasnt worth it? [I]

Steve it was a similar situation to yours he didn't return calls.

Notice how anything relating to this guy and his business are now no longer on the forum....

[1freaky1]

Well today was drop off day at Adrian's work for the D44 axle and 9" differential, but first I disassembled the D44 to make it light enough to load into the truck by myself. Once I got down to Castle Rock and met up with Adrian he realised that the carrier for the 44 would not work with the 4:88 gears as this one was only good for upto 3:72s so now I am seeking out a reasonably priced carrier, Anyone have one laying around? But he said he would have the 9" done tomorrow and while he is doing that I am going to be installing the new Wilwood disc brakes on the housing.

[scout man]

Fotunately the carriers arent too much http://www.4wheelerssupply.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/70687
You CAN run the smaller carier, but you need the extra wide gears to do that. Obviously the cheap route here is the carrier though.
Of course, instead of a $60 carrier, you could always go with an ARB or OX for $800 :D I am wishing I had done that. SOmeday.....

[1freaky1]

I just bought a new one on Ebay for $50 total to my door, Hoping it is the right one like the guy says. So should have it by the end of the week.

[1freaky1]

Well here is the latest updates, the BAD NEWS The disc brake kit I bought on Ebay does not fit and the guy evidently did not know what he was talking about with it being for the big bearing 9". The bolt pattern goes from 4-1/2 up to 4-3/4" (just a tad short of Fords 5-1/5") and the rotors are way too small to even fit over the axle flanges(wheel mounting surface). So now I have no idea what I am going to do.

I told Val at this point I am ready to just sell the axles and the truck! Very discouraged with the set backs lately around this whole thing.

[Brody]

Forget the disc brakes and just go with drums for the back.You can pick up drums for a Ford 9" at just about any junkyard for a song, plus you wouldn't have to worry about an e brake set up as they would be built into the drums. Just stick in some new pads and call it good enough. Drums will work fine for the rear axles, even with the 35s and it would be no big deal to switch them out at some future point when you want to get discs for the rear. I have never had disc brakes for the rear on any truck I have ever had, and although it might be a nice upgrade at some point, sure wouldn't be a deal breaker if I was planning on sticking a bigger 9" axle upgrade under my heap....if I had a Ford, that is. If anything, spend the money on better discs and rotors for the front, as this is where 90% of your stopping power is going to be anyway.

[1freaky1]

Well yesterday my new replacement parts came in for the XRC10 to get it up n running again so maybe after I get home this afternoon I can jump on getting it fixed and put back in the truck.

[1freaky1]

Yesterday I got a photo and text from Adrian he has the 9" done and going to finish up the 44 this Saturday! Wear pattern on the 9" looked great. I can't wait to get these under the truck, seems like it has been forever since I started this idea (2 years in the making). I think once everything is set up I will have a lot more confidence in the truck to do more challenging trails.

[Brody]

well, I would hope so. The way you are going to set yours up, just with the axles, is going to give you close to the kind of flex that Adrian has on his Bronco.....and he tackles some hard stuff. Of course, he has the hp and gearing to go along with that, but the axles and spring set up are going to go a huge way towards making your rig what you want.

[Hypoid]

Woo-Hoo!!! :)

[1freaky1]

Yep on the gears almost there, so in the mean time w/ battling this darn head cold I had enough of sitting around feeling crappy so I got out in the garage Tuesday and finished painting my framework for one of the train buildings and then I was bored so I got motivated to work on the 57 and got more done on the dash and new gauge panel fabricated and then yeasterday I found out that the Autometer gauges I was using in it are no longer made and I am short 2 gauges. So now I need to start all over on a new gauge set for it, boy its always somethin or another:rolleyes:.

[1freaky1]

Picked up the D44 and 9" diff earlier today from Adrian, and just got back from auto zone, had to get to axle seals, cover gasket, Socket for hub nuts and royal purple gear oil. As soon as I get the rest of my brake stuff I will be off and tearing the truck down to get the axle swap done as well as moving the motor and tranny mounts up 3" as well as the gas tank then I should not have anything hanging below the frame except suspension parts. All over the next 2 months hopefully less time than that. I will try to keep up with pics as I go along from here.

