Completed Project Kirby's 1991 Ranger Build Up

[410Fortune]

Well done

Green seals are good! Likely mahle
The old heads the valves look recessed too much which means the valve seals are missing or worn… bad seats from day one likely.

Looking forward to you finally having a proper 4.0!! If not ran decent before on half compression hahahaha imagine how it will motivate your ranger now!

 

[Kirby N.]

Man @Turdle, let me know if you need a hand with that.

 

[Kirby N.]

Well done

Green seals are good! Likely mahle
The old heads the valves look recessed too much which means the valve seals are missing or worn… bad seats from day one likely.

Looking forward to you finally having a proper 4.0!! If not ran decent before on half compression hahahaha imagine how it will motivate your ranger now!I

Thanks Jaime! Me too!!

I was wondering that too last time, its Possible they were cut too deep and were leaking compression from go. My dad was saying the lack of compression would also affect vacuum which would affect idle too. At least they definitely wore early and I have been lacking compression for a big part of the last two years.

I am Stoked to have it running correctly!

 

[Kirby N.]

We are at 130 psi in all cylinders cold and dry. It should start better with those numbers. I will have it together this week I think. I had my drag link redone so I can use a different tie rod end- and that is the hold up currently.

 

[Kirby N.]

I got her together tonight.

She runs real nice Clark.

Smoothest I think she ever has.

It had a little squeak from the alternator. I think maybe it got some dust or something in it while it was sitting on the work bench. We blew it out with the air gun and it quit.

Other than that it sounds like a sewing machine. Starts easy too. Sounds wicked on the rev. I am stoked to drive the darn thing!

 

[Kirby N.]

She works really well. Lots of power. Fun to drive again. I didn’t waste any time putting her back to work either. I pulled a loaded down trailer and loaded the bed with 50 t posts.

It really handled it well. The brakes were in adequate though.

On to other mods- I have been wanting to swap to a high travel tie rod end on the lower end of the drag link- just to create some better clearance between that and the tie rod. However, that means the threaded dom needs to be shortened 2 1/4”. Unfortunately, my machine shop connection moved to New Mexico. He used to build stuff for ruff stuff and lots of places. But he retired. I took it to the machine shop that he recommended and they were not able to do what I needed. So I went and picked it up. It seems like everyone is now going to 7075 aluminum links. So I am considering swapping my steering links for that.

 

[Kirby N.]

I ordered a tie rod and draglink from this company. Seemed like great quality and was the cheapest I could find.

Hammer Down Enterprises - Top Quality Off-road, Builder, & UTV Parts

High-end performance parts for off-road vehicles so you can conquer any terrain. We specialize in 7075 Aluminum Link Bars for steering and suspension applications. Manufactured in the USA

hd.enterprises

I also ordered a set of brake dust shields from bko graveyard. I have been wanting a set for a while, but just haven't had the occasion. I think I really need to turn the rotors too, so this will be the right time to do both. maybe ill put in new pads too- IDK.

 

[Kirby N.]

Had a good score yesterday. I have been running a aftermarket tailgate mostly- I have a spare factory one that is pretty beat up too, but the aftermarket one is atleast painted the right color. However, the aftermarket one is complete junk. Body lines don’t match, the metal is thin, it Bent easily and tweaked. And it latches poorly. So I hate it. While cruising the Craigslist this week I found a used stock tailgate in nearly perfect condition. They are hard to find without the trim panel, even harder to find in good condition. This one is almost perfect. Very little scratches, no bends or dents. The guy bought it at auction thinking it would fit something else. $75 is what he charged me.

now I need to find a new painter because mine passed from the Covid unfortunately. I am also considering adding a 1/8” reinforcement panel on the inside to make sure I don’t have another issue.

 

[Kirby N.]

Ok- need to catch up here.

Got the links on and they are working well. I also replaced TREs while I was at it.

I did some work on the ranger. I got 1 7" spring from BC Broncos. The drivers side has been really sagging with my heavy butt and the toolbox. Someone predicted that... can't remember who, but they were right. It also had the fuel tank on the drivers side, so that adds to it. This spring is 1" taller than my current springs.

While it was apart, I thought I would address an issue that it has had for a long time. When hitting big g outs or catching air, it will bottom on the passenger side when the lower trackbar mount contacts the frame under the coil bucket. This limits travel by about an inch. It doesn't cause any problems in articulation, only when both sides are compressed at the same time.

You can see the problem here (I couldn't compress the suspension any more due to the placement of the lift's arms, but you get the idea)

So I fixed that.

I cut a little over an inch out. Then started patching it back together with some 1/4" flat stock I had laying around.

The first piece braced all the way back to the crossmember just for good measure. I snuck in there and welded it too.

Then I patched up the rest of it.

I also added the dust covers from JBG. Next big snow I'll see if they make a difference.

Here is the completed notch, with the notched coil bucket.

I also redrilled one of the mounts for the coil bucket so it still has 4 1/2" bolts.

While I was there, I ground off the ruff stuff cover that I modified for the aluminum tierod and painted it. I dont think I mentioned it but there was some interference.

