truck looks good.


Does your roomie wanna build a box for my truck (if i have to keep her)? That box is sweet.

The only thing I don't like is the color of the painted parts and the color of the box cover.

 

I'm NOT looking to "lay frame" Mark. I'll leave that to you kids. I'd be happy with a 3 to 4" front and 4 to 5" back drop that rides nice.
I'm not knocking it, but all the cars/trucks I've seen that were "on the ground" just don't look right to me. To me the best looking cars/trucks
are the ones where the bottom of the wheel well opening is at or just below the top of the tire. That's the look I'm going for.
The guy in the shop tells me my wheel well will come about 1/2 way down the sidewall. A bit more than I wanted but close enough.
Different strokes for different folks I guess.
Besides this is my daily driver, so of necessity it has to function as well as look good. For that reason I'm NOT cutting into my bed either.
The tank and pump will be located under the bed where the spare tire was. That way I still have full use of the bed for hauling "stuff."

There are more of us out here than you think Mark. Don't forget while it was my parents generation that started this HOT ROD thing in the 40's.
It was my generation that really made it take off in the 50's. We started the N.H.R.A. and NASCAR. And something called Rock & Roll.
My parents hated R & R about as much as your parents hate RAP. We had to stop all that foolishness when we got married and all you kids came along.
We had to grow up and become responsible. So try not to be to hard on all of the over 40 guys.
They were/are so busy making a living to take care their families they've forgotten how to be kids. It'll be your turn soon enough.
Fortunately I've never lost my love of things automotive. I still enjoy the same things today that I did 50 years ago.
It's just that now I can afford to indulge my passions. When one of my friends looks at my truck and says "why are you doing that?" I smile and say, "because I can."
Will admit it made me feel good when my grand daughters new boyfriend, saw my truck and called me "dude" for the first time. Think he was 14 at the time.
Hope I live long enough to see the look on my grand sons face when I hand him the keys to this truck. He's the real reason I'm building it.



Mark this is the truck I wanted when I was in High School 50+ years ago. I couldn't afford to build it at that time though.
When I got married and had a son, I planned to build one for him. Things like mortgage payments, collage and retirement funds (life)
prevented that from happening. Now that my kids are on their own and the wife and I split 20 years ago I finally have the time/money
to build my dream truck.
I swore my grandson, the young man in the photo below, is going to have the coolest (do you guys still use that word?) baddest truck in high school.

My grandson and I. The photo is about a year old. He'll be 2 in March.



Santa delivered this truck to my grandson on Christmas morning.
Notice I'm starting him out right with a F O R D
It's an F150 STX. Max speed while he has his learners permit will be 2 MPH.
When he masters how to drive it that will be increased to a neck snapping 5 MPH.
It comes with cup holders (to hold his bottle) and a real working FM radio.

It also came with those 3 little words that strike fear into the hearts of all dads and granddads on Christmas morning.

" SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED."



Come on dad. Let's go pick up some chicks.



No dad, the radio is NOT to loud.

 

^^lol...

 

Man Nick, your story on how youre going to pass the keys on to your Grandson is seriously deep...not to get all touchy-feely or what not... I just give you tons of respect.

 

I would ditch the running bars.

You have an excellent truck and congrats on all the hard work you have put in.

WOW!

 

Well you sir are building a very nice truck.

I figured you were not building it to lay frame or drag. I suggested DJM arms on bags due to the camber you will get on the stock arms I do not know what kind of ride height your looking to drive at but I cant see you driving to low without eating tires with the camber you will have stock arms.

Its just a suggestion didnt know if you had your arms laying around from when you had them.

Also are you going to run a fuel cell for a gas tank then? I shouldnt see a problem with you keeping the stock gas stank if your just running a bolt in notch I dont think youll get low enough to sit on it. You could always run a bronco 2 gas tank that fits between the frame rails in the back to give you room.

Very cool truck Im jealous of you thats for sure I hope to keep my 98 as clean modded as you are.

 

That is quite a way to pass the time during your retirement. Very nice truck.

 

Start of the front airbag install.



Control unit for the airbag




Front airbag installed. Need to fabricate some shock mounts.



As far as Caster/camber are concerned. I'm leaving that up to the guy in the shop.
Not really my area of expertise. While I do have some knowledge in that area I'm by no means an expert.
The shop owner at LUXURIOUS CUSTOMS assures there won't be any problem with the gas tank.
When in the full down position, the frame should be about 5-6" off the ground.
When inflated to ride hight 4-5" I should have a minimum of 9-10" ground clearance.
I've got photos of what's being done to the rear end. I'll try to get them posted tonight.

 

The bars and mud flaps are long gone. Those are old photos.
As soon as I get the truck back, hopefully within a week, I'll take some new photos and post them.

 

Hopefully Andy I'm starting a tradition. Maybe 50 years from now "Little Nick" (yes they named him after me.)
will pass the keys to his grandson and tell him how he got the truck from great-great grandpa.
Just in case I don't make it. I'm planing to make a video that my daughter and son-in-law will play for him on his 16th birthday.
After he sees the video, they'll give him the keys.

 

lookin good man nice work

 

If you buy him enough beer, there's a good chance you could talk my roomie into building you a box Just kidding.

That's why they call is customizing. It's my truck, so I get to say what looks good. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
If it's any consolation, my roomie agrees with you. He thinks I should put flames on it. It will never happen.

