1970 Ranger SlowMo Explosion

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burteen
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1970 Ranger SlowMo Explosion

Post by burteen »

I got a 1970 ranger the other day. The body is in great shape. Tiny ding on the tailgate, very little rust, real straight. People like the color, which isn't original. The original was a darker green. All the trim is in good shape. The seat has no rips. The rest of the interior is so so. There is some rust underneath, but the whole floorpan is a graft from another truck done by PO or PPO maybe. Title says 90K but you know how it might be when the odometer doesn't have enough digits... I'd guess it's accurate though.
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That's the only pic i have of it currently. I'll try to take some more. The missing hubcap and original wheel is in the bed with a blown tire on it. It has 302, 4 on the floor with the granny gear, MS, MB front drums. You have to be a total he-man to drive it. In fact I was he-manning a u-turn the other day and felt a little pop where the spline connection between the steering gear box and the steering column came loose in a cloud of rust. The truck straightened out and I kept incredulously and meaninglessly rotating the steering wheel and almost drove through my neighbor's front yard. So it has no steering. I was planning on doing the front end swap for PS, PB anyhows, so no biggy.

I found a place for the steering/suspension/brakes that insisted on pulling parts themselves, which has its plusses and minuses. The plus is less work, the truck was basically half in a swamp. The minus is they cut stuff that they shouldn't, like the brakeline bracket on the steering box, give you all the bolts in a giant cup all mixed up, and if you're a noob like myself, you have no memories of how stuff went together to wrap your mind around, and some important hard to find stuff will probably turn up missing like brackets and bolts. Anyhow this is what i got from them off a 79 F150:
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and
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One of those pics is upside down, so you might get vertigo. Again, if i pulled it myself i would have left the bolts hand tight in the pieces they go in, or at least vaguely remember how they go. From looking at a thread HIO is doing somewhere im knowing that im missing some brake line frame brackets at the very least so far. Ah well, i didn't have to spend 2 hours minimum in a swamp fighting skeeters and wasps so i'll stop complaining now.

Here's a couple of action shots taking the front suspension apart:
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It took about a 3 foot pipe and some serious ass to get the RA bolts off.

And now it basically looks like this:
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I wound up taking the spindle/ibeam connection to a shop and having them separate them. One of them was almost totally frozen. You can see in the pic the black kingpin coated with what is basically resin. What's good there? Scotchbrite? It's basically like caramelized grease. I also brought them the rotors which they turned for me. I'll be happy if they are still thick enough.

So one of the ibeams is bent like a muh. I looked on the 70 and it's bent too, but maybe not like that. I suppose it's bent since the ibeams are one in front of the other but the wheels got to be in line. But uhm, woh:
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I'm going with it though. The twist or camber to it or whatever is the same as the other. I'm thinking whatever bend you got between where the RA attaches and where the frame attaches doesn't matter, just the angle from the RA attach point on out matters, and that distance isn't really that great, so i pretty much just rationalized that away!

I've got an electro vat going and it is slow going. Too bad the first thing I did was the coil springs and then learned the process ruins them for spring strength. I'll just reuse the ones from the 70. Here is the master cylinder wallowing in its own putrid filth:
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I bring up electro, because i have a noobish question. I want to dunk the spindles in the vat. The brass sleeves are still in them which im thinking isn't a big deal, but maybe water can get and stay in between the iron and brass? Anybody ever been there done that? There is also some kind of bearing/washer type thing still on it that spins in a gritty kind of way. I'm sure chilton's will say something helpful like "remove" this. I don't want to screw anything up. Can i just dig it off with a flathead and/or a hammer or is there some kind of trick? I got it pointed out here:
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Like i said, im a noob, but not a total and utter noob, not that there is anything wrong with that. I used to wrench on a 78 mustang 2 a lot way back like 20 years ago, out of necessity. That model's relationship to old ford trucks is ironic to me now. This is my first major automotive project since then. I'll be asking a bunch of questions, most of them even ones that i'm not too lazy to research first! Any help is very greatly appreciated. Not sure if i need to ask them in the appropriate section though. I will have more material to post. The "explosion" in the thread title will surely refer to project scope explosion as much as anything else!