[Fordguy77]

Looking forward to see this! Any clearance issues on the radiator by going forward?

[1freaky1]

Chris by going forward are you talking about me moving the axle forward?

[scout man]

i think he was refering to your moving your engine and tranny mounts "up" 3", which might have been intrerpretted as forward.... since thats how I remembered reading it :D

[Fordguy77]

Blonde moment sorry about that

[Cr33p3r]

Ok it is decided that after the toys for tots run the ranger is done! One last run in it, meaning it is getting semi-permantly parked for how ever long it is going to take to do the axle swaps and everything else I have planned for it so it will be ready by next spring. That means the 57 will be parked outside under a tarp so I have the whole garage cleared for this. And after that I will decide whether to start fabricating again or not, I enjoy doing it but am getting burned out on the slow down times. Also I will be seeking some help with the swaps, mostly the lifting and moving around the heavy stuff, I will atemp the over head welding but do not want to royally jack up my neck in the process, So who is up for some serious building?

[Brody]

My offer still stands for help, dependent upon gas money and work.

[Funrover]

I can help with the lifting part, my welding needs practice

[scout man]

I'm usually free these days and dont mind helping

[Mporter]

If i'm free, i'm always down to help. I got decent welding skills, and i'm young so worse comes to worse I can take the abuse for ya ;)

[Rob]

Count me in, Sean.

[Cr33p3r]

Thanks guys I will keep you posted of the plans and what days. Everyone like Pizza?

[Mporter]

Who doesn't?

[Fordguy77]

I'm good for lifting and general fab. Not sure i feel comfortable welding on someone elses rig though.

[Cr33p3r]

Well I have been struggling with the lack of motivation here lately and due to the holidays and work issues I am just flat out exhausted. So I am going to get motivated to get something done today, I think I will get the D44 reassembled as a good starting point.

[Cr33p3r]

Well I got some work accomplished today until my neck and back really started bothering me but I kept working thru it. I got the new seals installed, carrier re-installed, axles in, hubs back on, and finally got one of the rotors cleaned up from who knows how long they sat rusting. Anyway here are the pics and I will try to put them in sequence.

The first few pics are removing the old seal races. To do that I used a piece of 1-1/4 ID pipe to drive the old ones out including some old gunk.

[Cr33p3r]

Here is the new seals installed compared to the old notice on the old there is NO rubber at all. Also the sealing surface is cleaned for the cover gasket.

[Fordguy77]

Great to hear that you still managed to get some work done! Let me know if you need any help.

[Cr33p3r]

Okay here is the rotor work done, I cleaned the rust and original coating off with the wire brush on my grinder. What a difference an hour does.

The rotor in picture 1 shows the rust, coating, and the clean area.

[Cr33p3r]

Finally the diff cover is bolted on and had one bolt snapped at only 10ft pounds torque so that will have to be drilled and removed. One thing I found out with these covers is that they are warped from the manufacture and takes a bit of persuasion to get them mounted.

[Brody]

Looking good! Nice to see some more progress!

[Cr33p3r]

Thanks Chris and Pete, as for the assistance on this build, currently I am trying to get the axles put back together and ready then I will get with everyone to set up some days to go from there. But heck if I get in a bind I will give guys a holler! And Pete thanks for the links yesterday I did check them and bingo I hit it right on the head @90ft#s. but was surprised to see the cover bolts required up to 30#s, so when I replace them with the stainless steel bolts I will take them to that.

[Fordguy77]

Make sure to use some good antiseize(not very much is needed, just a small dab.) when you go to the SS hardware. If you dont you might snap the hardware before even coming close to 30ft#s.

