RockRangerII Refresh

I am going to be going through my 93 ranger and giving it a refresh. I bought the truck in late 2004. Other then a rancho lift kt it was an all stock stripped truck with a 4.0 manual trans and tcase. No AC cruise or power windows. The perfect basic wheeling rig.

Here are the specs of how the truck currently sat before this refresh.

4.0V6 all stock
Stock 5 speed
d.d. machine duel case setup with manual 1350 front and 1354 rear.
Front axle is a 1984 Jeep wagonner dana 44 converted to 5 on 5.5 bolt pattern 4.88 gears and an Aussie locker
Three link front suspension using 8" skyjacker TJ springs.
Rear axle is a 1992 explorer 8.8 4.88 gears and welded spider gears.
63" Chevy springs with a bellteck shackle.
BroncoII tank behind the rear axle
Warn 9.5 XP winch behind the front grill.
Interior roll cage
37" MTR on 17" steel rims

Untitled by dresselhausfc, on Flickr

I took the truck down to King of The Hammers and few years ago and did some wheeling and managed to crush the bed good. Broke both front hubs and all 4 front axles, bent the rear driveshaft and ripped a shock mount off. Due to life getting in the way it sat on the trailer for 18 months before I even touched it again. Now I plan to give the truck some love and get it back on the trials again.

 

[Stic-o]

That is true. I wonder how much the round shape helps keep it from distorting. Have me thinking now.



I could do one like that but no where near that price though. It would take 2/3 of a sheet of steel to make. It is a cool design but doesn't lend well to cooking marshmallows over

I need one to use in my patio that's compact and no real open flame. Need to see if I can find a sheet in the rem bin at the metal yard.

 

[RockRanger]

Having ran my wooden storage box behind my seats for awhile I really liked the bungeecords to hold items in place. So I drew up and cut a lower bracket and a upper bracket. I put a few bends in the lower to give it added strength.

20160212_144536 by Matthew Dresselhaus, on Flickr

I then riveted them into the truck by pulling back the carpet and the interior trim pieces. Last I ran bungee cord between the two.

20160212_161155 by Matthew Dresselhaus, on Flickr

 

[RockRanger]

Awhile back I built some new shackles for the rear suspension. I built them to match the length of the Belltecks that I have been running. All was good till I went to install them and the 2" OD bushing I used would not clear the factory hangers. I put it on the back burner and finally build some new hangers. They are made out of 1/4" plate.I also made a backing plate that the nuts are tacked to on the inside of the frame. I only did this because my gas tank is in the way of easy access to the back.

The pieces.

20160215_134045 by Matthew Dresselhaus, on Flickr

Then compared to the stock piece. The stock hanger is an original 23 year old piece.

20160215_141732 by Matthew Dresselhaus, on Flickr

20160215_141745 by Matthew Dresselhaus, on Flickr

Installed on the truck with my new shackles.

20160216_150438 by Matthew Dresselhaus, on Flickr

20160216_150426 by Matthew Dresselhaus, on Flickr

 

[Kirby N.]

Those are sweet! My mounts were rusted pretty good when I did mine. They seem to hold water and snow and ice. I used a set of diy4x shackles that are way thicker and better quality than the bell tech. Idk why everyone uses the bell tech ones I have seen 2 sets get destroyed.

 

[RockRanger]

Everyone uses the belltecks cause they are cheap and what everyone mentions for a lift shackle. Mine are 10ish years old. I am sure the only reason mine have lasted this long is cause my BroncoII tank hangs down lower then the shackles taking most of the hits.

The diy4x are nice.

 

[DB_1]

Great work Matt...looks better than the tabs welded to square tubing I had planned. I might hit you up for a set of these when the time comes.

The stock hangers are scary thin, I broke one in half in Big Bear. Luckily I still had a bed then and my shackle/spring was riding on the underside of the bed and drove it home that way.