Thanks yall !!!
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sargentrs
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Re: 1970 Ranger SlowMo Explosion

Post by sargentrs »

A great writeup by Flyboy on replacing king pins and suspension bushings. http://www.fordification.com/forum/view ... =5&t=68354
Randy
1970 F100 Sport Custom Limited LWB, 302cid, 3 on the tree. NO A/C, NO P/S, NO P/B. Currently in 1000 pcs while rebuilding. Project thread: http://www.fordification.com/forum/view ... 22&t=59995 Plan: 351w, C4, LSD, pwr front disc, p/s, a/c, bucket seats, new interior and paint.
1987 F-150 XLT Lariat, 5.0/C6 auto.
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HIO Silver
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Re: 1970 Ranger SlowMo Explosion

Post by HIO Silver »

Greetings again! Nice truck. Subscribed.

That's the spindle bearing... pry it off gently. If the front end was sunk in the mud, then it's prolly a good idea to replace them.. Btw, if the kingping can't come clean, then bite the bullet and have 'em and the bushings/bearings replaced.

"Skeeters"... funny!
70 F100 LB 2WD, 360FE, E-Street EFI, TKO-500, 76K original miles.. follow my rebuild: The Lo-Buck Bumpside
71 F250 LB, 2WD, 360FE, T18, PS, PB, D60 with 4.11s
73 F100 SB 4WD, 390FE, NP435, +4 on 35s

01 Ferrari 360 Spider F1
01 F150 SuperCrew Lariat 4WD
01 PT Cruiser Limited (DD)
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HIO Silver
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Re: 1970 Ranger SlowMo Explosion

Post by HIO Silver »

For comparison, here are the I-beams from a donor 78. I don't know what the tolerance is but it shouldn't be a problem because any misalignment can be dialed out:

Image
burteen
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Re: 1970 Ranger SlowMo Explosion

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Thanks for the link to the write up, sarge. I read it and it is great info and I will definitely be using it when the time comes.
HIO those beams look a lot straighter than mine, but im hoping it's not that big a deal like you said. I'm still thinking the only part that counts is the angle from the radius arm out.

The scope just had a minor little explosion sideways. Not that big a deal since things are going thru the electro vat at a crippled snail pace. Due to hassles of finding vbelt pulleys, accessories, brackets, etc, im going all serpentine, the junkyard is full of them. My truck had the wrong cs pulley on it anyway and it was bizarre. I'll post some pics soon. I've already pulled parts off a 302 in an 88 bronco, but need to go back and pull the timing cover for the reverse water pump.

Got a quick question. I heard the dampers changed (got heavier) at some point, not sure what year. Should i swap out dampers too? I think, but not positive, that i have to pull damper off anyway to remove the front cover. I'm asking because im not sure if it's worth any hidden hassles/compatibility issues/benefits.
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Re: 1970 Ranger SlowMo Explosion

Post by sargentrs »

Not sure about other engines but on the 302, the damper/flywheel counterweight imbalance changed around 1981, I think. Before that, it was a 28oz imbalance, sometime in 1981 it went to a 50oz imbalance. This will apply to both the harmonic balancer/damper and the flex plate/flywheel counterweight. If you mix and match, you will have vibration issues.
Randy
1970 F100 Sport Custom Limited LWB, 302cid, 3 on the tree. NO A/C, NO P/S, NO P/B. Currently in 1000 pcs while rebuilding. Project thread: http://www.fordification.com/forum/view ... 22&t=59995 Plan: 351w, C4, LSD, pwr front disc, p/s, a/c, bucket seats, new interior and paint.
1987 F-150 XLT Lariat, 5.0/C6 auto.
burteen
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Re: 1970 Ranger SlowMo Explosion

Post by burteen »

Thanks sarge, I take that as meaning i should keep the current damper unless i want to swap out the flex plate/flywheel counterweight also. So im going to leave it. Hopefully the serpentine cs pulley is compat with it, sticks out the same distance, etc.
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Re: 1970 Ranger SlowMo Explosion

Post by HIO Silver »

82 and newer Windsors are 50 oz . '81 and earlier are 28 oz.

