The Ranger XLT @ Holley Ford Fest 2024 in Bowling Green KY After Missing HRPT 2019 and Power Tour 2021

[popeyes71]

The 9" looks good under there! As for the door mirrors, I disassembled mine completely. Replaced all the screws, bolts, nuts and washers with stainless ones. The frame work, mounts and mirror framework and panel, I used the finest steel wool i could get, #0000 and went over everything. The door mirrors turned out good as new and they still look great today! Hope that helps some.

[DuckRyder]

I picked up a hardware kit from an e-bayer, unfortunately I failed to read the description fully (or the particular disclaimer wasn’t in the listing I used) so I need to get ahold of him and see if it will sell me the extra hardware for the rotunda mirrors.

I took it for a run the other day and the 9” seems perfect. (thanks again Manny)

Speedo is close enough (2-3 fast at 65) with the 21T gear...

In a holding pattern for me to order more parts.

[Ranchero50]

Soak the mirrors in oil for a while and the hardware will come loose. I bought a bunch of generic 304 SS acorn nuts in 1/4 and 5/16 if memory serves (might have been 3/8 though). I did make my own door T bolts from generic stainless ones, 1/4" x 1/2 or 3/4" long, just made the head thinner and milled two sides off so it was flat. The pivot bolt was the only thing I reused. Also note that Ford used black plastic spacers between the door paint and the brackets. I made some out of roofing rubber and it worked well.

For the metal, if you have a buffer polish everything and it'll stay shiny for a dozen years or so.

[DuckRyder]

Well,

Correct (hopefully) bushings, drums arrived. I’ll get to work in the next few weekends.

Still haven’t done the mirrors, or contacted the guy...

Been sidetracked trying to sell a Toyota...

[DuckRyder]

Well, back brakes done.

Bendix drums from summit seemed nice. The fit with no issues, are nicely finished and were relatively inexpensive. They could have marked max die in inches though.

Wagner shoes from NPD also nice. Painted with riveted friction material.

PB Blaster on all the spring bolts.

Still have not messed with mirrors.

[jingo]

I love the swing mirrors, don't know what else you'd put on a bump I got one with my truck, the post was cut up bad, the mirror shot, all the hardware rusted like yours. I was able to find another for the passenger side for $75, in just about the same shape.

First thing I did was take it all apart and grind on the post, brackets, and mirror body. The cuts were deep, so I started with 80 grit & careful filing where needed. Progressed sanding 150-220-400-600-800-1000 grit, 400 grit onwards was wet. Finished on the bench grinder with white alumina and red rouge.

For the acorn bolts, I got a piece of 3/8" threaded stainless, cut small pieces out, and screwed them into an accord nut. Now it's an acorn bolt. All the other hardware I got is plain stainless, which polishes readily, and the new glass was easy to get cut using the old one as a template. The only pieces I was not able to source were the mirror gasket and nylon plates that protect the paint from the brackets. I still haven't found a source of think nylon/teflon material, making do for now with this teflon washers. Turned out good I think, nothing like seeing FoMoCo on your mirror back!!!

Windsheild.jpg

Also I've puzzled on the upper bracket clip/plate/knobby thing for hours. No club how it works, was supposed to work, or what it does.

[DuckRyder]

Thanks for the tips on the Mirrors.

I want to polish them/clean them up but don’t want to over restore them or make them require a ton of upkeep. I curious what they actually looked like from the factory, mine (Rotunda again) appear to have been brushed but perhaps that’s just all the years.

Jingo, you mean the stainless plate with the two detents in it? Mine are broken so I have to come with something there. I think they might have allowed them to swing in and return to the same spot?

Cal Tracs ordered.

Gotta figure out if there are supposed to be bumpers on the rear spring shackle/rocker and what to use if so...

I need to clean the wheels up (gonna end up running the KO’s this trip) trying to decide whether to paint the wheels Bahama Blue, Wimbleton White, or Rangoon Red. Also whether to find some base model poverty caps or run the ranger caps (which will cover all but the rim of the wheel and destroy the paint, thus making a later return to poverty caps unsightly.

I’m leaning toward blue and poverty caps, but I can be talked out of it...

[DuckRyder]

Cal Tracs shipped (that’s pretty fast).

Now leaning towards blue wheels with Ranger caps ...

[DuckRyder]

Got a package today:



Learned during research that I probably could have used the incorrect bushing kit as the CalTracs include new front bushings.



Nicely packed and painted, nice to get something that was packed like someone actually cared what it looked like upon arrival.

Gotta get under the truck...

[popeyes71]

Your going to love those Cal-Tracs! When tuned in properly, they can make a leaf spring car/truck work well!

[DuckRyder]

Your going to love those Cal-Tracs! When tuned in properly, they can make a leaf spring car/truck work well!

I hope so, not that I’m looking for wheelies, but need traction...



Well thats kinds crusty. Not shown is the wear on the spring from the rocker.



Kinda stange...



GRRR





I was able to push out the spring bushings with a ball joint press with not too much trouble.



Trying to push out the rocker bushings with a balljoint press just makes a mess, you can’t get a straight push on it... so I resorted to the previous air hammer advice. Still this is a whole afternoon of work.



When I pulled the first bolt I was like “cool this looks like new”...





That excitement quickly dissolved... 9/16 4” flange bolts aint exactly common, so cad plated grade 8 and washers from McMaster Carr.



Ball joint press worked well on new CalTrac 2-piece solid bushing.





Springs painted and reassembled. An adjustable trigger clamp made the poly bushings and sleeves no problem.



CalTrac rocker, not adjusted. Pro tip: If you have 9/16 bolts tell them when you order as they supply 1/2 inner solid bushing seeves and these don’t work with 9/16 bolts. They are overnighting the correct ones. TOP NOTCH Service.



Not bad. Pardon the mess.

[Blue_Streak]

Sorry for sounding ignorant but what do the Cal-Tracs do for you?

[DuckRyder]

https://www.calvertracing.com/caltracs.html

CalTracs are traction bars.

The way they work, in simple terms is that the axle tries to wrap the spring, but the CalTrac transmits the movement through the lower link the rocker that pivots around the front spring mount bolt and applies pressure at the weakest (most likely to wrap) portion of the spring. they are adjustable by the length of the lower link which changes the preload on the spring.

[Blue_Streak]

Cool. Thank you very much. Learn something new everyday.

So helps in hookup? I was wondering about what I might do there. In my build I'm pushing out a few ponies and was worried that all I would get would be wheel hop. I'm not there yet , to the point of worrying about it as I just got the engine and trans in and have a whole lot of work to do still , but I didn't really want to put in a 4 link. I'm going to try what I have first to she what she does and what needs to be done if anything. Does the Cal-Tracs setup make much of a difference?

[DuckRyder]

Blue Streak,

They are pretty popular on drag cars with pretty much positive feed back...

I guess we will see tomorrow how they work, since my truck is now sitting on the wheels on the ramps, I’ll try to get all the bolts torqued in the morning and get it on the actual ground and try to adjust them to the recommended 1/2 turn preload, then go for a drive.