This forum needs some excitement!! DB_1's Ranger SAS rebuild

[FROADER]

Sound cool, keep up the good work...

Looks Sick Dave. So you can't move the height adjuster up any more?

 

[DB_1]

Jefe,
Primary coil is 250# and secondary is 200# on a 14" travel with 2.5" body...now reading what you said is exactly my situation , I've got the shock sitting where it should be travelwise but it's not at the ride height I want which needs to be 2 in. higher. If I changed to a stiffer spring rate, wouldn't that push the shock body up therefore changing my up/down travel #'s from what they were?
This probably wont pertain to my set up but just out of curiousity, how high is your lower adjuster set above your spring slider at ride height?

Colin, I tried a few times messing with that height adjuster but got nowhere with it. It seems all it was doing was adding or subtracting preload on the secondary (upper) coil.

I made the higher tabs needed to get the desired ride height but I'll hold off on hacking out the old ones before I do some research on how to set up these C/O's. Pirate had a worksheet using Excel on how to set up C/O's.

 

[Jefe]

200/250 seems a little soft. I've got 250/300 and started with 250/350 (too high)
Sorry, I may have worded that wrong. Are the spring limits what you want for full up travel (tire to body relation), and full downtravel? Obviously the distance up and down from ride height will change as you change ride height.
By turning down the adjuster you should still be raising the vehicle. The spring rate never changes so the compressed spring height should remain constant.
However ideally (at least in my world) you don't want to mess with that too much. I have mine set so that the adjuster is just tight enough to keep the springs tight at full drop, and then from there I just adjust to level the vehicle. And the lower adjuster I have set to only about a 1/2" above the slider since I'm using the primary spring as my only bump stop. It makes for a slightly harsh ride on speedbumps and such as the spring rate changes instantly, but works great for flexing.

 

[410Fortune]

My head hurts I should have been taking notes

 

[DB_1]

I guess we both misinterpreted what was being said but yes, I have the shock set up where I want it as far as up/down travel but the overall ride height is too low.

Here's a few things I failed to mention:

I was originally going for a lower ride height from what my old set up was so I based the desired measements off my old shock placement. With everything in place the lower ride height wasn't going to clear as far as the link to engine X-member relationship so I decided 2" more lift would give me the clearance needed.

The coils have the following printed on them: Primary 3.0 (coil dia.)16 (coil length) 250 (spring rate) Secondary 3.0-14-200
You'll notice the primary is longer than the secondary, in theory I could change the secondary out for a 16" long coil of the same rate but don't know if i'd actually get a full 2 inches out of it

 

[Jefe]

To figure out what your spring rate needs to be you need to know how heavy your truck is. Put a single coil on each side and run the adjuster down near the bottom of the shock. put the weight of the truck on the springs. Ajust to get near the ride height you're looking for, and then measure the height of the compressed spring. Multiply the difference between the compressed and uncompressed heights and multiply by the spring rate to get the unsprung weight of the front end, and use that to calculate your dual rate spring rate.

 

[FROADER]

Yeah Dave, duh...

I think I just popped a lobe in my brain.

 

[DB_1]

Thanks Jefe, i'll give that a shot

I haven't had any time this week to mess around with the truck but this weekend i'll have time...but of course temps are expected to be at 111

 

[Stic-o]

Dave, Where are you getting your dom from? I kind find it locally in stock

 

[DB_1]

Steve,
I got the DOM for my links from onlinemetals.com but they aren't exactly cheap, especially after shipping charges but I couldn't find it anywhere locally so that was pretty much my only option at the time.
Matt found a place near him that sell DOM and I had him pick me up some to sleeve my links awhile back so now thats where I'll get mine from now on...sorry, I don't remember the name of the place but PM Matt or maybe he'll chime in with the name.

 

[Stic-o]

Steve,
I got the DOM for my links from onlinemetals.com but they aren't exactly cheap, especially after shipping charges but I couldn't find it anywhere locally so that was pretty much my only option at the time.
Matt found a place near him that sell DOM and I had him pick me up some to sleeve my links awhile back so now thats where I'll get mine from now on...sorry, I don't remember the name of the place but PM Matt or maybe he'll chime in with the name.

Well I don't see me finding any today now that it's 4 o'clock . I think I'm going to try to get over to IMS tommorow. They only have remnets. So maybe I'll get lucky . Other then that, there is a place really close to me that said can get it in a day. If only I called yesterday $8 a foot for 1.5x.250. not to bad

 

[RockRanger]

I get the tubing from california metals. they are in el cajon. I am on the road right now so I cant access an old recipt with there phone number. They stock mild, dom, and chom moly. They will sell you by the foot of whole sticks depending on what you need. Bill had a source for it as well that he sent me but I dont have it with me. I tried calling them but they were closed on the only day I could get it.

 

[RangerX]

Here's my source: Tube Service Co. - El Cajon 619-579-3011. Talk to Danny Smith. Note they are only open M-F.

 

[FAT CAT]

California Metals, Inc.
297 S. Marshall Ave.
El Cajon CA 92020
(619)444-3111 Fax: (619)444-1845

Valley Metals
TEL: 858-513-1300
FAX:858-513-6600

Valley Metals is down here in the S.D. area too. Don't know of anyone up in your area... Maybe over in Sun Valley or ???

 

[Jefe]

Don't know of anyone up in your area... Maybe over in Sun Valley or ???

IMS is in Sun Valley, but they only stock HREW up to 11ga, and Chromoly up to .120 x 1.5"

I have also heard of a place in Santa Barbara that carries DOM, but I don't have their info. Gold Coast Metals or something like that. However they are a contractor supplier and so are hard to deal with on small orders.

 

[DB_1]

So, I decided to try using higher shock mount tabs to give me more lift and everything is right where I want it but somehow my shock tabs ore slightly forward from vertical. They looked dead on when I tacked them in...I had the shock connected to them and had the axle at the ride height I wanted so don't know what happened there. Once I get that fixed, I'm going to charge the shocks with nitrogen and run it, then determine whether or not the ride is to soft/stiff and go from there.

On a different note, I pushed the axle forward a half inch and that gave me the clearance I needed between the pass side upper link and the engine X-member, it will travel nicely up the middle instead of hitting the edge now.
I also trimmed the trac bar a half inch since I couldn't access the jam nut between the bracket on the frame end.
I will need to cut down the drag link provided I have enough thread engagement left on it for the heims...if not looks like i'll be fabbing up a new one

It's been hotter than hades lately so needless to say I haven't been motivated to get out and do any work on the truck. Anyways, i'll keep you guys posted

 

[MEANEXPLODER]

That Thing F-n Looks Great!!! Love All The Great Ideas Like The Tranny Crossmember, I Got Some Flat Stock For Mine, It Hasnt Broken Yet But It Is Cheeeeeese!

 

[DB_1]

Thanks Mean...I guess it's time for an update I'm real close to getting this thing back together it's just the lack of time that's holding me back. I've gotta finish welding the new shock tabs which will be boxed in on the sides for extra strength. The tabs are pretty tall with a lot of leverage placed on them from the coilovers so I figured better safe than sorry. I let you guys know how it turns out

 

[410Fortune]

that it? weld and truss some tabs?

MAKE TIME!! hahaha

Cant wait to see it all rolling again....

 

[Stic-o]

Give him a break, it is 115* where he lives right now and the truck is outside. welding in 115 would not be fun