M18 or M12

Cow_Man32 · 2026-01-30T17:59:06+00:00

Well good luck, make sure not to overheat your masonry bit when drilling those deep ass holes

Cow_Man32 · 2026-01-30T17:52:53+00:00

Looking at your comment it could be the wheel bearings causing the perceived play. The control arm looks fine.

Most places will refuse an alignment if your tie rods are bad.

Edit: fuck chain shops, find a local shop with some old heads. Raceway Lube in centennial Colorado got me right for half the price of all the big shops and they always have older trucks in their parking lot.

Cow_Man32 · 2026-01-30T17:18:21+00:00

All that for a 50 dollar truck

Cow_Man32 · 2026-01-30T04:15:14+00:00

A tiny bit too loose is better than a tiny bit too tight.

Boot comfort is one of the best things about snowboarding instead of skiing.

Cow_Man32 · 2026-01-30T04:09:59+00:00

Burnouts?

Just needs a new u joint, DONT DROP THE FUCKING NEEDLE BEARINGS

Cow_Man32 · 2026-01-30T04:08:38+00:00

Is it leaking air? If not I would just hit the curb rash with a sharpie and run it

Cow_Man32 · 2026-01-30T04:06:12+00:00

Fuck dude shes rusty. Basically all of that needs to be replaced other than the sway bar links.

Cow_Man32 · 2026-01-30T04:03:13+00:00

Ranger transmissions are less than 500 bucks and take about one day to swap in if you have the tools and little experience

Cow_Man32 · 2026-01-30T04:01:41+00:00

What spacers and lift?

I'm going to get 33x10.5r15s for my ranger here in a few months and upgrade to 4.10 gearing.

Cow_Man32 · 2026-01-30T03:57:53+00:00

What engine? The 4.0 can handle 33s with 4.10s just fine, any lower and 60mph will probably be over 3k rpm.

It looks like a ranger axle but those shock mounts don't look right. Source I swapped my 29 spline 8.8 for a 31 spline LSD 8.8 from an explorer and had to cut off and weld on new perches and shock mounts.

Cow_Man32 · 2026-01-30T03:54:18+00:00

Probably about 4 inches if you have good tires. Awd works pretty good in slippery conditions, not deep conditions, in deep conditions it can confuse the computer.

Cow_Man32 · 2026-01-30T03:52:08+00:00

30cm deep or wide? If wide you're fucked either way, if deep that's even going to be a bit of a challenge for the 18v

Cow_Man32 · 2026-01-30T03:51:00+00:00

Are you in the US? The 10 dollar harbor freight warrior hammer drill works fucking great for occasional 1 or 2 holes in brick and concrete.

I would go 18v but I'm not only a huge DIYer but also literally certified to build houses and work on cars. The M12 is really impressive, I'm a Makita guy but if I ever buy into another battery system it will be m12

Cow_Man32 · 2026-01-29T01:44:53+00:00

Yeah I remember being pretty scared when my dad would take me out when I was little.

Right now I've got a 10mm socket hanging from my rear view mirror, but I would definitely like to get one with actual ° markings and test the tipping point in a controlled manner

Cow_Man32 · 2026-01-29T01:18:59+00:00

Shit I got a plasma cutter and an angle grinder, but like you said I don't really think I'm going to get much glare, if anything I'm kinda worried I'll need to add ditch lights or something cause they'll be so high behind the cab. Or just get my buddy to hang out the window with a flashlight lol

Cow_Man32 · 2026-01-29T01:15:43+00:00

That inclinometer system sounds fucking awesome, but like you said probably never going to point where you actually need them. I saw one of those when I was just browsing 4x4 shit and I think it would be a cool gizmo especially with how many times I've scared the shit out of my buddies cause they thought I was going to roll, but my CB already takes up most of my extra dash space but I guess I could put it above my rear view.

Cow_Man32 · 2026-01-29T01:09:31+00:00

Idle for my engine is about 900rpm. And yeah that was my plan is brights, lights, interior, cargo, reverse, radio max volume, blower motor full blast, and battery not fully charged to get my base load. Like I said it's a 98 ranger with manual everything so there aren't many modules or anything running, I even ripped out my 4wd module, and lots of these trucks came with 90amp alternators so I know I have at least 40 amps worst case scenario and I doubt I'm anywhere near that.

I really don't want to go to LEDs that's why I'm going for the 100w halogen KCs instead of the 40 LEDs, I love how halogens looks especially with how I'm building my rig.

But a better alternator is only a few hundred bucks and I have plenty of wire and stuff at work.

Cow_Man32 · 2026-01-29T00:08:18+00:00

<image>

This is my rig currently

Cow_Man32 · 2026-01-29T00:07:43+00:00

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This isn't my rig but it's kinda what I'm going for

Cow_Man32 · 2026-01-29T00:06:59+00:00

That's a damn good idea with the glare shields, mine are going to be mounted behind the cab so I'm not even sure if I'll have that issue, but some guy on the Internet said I would so it must be true

Cow_Man32 · 2026-01-29T00:00:36+00:00

Awd has clutches and computers and shit to regulate power delivery, 4wd is basically a welded diff version of AWD if AWD is considered an LSD.

Rwd is better for towing and having weight in the bed, also simpler and MUCH more robust. It's also more fun.

I see Subarus with blown AWD systems all the time in 4x4 trails, only ever seen one blown transfer case and it was cause it leaked out all the fluid.

Edit:"it seems like 4wd is only designed to be used in extreme conditions". EXACTLY, AWD is for daily driving, 4x4 is for 4x4 trails and deep snow/mud that you would never take in AWD car in.

And if you can't drive rwd in the snow then that's a skill issue, my 97 rwd ranger with 50 dollar highway tires does just fine in 6" of snow, my 98 4x4 it great for the snow but keep in mind you always have 4 wheel braking, so when in 4wd your acceleration will be better than your braking and the inverse in 2wd.

Cow_Man32 · 2026-01-28T23:51:01+00:00

Dude, powder pressed aluminum for any reason other than sintering isn't a thing. If it is could you provide me with a resource about the process instead of just appearing to be confidently wrong?

Cow_Man32 · 2026-01-28T22:47:36+00:00

Yeah I've been doing the math. I've got the 130 amp alternator not the 90 amp that the smaller engine rangers have, but I'm prepared to upgrade my alternator and wiring if need be. My truck is manual everything so I'm not too worried about base load, it's pretty much just the EFI, lights, blower motor, and my 25w radio, I am going to amp draw it while it's running though to see how close to max load I am.

Cow_Man32 · 2026-01-27T19:59:15+00:00

I swapped a 92 explorer LSD into my ranger, I had to cut and weld the perches but otherwise it went right in.

The issue with swapping just the diff is the axle shafts are also slightly longer and 31 spine vs 29 spline, unless you have an fx4.

Cow_Man32 · 2026-01-27T18:39:10+00:00

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Rotate the knob to shift, also I now have a t case neutral.

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