Madmike, You Are A Bad Influence And An Alabama Crazy @$$

[CarMichael Angelo]

So I got the tank situation all figured out tonight. I bought the stock sending unit that actually fits the smaller hole of the new tank (thanks Summit Racing for having the correct "stock" sending unit and getting it to me in one day with standard shipping). The other "stock" sending unit is going in the trash because I already ditched the box and receipt when I opened it the other day, and who knows what it belongs to. I washed the old tank out with dish soap and water, and allowed it to dry before deciding to make life interesting using a three foot long fuse of toilet paper to see what would happen in my back yard. Holy hell was it just like a jet engine when it lit after being all washed out! I have a video of me lighting it again later, and each time I go out it will reignite with a little less oomph. Dont mess around with old gas tanks, the residue will continue to reignite, and reignite over and over! I managed to get the filler neck chopped off without any burns, and decided to use fuel tank repair putty and sheet metal screws to attach it rather than welding. My lack of welding experience led me to believe I would pry end up with pinholes and be worse off than what I chose to do. Here are some pics of the old gal all done up.

Out with the old:



With the use of these friends I got it cut out, all the rust removed, and shaped to fit snug on the new tank:



And the end result. For those of you doubting this, the filler neck extends around two to three inches into the tank, and that putty is completely underneath all that excess metal up to the neck, not just around the edges. That thing isnt going anywhere.



@madmike1157 I had your old sig character rolling through my mind as tonights events unfolded. The only thing I didnt do was pour the gas on myself first.

Maybe I can accommodate you w/ a real version of that,..I'm gonna cut my own tank, make my own sump, and weld it.

I realize that there are uhh.....hazards when welding an old tank,...I'll typically wash it out several times,..and actually let it sit for several days to air out. I think the last tank I did actually had water in it while I was welding.:trip:

 

[95BlueStallion]

Well the truck is back on the road and running great actually. Cleaning the carb and the new fuel system made a world of difference. No more sputtering off idle, it revs quicker, spins the 19's, and the gas gauge still doesnt work. Im just gonna fill up one morning, drive to work, and then fill up again to see how much I use. I can track it by that, cause Im not getting under there and tracing wires, F that noise. Next up (when the wife allows) is the stance and exhaust Ive been talking about since day one, woo hoo!

 

[7991LXnSHO]

So it lit up like a jet engine? Cool! Do you watch mythbusters? They have trouble getting tanks to go up like that, but they have more than vapors in the tank, which is my other point. Filling the tank with a non flam. liquid keeps the oxygen out to prevent a welding fire. It also helps keep the tank on the ground if it has a gas vapor ignition event.

 

[95BlueStallion]

So to my delight, the gas gauge did work once I put more than 5 gallons in it this morning. As far as the old gas tank, even half full of water, it kept reigniting over and over with what was left of the residue on the empty half. It was very fun, yet very stupid to play with. I am now thinking of how to do my drop on the rear. If I flip the axle on top of the rear leaf springs, it will drop it too far for me to get the front to match without serious work. I am only trying to get the fenders right on the wheels, so I have a little brainstorming to do to get it where I want it.

 

[CarMichael Angelo]

So to my delight, the gas gauge did work once I put more than 5 gallons in it this morning. As far as the old gas tank, even half full of water, it kept reigniting over and over with what was left of the residue on the empty half. It was very fun, yet very stupid to play with. I am now thinking of how to do my drop on the rear. If I flip the axle on top of the rear leaf springs, it will drop it too far for me to get the front to match without serious work. I am only trying to get the fenders right on the wheels, so I have a little brainstorming to do to get it where I want it.

You could:
Have the leaf springs de arched.
But then you'd have to accept the drop at whatever that may be.

or:
Use coil overs like the kind I bought,..and then use a "street" style set of ladder bars that uses rubber bushings instead of rod ends, a track locator to keep every thing centered.

or:
Quit lying to yourself about the intent of the truck.

You've done more junk to that thing since you bought it last month, than you have to your S197 in a year.

I think everybody needs a slammed Ranger ridding around on 19" rubber, trying to get up the driveway in Cedar Rapids, Iowa after a whiteout blizzard in the middle of January
AS THEIR WINTER BEATER.

 

[95BlueStallion]

You could:
Have the leaf springs de arched.
But then you'd have to accept the drop at whatever that may be.

or:
Use coil overs like the kind I bought,..and then use a "street" style set of ladder bars that uses rubber bushings instead of rod ends, a track locator to keep every thing centered.

or:
Quit lying to yourself about the intent of the truck.

You've done more junk to that thing since you bought it last month, than you have to your S197 in a year.