Understated elegance is the look I'm after. Sort of a cowboy Cadillac.

 

I think you'll be lower than you expect Im guessing in the full down position your frame will be more like 3-4 inches off the ground. Im at the same height you will be at deflated Im running a 5/7 drop and my frame is 3-4 inches off the ground. Is he notching for tie rods? Is he taking off the front sway bar? I dont know if your planning on running a fb setup or fbss but if you plan on hitting sides I would remove the front sway bar.

Definitely wont have that much clearance with the bottom of the framerails to ground in the 4/5 position. I know when my truck was 4/5 it was around 6 inches from the frame to ground. Are you getting a raised Transmission crossmember?

 

Photo of the back of my truck with the bed removed.
Installation of the Explorer rear end and 4 link has started.



View of the 4 link going in.



Another angle.


A look at the welds for the linkage. This guy does really nice work.




Up to this point I'm very impressed with the work the young man at LUXURIOUS CUSTOMS is doing on my truck.
As I said earlier, this is not my area of expertise. It looks to me like he knows his stuff.

 

I figure it took me 45 years to get here John. If you count my military time I started working full time when I was 17.
Retired when I was 62. So to my way of thinking I've earned it. For the first time in my life I do what I want, when I want.
I plan to enjoy every minute of whatever time I have left before the good lord sees fit to call me home.
No rocking chair for me.


Last year my roomie and I went on a 5 month, 25 state, 8000 mile road trip. Got to see a good deal of the U.S.A.


Just for the record. My daughter gave me this T-shirt for my birthday 10 years ago.
I like to think it still applies today.

 

its looking real nice


did you pick the bags to be on the axle? I guess with a parallel 4 link there isnt much choice.

I wish they still make the Bolt in 6link, that was a nice setup

 

Scott, I just told the guy installing it for me what I wanted and how I drive.
How I expect the truck to handle. After that I left him alone.
I go down every day to check in and ask a few questions.
But I pretty much stay out of his way. He's the expert and I'm paying
him for that expertise. So it would be silly for me to try to tell him
how to do his job. I hated it when I was working and someone
tried to do that to me. It would be sort of like going to a Dr.
and telling him what you think is wrong with you.
I'll be posting some more photos later today on his progress.
Think you'll agree with me he does good work.

 

You obviously know exactly what you want, and it looks to me like you're doing an excellent job getting it. Too bad for most of us there won't even be rangers when we're 70.

 

Wow, thats all I can say. Looks like a incredible truck so far, can't wait to see the final product.

 

70 this year? Wow sir, keep on rockin man, when i started reading this I was thinkin "dang where do these young guys come up with all this money", guess age does have it's benefits... looks awesome keep up the great work!

 

Thanks Ryan. I've been fortunate in that I've always had a knack for finding people that are very talented
to help me with projects like this. Like my room mate. The man can build anything if he has the proper tools.

As for not being any Rangers when you're 70. Not entirely correct. There won't be any NEW Rangers.
I'm sure there will still be at least a few in barns and junk yards waiting to be rescued.
I have a friend that had a 54 Ford in High School. Sold it when he went into the military in 60.
I got a phone call from him one day in 77-78. He was all excited.
He had been looking for a 53-54 Ford to restore. Found one in a barn in bad shape.
When he got it home and started cleaning it up and checked the VIN #, turns out it was his old car.

What are the odds?

 

Mark, I was at the shop again today. My truck was off the lift and outside. The rear bags were not installed. The front bags were. With the front bags all the way down, there was about 7" from the bottom of the gas tank to the ground. Oscar, the guy doing the install told me again there would be no clearance problems. When he installs the rear bags and tweeks the front, he thinks the truck should come up about 2". Maybe a bit more. That's with no air in the bags. So ride hight will probably be in the 12" to 13" range from the bottom of the gas tank. Oscar tells me that with these bags fully inflated the truck will rise about 8". Ride hight will depend on where I'm comfortable of course. Oscar tells me most guys seem to like the ride with the bags at about the midway point. A bit higher or lower.


Upper and lower brackets for the air bags.




Trial fitting Cross Brace




Cross Brace in Place




Rear cross brace. Passenger side. A similar one will be added to the driver side.
Oscar will weld a triangular shaped 1/4" steel plate over each corner and use
that as the upper mounting point for the rear shocks.




Measuring for front brace.




Thats it for now boys and girls. Stay tuned for more photos.

 

Sounds good I dont know how your running that much clearance with it aired out because my truck is sitting with a 7 inch drop out back my gas tank maybe 3-4 inches off the ground and im not notched the axle is on the frame with the bumpstops gone..

Work looks real good

 

OK. Here's a photo of the front end. Full down. Oscar tells me that the truck will rise
about 2" + or - a bit from what you see here when the install is finished.




Two shots of the rear. No bags installed and there is still 7" clearance from the gas tank to the ground.
That should rise about 2" to 3" when the bags are installed.




Hard to see here but the cross brace is only about 1/2" off the rear end.
Even though this should increase by 2" to 3" with the bags installed,
Oscar will weld in a bracket for a bump stop. Just to be safe.




Oscar testing the new audio system. Sounded a bit tinny to me. That was on FM.
I didn't have a CD with me to try out. I still need to dial in the speakers.

 

nice job...