 

[FROADER]

Matt, you have become a plasma cutting machine! all of these fixes you have come up with are great.

 

[RockRanger]

I built some stronger front mounts as well. All made out of quarter inch material.

Here it is tacked welded next to the factory hanger.

20160218_195945 by Matthew Dresselhaus, on Flickr

It is keyed into the back plate then also welded.

20160218_200111 by Matthew Dresselhaus, on Flickr

Here is the passenger side mount installed.

20160219_203201 by Matthew Dresselhaus, on Flickr

I had to trim the parking brake bracket on the ends to clear then bolted the driverside mount on.

20160219_220550 by Matthew Dresselhaus, on Flickr

Here are the mounts front and rear.

20160219_203212 by Matthew Dresselhaus, on Flickr

 

[DB_1]

Very nice, that should take care of some potential weak spots.

 

[Kirby N.]

Everyone who does a 63" leaf swap need a set of these! If you are cutting off the stock ones, you should put some beef back in! They look great Matt!

 

[RockRanger]

Thanks. I am thinking about making a set with two inches of drop built in to each mount. It would be an easy way to get two inches of lift or remove the factory block and keep the same ride height.

 

[DB_1]

Probably doesn't need it being 1/4 inch plate but what about making the back plate that mounts to the frame a solid piece without the cutout section.
Could take it a step further with a gusset tying the "v" section together.

If weight is a concern it could be made from 3/16" plate and still be plenty strong.

 

[RockRanger]

Haven't done much with the truck lately. I decided to take a drive in the local mountains and wonder around on the forest service roads. Snow levels stopped me around 6800 feet. This is an area I haven't spent much time exploring. Being less then two hours from the house I need to spend more time around here.

20160409_144217 by Matthew Dresselhaus, on Flickr

20160409_131503 by Matthew Dresselhaus, on Flickr

20160409_122100 by Matthew Dresselhaus, on Flickr

20160409_115102 by Matthew Dresselhaus, on Flickr

20160409_115202 by Matthew Dresselhaus, on Flickr

I hate mud. the last half mile of the road out was nasty with some 18" deep holes. Took 20 minutes at the car wash to get most of it off.

20160409_160618 by Matthew Dresselhaus, on Flickr

20160409_160600 by Matthew Dresselhaus, on Flickr

20160409_160600 by Matthew Dresselhaus, on Flickr

 

[RockRanger]

Did a quick trip up to the mountains this weekend. One of the local clubs was doing a poker run raising money for trail maintenance in the area. The trail isn't hard but was a fun day spent in the mountains with Bailey. She slept most of the way home.

20160514_113105 by Matthew Dresselhaus, on Flickr

20160514_171139 by Matthew Dresselhaus, on Flickr

Now Tracy and I are packing up as we are leaving in the morning for Moab.

 

[RockRanger]

Had a blast in Moab with the club. the pictures from it can be found here
Kane Creek https://www.flickr.com/gp/101354841@N08/XF1N71
Poison Spider, Golden Spike, Gold Bar Rim. https://flic.kr/s/aHskzL9Ud7
Strike Ravine https://www.flickr.com/gp/101354841@N08/6443s5

I decided to go wheeling this last weekend. Truck started running horrible around town. I tried cleaning the MAF sensor and it seemed to help for a bit then went to crap. So I installed a new MAF sensor.

20160627_144916 by Matthew Dresselhaus, on Flickr

Then I took Bailey with me up camping overnight on a Daddy daughter overnight campout.

20160625_081941 by Matthew Dresselhaus, on Flickr

I met up with Tracy and she took Bailey home and I went on a night run poker run. The trail run started at 7pm. I got back to camp at 2:30 am and in bed around 3:15 am. I didn't get any pictures as it was night and I didn't have anyone riding with me. The netxt day I wheeled into Brewer lake and did a little fishing hooked two fish but didn't land them. I only fished for about an hour though.

