Unloaded a yard of mulch. 4 yards hauled, 2 more to go

 

Two weeks ago I replaced all front lighting as well as installed a new lower valance. A few weeks before that I striped and repainted my wheels silver with black pockets and today I'm painting a new/used set of step bar brackets as the ones on the truck are rusted to hell and the two rear ones aren't even the correct ones making the step bars sit two high at the back. New lower ball joints siting on the kitchen table and I'll be heading to the body shop in a few to get an estimate on repainting the hood and a few other parts!

 

Happy Mother's Day. My mom is currently in Monterey, CA working to manage a COVID-19 outbreak. She is a nurse (RN) and an administrator, she works essentially for FEMA, but at the state level. So if your moms are around give them a hug and let them know how much you care.

Since I won't be able to spend the day with my mom (and spending the entire day with the mother in law may end up in criminal charges)... I hope to finish installing my 50" curved LED bar. I have all of the wiring done. I hit a roadblock when I went to install the brackets that hold the bar to the truck. Things don't quite line up, the mounting brackets are going to need some tweeking to ensure the light bar is centered over the windshield. I don't know how to proceed from here. Any suggestions?

 

New shoes! Replaced the BFG all terrain KO'S with KO2's......the FX4 is riding smoother, rolling quieter, looks better than ever, and i dont chirp my tires on dry pavement anymore.


Edit: also replaced my driver side rear blinker/brakelight bulb in the napa parking lot

 

Whats new no my ranger

 

Wondered why my wipers wipe but squirters don't squirt. Investigated to find a little plastic splitter in the hose line was broken. I picked up a couple items and...maybe it's fixed? If not, I'm ripping the whole thing apart and replacing old cracked lines and seals. Hoping this is solid enough for now.
Cheers!

Opened hood and found top hose hanging disconnected. Plastic splitter broken on all 3 tips inside the hoses. Does Permatex gasket maker actually work? Ill know in a few days.

 

I finally got the light bar mounted! It took me until nearly 10pm (about 2 hours). I have all of the wiring ran and an auxiliary switch panel made (which will be in my center console). All that is left to do is connect the wiring harness to the light bar's wires and to find a 12v source and ground for my switch panel.

 

I got an question for y'all, should I:
1. paint my light bar brackets white
2. Hydrodip w/ American flag pattern to match my interior (post #5575 has pic of pattern)
3. Paint them satin black
4. Leave them as is

 

Today, I also installed the billet grille that I had on my 98 4x2. I can't decide if I like the stock 4x4 grille of the billet grille. What do y'all think?

 

@Danger.Ranger87 I'd replace the whole lot. I replaced mine a piece at a time. As soon as I fixed one thing the next weak spot would give and I'd replace that, followed by the next week link, etc etc. My advice would be to replace it all at once. You can get a complete on Amazon that will have everything that you'll need to replace leaky hoses and fittings. AND its cheaper than doing it piece by piece. I bought the kit that I linked above to make my "anti-tailgating device" - I am happy with my purchase and would recommend it.

 

I think the American Flag pattern would look great! As far as grills go, I personally am more of a fan of the stock grill, but do whatever suits you.

 

saulcuddy- Thanks for the input! The hydrodipped American flag pattern is kinda the way I'm leaning. As for the grille, I'm undecided, if someone were interested in buying it though it'd make my decision a lot easier.

 

carlitosranger1970 -I like the black wheels! How did you paint them, peel coat?

 

DrW0392,

Truck looks good, yes change out all of the hoses and fitting at once, best deal, get it done !

I have never understood the reasoning about having lighting on the roof; backup lights on a BackRack, high is good but you are going to reflect a lot of light off the hood back in the cab. BLIND ME !

Most of us don't drive in the desert at high speed, so lights mounted high are not the problem, you want plenty of light and that LED Strip looks like it can put out a lot of light BUTT... ! Just me !

Looking at the pictures of the LED Strip, the driver's side windshield area, RUST is coming through... if you intend to keep the truck you should address the rusting as soon as possible... today it might look like a small rust spot, tomorrow the rain is coming in, and once you are in there, it might be worse than you think.

I like the way the LED Strip hangs out ofer the top of the roof area, it should take some of the sting of light away from your eyes.
How thick are the Mounts ?

The grille looks good, I like the bar look, I have a black bar version.

I owned a 2000 once, the one thing I liked above all on that truck was the lighting, the headlights were better than my 2003, and the Fog Lights, man when you turned them on it fill in all of the dark spot from the headlights. My 2003 Fogs weren't bad, worked well with the FOG Light Mod, (on with High beams) but they are lacking compared to the 2000.

