Well I got some work done today since my afternoon class was not meeting, despite the nasty misting rain and overcast weather we've had all day.

I nearly pinched the bajeeezus out of my finger between the coil spring and the spring pocket. I honestly thought I was going to lose my finger for a brief moment, before I was able to work my foot around to relieve pressure on the lower control arm.

The truck looks funny now, without any front suspension, arms, or wheels/tires.


While I let the pain dissolve, I studied the back half of the truck for possible mounting points for a rear sway bar.




What do ya know! It bolted right up, without having to drill holes.





As it turns out, the coil springs on the front of this truck are much larger and heavier than I ever imagined!


Here is the small parts pile of stuff that I haven't boxed up or put away for whatever reason. I pulled parts off that steering column for John, and the rear axle front-links are there until I get a welder, at which point I will mount them to the Ranger for added rear stability.


I also finished pre-wiring my e-fan into the relay and switch located in the cab. For those who don't know, I will have my e-fan controlled by a thermostat, and a switch mounted in the cab (overhead console).

 

I think you just like making threads to rub in our faces the fact that you'll have a 302

lol

It's coming along man! Can't wait to see more progress and the finished product. Does your state do any kind of emissions testing??

 

No emissions testing in Arkansas, and no plan to start any anytime soon!

 

the truck is starting to come together nicely. So when do you think the motor will go in.

 

lookin good bro, like the BL plug too

 

nice truck i like how you compeer the spring to the beer can i like just plain bud

 

nice!.......don't know about the extention cord wire, but if it works.....atleast it is good and insulated......

you might want to move those jack stands to the fram rails so it has more stability than those a-arm mounts.......

 

i see you got the sway bar to work

 

Yeah Id be nervous with the jackstands there I prefer to have them on the frame rails.

And I remember that look when I tore apart my truck, the fun part is putting it all back together.

 

a-arm mounts? thats the engine cross member as well

 

whatever the hell they are......the jack stands are still a little close for me....but o well.....who listens to me...

 

Id take your advice but its mostly common knowledge/sense.

Not that he is wrong in how he is doing it I just prefer having it under the front frame rails Just something about stability of the truck while hammer/ or wrenching something in.

 

dont get me wrong i didnt say he was wrong........Tim is actually a pretty smart dude.......which should be clear since he is taking the time and effort to swap a V8 into his truck and i still have my 4.0

 

Please everyone note, THe supports in the pictures are for photo reasons only. I wouldn't get under there unless it har 3-suppport points.

 

Today's big project is getting those arms mounted back up!

 

Have fun how you planning on getting the coils back in there with no weight from the engine in there did you rent a coil compressor?

 

done yet? lol

 

 

I rented one from Oreilly's. However the 1" nut stripped out slightly, so I ground it down to a 15/16" and used it again for the other side.

Without the compressor, I wouldn't have gotten it out. With it, it was a piece of cake!

I'll be compressing the springs as much as possible when I go to re-install them. The spring compressor I have allows me to compress from the second coil from the top, which means I get maximum compression. This changes the overall height so I can swing the lower arm into place and bolt it up.

 

I may have to wait until I get the engine in to install the lower a-arms. I'd imagine you have to do a bit of jacking on the ball-joint end to get it all in place before re-attaching the spindle's upper ball-joint to the upper arm. Is that the case?

The extension cord contains three individually insulated 10 gauge wires in it. What's wrong with running the same gauge of wire the factory runs to it's relay? Also, the outer orange sheath protects it at the rubber grommet where it penetrates the firewall, and from the elements outside. It keeps all three wires bound together nicely, too. Once it exits the firewall into the engine compartment, I've also added black wire loom to keep the orange wire hidden. I taped various wire supports to the loom that snap into factory holes in the inner fender, to keep it in place. All together, it's a very well protected circuit, with a heavy-duty stock Ford relay mounted in a stock relay holder. It maintains 10 gauge wire all the way to the fan motor. 12 gauge wire runs to the switch where it closes the relay and provides ground.

I took Maurice's advice first thing today. The jack stands were positioned under the engine crossmemeber (a-arm mounts) because I was applying downward force with my foot to the lower a-arm to remove the coil spring. I never crawled underneath it while it was like that.

 

nothing wrong with the extention cord.....just curious about it...

thanks for moving those jack stands.....makes me feel better since you are soon to be under the thing.....