When I was packing up camp I noticed my glove box door got broken. Not sure if Bailey kicked it or something fell against it. I think it is the former. Anyone have one for sale this color?

20160627_201141 by Matthew Dresselhaus, on Flickr

Today I changed the oil as I couldn't remember when the last change was. It wasn't terrible color but was getting there. I pull the old filter and find the last change.

20160627_144140 by Matthew Dresselhaus, on Flickr

I mark the new one and install it.

20160627_141707 by Matthew Dresselhaus, on Flickr

In 17 months I drove the truck 2900 miles. The speedo reads fast so actual miles is a little less. I was surprised by the miles driven.

Then I tagged the truck with a couple of stickers I got when I was in Moab this year.

20160627_203230 by Matthew Dresselhaus, on Flickr

20160627_203324 by Matthew Dresselhaus, on Flickr

Next is to pack the truck as we are getting ready to spend three days in the Sierras wheeling fishing and camping.

 

[BKennedy]

When I saw the picture of your broken glove box, I was expecting the next picture to be of a new and improved version made on your plasma table.
Its great to see dad's and daughters getting out together. Reminds me of Sarah when she was little.

 

[Rick]

I also put the date of the oil change on my filters. I try to change the oil in the Pumpkin once a year regardless of the mileage.

 

[5spdman]

I always write the date and mileage on a piece of tape or sticker label and put it on the side of the dash, where it'll be seen when I open the door....which reminds me, I believe its time for one........

 

[RockRanger]

We went and did a three night camping/ wheeling trip in the local mountains. We went to Red Lake. The lake sits just above 9000 feet elevation. The trail is not extremely hard but has a few challenges along the way. That whole truck not running thing I thought I fixed with a new MAS came back and left me strugling on the way in. The truck wouldn't run if under 2000 rpms. Lucky for me with a doubler and not to challenging of a trail I was able to keep the rpms up and keep it running. Anyway here we are airing down .

20160629_135205 by Matthew Dresselhaus, on Flickr

Truck was loaded up.

20160629_135217 by Matthew Dresselhaus, on Flickr

We got to Red lake and setup camp. Bailey was exhausted from all the fun.

20160629_214450 by Matthew Dresselhaus, on Flickr

The next morning I decided to hike to the top of Red Mountain. I had never been up there. It has an elevation of 8862 according to the gps on my phone. There is not trail to the top. Just start hiking up hill till it ends. The views were amazing on the way up. Here is Red Lake from part way up.

20160630_110751 by Matthew Dresselhaus, on Flickr

There were some nice flowers along the way as well.

20160630_102453 by Matthew Dresselhaus, on Flickr

20160630_102503 by Matthew Dresselhaus, on Flickr

From the top you can see Coyote Lake. The trail we took in continues and you can also camp there. That section of trail is much more difficult.

20160630_103318 by Matthew Dresselhaus, on Flickr

From the top is an amazing 360 degree view.

20160630_103307 by Matthew Dresselhaus, on Flickr

 

[RockRanger]

When I got back down our friend Fred and his son Josh had joined us. He has a sweet Comando and teardrop traler he built.

20160630_180611 by Matthew Dresselhaus, on Flickr

Here is the view of Red Mountain from across the lake from the camping spots.

20160630_144628 by Matthew Dresselhaus, on Flickr

Then we decided to do some fishing. I will let the pictures speak for how the fishing was.

20160630_153319 by Matthew Dresselhaus, on Flickr

20160630_154229 by Matthew Dresselhaus, on Flickr

On the way out Tracy popped a bead on her Jeep. we jacked it up and using the York on my truck we were able to reseat the bead.

20160701_144306 by Matthew Dresselhaus, on Flickr

My hilift adapter made the jack much more stable while we were pulling the bead on.

20160701_144317 by Matthew Dresselhaus, on Flickr

Overall a fun time was had by all. Now if I can figure out why my truck won't run after the long pull up the hill.