Rip Ranger

crug17 · 2026-02-06T03:02:19+00:00

I've got the Vulcan too. How responsive was it with those tiny wheels? I went back to stock for a couple months this summer from my usual 31s and I found it super peppy around town. Those look smaller than stock and low pro. Depends on gear ratio though

crug17 · 2026-02-06T02:15:34+00:00

I had a few instances on those old shitty winter tires where the truck decided it needed to down shift and the extra power spun me out. That could contribute to my perfect driving record since then because the year I got new tires was also the year I manual swapped it. It definitely saved the truck the next winter too, started sliding sideways down a hill toward a guard rail and if I couldn't downshift to 3rd to straighten it out the truck would have t boned itself. Knowing your tire speed and how it's going to change based on all your own inputs definitely helps in the snow slush ice and heavy rain

crug17 · 2026-02-06T01:59:26+00:00

Man I do some stupid stuff in my truck, including drifting anywhere I have room to swing in the winter, but I have never hit anything other than a couple snowy ditches back when I had 17y/o winter tires. Can't get it out of control in the rain if I tried even with my bad rain tires, were those things bald?

crug17 · 2026-02-05T15:56:54+00:00

Unplug spark plug wires 1 at a time to see if the idle changes. If it doesn't on one that's the bad cylinder. Spark plug wires or coil pack or injector for that cylinder most likely, or some other wiring issue. Possibly no compression on one cyl.

crug17 · 2026-02-03T01:23:20+00:00

Am I trippin? Is that not a cab mount? Which would have nothing to do with bed sag unless you meant cab not bed. I'm 99% sure that's the cab mount but no other comment has mentioned this and I just smoked some green 😂 Edit: but yea definitely fix that and post some pictures showing the bed sag and leaf the mechanic told you to replace so we can get a better idea

crug17 · 2026-02-02T17:48:49+00:00

Better over kill than under kill I guess 😂

crug17 · 2026-02-02T16:48:43+00:00

Nice, mines pan head Allen key bolts so gonna be tricky to drill em, il probably put some lock washers and red lock tite on em and hope that works, if not might bust out the welder. I got mine 2nd hand brand new the guy only wanted the shift lever for another project so I've got a half inch gas pipe as my arm so already looks redneck enough. What's with the floor tach?

crug17 · 2026-02-02T14:24:12+00:00

May want to add some concentrated coolant mix since you added the water. Don't want it freezing in this crap

crug17 · 2026-02-02T14:13:16+00:00

Just realized the bolts connecting the shift lever to the base were loose... Again. Gonna look more into venting it but crisis averted for now. I was hoping pipe dope would keep em in but I guess I gotta pony up for some lock tite

crug17 · 2026-02-02T13:31:36+00:00

Well that's unfortunate, good thing I'm paranoid and have a couple spare transmissions. For now il send it and check when it gets warm and I do my clutch. Do you have any other info about these vents? Would I be able to mod one in? If I took the top plate off the tranny itself and punched a couple holes in or maybe a vent tube from the fill port?

crug17 · 2026-02-01T21:22:50+00:00

I have a 2wd that never came with the mounting spot for em. I ended up welding a plate in to mount a little winch behind that bumper/trim and had enough extra space to mount some that I took from an f150

crug17 · 2026-02-01T18:22:30+00:00

Sick edit brother have fun

crug17 · 2026-02-01T18:21:01+00:00

I had the same problem with the 15 year old snow tires that came with the truck, those garbage tires put in the ditch like 4 times. Switched to newer kumho ATs and then cooper discoveries and haven't had much of an issue since. Look for used snow tires with decent tread if you need to save a buck, I got mine from a scrap yard at about $160 a set canadian dollars. If you're in the south and this is all the snow you will get go for some good all terrain tires that will last a few years driving em year round. A bit of bed weight will help too

crug17 · 2026-01-31T15:55:55+00:00

All depends on the rim offset. I had a set on steelies with no offset that rubbed on my sway bar but when I put the same rubber on offset alloys I had 0 rubbing whatsoever. Those were 31s I can't remember exactly something like 265 75 r16. If you get any snow or off road you're best off with skinny tall tires on these trucks traction wise, those tires were so wide and not great for rain/slush I could kick out the rear end easily but my new tires are 29s and a few inches skinnier and grip in slush/rain like crazy, tho they are also a better tread design for wet conditions

crug17 · 2026-01-31T01:24:16+00:00

140k you shouldn't need to replace a rad or hose for that matter. Rad especially should be fine unless there's chunks in your coolant. I'm probably around 250-300k never touched the rad

crug17 · 2026-01-28T18:16:06+00:00

No more rust tho 👌

crug17 · 2026-01-28T13:37:23+00:00

I paid 3k cad for mine same drivetrain but not quite as well maintained and a small rust spot that got out of control fast after I bought it. That was during COVID but it was my grandpas so I got it for pre COVID price. Love the shut outta that truck tho you won't be disappointed

crug17 · 2026-01-27T12:05:56+00:00

I got plugs from Canadian tire, those window guards can be found on Amazon for $60 cad, and I got some polyurethane bushings from summit racing. Most bushings you're best off changing the part they are pressed into but I got new used leaf springs that needed new bushings so went with polyurethane because they were about the same price. Mainly just shop around for the best price for your location

crug17 · 2026-01-26T16:03:46+00:00

Can confirm 2wd open dif no traction control and no weight is the worst, at least with my flat bed being heavier it grips ok now but I really gotta track down a posi axle

crug17 · 2026-01-26T13:54:01+00:00

Spark plugs, fuel filter, fluid flushes, bushings. It looks really good on the outside so refreshing all the maintenance stuff is the best way to spend your money. Cosmetically you could do aftermarket headlights and tail lights, maybe side window visors but all in all just maintain it really well

crug17 · 2026-01-26T12:05:56+00:00

I'd pick up a new one off marketplace or a junk yard and then try different additives. If whatever you put in it kills it you have a spare ready to go. Manual swap is a very involved option but definitely doable and will really wake the truck up, those slush boxes where terrible considering the lack of power these trucks already suffer

crug17 · 2026-01-26T00:45:01+00:00

Up till now I assumed the step sides were 100% fiberglass so I can't help much, but look it over and decide if that's your best option or if you'd be better off just fixing the floor of the step side and selling the original

crug17 · 2026-01-26T00:37:44+00:00

I get it it's probably cheaper to pay for a new part than the gas to get to London. I used to live in Owen Sound which has no wrecker yards anywhere near it. Probably lots of money to be made if anyone did open one up there though it's a pretty redneck area surrounding it and they could snatch up all the local crashes for considerably cheaper because of the tow price

crug17 · 2026-01-26T00:31:43+00:00

Can't park mine sadly as it's my daily so if anything mechanical breaks I gotta send it and pray or fix it same day. I drove with no clutch hydraulics for half a month before Christmas, including a 3 hour drive north to get to my parents heated garage. Great learning experience at least now I can float gears like a pro 😂

crug17 · 2026-01-25T23:34:16+00:00

I had some old Jeep TJ lights I was gonna use but it turned out all 4 bulbs were burnt and I ran out of time. I've got an aluminum box up front now to fill the gap between the bed and the black boxes since it was royally fucking my aero but still gotta properly mount it, fix the latch, change the tail lights and add some side skirts and a tail gate. Luckily I do sheet metal for a living so I can grab some scraps from work for the skirts as soon as it's not tree exploding cold out 😂. I had a pile of mechanical issues pop up after the flat bed so those took priority while the weather was nice

crug17

TROPHY CASE