[Cr33p3r]

Chris that is a big plus on the anti-seize especially with the stainless against regular cast steel.
As of yesterday (what a weird day) I got the D44 completely reassembled and ready to go for setup, now I am going to focus on getting the center section put in the 9", still have not got the brakes for it so that will be the 1st payday after the beginning of the new year. Then everything will be a go! So I am looking at starting the rebuild sometime mid January. I will get you guys the exact dates so we can knock this build out. Do need to call Breas Auto Electrics and find out how much the new SPEED SENSOR RE-LOCATOR is going to cost me, but rather than mount it to the rear differential yoke I am going to weld it on the the rear yoke coming off the transfer case so I won't have to worry about damaging it on some rocks.

[Cr33p3r]

Here is the latest, Mike calls me up and tells me there is a black 2000 ranger with a D44 & 9" over at Western on Federal that I need to take a looksie at cause it was done with leafs in the front and for the speed sensor it was modded to the rear yoke. Well Monday I made it over there and finally found the truck and wow is all I can say and I do not mean that in a good way! All I got from it was one rear drum and brake line on the 9" but I did get the other drum from a FS Bronco. So now all I need is the internal brake parts and will be ready to rock and roll on this thing:woot::woot:.

If anyone wants a FS Dana44 you need to go this one, it has already been converted over to the 6 bolt pattern hubs so doing a hi steer setup is easy from there!

[Hypoid]

Yeah, that thing is scary. Since I have nothing nice to say, I'll STFU.


I did see another HP D-44 at the Denver U-pull. It was stripped, but otherwise unmolested.

[Mporter]

It was stripped, but otherwise unmolested.

Just how I like em.

[Cr33p3r]

Wow I am so surprised at myself today, I actually had some ambition and got out in the garage and got a lot done in the garage and on the axles. I go the D44 all mocked up for the install:woot::woot: and here are the pictures of it.

1) all mocked up
2)Showing the degree indicator on the knuckle
3) set to 5 degrees with 4 degree bushings
4) Showing the wedges moved in about 2-1/2" on each side to closer match the Ranger frame

[Fordguy77]

looking good Sean

[Cr33p3r]

Thanks Chris! It feels good to get something done on it today but pretty soar now but it is worth it!

[Brody]

Looking good! I bet it feels good to have made some progress on it!

[Mporter]

pretty soar now but it is worth it!

That's the spirit

[Cr33p3r]

Wow, I did not think just doing that bit of work would take so much outta me but I was totally worthless yesterday. Today I feel great but have to go to Loveland so no work for me on it.

[scout man]

i sympathize with you on this one sean. Granted, I havnt been having the medical problems that you have, but after 1 full day of fabing my bumper I can barely move today!

[Brody]

i sympathize with you on this one sean. Granted, I havnt been having the medical problems that you have, but after 1 full day of fabbing my bumper I can barely move today!

I have no sympathy. I am older than both of youse guys....and dealing with a mess of accumulated sports injuries, aches and pains...:lmao:

[Cr33p3r]

Well I am on my way down south to pick up my new wheels and tires plus a 205 transfercase for the build will post pics when I get it home and unloaded.

[Cr33p3r]

Shoot I forgot that I have no way to upload pics now with the new computer, unless I can go thru my printer to do it. Anyhow I need to get me a Ford 203 transfer case next so I can do my doubler set up and the I will be all set to get busy on this again. I did drive it a couple times over the last two weeks and Damn I miss my truck!

[Cr33p3r]

Here is the latest udpate on this build, plans have changed and going a different route as far as going to do this in stages now;

1) Going to start the axle swaps next week end (1 & 2 April) if anyone that has volunteered to help out is still interested that is a big++ (since E Test is out of the way now & passed w/ flying colors again)
2) I sold my metric equalivent size 35s to Roland and picked up a set of 33s for now
3) Driveline & fuel tank being moved up 3" is going to wait til next winter
4) procurring a few parts for a doubler, I have a 205 and will be buying a 203 soon (over the summer), this will go in next winter also
5) get and install lockers next winter to run 37's
6) swapping out the 4.0 for a 5.0 two winters from now

[Brody]

Shoot I forgot that I have no way to upload pics now with the new computer,

What is wrong with a USB cable from your camera to an USB port on the computer. That thing has to have a bunch of them.