Enjoy the modding, always good to see what others are doing.

Need a Switch Panel picture ?

How do you plan on running the wiring through the roof ?

Ltr

 

I like the white brackets.
Stock grille. No billet.

But, they are you're rides, this is just my opinion, and it may not align with yours.

 

imbroke - Opinions are exactly what I asked for, so I thank you for sharing yours!

 

Scrambler82 - I pulled the wires from the engine bay to behind the driver side fender. Then I fished it through the door jamb and tucked it into the weather stripping. It's kinda difficult to explain, so I took a pic. The rest of the harness runs under the carpet to the center console- where the auxiliary switch panel is located.

 

Today, I painted and then hydrodipped my light bar brackets. Once everything had dried, I reinstalled the light bar with the freshly painted+hydrodipped brackets. What do y'all think?

 

The flags don't do anything for me.

I ordered new plugs and wires to replace the factory 1994 ones, with 209k miles on them. Should run a bit better.

 

Found this space booster used on craigslist, mounted in parking lot and drove her home. Helps me stay organized and keeps bed space open for boondocking. Never mind the empty 3rd brake light hole, that's the next project!

 

i vote for the stock 4X4

 

Both grilles look good.
Stock looks more authentic and aggressive (like RAM grilles). The billet one looks lower and softer.
With both pictures side by side the billet unit loans to a less finished appearance.

The brackets look cluttered with the jumble of flags. It looks like you just had some material leftover-not a thoughtful addition. Who highlights brackets anywhere?

Also, there are many among us who adhere to more formal displaying of The American Flag. Draping the flag permanently on an automotive surface means it will be abraded and become dirty over time. A flag on a serviceman's coffin is clean. It's removed before burial. An American Flag armrest in a vehicle will become grimy and have soda spilled on it.

Would you also make mud flaps out of The American Flag? You're not supposed to like Abbie Hoffman wearing a shirt made from the flag but big busted gals washing trucks in American Flag bikinis is OK?

Skip the "free speech" rap. And no, I do not think I'm a better American than you and I don't think you're some kind of better American just because some Chinese company offers art materials adorned with our flag which caught your eye.

This is a small point given the major concerns of life but the flag is very important to many people and shouldn't be trashed about in vehicle interiors, used as a table cloth, used as patch material on blue jean backsides, turned into towels or used to make dog jackets.....or light brackets.

Hey dude, do what you like.....but you know what I'm talking about. Happy Memorial Day

 

Took my tonneau cover off, and removed the bedliner in preparation for converting to a flatbed/stake body......finally got a good look at the extent of the rot.....

 

Worked on Project Rick a little on Sunday. Using a borrowed oxy/acetylene torch, I managed to get exactly one exhaust downpipe bolt out of the flange. I have one with the head quite round, so I'm waiting on one of those extractor socket sets to be shipped. I have a harbor freight version, but they don't have a lot of grip surface for these. I ordered a better set.

If it won't release, I'll cut the bolt to release the downpipe and either grind/drill the remnant free or remove the manifold to get the stud out on the bench.

On the grills posted above - I prefer the stock look, but go with what you like. It's your truck.

As for the flags on the brackets - I have to agree with what Georgeandkira posted. If you'd like to do a red, white, and blue scheme, great. I don't like the "frivolous" use of flags or the image of flags. I'm frankly not a fan of seeing flags on poles fastened to cars (outside of a parade situation) because I constantly see them broken off and laying in the road. My state doesn't use front license plates, so I have some freedom to put something else there. Somebody gave me a patriotic plate as a gift that had two American flags crossed on it. Looked great and I put it on. After a couple of months, it looked terrible with bugs, dirt, dings from stones hitting it, etc. I no longer have that vehicle and the plate, while it's been cleaned up, has not returned to any of my other vehicles (fire company plates go there now anyway).

As I noted before, it's your truck, so do what you like. I'm not a fan of using the US flag in a way that could, even unintentionally, degrade or disrespect it.

The light bar looks great, either way.

 

A few months back I repaired the floating armrest on my center console. The new bracket is metal instead of plastic, so it is sturdier, but there is still some flex if I lean on the rest a little. So I went to the store and got a set of those rubber boots that go on the bottom of stool/table legs. They are the exact right height to take up the slack and offer support while keeping the rest level. Easy install, just bolted them through the console lid.