Completed Project Kirby's 1991 Ranger Build Up

[Kirby N.]

I am starting to get excited. As if driving the clown mobile around for months isn't enough, it's been snowing pretty epically here. I have been romping the jeep around on parts runs wishing the ranger was up and going with 4x.

I grinded the axle shaft ears to accept full circle clips. On my first stub shaft, the joint caps push right in by hand. Crap. Someone spun some caps in these shafts already. Crap. I am not sure what to do. I may have made a mistake by not buying chromos to start with. I am going to sleep on it.

 

[section525]

I was just in your 'hood last week! The inlaws bought a house up in the Black Forest area.. but their address is CO Springs. I want to move out there!

Build is coming along good, Kirby!

 

[timtimtimajim]

Saw your Ranger on the street a few months back. Have to say it was one of the coolest Rangers i've seen even though it's not done yet. Can't wait to see it finished

 

[Kirby N.]

I was just in your 'hood last week! The inlaws bought a house up in the Black Forest area.. but their address is CO Springs. I want to move out there!

Build is coming along good, Kirby!

thanks! I grew up near BF. My parents live there still. It has really gotten dense with homes and people since I was a kid. I would never get away with now what I got away with as a kid living out there.

Saw your Ranger on the street a few months back. Have to say it was one of the coolest Rangers i've seen even though it's not done yet. Can't wait to see it finished

Thanks. It is hilarious to see/ hear peoples reactions. I catch people taking pictures of it all the time.

 

[james t]

On my first stub shaft, the joint caps push right in by hand. Crap. Someone spun some caps in these shafts already. Crap. I am not sure what to do. I may have made a mistake by not buying chromos to start with. I am going to sleep on it.

4 really effing hot tack welds on the cap. I ran one "loose" like that for a while with the caps tacked on. Never broke.

 

[Kirby N.]

Thanks James. That did cross my mind. I did that on my sploder too when I started stretching the stock ears. However, it really annoys me to put it together for the first time with sub par parts. That pretty much sums up every mistake I made on my explorer!

So with that in mind, I bit the bullet and ordered a set of 4340 shafts today. I am going to run the spicer joints I already have. I ran yukon superjoints in my explorer. They were tough, but I was always stressed when I ran it down the road in 4x. And I never really greased them like I was supposed to. So with the lighter truck, smaller tires and lack of a doubler/ ARB for now, I think the spicers will be fine. I may upgrade when I get a arb.

I also ordered a set of 2* c bushings in black and a 4" drop pitman arm.

For coil springs, I am going to "borrow" my buddy phils to check ride height before I order. His are the same 7" BC coils that I ran on my explorer. They were by far the best I tried. I tried deaver, WH, superlift. I cant decide if I should get the 5" or the 7". So hopefully, this will give a good indicator before I buy. I want the ranger to travel like phils truck:

I still need: 1 Radius Arm Cap, 2 Coil Buckets, 2 late model TTB outer hubs. All junkyard stuff.

Also will have to have trackbar and steering DOM threaded and wrench flatted when the time comes. I get the DOM and the work done at my buddies machine shop.

 

[BKennedy]

I always liked a SAS'd big Bronco. Is that a formed USBP Bronco (spot light)? If so, he should check the firewall where it meets the A pillar for cracks.

 

[Kirby N.]

Border patrol? I don't know what it used to be. Did they crack there from the lights or the abuse? I will tell him to check. He has had it for like 10 years. Even wrecked it and bent the frame and did a frame swap. It's a shame it's getting rusty now.

 

[BKennedy]

Abuse.

 

[Kirby N.]

I got my shaft kit today.

Machined for full circle clips:

I also got a 4" drop pitman arm. On my explorer, I ran the stock one. In order to keep the track bar parallel I had to build it pretty steeply angled. This led to a lot of lateral movement through travel. When my passenger drooped and a driver stuffed, the driver would rub the outside of the fender. When the passenger stuffed and the driver drooped the tire would rub the coil bucket. So I am hoping running a drop pitman will put less demands on steering joints and allowe to run apre horizontal track bar.