I'll try to help if I am not busy.

[foxtrot]

looks like that thing is going to be a beast. how is that computer working out for you?

[Hypoid]

1) Going to start the axle swaps next week end (1 & 2 April)April 1st is a Friday. Is there a note of sarcasm in choosing that date? :D

I just told someone else that I'm busy that weekend. :thumb:

[Cr33p3r]

Thanks Pete, I totally forgot that I had a USB cable for the camera, I got so used to just taking the SD card out and putting it in my laptop to transfer pics.

Brad computer is working great! thanks again!

Mike good catch, that is what happens to me after just 3 hours sleep things get a bit fuzzy looking.

[Rob]

if anyone that has volunteered to help out is still interested that is a big++ (since E Test is out of the way now & passed w/ flying colors again)

If I'm back from Moab, I'll come down, Sean. I'm playing it by ear on a return date. It might be a matter of how many nights I can sleep on the ground and wheel hard all day. :brody::steer:

[Cr33p3r]

Thanks Rob and have fun out there in Moab, take extra padding for the ground sleeping.

[Rob]

take extra padding for the ground sleeping.

I couldn't get my wife to go, so I'll use an air mattress. ;)

[scout man]

I am hoping so too, although last year my matress didnt hold air. Ill try the other one this year.

[Brody]

I couldn't get my wife to go, so I'll use an air mattress.

Unless it is a Therma Rest style mattress (air+foam) then you will want to take a foam pad to put over the regular air mattress. If you don't, the standard air mattress will suck up the cold temps from the ground. Even a doubled up wool blanket will work over the top of the air mattress or a foam pad under it. Anyway you do it, you need to isolate the actual mattress from the ground somehow...

[Cr33p3r]

Today saw some progress for Saturday, got the 9" diff installed in the housing and painted along with the brake backing plates. Tomorrow I will get the rest of the brake parts(inner stuff) and install them then it is all ready to go. Talked to Val and she suggested grilling some burgers for anyone that is helping out over the weekend.

[Hypoid]

What time are you starting on Saturday?

[Cr33p3r]

I will most likely be out there moving the 57 out at around 8am so anytime around then works.

[Hypoid]

You better re-send your address. I'd hate wondering if I was near "that" intersection. ;)

[Cr33p3r]

I'd hate wondering if I was near "that" intersection.


Got it! :lmao:


Friday I got the garage situated and the Ranger in side and up on stands, sprayed plenty of PB Blaster on most of the nuts & Bolts. I should have the wheels and tires off by the timeanyone gets here and maybe get started taking the shockes and the skid plates. I will leave the side gate open if anyone wants to park in the driveway.

[Hypoid]

A couple pics from today. I'll let Sean do the story tellin'. More tomorrow... :)

http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee120/Hypoid/SEANS%20STUFF/SEANSSTUFF003.jpg

http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee120/Hypoid/SEANS%20STUFF/SEANSSTUFF006.jpg

http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee120/Hypoid/SEANS%20STUFF/SEANSSTUFF005.jpg

[Cr33p3r]

I found out that when the local Ford dealer had the truck for some front end repairs that they missed tightening up the drivers side upper control arm bolts causing the A-arm to slide in-n-out thus wearing my tires prematurally. The frame started out sitting unlevel w/ 15-1/4" on passenger side and 15" on drivers side. Thanks to both Mikes for the help, I did get the skid plates, tires, rear shocks off before Mike(Hypoid) and Mike (Hanzosteel) arrived and was in the process of removing the E brake cable. We did get the 8.8 out and the 9" put under the rear and realized that the old U bolts were not going to work, so I need to go get some on Monday. We did have to cut the bolts for the U joint flange since we could not break them free. The only real mods we had to do was enlarge the locating pin hole on the axle pads and Mike got to use his new plasma cutter to burn thru the truss for the U bolts. We also were coming up with a plan of attack for cutting out the IFS. Will also have to fabricate the mounts for the shackle reversal out of 1/4" plate. Soon I will have a bunch of stuff for sale from this project, wheels and tires, 8.8 W/ disc brakes, and complete IFS.