It's best to get the front dress off of one donor. Mixing and matching can sometimes lead to headaches. Btw, document all the info from the donor for future reference!!!
70 F100 LB 2WD, 360FE, E-Street EFI, TKO-500, 76K original miles.. follow my rebuild: The Lo-Buck Bumpside
71 F250 LB, 2WD, 360FE, T18, PS, PB, D60 with 4.11s
73 F100 SB 4WD, 390FE, NP435, +4 on 35s

01 Ferrari 360 Spider F1
01 F150 SuperCrew Lariat 4WD
01 PT Cruiser Limited (DD)
68 Mustang
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burteen
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Re: 1970 Ranger SlowMo Explosion

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Things going kind of slow. I'm running stuff through an electrolysis vat which is slow. In the mean time I stripped off all the accessories off the front along with the timing cover in order to go all serpentine. I pulled all the serpentine parts off a 88 bronco to put on the truck, but im running into the whole mech fuel pump vs reverse WP port direction timing cover thing that everybody on the internet seems to run into. Might just go electric fuel pump and be "done" with it, haven't decided. Don't know the pros and cons, what's involved yet.

So here is a profile of what was on the truck:
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No two pulleys lined up with each other. The belt was about to completely crack off it. My grandma's thong would have driven those pulleys just as well judging from the condition of the belt that was on them. The wrong crank pulley was on it and it was all dinged up. I wish i had a pic of the radiator setup for you guys. It was held on by only 2 giant crooked screws driven into random places and the top hose was literally 1/4 of an inch away from the fan.

Here's what's going on it from the 88 bronco 5.0 i found in a yard:
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I got an AC delete pulley too, not pictured. Might have to remove the old giant AC bracket from the PS bracket in the pic.

Here's my first hint things weren't going to be so naively simple:
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By the way i saw on the interweb that you need a special damper puller to pull the damper but you can use a regular puller if you leave the damper bolt partways in. Most of yous probly already knew that. Here is indisputable proof for you doubters:
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And then i encountered a disappointing flaccidity in the timing chain:
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I spose i'll replace that as i slowmotion figure out what to do with the mech fuel pump, reverse WP, timing cover situation.

So that's about where that whole operation is.

When I first got the truck, when i actually gave a crap what the instrument panel was telling me, i pulled off the lens because it looked like it had baked in the sun for 43 years.
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I got one of those plastic clarifying kits off a friend of mine, hooked it up to a power drill, did what i was supposed to do, and it didn't do jack squat. I found a new lens online for $25. The only reason this is any priority now is because the instrument panel is all disassembled hogging up space everywhere.

So i been electric shocking the rust off the front end parts, etc off the 79 donor and did i tell you it was slow? With my vat setup i can do like half a control arm every other day and a half. But it is worth it, especially when there is other stuff to do. These parts were super krusty before:
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I zinged the spindles with a wire wheel and sprayed them with some wd40 but didn't do anything to the brake cylinder except hose it off and dried it. It's got a little flash rust going on. I'll probly have to hit everything with wire again right before i paint.

I went to the junkyard recently and got some brakelines (for patterns or for use, not sure which) and some various brackets for them.

Alright that's about it. I know this project's about boring as hell, but gimme some time. Thanks for reading!
burteen
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Re: 1970 Ranger SlowMo Explosion

Post by burteen »

yeah hey HIO, i've been doccing them. I got pics of the donors' vins on my phone. I've taken some other vin pics though, to research, and it's starting to get confusing though!
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Re: 1970 Ranger SlowMo Explosion

Post by HIO Silver »

burteen wrote:yeah hey HIO, i've been doccing them. I got pics of the donors' vins on my phone. I've taken some other vin pics though, to research, and it's starting to get confusing though!
:thup: !.. but transfer 'em to paper or a computer file.

Vatting parts does take patience... or ya set up a BIG vat which is what I did to submerge multiple parts at the same time. Mine is about 30 gallons.