I started reaming everything with a reamer I rented from a buddy.

It can get away from you of you aren't careful. I got carried away on the right lower joint.

That's a waste of $40. Guess I'll order a new one.

 

[RockRanger]

What brand axle shafts did you order? Thinking alloy shafts will be my next upgrade.

 

[Kirby N.]

I went with USA standard from crazyedsperformance. They are yukons with a 1 year warranty instead of a lifetime. Significantly cheaper. My yukons fixed my front end breakage problems, so I hope I never need to warranty them. After all, what good is a warranty if you have to use it?

I really wish I would have gotten a couple late model ttb inner hubs when the weather was nice. I really can't imagine scrounging around a junk yard today. We have had good snow. This was the ranger the other day

 

[BKennedy]

It can get away from you of you aren't careful. I got carried away on the right lower joint. That's a waste of $40. Guess I'll order a new one.

I did the same thing on a pitman arm. I repaired it with a BC Bronco bushing for their steering kit. Give them a call before you order a new joint (if you call, you get a break on shipping). The chrommoly bushing should be stronger than the original joint.
http://www.bcbroncos.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=96

 

[james t]

Reamer- i did one hole with mine (carefully) then wrapped blue tape around it as a marking point... so now just run it to the edge of the tape and it's done. Yes they most certainly can get away from you... i figured that out on a buddys really nice high steer arm. One second it was almost perfect, the next second whoops it'll fit a dump truck TRE now.

 

[Kirby N.]

James- that's a good call. Wish I would have heard that idea a could days ago!

Brian- called bc this morning. They sold me on the bushings. I ordered 3. 2 for the knuckles and one for the tierod. The tapers in the knuckles ended up hour glass shaped because the original tapers were too big on the large side. This should fix it. When they showed told me the shipping I was like ouch. So I decided to go ahead and buy coils too. Essentially, free shipping on the bushings. I went with the 5.5 w/ winch or 6" coils. An inch shorter than my explorer. I hope I don't regret it.
http://www.bcbroncos.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=299

 

[BKennedy]

Brian- called bc this morning. They sold me on the bushings. I ordered 3. 2 for the knuckles and one for the tierod. When they showed told me the shipping I was like ouch. So I decided to go ahead and buy coils too. Essentially, free shipping on the bushings. I went with the 5.5 w/ winch or 6" coils. An inch shorter than my explorer. I hope I don't regret it.
http://www.bcbroncos.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=299

When I called and ordered one more to save my pitman arm, the gal with a southern accent who answered the phone threw it in a padded envelope and it was just a few bucks.

Are you going to use adjustable coil buckets?

 

[Kirby N.]

No. I am going to use f150 full height buckets. More coil, more available travel. I was really happy with the setup on my explorer. I will cut the driver side to fit over the bulge in the drivers side frame rail too. Like I did on my explorer.

If the coils are too short or too tall I will sell the coils and buy the set I need. The rad thing about bc is they sell them in 1/2" increments to 7". The spring rate are perfect. Soft and linear. I am amazed they aren't more popular in broncos and swaps.

 

[Kirby N.]

I got a box today

 

[BKennedy]

Awesome, I really like those granola bars too.

 

[Kirby N.]

Those are my energy supplement, Brian.

I got some painting done.

Also got the spindles started for rebuilding. Needle bearings were toast. They needed some timken replacements. This was the good one.

Also, I can't rember of mentioned it but one of my spindles is in terrible shape. It looks like someone beat on it with a sledge to remove it, then installed it with a c clip on the end of the stub and wore down the end of it. think I located another on Denver. Going to try to get it tomorrow.

And fixed this link. Thanks Brian for the suggestion. It came out good. I used blue tape on my reamer like James suggested and got one knuckle done last night too. My drill got too hot so I will do the other knuckle later.