[Hypoid]

This is the shop I was telling you about today: http://www.frontrange4x4.com/forums/showthread.php?5148-Midwest-Spring&p=138793#post138793

[Cr33p3r]

Thanks Mike, I will be going down there tomorrow morning unless Don comes through for me. I did not realize how tired and sore I am today, figured all the walking around at work would loosen things up but I was wrong, :lmao:

Some extra parts, front end looking a lil nekked and rear really nekked!

[Cr33p3r]

Well after taking yesterday off I got back on it today and kicked some serious ass starting with going to Midwest Trucks for new U-Bolts $38.78 for 4 not a bad deal. Then once home I got the rear end bolted up and jumped on the moving the front jack stands for clearance purposes. The IFS is now history!!!! :D I picked up where Hypoid and I left off Sunday afternoon with removing the A arms completely then the axle and the cross-member with the rack n pinion unit as a whole. After all that I proceeded to cutting off all the brackets. The wood blocks are only there to stabilize the front since it has a teeter toter effect due to the location of the jack stands. So now it is ready for some grinding and welding of the new parts. Here are pics of today's work;

[Cr33p3r]

And here is what was removed, Ford's so called better idea! All this junk weighs more than the Dana 44 fully assembled. What a joke!! Whoops I did not get a current picture of the pile of parts so that will happen tomorrow.:lmao:

[Rob]

Dang, you're moving right along. Looking good.

[Brody]

That is a lot of progress! Lots of junk with any IFS conversion. Straight axles are so much simpler..

[Hypoid]

Whoops I did not get a current picture of the pile of parts so that will happen tomorrow.
Yup! We need the Adrian pic...when you can move again. :D

[Brody]

What was the reasoning for IFS in the first place.

It is the 'soccer mom' syndrome where the industry builds 4x4s with the idea that people who drive them are now going to expect the same ride out of the 4x4s as they were getting in a regular car. Better road driveability for the most part. Straight axle 4x4s, well, they have a habit of driving kinda like a truck, you know?

[Cr33p3r]

Well the old rear axle and all the front suspension parts went to the scrap yard, it all weighed in a bit over 750 lbs., that with all the extra steel stuff had the leaf springs on the trailer sitting flat on the overloads and tires bulging a bit!

[Cr33p3r]

A few more progress pics of cutting and grinding off brackets and cross member stuff.
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j70/scwinddancers/010.jpg

Rear mount of front diff had to be cut off for clearance
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j70/scwinddancers/011.jpg

Front of cross member needs removed this is where the F150 steering box will mount
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j70/scwinddancers/012.jpg

cutting it out
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j70/scwinddancers/017.jpg

[Cr33p3r]

A couple more pics

Same thing on the passenger side. This is the last one I need to cut out before rolling the D44 under it for the 1st time! That will be today YES!!!
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j70/scwinddancers/013.jpg

Passenger rear lower control arm mount
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j70/scwinddancers/014.jpg

I will have to figure out what to do for the front drive shaft since this one will be short and has like a CV joint where it mounts to the Xsfer case
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j70/scwinddancers/016.jpg

Today the D44 will be rolled under it for the 1st time:D. I will then make a new cross member that goes under the motor to stiffen the frame so there won't be any flex at that point.

[Cr33p3r]

Well no work on her today since driving home this morning & while stopping for gas in the car the battery gave up the ghost! After $100bill for a new one I really cant complain since I got 6 years out of a 40 month factory battery.:thumb:

[Cr33p3r]

Latest update is the D44 is under the truck, started locating for the coil buckets and radius arm mounts which has not turned out as planned HAHA no surprise there. The cross member I bought for the radius arm mounts is too tall in height and not wide enough to cross from rail to rail. So it is time to get creative, also made up a couple extra 1/8" plates to stiffen the frame rails as they are made of only 1/8" steel. Hopefully I will get those welded in today or at least before leaving for Kansas. Also trying to decide on how high or low to mount the coil buckets on the rails which also will determine ride height.

