this project looks sweet how much did the programmer run u. would definetly help. does it recalobrate speedo for larger tires

 

thats exactly what i got it for, plus a few other features. it ran me approximately $450..

 

i finished the ranger connections to the e150 shaft today,

i started out by removing the build up of weld left on the shaft. a quick go over with a rotory tool and some filing made short work of the excess material. i then went to a mill and removed .030" off of the side opposite to the bevel face. this allowed the part to drop into the joint nice and snug. i then set the beveled side face up in the mill, and then using a ball nosed endmill i plowed through the face in the appropriate spot to a certain depth for the bolt clearance.

and this is the final product,

 

i had a slight problem installing a pillow block bearing on the shaft today, the shaft i have was actually oversized by .007" which needed to be removed to fit the 1" bearing. trying to get the shaft on the lathe all built up was quite a challenge but i managed to get it in and get it turning true. i went with a standard 1" pillow block bearing for the main support.

 

hopefully the truck will be getting on with some real progress within the next 2 weeks, im having a real hard time driving the truck now with the rear gear so deep, its in desperate need for some bigger meat on the wheels. i can do 60mph easy but if you try and push 70mph the rpm begins to get out of hand for the speed and i start to get some vibration on the pedal. it drives good in the city but i really need to keep it at 60mph on the highway or else my fuel just drains right out the tail pipe lol. with a 35" tire i should be able to get up to 70-75mph fairly comfortably.

im still awaiting my front rancho 44044 leafs, and i really would like to have them with me before i mock up my steering box location. i might figure out and get what i need to finish off the rear for height this week,, to be productive..

 

the BTF perches came in tonight,

i didnt notice that the perch design is different from pass. to drivers side. the drivers side perch has some noticable offset of about 1" that basically lets me mount the perch right up against the carrier housing and mount the spring over the housing slightly on that side. i would need a couple different sizes of ubolts for the front end to mount over the carrier housing tube sleeve.

this is actually a very useful feature of the perch, that gained 1" of offset should allow me to mount directly under the frame rails instead of mounting slightly outboard.

over the weekend im headed to the yard to find me some spring plates from a leafed yj and probably take a few pictures of the leaf setups i find. i cant really say i ever noticed how a yj leaf perch is arranged with the perch on or over the carrier.

 

i found myself the yj for the spring plates. looking closer at the plates show they are the same plate, right and left sides. one side of the plate has a greater space between the ubolt studs then the tube side of the plate, the wider side clears around the carrier tube sleeve, allowing it to mount over the carrier. i dont know why they are the same, but the pass plate only needs the smaller 2.5" distance ubolt mounting because it doesnt come near the carrier. only the 2.5" tube.

to resolve the issue i may weld up the pass. plate and re-drill for the appropriate spacing..but if its not necessary i may not

 

because of my pitman arm clearance for the steering, my drop brackets for the static spring hangars are going to be 3-4" off of the frame at the front. im going to keep the shackle behind the axle building it as close to the frame as possible, hopefully keeping the spring level and out of the pitman arm. dropping the spring this much will cause some excessive height i didnt intend for. in addition to a 1.5" raise off of the axle tube for the perch clearance and the added 2" lift from the front the 44044 springs i may be sitting around a couple inches to tall in the front for what i had intended for the rear lift. im looking to achieve an 8" lift in the rear to level the truck out as much as possible..

ive decided to go with the fr36 for the rear spring, this spring will give only 4" of initial lift on its own. with the factory 2" block you will achieve 6". to maximize the effectiveness here i will use a replacement 4" block instead of the factory 2" in hope to achieve my 8" overall rear lift. with the rear that high, it may be necessary to extend the rear brake line and i still have an option to use a drop shackle if i feel the need.

can anyone tell me with 8" of lift is it necessary to address the rear pinion angle? or am i still in a healthy degree of height?

 

you should be fine.

are you using the chevy drop shackles? that will correct the pinion angle perfect for that type of lift.

 

ya if i need them but i may just make my own, the 4" tuff country blocks are tapered also which will help with the pinion, i just dont know how much, but i will use these

Axle Lift Blocks - Tuff Country EZ-Ride

 

shackles are better than blocks hands down. you will get 1-2 inches of lift from those BEL-6400 shackles. Not to mention better travel and correct pinion angle.

