The Black Hole

[techieman33]

You said the front shocks are 17" extended?

I got some ideas for the ranger...

What happened to the sas you had planned?

 

[dkchrist]

they are temporary... maybe...

 

[gmanpaint]

You said the front shocks are 17" extended?

I got some ideas for the ranger...

I ordered mine from Summit racing. These are the newer updated versions as of 9/6/14. They have 18 adjustments instead of 12 like mine have. Don't forget to order the spanner wrenches, and make sure you order the steel bearings, not the plastic version.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/hal-ds501

 

[dkchrist]

Which model?

 

[gmanpaint]

Which model?

Did you click the bottom link I just gave?

Promo Star models.

 

[gmanpaint]

Time for another weekend update

Thanks to the AutoZone rewards card program for buying a set of new 6" lights.

Added a little personal touch to the rear.

Black Oval on the rear hatch door.

 

[MrQ]

Time for another weekend update

Thanks to the AutoZone rewards card program for buying a set of new 6" lights.

Added a little personal touch to the rear.

I like the personal touch...where did you get the letters?

 

[gmanpaint]

I like the personal touch...where did you get the letters?

Same place, AutoZone.

They have a pack of small letters, (like what I used), and they sell individual letters/# that are the same size as the lettering on our emblems.

 

[gmanpaint]

A little light reading

Amazing what happens to the trans when the VSS goes out. Doing 60 mph, the speedo needle starts jumping up & down erratically. Then it just stops, drops to the bottom, and all hell breaks loose! Trans has no idea what gear to be in. Jumps down gears, back up, then into neutral, and back to lower gears, etc..at random. After a minute of this crazed activity, the O/D light starts flashing, and trans slips into limp mode, also neutral at high speeds.

After safely pulling off the hwy, the battery was disconnected for module drainage. After the battery was connected it still had the symptoms, so it sat for a couple hours to cool. Tried once again, and it behaved normally to get it home. Very strange ordeal.

After searching the forum and talking to a few members here, the deduction of the VSS was founded. The cluster has been messed up for sometime now. O/D and trip O/D has been intermittent, so figured the worm gear was going bad, or it was not connected correctly when it was removed for new light bulbs. So I initially thought the speedo motor was going too. This caused more confusion for a diagnosis.

I swapped the VSS after work tonight, but didnt take it out for a test ride yet. I'm wiped out from a hard day. I will report back with an update after a new cluster is installed (thanks Joe dirt) and everything we have thought of to date is replaced.

 

[gmanpaint]

I started out the day realizing that mother nature wouldn't allow me to work today so I figured that I would spend some time making a rear cross member.

After looking at it for awhile, I realized it was not going to be easy to do. There are problems with this that I just dont have enough knowledge to figure out easy enough.

The frame rails are different sizes in the back. They have different bends, and are different widths, heights. There is also the stock plate riveted on that holds both the spare tire winch, and the big box modules above it. There is the fuel rail lines, the exhaust hangers, and the leaf bushings. ALL of this is in the way of getting a solid cross member to fit inside the rails. I mocked a cross member out of a pc of oak wood, and for the life of me, I couldn't get it into place. I see no way of fitting it in w/o removing everything in its way. I am definitely not going to do that. So I need an alternative.

So....I'm kinda stuck here. These are the options floating through my head.

1) Cut the frames bottom lip to allow a 1x3 to slide up into place.
Worry...cutting the lip will weaken the frame and create an area that can fold.

2) Make a cross member out of flat bar steel aprox 1/4" thick x 3" wide and weld plates on the ends to bolt to the outside of the frame rails much like a hitch would be installed.
The only place I can do this would be just behind the shackle bushings.
Worry...Will this be strong enough and do any good at all since the force is on the outside of the frame walls, not the inside?

3) Make a 2 pc cross member. 1pc 1.5" sq tube, 1pc 1" sq tube, both have welded plates on the ends, slide one inside the other, bolt them to the inside frame walls, drill 2 sets of holes right threw them, add 2 bolts to hold them together in the middle.
Worry...That this will be too small and/or weak to do any real good when the frame starts twisting off road.

All I am really after is some kind of support to the rear frame to stop it from getting any more tweaked than it is. And NO, I haven't had a chance to take it in yet to straighten the frame.

Oh..and 4) Say screw it all, and just run w/o a rear crosmember?

 

[IZwack]

After looking at it for awhile, I realized it was not going to be easy to do

When you were looking at it - did you remove the rear bumper? Cauz that might clarify a few things.

 

[section525]

Wait.. are you wanting to replace the rear crossmember that is already there?

Or add another one between the shock crossmember and the rear one? I'm planning on ripping both of them out here shortly and rebuilding them.

 

[techieman33]

I'm thinking he wants to add an extra one since his frame got tweaked back there. Could you just modify a trailer hitch for some extra support?

 

[Scott B.]

The factory one is not there - he is wanting to replace it.

 

[gmanpaint]

IZ, I have had the rear bumper off a few times. My frame horns have been cut off at the rear for some weird brackets made for the body lift.

The factory cross member that is riveted on is still there. I just want to ADD another for extra support. I want to stop the frame from bending anymore than it has.

As you can see by the picture that Section posted (thank you) there is a lot of stuff that wont allow for a wide tube installed vertical between the rails.

I am afraid that the stock cross members are tweaked as well when the frame rails got bent.

Here is where I am trying to add a tube or flat bar stock. It is really the only place I can see to add one.

 

[CDW6212R]

Can I suggest working on the suspension mounting areas. I mean add triangulated support members which attach to the frame near the leaf spring mounts. Those areas of the frame are where the largest forces are, I'd concentrate on those four. The frame doesn't have any triangulation, so anything you add will help a lot.

 

[section525]

That's a very good point, Don.


When I build my replacement crossmembers they'll be three-parters like this: A one-piece one would be difficult to maneuver into place. Plus, I suck at welding upside down in tight places like that. : So this way I could bench weld it and just bolt it in.



Very rough sketch

 

[gmanpaint]

That's pretty much what I had in mind. Only I had thought of a 2 pc design that telescoped into each other. I like the 3 pc design too. It's impossible for me to get a one pc fitted back there. There really isn't any room to get any larger tube over 2.5" back there without doing some removing and relocating of other parts.

I just had my rear axle, & leaf packs off. Spent all day under the truck looking at how to do it. I am no better off than I was yesterday morning, at coming up with a solution.

The shackle bushing tabs are bent and lean to the right. I tried once again to straighten them out, but they would not stay. Its like it is spring steel with a memory. Crazy.

While I had the leafs off, I added more leafs for another 1.5" of lift.

 

[gmanpaint]

New cluster came today.

Special thanks to Joedirt for sending & donating it ASAP! You Da Man!

Will be installing as soon as I can. Hopefully this will solve what ails it. The VSS seemed to work fine on a test drive, but still needs to be tested at hwy speeds for a little time. I don't want to do that till the cluster is swapped.

Crossing my fingers it isn't a broken torque converter.

 

[gmanpaint]

Well, this rig is living up to its name. It is demanding more again.

The A/C suddenly stopped blowing cold air. Working great one day, gone the next.

The compressor was going on/off kind of rapidly, like every 2-3 seconds. What the French Toast!