Lastly, cleaning off the accumulated crust to expose fresh steel on the rebar speeds up the process. What it needs is lots of surface area. I used some old bumper brackets, about 16" long by 3" wide, to minimize vat time. Every week they get wire-wheeled and grinded on.
70 F100 LB 2WD, 360FE, E-Street EFI, TKO-500, 76K original miles.. follow my rebuild: The Lo-Buck Bumpside
71 F250 LB, 2WD, 360FE, T18, PS, PB, D60 with 4.11s
73 F100 SB 4WD, 390FE, NP435, +4 on 35s

01 Ferrari 360 Spider F1
01 F150 SuperCrew Lariat 4WD
01 PT Cruiser Limited (DD)
68 Mustang
65 Mustang
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pincheweddo
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Re: 1970 Ranger SlowMo Explosion

Post by pincheweddo »

Here is some info on those serp belts. Should help you out quite a bit. I have part numbers and vendors for your supplies and good how to's for most of it. If you can't find it let me know.

http://1967f100.blogspot.com/2013/09/blog-post.html

http://1967f100.blogspot.com/2013/08/bolt-debacle.html
See project updates at:
http://1967f100.blogspot.com
burteen
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Re: 1970 Ranger SlowMo Explosion

Post by burteen »

Hey thanks Pinch. Nice website, i'll definitely be checking out more of that. I've already been lurking around there as a matter of fact.
I went ahead and got the 70.5 inch belt going on faith from this pic:
Image
In the very near future it is going to first be going around an AC dummy and no PS, but after i get PS put in, it looks like from the pic i can skip the AC and go around PS with the same belt. I haven't inspected the brackets i got off the bronco overly much yet (or at all), but i might be having a problem with the AC dummy because the AC/PS brackets might be one piece and not come apart to get out of the way. It looks like the one on yours. I'm waiting on a timing chain/cover and WP now first.

Speaking of that, i saw on your site that your WP port directions appear to be opposite of your timing cover? Is that not a thing to worry about? I been wrastling with the same issue. The WP i got off 88 bronco had that problem but also it didn't even completely cover the style timing cover i need. So im getting a WP for an early 80s mustang for years where they had both serpentines and mechanical fuel pumps. I haven't got it yet so I have no idea which way the ports are pointed and not really sure if i want to care anymore as long as it completely covers the timing cover.
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Re: 1970 Ranger SlowMo Explosion

Post by pincheweddo »

burteen wrote:Hey thanks Pinch. Nice website, i'll definitely be checking out more of that. I've already been lurking around there as a matter of fact.
I went ahead and got the 70.5 inch belt going on faith from this pic:
[ Image ]
In the very near future it is going to first be going around an AC dummy and no PS, but after i get PS put in, it looks like from the pic i can skip the AC and go around PS with the same belt. I haven't inspected the brackets i got off the bronco overly much yet (or at all), but i might be having a problem with the AC dummy because the AC/PS brackets might be one piece and not come apart to get out of the way. It looks like the one on yours. I'm waiting on a timing chain/cover and WP now first.

Speaking of that, i saw on your site that your WP port directions appear to be opposite of your timing cover? Is that not a thing to worry about? I been wrastling with the same issue. The WP i got off 88 bronco had that problem but also it didn't even completely cover the style timing cover i need. So im getting a WP for an early 80s mustang for years where they had both serpentines and mechanical fuel pumps. I haven't got it yet so I have no idea which way the ports are pointed and not really sure if i want to care anymore as long as it completely covers the timing cover.
Typing this from my phone so pardon me for being brief. I used a Jeg's timing cover which is ambidextrous with a water pump from American muscle. The pump backer plate has round holes in them not the D shape. The only reason I would use a used water pump is if I had to pee in the radiator. So when you buy a new one, just make sure your pulley mount distance is right and it has a round hole in the backing plate. I didn't post a pic of the backer plate, will when I get the chance.

Image
Last edited by pincheweddo on Mon Sep 30, 2013 7:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
See project updates at:
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burteen
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Re: 1970 Ranger SlowMo Explosion

Post by burteen »

ok thanks, i'll check that out at american muscle. I've seen pics of the round holes so i know what you're talking about. I have one on order from autozone for like a 84 mustang i believe but nobody ever has pics in their catalog of the backside so i don't know if it is round hole or not. I'm starting to think that the port direction doesn't even matter as long as it covers the timing cover properly. I would feel a little better about the round holes though
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