 

with the way things are looking i may use those along with the block, i would rather have the rear a little taller then the front anyday,

the fr36 rear spring and tuff country block kit went on order yesterday evening, the springs should be here this week.. but the blocks are 2 weeks away, and who knows when my 44044's are going to show up..

its just a waiting game now.

what is the thread of the rear flex line fitting is for the brakes.??

i need an extension but i dont wanna guess what the fitting would be..

 

Are you using your factory rear axle? I just unclipped my factory brake lines and they're fine. Full droop and they're not quite taunt.

So you're running a 4" block? fr36 leafs and shackles? That should work. I have a little rake, but I'm running factory heavy duty Wagoneer 7 leaf packs in the front (rear is 2" factory block, shackles, and fr36 springs). With those 44044 springs, depending on how/where you mount up the shackle you could be riding Cali style (nose up). You definately need some traction bars for the rear. I rode around for a few weeks without them. I put them back on and they made a world of difference. I'm running the Duff bars.

 

agreed.
my truck has hella axle wrap right now...granted i have no shocks also....but man....my axle just loves to move around...it wasnt fun to watch lol

 

I might just add a length if I can, I unclipped the front lines and I hate the hard lines being pulled and moved all over the place. I was thinking about the bars, is their a kit specifically made for the ranger? Or is some mods needed to make them work? How will the front respond to axle wrap, without a sway bar?

 

Hell I'm running a 4" block with shackles and Deavers with no noticeable axle wrap.

 

ya idk what it is...i think it has alot to do with the fact that i have no shocks on right now maybe but it was odd...but i didnt have a chance to see firsthand what was goin on.

 

im thinking the larger brakes and longer springs may have something to do with the axle moving so much under the truck. i cant think axle wrap would be a huge issue overall and i imagine the bars will counteract the natural movement of the spring. the way i understand them is that they limit the travel of the shackle by them fighting to keep the axle in one spot. i think ill run without them and add them after, if i find them to be needed.

 

i installed a brake line extension on the rear flex line this evening to help any length issue with a substantial amount of lift in the near future. had just a few problems with this instal..

i needed to make a new plate to mount the new clip holder fitting on the hardline end of the line, just to hold it steady. the original was a little differently configured. my next issue was the bleeder valves on the cylinders, they were completely corroded in place and there was no way they were coming out in one piece. i ended up bleeding the line through the split t fitting on top of the axle housing. it worked for this particular application but i will need to replace the corroded cylinders, or take each one out to drill out the problematic valves, then replace with new ones. to replace them sounds much easier..

 

Looks good. Did you have that braided line made up locally or order it somewhere?

 

nope its just a store bought length from the local speed shop, works like a charm! and inexpensive too.


rear brakes and a diff fluid flush are next on my list to do, as the brakes are just about at their lifespan and fluid is probably pretty ugly after the regear break in.

needed to finish..

EDIT: now quoted to finish, ill need to figure out what i need because i really dont wanna get new drums at that price.. ill probably just do shoes, cylinders, and hardware, im sure i can deal with the adjusters to save some money..

-1 Set of Brake Shoes $68.34**
- 2 Brake Drums $187.58
- 2 Wheel Cylinders $40.66**
-1 Drum Brake Hardware Kit $16.79 **
- 2 Sets of Brake Adjuster Hardware Kits - Left and Right $42.00

 

went to grab some parts from the parts source,

i got my pads, cylinders and hardware for the brakes. and on top of that i picked up some Syntec 75w-90 for the rear gear oil change..

 

Damn, too bad I don't work in London anymore. I coulda hooked you up on that stuff for much cheaper! I can get you a pair of decent drums for $80, but I'm like an hour away from you.

 

thats a really good price! are they just resurfaced? i figured i can just machine the ones on the truck at work and they be good as new.. but for $80 it might be worth a drive,,, you wouldnt happen to be around the kitchener or cambridge area on the weekends would you??

 

They're brand new, just a cheaper line drum. Your drums are 10" right? I thought you were from London? I might be in London this weekend... gotta pick up my Trailer Park Boys tickets! lol