03 fliptrac $700 daily driver (summer of fun with 4 sport tracs)

[410Fortune]

Moog wheel bearings failed on the 03
They were not on there very long
These were some Moog bearing hubs from
Online close out, non abs. The inner seal failed and they both came apart. I don’t like Moog I swore them off years ago and I’m doing it again now

I replaced all 4 tires
All 4 tie rod ends
And front whee bearings with new precision parts from oreillys

Also she’s getting new motorcraft plug wires and some new $25 Fog lights, the old ones got water in them over the winter. The new lights will get taken apart and sealed with some permatex before install

 

[CDW6212R]

Sorry to hear that, I've had one pair of Moog hubs, but mostly Ford or SKF recently.

The SKF have gotten really expensive lately, while Ford was $200 each the first time I got those. I still use Moog CA's, but I wonder about the small boots and seals. If the seals survive, the BJ's might do fine. I think seals letting water past them is what kills most BJ's.

 

[oklagp1200r]

Sorry to hear that, I've had one pair of Moog hubs, but mostly Ford or SKF recently.

The SKF have gotten really expensive lately, while Ford was $200 each the first time I got those. I still use Moog CA's, but I wonder about the small boots and seals. If the seals survive, the BJ's might do fine. I think seals letting water past them is what kills most BJ's.

I have Moog upper lower ball joints. My uppers both boots have been torn for many many years. I just grease then quite regularly and are still good!

 

[410Fortune]

Skf and timken bearings are very good, probably close in quality to the motorcraft service grade hubs

Cannot get the real oem hubs anymore only service grade. I have been having good luck with precision pieces seems they are on a mission to make better parts then Moog, the precision rep keeps training the dudes at the local oreillys to point out how their parts are superior

It’s all a crap shoot these days it seems, some things hold up some things just don’t. I am careful where I spend my money because I have so many vehicles to maintain I need the parts to hold up dollar for dollar

Our road kills cheap parts in under two years, I could be the test mule hahahaha

Now our front hubs have a 3 year “limited” warranty…. Will see how that goes! I keep track of our local warranty parts on a white board in the shop

 

[410Fortune]

So our road continues to beat up the poor 03 trac
Was making some nasty noises up front
I found the shocks were toast, the bottom bushings wallowed out. I also found (with the help of my stepson) that the upper control arms were coming loose… that was most of the noise. The alignment dudes probably didn’t lock them down enough ( for our road)
So I re torqued them.. 112 ft lbs is the spec, ours were nowhere near this

But before I did that I replaced the front shocks with Gabriel ultras from rock auto. I also unloaded both torsion bars and replaced the isolator pads. Both sides were worn pretty badly with the Kevlar pad cracking.
And I lifted the front end quite a bit. Basically I bottomed out the drivers t bar bolt and matched the number of turns on the passenger side, then checked the truck for level. The front was raised about 1.25”
Why did I do this?
Well to fit some new tires of course! Found a great deal on some 265 17 bfg ko2s
We will be mounting up the tires and wheels today

The wal mart 245 tires looked too small on this rig, I wanted larger tires and I have some wheels I wanted to use. So I began searching for a good deal on some tires. Finally found them

The truck melted a few of her spark plug wires a few months back… I had washed the engine and then found an atv I had to have for my kids b day… I went for a 3 hour drive…she started missing badly
the wet fiberglass heat socks on the engine apparently ate through some wires, I found at least 3 plug boots with holes melted on them. Headers are hard on wires. So I ordered a set of motorcraft wires and they went on. Running well now, fuel mileage has improved a great deal. The old (less then a year) wires didn’t stand a chance in there I believe they were packards a good wire set I usually run from rockauto. Let’s see how the motorcraft wires live in there… the motorcraft wires have better heat shields

No more noises up front phew she’s riding fantastic!
So she has two new precision wheel bearings with 3 year warranty and now new t bar isolators and shocks. I also have some Gabriel load handler rear shocks to install

Pics coming

 

[CDW6212R]

Nice work, and wow that road is tough on parts.

BTW, where did you get the T bar isolators from? I had a pair ordered from Levitown and the order was cancelled after 2-3 months. I could still use a couple of pairs as spares.

 

[410Fortune]

From a 2005 ranger frame I have out back hahahaha only has 123k on it when it was rolled. I kept the frame… I keep finding new parts to rob from it

I have a wrecked 04 Mazda b4000 also w 123k miles on it, I plan to snag its t bars and isolator pads before it gets crushed

I see them for sale on amazon about $30 each… but I prefer the factory bits here when I can

I hate the way that new shocks for these rigs are too short. My suspension drops out at least 1” past where the new shocks bottom out… I know the shock is acting as the limiting strap, explains the bushing wear. Next time I’m gonna run shocks for a 1-2” lifted rig. Let’s see how long these Gabriel’s last (fyi my wife’s drives fast)

I need to get the bronco and FJ back on the road alleviate some of the strain put on this 03

 

[dvdswan]

I hate thumps bumps and clunks.

On a side note, those are the exact shocks I've been eyeing to replace mine. Did you get the ones that are exact fit for the truck or ones that are an inch longer?

