ericbphoto
Overlander in development
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VAGABOND
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- Joined
- Feb 7, 2016
- Messages
- 15,388
- Reaction score
- 16,731
- Points
- 113
- Age
- 59
- Location
- Wellford, SC
- Vehicle Year
- 1993
- Make / Model
- Ford Ranger
- Engine Type
- 3.0 V6
- Engine Size
- 3.0L
- Transmission
- Manual
- 2WD / 4WD
- 4WD
- Total Lift
- 6"
- Tire Size
- 35"
- My credo
- In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are different.
Progress will probably be slower now through the holidays. I am an industrial maintenance tech, so I will be working a lot of extra hours while everyone else is off through Christmas and New Years.
I decided to replace the front axle drive shaft u-joints while I have everything apart. The old ones don't seem to be showing any play and I know the truck hasn't been off-roaded much in its lifetime. BUT... It's 23 years old. That means 23 year old grease and 23 year old seals. And, since it's a bunch of work to get them out, it just makes sense to me to freshen things up while it's on the work bench. U-joints should be here any day now. I'm going to follow a tech article from this site and do some minor mods also - full circlips to retain the caps and a bit of grinding to add clearance. I also have the string trimmer spring on hand for C-clip elimination when I re-assemble the axle.
I decided to replace the front axle drive shaft u-joints while I have everything apart. The old ones don't seem to be showing any play and I know the truck hasn't been off-roaded much in its lifetime. BUT... It's 23 years old. That means 23 year old grease and 23 year old seals. And, since it's a bunch of work to get them out, it just makes sense to me to freshen things up while it's on the work bench. U-joints should be here any day now. I'm going to follow a tech article from this site and do some minor mods also - full circlips to retain the caps and a bit of grinding to add clearance. I also have the string trimmer spring on hand for C-clip elimination when I re-assemble the axle.