Did you take the bed off?

 

no, it is doable with the bed on, used a right angle grinder, just be careful, idk bout your frame, but mine was awful thin from all the rust.

the approach i used, first had to take out spare tire, grind on rivits inside the frame, center punch and then knock out the rivits with a punch. one side for mine had two bolts and i was able to get the nuts off those and the other side had all 4 rivits. That will take care of the hanger. Then for the shackle, I just left it on hanger, cut part of it off so it was not attached to leaf spring. took the leaf spring out and pounded out the bolt in the rear eye of the leaf spring, installed new bushings and reassembled. if you go with 6400's you will probably have to fix your exhaust it will be in the way. i cut mine right aftter the muffler and put a turndown on.

 

your frame doesnt look bad. get truck suported on jack stands by the frame. if you have a torch heat up the rivets and knock them off with a chisel. then pound them the rest of the way out. take a wire brush knock the loss stuff off and hit it with some paint. and install new bracket

 

6 bolts and 3 screws the bed is off......I did the 64" spring swap on a truck and holy crap, remove that bed. GOBS of room to work with a grinder!!

 

I'm gonna take the bed off. It should make the job alot easier just having the room to work. I'm not using the 6400 series shackles I'm just using OEM replacement shackles and hangers.

 

I want all you guys here in the rust belt to go check your upper shock mount. Located behind the rear passenger tire on the frame. See if there is any cracking.

 

i just had my bed off a few months ago and mine had a small hole in the top of it but i just cleaned it up and painted it. I will get around to replacing it sometime now that i know that you can buy them from ford.

 

hmmm.. im pulling my bed off to do some bodywork to it and clean up the frame so i will look at mine then.

 

Or those who bought trucks which came from the freakin' rust belt. My old Ranger was screwed. I see it from time to time.

Look here for cracks in your frame:
https://www.ranger-forums.com/forum2...amage-bad.html

 

I have owned my truck for about a month and a half. I ended up doing mine with the bed on, I was going to take it off but the bolts are rusted enough that they would not move.

 

Cover them with WD40 or penetrating fluid everyday a few days before you want to pull it and they will. Either that, or you'll break em like I did. 3 of the bed bolts on my old truck snapped and I twisted the torx bit.

 

yup mine's the same way they wont move.. but im coating them with WD40 everyday. will spray them again tomorrow (started a couple days ago) and again on sunday as im on a road trip on saturday and wont be home. then monday i'll try again and see how it goes... im kinda hoping they will just snap off.. if not and they still wont move then i'll cut the bastards off. haha

 

one Good thing about having a bodylift, you get all new bolts so no troubles getting the bed off. :)

 

I didn't know it was a 2 piece frame, where does it start (too cold/rainy out to look at)?

The steel on my truck flakes off like croissant pastry....cheap steel! I mean I can grab pieces off the frame/brackets and SEE the layers falling/pulling apart!
I can't believe it....I bought the truck new, and MA doesn't use too much salt on the roads any more (the other stuff they use may be WORSE though?)

My rear end cover rusted/flaked off too, I got a alloy Mustang one on now. No to mention the gas filler pipe....and brake lines I have been replacing.
I never had this many/kinds of problems with any other vehicle....even with twice as many miles on them!


So I bought a new shackle & bracket kit, but I hear it's next to impossible to get the bushing out of the end of the leaf spring??? Power grinders/chisels/saws acetylene torch I do not have access to.

I would like to have some plate steel welded to the bumper end of the frame....I guess those huge oval holes there were used for shipping straps.

 

haha so hows the hack job coming along!!! haha jk.. got any updates??