 

[410Fortune]

Exact fit I should have gotten the 1” longer
No more noises at all she’s riding great!

Before this we were on the bump stops a lot


Running these crappy wheels and tires while we get things sorted
Can see her new found stance


Urethane body mounts
2” body lift
1.25” torsion twist, finally looking proper
265 17 or a 31.5 will go perfect
Working our way up to 285s!

With the v8, manual trans and 4.1 gears our highway rpm pretty high, larger tires will help. This thing is mostly commuter, she may get 3.73s

 

[1.8TTony]

When buying online......

Be sure to buy from reputable vendors because many times a vendor will have purchased "rejects" from manufacturers and turn around & sell them as genuine parts while not disclosing that the part was pulled from a batch of rejects.

 

[410Fortune]

Good advice
I buy from eBay Amazon jegs summit rockauto car parts.com and more

I also frequent all the local parts stores we have a federated, a oreilly an Autozone and a Napa. I visit Napa the least their prices are just plain crazy

I often get fluids and filters, tools and wiring supplies from the local north40 and some fluids and filters from walmart. We have a harbor freight in town as well. Rockauto gets most of my money these days

Here she is with her 17” wheels and 265 70 bfg ko2s

I scored the tires used for $500 and will sell the gmc wheels center caps for $250-300. The wheels I got in a trade. So at the end of the day I have $250 in these tires, they are 10
Ply and at least 75% tread. I’m running them at 24 psi right now because they are 10 ply, will do chalk line test to determine best pressures. We have a coats rim clamp tire machine and recently picked up a coats 1001 spin balancer. Life is good!

I’ll get more pics when she’s clean
Still need to install rear shocks and some new fog lights (these ones filled w water over winter and ruined) $25 no biggie. The new ones I took apart and sealed the housings with permatex

I think I’m gonna ditch the running boards next, they do a good job
Of collecting mud but they are also super ugly
Maybe some simple mud flaps instead

 

[BKennedy]

The last few times I purchased parts from Napa they were cheaper than AutoZone. I think they lowered prices to be more competitive.

 

[97Sandbox]

Lookin' good!

You're making me tempted again to do a bit of a lift on my Mounty...

I think I’m gonna ditch the running boards next, they do a good job
Of collecting mud but they are also super ugly
Maybe some simple mud flaps instead

I've been thinking of deleting mine too, but my two-year-old actually uses them to climb in/out. Plus they slightly mask the fact that the rear third of my rockers are gone lol.

Do those tires have raised white letters on the inside? Maybe it's just because I'm a child of the 90s, but I'm a sucker for running white letters out on off-road trucks.

 

[410Fortune]

I put the white letters in because they are in bad shape and I don’t want to clean them up. Normally I run them out.. hahaha

Even if you do not do the 2” body lift, replacing the body mounts with urethane upgrades makes big difference in how she rides. Of course it doesn’t help that every single 02+ truck on this property has rotte body mounts… not sure what’s up there. Never had this issue with explorers pre 02?

 

[97Sandbox]

Even if you do not do the 2” body lift, replacing the body mounts with urethane upgrades makes big difference in how she rides. Of course it doesn’t help that every single 02+ truck on this property has rotte body mounts… not sure what’s up there. Never had this issue with explorers pre 02?

Yeah I did poly mounts on my Sport and the difference is noticeable. For as difficult as the job was however, I'm planning to leave the rubber alone on my Mounty -- the mounts look fine.

There must've been a material change somewhere around '02 because I see totally disintegrated mounts on the early 2000s trucks all the time, but never on the older ones. Some dry-rot, sure, but they don't just blow out and disappear.

 

[410Fortune]

Added some cool upgrades
$25 a pair mb quart door 5.7 coaxials to the front and rear doors

Also went through all door hinges and lock mechanisms while I had the panels off

Added led 3rd brake and cargo lamp

Same speakers in my sons ranger

265k miles now on the body
Runs like a top!

 

[Fordtruckfan89]

If Those shock studs are 3/8, just get some extensions or make some. I have Bilsteins and they are metric, jeep jk terraflex extensions work on those.

 

[410Fortune]

Thanks for the tip!! Like these?

Teraflex Jeep Wrangler Front Shock Extensions - Pair 1553800 (07-18 Jeep Wrangler JK)

FREE SHIPPING! Sizing. This pair of front shock extensions by TeraFlex is designed to bolt on top of your Wrangler JK's factory front shocks, lengthening them b

www.extremeterrain.com

 

[Fordtruckfan89]

Those fit the Bilsteins with m10-1.5 thread, the other shocks I believe are either 3/8-16 coarse or 3/8-24 fine thread and you can get those extensions from a parts store like this. These mr gasket 1290 ones are 3/8-24 thread. If the thread is 3/8-16, you can use coupling nuts and threaded rod to make some. I don't know what thread Gabrielle uses. Rancho and I think ford is 3/8.

Amazon.com

 

[410Fortune]

*****in thank you!! Something is needed for sure as the suspension travels further then the shock ( I don’t run sway bars)