A big question I do have is the Radius arms- should they or are they normally level or on a angle down from the frame to the axle? I have seen too many versions to know for sure.

[Brody]

Latest update is the D44 is under the truck, started locating for the coil buckets and radius arm mounts which has not turned out as planned HAHA no surprise there. The cross member I bought for the radius arm mounts is too tall in height and not wide enough to cross from rail to rail. So it is time to get creative, also made up a couple extra 1/8" plates to stiffen the frame rails as they are made of only 1/8" steel. Hopefully I will get those welded in today or at least before leaving for Kansas. Also trying to decide on how high or low to mount the coil buckets on the rails which also will determine ride height.

A big question I do have is the Radius arms- should they or are they normally level or on a angle down from the frame to the axle? I have seen too many versions to know for sure.

Measure a truck the same year that the Dana 44 came out of. Essentially any Ford F150 or Bronco should give you the right spot to mount the coil mounts and the height.

The coil mount location is going to determine how the angle of the radius arms sit in relation to the frame. You have quite a lot of latitude here as most of the Ford/coil/radius lifts simply use longer coils with no relocating of the coil buckets/mounts. A longer coil is going to increase the angle and vice versa. I would mount the coil mounts in the stock(ish) location based on measurements taken from a stock Ford with the same set up. Any adjustments from that point as far as travel goes are going to come from extending the radius arms (SOP for a long travel Ford suspension using this configuration) and relocating the rear radius arm mounts.

Either go to a junkyard and get measurements or get a hold of Adrian and have him send you some photos. I am willing to bet that his coil mounts are in the stock location and he just went with extended coil springs. That was all I did on the F150 I built and the same for the 69 Bronco I did. I did extend the radius arms on the Ford after running the longer coils after awhile to get more travel. When I did the 69 Bronco, I extended the radius arms right off the bat mainly due to the fact that I was dealing with a much shorter wheelbase rig.

As far as the latter goes, I thought that you were going to do this anyway as it is relatively easy to extend the stock radius arms.

[Fordguy77]

In the 70, 77, 79, and 91 fords i have they are all at an angle and not parallel to the ground.

[Cr33p3r]

As far as the latter goes, I thought that you were going to do this anyway as it is relatively easy to extend the stock radius arms.

Originally I was but decided not right now due to funds and wanting to get this back on the road.

I did check out Adrian's pics but not much help due to he used after market radius arms that mount higher on the axle, he also lowered his coil buckets about 1". I am using Bronco Graveyards coil buckets and they do not have any bolt hole in them so they will be fully welded to the frame along with their shock & drag link mount.
I did come across these pics of one guuys build and am thinking this is how it will be set up on mine now too. He has a good build up of it on another site.

[Cr33p3r]

This is at least what it should do after the swaps are done. Maybe a little more flex than what is in the picture.

[Brody]

Both pictures you posted show after market coils, so keep that in mind. The radius arm junk you can do pretty much any time and it also costs next to nothing to do. Same bracket, moved back, same bushing. Just a chunk of steel, some measurements and some fab time. You don't have to relocate anything on your axle either. I do remember that the axle bushings I had to use for the big lift progressive rate coils were different from stock, but I ran the stock bushings for awhile without an issue.

[Cr33p3r]

On the bushings yeah I did go up to the 4 degree bushing rather than the stock ones plus since the wedges are not welded onto the axle yet I have room to play with setting up the degrees there for the caster, camber, and pinion angle of the axle.

[Cr33p3r]

I did get the buckets pretty much located and tacked on after fabbing up a couple stiffener plates for the frame rails and got them welded on. Boy it sure felt good to burn some metal after 5 months of not doing it, and I laid some pretty good welds down too. I will be adding some 1/4" thick gussets behind the coil buckets for added strength too.