I think everybody needs a slammed Ranger ridding around on 19" rubber, trying to get up the driveway in Cedar Rapids, Iowa after a whiteout blizzard in the middle of January
AS THEIR WINTER BEATER.

Haha, youve got me on that. The only way I leave a car alone is if it has absolutely no potential like my Subaru from last winter. This truck is not boring, but I am not going to "restore" it by any means. My plan is a "shop truck" style, but keeping it able to get around in the winter. That is why I dont want to slam it, and only give it a slightly lower stance. Ladder bars and coilovers are out, cause its not getting that money thrown at it. If I were putting money at it, I would flip the axle for $65, and spend the $400 on aftermarket I-beams to drop the front. I know that it snowballs though (bushings, steering components, alignment), so that is not happening.

What I will do is cut a dead coil off the front springs for about an inch and a half drop up front, and maybe remove a rear leaf to see if that will bring the rear down a couple inches. It still needs to be able to haul a few hundred pounds of s hit in the back once in a while though.

 

[95BlueStallion]

Found a 2" drop shackle for the rear end. Worse case scenario I need to put 100 lb sand bag in the rear to get it down a hair more (which I will be using in the winter anyway). So give me a week and I will be knocking out the drop and posting pics.

 

[madspeed]

almost forgot that some people still drive rwd in the winter!

 

[CarMichael Angelo]

almost forgot that some people still drive rwd in the winter!

Why? what's the big deal?






Ohhhh......I get it. You have to worry about traction in the snow.......and RWD is that much harder to get around with.
(Sorry,..down here,..in the south,....winter is just like summer,..only colder.)

So then, based on that lets add it all up:

RWD in the snow.......BAD.

No weight over rear wheels, RWD, in the snow.......Double BAD.

Big motor in small truck,..... Nose heavy, No weight over rear wheels, RWD in the snow......Triple BAD.

Carbureted, Big motor in small truck,....Nose heavy, No weight over rear wheels, RWD in the snow.........Call in sick.

 

[95BlueStallion]

Why? what's the big deal?






Ohhhh......I get it. You have to worry about traction in the snow.......and RWD is that much harder to get around with.
(Sorry,..down here,..in the south,....winter is just like summer,..only colder.)

So then, based on that lets add it all up:

RWD in the snow.......BAD.

No weight over rear wheels, RWD, in the snow.......Double BAD.

Big motor in small truck,..... Nose heavy, No weight over rear wheels, RWD in the snow......Triple BAD.

Carbureted, Big motor in small truck,....Nose heavy, No weight over rear wheels, RWD in the snow.........Call in sick.

Nah, it'll be fine. Its a truck, weight can be added over the rear wheels very easily. My only slight concern is the carb. Ive never owned or driven a carbed vehicle in the cold before. After my little tune up it already acts much better on the 45-50 degree mornings we have been having, so I have a bit of confidence that it will be fine.

 

[NIKwoaC]

I FAR prefer RWD in the snow over FWD. People try to justify FWD by claiming it's somehow better in snow, but it's really not. I can see where some less-confident drivers might struggle with oversteer in a RWD vehicle, but in my years of Indiana winters I've DD'd a 2WD F-150, a Grand Prix, a Suburban, a Crown Vic, an Accord, and my current Fusion, and the FWD cars are my least favorite by far.

 

[madspeed]

...and the FWD cars are the least FUN by far.

fixd

 

[NIKwoaC]

fixd

Also true.

 

[95BlueStallion]

Alrighty then, I wasnt going to post until I finished the whole drop, but whatevs. First pic is a reference of the two inch gap between front tire and fender before I started:



Now there is about a 1/2 inch gap, and even though I can go further, this puppy needs to get around in the snow. Sorry for the cell phone pics, but here are a couple quick shots:





More to come once my drop shackles arrive for the rear drop.

 

[95BlueStallion]

So today I went out to a buddy's house and we cut off the shackle mounts for the rear leaf springs and drilled holes in the frame and bolted them an inch higher, and an inch further to the rear of the frame. The end result lowered the rear of the truck about an inch and a half, which allows me to put a couple hundred pounds in the bed for winter and achieve a level stance. After getting it together I took him for his first ride in the truck. I did a nice smokey burnout, and proceeded to whip a few donuts from the burnout. He enjoyed it, but Mr Forgotten Pumpkin in the bed of the truck did not enjoy it nearly as much.



In other updates, Michael Knight (@madmike1157 ) being the bad influence that he is has landed me this freshly rebuilt 4R70W with fresh stock converter waiting to go in the truck.

View attachment 123345

My controller and other little needed knick knacks are in the mail on their way, so it should only be a couple weeks before this puppy is in the truck. Lets hope, cause I dont want to drive the Mustang in any snow and salt. Driving out to my buddy's place going 65 mph netted me pulling a constant 3200 RPMs for about 20 minutes there, and 20 minutes back. Toss in the 5 miles and 3 donuts of a test drive, and I went through 3/4 of my 16 gallons of gas I just put in. Cant wait for that O/D gear.

