The Money Pit Ford Ranger

[RangeRunner17]

How do you like RCI's front skid? I gave them a call yesterday to see if they could cut "ford" into the front (they can't). But they did give me a pretty sweet offer. Does anyone have any other/better ideas to attach a gas tank skid to an Al t-case skid? I'm thinking of a steel frame bolted to the frame, and then bolting a piece of Al to that and the T-case skid. The only problem I can see if the bolt heads getting completely destroyed.

 

[RangeRunner17]

So I'm picking up my welder from my buddys house today, when I notice my carped looks a bit darker in one spot. I lift up the floor mat and feel around, WET AGAIN!!! And I didn't cross any rivers this time either. I'm not happy at all about this. Anyone have any clue as to why its leaking? I did some driving in the rain on Sunday.

 

[ExplorerTom]

Nice Ranger!

I had the RCI skid plate when my Explorer was IFS. It was OK. Had some big dents in it so apparently it worked.

Would a gas tank skid plate from an Explorer work on yours? Would an Explorer transfer case skid plate work?

 

[Big50]

Great build! Looks like you're putting her to good use too which is the best part.

 

[thethePete]

Whereabouts is it wet?

Best way to check for water leaks on the top side of the vehicle is to climb inside and have someone deliberately hose down seams and potential leak areas while you watch from inside.
Common leak spots are:
3rd brake light (leaks around the gasket, very very common on F150s and makes a huge mess of the back seat)
weather seal at your doors, specifically near the top latch of the rear door
front windshield seams
anywhere you punctured the roof

Just get inside with a flash light and have someone start pouring water over those areas with a hose while you watch and look for water intrusion to start.

If it's coming up from the bottom, check for any plugs in that area, may not be sealing entirely or may be missing. Some silicone should fix any leaks you find regardless of where.

 

[RangeRunner17]

So I went ahead and ordered the skids that RCI offers, got aluminum for both. I'm thinking of building off the t case skid like I said, but time might be an issue...

Would a gas tank skid plate from an Explorer work on yours? Would an Explorer transfer case skid plate work?

I don't know if one would fit. There's a chance one might, but there isn't a junk yard for hours from me, and I'm not about to waste that much time on a maybe. I've thought about a factory one, but IDK if I can bolt one right up.

Tomorrow I'm going to call Trail Gear and order a set of 78" rock sliders for a Tacoma. I measured between the wheel arches and it's a perfect fit. The only problem is I'll be on my own for legs/mounting. The parking brake cable runs right along the center of the frame rails...

Whereabouts is it wet?

As for this little leak issue. The floor was wet right around the driver's feet area and nowhere else. I wen't to the field for 10 days and it dried its self up. Today I'm checking it out and I think it's coming from the grommet thing that houses the speaker wire. I have 4 wires running through there (amp power, fuse block power, and Front lights) and the grommet is completely separated from the hole it's supposed to protect. As long as I have time to sort that out before the next rail I think I'll be good. If not, I'm going to bed liner the floor to make cleanup easier

 

[thethePete]

Yeah, there are a few spots on the firewall it could be leaking in. Other suspects would be debris in the wiper cowl causing it to flood, or door seal.

 

[RangeRunner17]

Got my Rock Sliders and skid plates in the mail the other day and just got around to getting the Skid plated installed today. Very very simple installation, and they look great in bare aluminum. The rock sliders will go on this weekend, so long as I have a place to work at. They don't look to hard to install either. I'm going to bolt them on in case they need to come off for whatever reason. My only concern is if ill be able to move the fuel/brake lines out of the way enough to drill through.


T-case skid




Radiator Skid

 

[RangeRunner17]

So I went to the DIY auto shop on base to put the rock sliders on today. Mocked up the driver side and got to work figuring out how to best place the legs. I want to bolt them on, but welding on is just fine. Long story short, The fuel lines are in the way and need to move regardless of bolt/weld, and they come in between the tank and frame. So in order to move them, the tank needs to move and the bed and everything in the bed... I'm not about to pay someone $8 an hour to use my tools on my truck if I'm taking the entire thing apart.

Pretty bummed about this because these are going to have to wait well over a year to get put on, unless anybody has any ideas or tricks they used.

 

[4x4junkie]

I helped a buddy with a set of sliders on a '93 Supercab...

We had to get a bit creative, but we managed to do a good sturdy bolt-on install w/o fussing with the fuel tank. The sliders' rear mounts use two bolts to the body mount brackets, and two bolts thru the frame itself. We had to weld a small tab to the frame for one bolt on the driverside, and weld a bit of material to both cab brackets to pull it off however. When welding the tab to the frame, I recall using a piece of household trim molding or some other long narrow object stuck in alongside the frame & tank to elevate the fuel lines & wires up off the frame.

A couple pics:

 

[RangeRunner17]

I talked to my buddy at home and he said he'll give me a hand with the sliders when I go back there in September. Untill then, I get to look at these EVERY day, just taunting me to put them on.

I helped a buddy with a set of sliders on a '93 Supercab...

Thanks for the input, that'll help me when I do get around to installing them.

I went back up to big bear 2 weekends ago to "test" the new skid plates. I wanted to try something a bit more difficult so I tried Dishpan Springs and Holcomb Creek. I went up hill and made it about 1/3 of the way through Dishpan springs before it got too difficult and had to turn around. I'm sure I could've made it if there was another vehicle with us, but I didn't want to do anything stupid.

I'm thinking of going camping on memorial day weekend up in northern CA, away from the desert. I want to go out back and be away from it all, preferably pull off a forest service road and set up. I'm going alone so they'd have to be easy roads. Does anyone know of some places I could explore? Thanks

 

[RangeRunner17]

Pics from Dishpan springs a few weeks ago.




This is where we got turned around


Also, I ordered some Corbeau Baja XRS seats today!

 

[RangeRunner17]

Installed my new seats yesterday!!! I went out for a little drive to test them out and they're super comfy! I used the brackets Corbeau offers and it took a bit of coaxing but I got them to fit. The only problem is the unsightly seatbelt tension-er thing on the female side of the seatbelts.


The Passenger bracket got a little damaged in shipping. Didn't feel like dealing with making a claim. Nothing a hammer can't fix.



They look absolutely amazing in my opinion! I'll have some time to really get to know them next weekend, as I'll be driving 5 hours or so up to Monache Meadows for a nice long camping trip!

 

[FLoffroad1]

Those do look really awesome. Hope they're comfortable on your trip, suspension seats should be nice.

 

[4pullingGM]

Just read the build on this, I've always been a Ranger fan, you definitely have one to be proud of, nice work!