And the new 7" lift coil (1" longer than the passenger side) on the drivers side:

my drivers side remote rest fox shock needs some work. The shaft is bent. I guess i need to send that puppy off one of these days. I set the lowers so they didn't bind at ride height, i really should have set them so they didn't bind at full droop I guess, and the lack of limit straps was not a good call. @Stic-o do you have any ideas on a remedy for a fox shock that needs some new parts and a rebuild? its leaking pretty nicely.

 

[Rick]

Looking good. You've made a lot of progress.

 

[Stic-o]

We rebuild 2.0's for $150 each. I can get you it cheaper than that. I can replace the shaft at the same time as a rebuild. Shaft will probably only be about $30 bucks or so. PM the part number on the cap and I'll get you a price.

I don't run limit straps either

 

[410Fortune]

So without limit straps the shocks are the limit? You will keep pulling them apart if that is the case
I see limit strap in the most recent pictures

 

[Kirby N.]

@410Fortune Yes- kind of. When I originally set up the suspension, I thought the coils would limit the down travel. They do go to full extension and there is plenty of travel left in the shocks, however, after some time and a few hard top outs (catching some air) I realized when there is weight and speed extending the suspension, the coils extend further than I thought, and did cause some damage to shocks. I have since installed limits straps on all 4 corners and I haven't seen new damage. I think perhaps the one shock with the rainbowed shaft was damaged before I had limit straps. Also- I set the shock mounts to be parallel at ride height- thinking they would use the bushings as the radius arms traveled and be fine. However, I think I need to set them parallel at full extension or close to full extension because: 1. the most leverage is at full extension- so the most likely to damage stuff when they are full extended 2. at ride height the shocks are only extended about 4 or 5", so they travel much further on extension and are more likely to bind.

 

[410Fortune]

Good info! Do you run a swaybar? Front or back or? I forget and I’m lazy

 

[Kirby N.]

Haha! No sway bars. It handles nice on corners, though. Actually pretty much everywhere it handles nice. Maybe you guys can help with this question: when setting up shock mounts- obviously there is some room for deflection in the bushings- do you set them up for no deflection at mid travel? Or full extension? Or full compression? Maybe there is a best practice- I had set it up at ride height to have 0 deflection- both parallel at ride height- but now I am thinking that at full extension it has the most leverage on the shafts and stuff- so maybe it should be setup at parallel at full extension, or atleast half travel. Does that make sense?

 

[BKennedy]

I've always set them up to be "relaxed" at ride height. Maybe set them at mid-point of travel? That's an interesting question. I've never actually tried to set up bushing type shocks on a rig with as much travel as you have. My rear shocks are set up so the bushings are perpendicular to the axle, but that won't work on the front.

 

[Stic-o]

They should be set up for ride height, as that is where the shock spends most of it's life. With a lot of travel your bearings or bushings should take up the angle at compression and extension. That said it's not always the case, ask me how I know. A com bearing will take more abuse and angle, but at a cost of more maintenance. In the Fox line there Performance Series uses rubber bushings. There Factory Series uses a com bearing with misalignment spacers.

This also depends on use. If your just doing light trails, street and slow crawling, the rubber bushing is fine. But if you're harder on it, like to go fast, it's a lot more stress, and something with a bearing makes more sense.

I run the same length as you on JP. 14" travel. But I only run about 4" to 5" of up travel. The rest is all down travel, and that's where the issue comes in. I should have equal up and down, but I want more down travel, so as a result you start to get bind and full extension at the mount. This will bend a shaft on a normal 2.0, as you know first hand. Changing the mount direction can also help some of this. Or limit straps, instead of using the shock as one. ( Guilty). I just went back to a rubber bushing shock, so we'll see what happens. Never had a issue with my shocks with bearings.

 

[Kirby N.]

Cool. Thank you that helps. I can change the lower mount, but my concern is that I would have problems the other direction. With the panhard/ trackbar the shocks actually move quite a bit driver to passenger through travel. . Then of course, the radius arms move in an arc, so there is a lot of movement there. And like I said, I believe this happened before I had limit straps, so it could be fixed now. I guess I need to cycle and study a little bit.

 

[410Fortune]

I swore off spherical bearings in shock mounts…. Most of them just use too small of a bearing. And where we live with lots of moisture and silt fine mudd those little com 10 and 12 bearings last one season….
Kings use a much larger bearing… those hold up but still exposed to the weather and wear out causing lots of maintenance
So I’m glad to see manufactures offering bushings still. I have used skyjacker shocks a lot recently because their bushings hold up
Good info about the fox lineup offering both

My bii will lift a tire, that old 3 wheel motion… it is a lot of fun to corner, but I think a rear sway bar would
Probably help my handling and force the front beams to work even harder.

Keep up the good work dudes!
Take a look at your shock setup at full stuff and full droop, see if rotating the bushing 90 degrees might help?

 

[Kirby N.]

My exploder used to do the three wheel thing- I dont know if it is- no rear detroit locker, being shorter, less weight in the rear or being wider overall (axles not narrowed)- but my ranger doesn't do that. I dont know about moving the lower mount 90 degrees. The shocks need to move on both axis' due to trackbar and due to radius arms- so I dont know if that would fix it, but Ill look into it.