 

[CarMichael Angelo]

So today I went out to a buddy's house and we cut off the shackle mounts for the rear leaf springs and drilled holes in the frame and bolted them an inch higher, and an inch further to the rear of the frame. The end result lowered the rear of the truck about an inch and a half, which allows me to put a couple hundred pounds in the bed for winter and achieve a level stance. After getting it together I took him for his first ride in the truck. I did a nice smokey burnout, and proceeded to whip a few donuts from the burnout. He enjoyed it, but Mr Forgotten Pumpkin in the bed of the truck did not enjoy it nearly as much.



In other updates, Michael Knight (@madmike1157 ) being the bad influence that he is has landed me this freshly rebuilt 4R70W with fresh stock converter waiting to go in the truck.

View attachment 123337

My controller and other little needed knick knacks are in the mail on their way, so it should only be a couple weeks before this puppy is in the truck. Lets hope, cause I dont want to drive the Mustang in any snow and salt. Driving out to my buddy's place going 65 mph netted me pulling a constant 3200 RPMs for about 20 minutes there, and 20 minutes back. Toss in the 5 miles and 3 donuts of a test drive, and I went through 3/4 of my 16 gallons of gas I just put in. Cant wait for that O/D gear.

Firstly,..Who is Michael Knight? Is he a bad influence too, or do you just think everybody that recommends something to save you money is a bad influence?

Secondly, I'm just as anxious as you are to know how this goes. That trans is what I'm counting on as well, so I'll be watching for your input. Is it the six cylinder trans, or is it a V-8 trans?

Lastly, If you're gonna go round smashing pumpkins, and doin' donuts,..that transmission isn't gonna save you one cent on gas.

(I'm sure that pumpkin thinks that you aren't a model citizen either)

 

[95BlueStallion]

I got a '97 F150 V6 trans, cause the modular V6 shares the same bellhousing as the SBF. When you go to order the controller you need to know the bulkhead connector color and number of pins, as well as the gear selector connector pin count. He will ask you about your TPS and whether you are fuel injected or carbed, etc. I'll be posting as I go, but thats some quick info off the top of my head. The new trans would have saved me gas on the trip out and back, so I had more to burn while having fun!

 

[95BlueStallion]

Being that this is my winter truck, I am waiting to do the trans swap in the spring so I dont have to deal with it being down due to unexpected hiccups during the swap. In the mean time I am making other changes. I started to install an aftermarket radio and speakers I had laying around from my last winter hoopty, and realized that the factory radio is quite a bit bigger and I didnt want to use one of those cheap install kits. I thought to myself that this is a good time to hand fab some metal pieces to give the old dash a new look. Now Ford did this from the factory I found out after starting my project, but there are none to be had in any kind of decent shape. Plus, I like doing things myself. Here is where I am so far.

Stock:



My progress so far:



I also ordered new tires for my tri-bars off my '95 GT, cause the 19's are just too big for the truck and make it drive like poo. If the tri-bars do the same, then at least I can sell them with new tires and get them out of my garage. They are 17's and will have 275's on all four corners, so I think they will help the truck handle better than the 19's. Pics will be posted after install, and after dash completion.

 

[7991LXnSHO]

Why? what's the big deal?






Ohhhh......I get it. You have to worry about traction in the snow.......and RWD is that much harder to get around with.
(Sorry,..down here,..in the south,....winter is just like summer,..only colder.)

So then, based on that lets add it all up:

RWD in the snow.......BAD.

No weight over rear wheels, RWD, in the snow.......Double BAD.

Big motor in small truck,..... Nose heavy, No weight over rear wheels, RWD in the snow......Triple BAD.

Carbureted, Big motor in small truck,....Nose heavy, No weight over rear wheels, RWD in the snow.........Call in sick.

None of this is bad if you have a good set of tires and a limited slip dif. It just makes it more interesting. Even with a 4x4 you still have to stop, and oversteer is better than understeer in my opinion.

 

[95BlueStallion]

Finally finished those dash plates. Here are some pics of what I decided to do with it. The rest of the metal interior pieces will receive the same treatment. After weathering the metal, I did clear coat it so it wont change.

Pic after cutting getting the fab work done, and mounting it to the gauge face permanently.



Then using salt, peroxide and water to rust it.



Then cleaned it up and cleared the whole thing.



And back in the truck.





Since the aftermarket gauges look too pretty now, I am going to scuff them up with a scotch brite pad to age them a little. Ive decided I like worn look for this truck, since the mustang is nice and new.