I wish I could see Jeff's amazing truck in person. What a labor of love!
Life after the "Terminator"
- Thread starter jbrown1238
- Start date
Chief singer
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Jeff what brand and type of engine oil do you use I see you use motorcraft filters and how many miles do you put on an oil change?
Thanks Kevin. Yes, starting to get back to normal a bit. I have been sitting on the side lines until everything shakes out and I am able to speak freely. Just now catching up on the thread a little.
Oh yea, I remember talking to you for a few minutes. If I remember correctly you were from the Midwest and just down for a short time. I will be watching for you when season rolls around and you are out for the morning walks again.
I use Castrol 10w30. I have over 250,000 now on the same 306 small block. I change the oil and filter every 5,000 miles. I had to change the cam at 211,000 miles because of noise from a couple worn lobes. The Comp Cams 264 is good for about 180,000 with 1.6 rockers, 512 lift, and approx. 135 lbs spring pressure.
Here is a little info about what happened to the Ranger back in 2017. I was sitting at a traffic light and was struck from behind at 50 mph. The truck was a total loss.
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I accepted $.79 on the dollar of the declared value in order to retain a clear title. I then purchased the truck back from the insurance company for $300.00. While all this was sorting itself out my son jumped in and assisted with bringing the truck back to life.
At the time of the crash my right hand was resting on the shifter. Due to the position of my right arm the shoulder was ripped from the bone along with my long bicep muscle. Although the shoulder would end up being surgically repaired the right long bicep muscle was nonrepairable.
Not my best look. A little shot out before surgery.
A few days after surgery things are looking rough.
At the time of the crash my right hand was resting on the shifter. Due to the position of my right arm the shoulder was ripped from the bone along with my long bicep muscle. Although the shoulder would end up being surgically repaired the right long bicep muscle was nonrepairable.
Not my best look. A little shot out before surgery.
A few days after surgery things are looking rough.
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Three days after the crash : Once the bed was removed a closer look at the damage could be seen. From the cab forward everything measured straight but from the back of the cab rearward the frame was toast.
Six days after the crash: A tired parts donor is located in a overgrown back yard in Gainesville Florida and brought home to be cut.
Seven days after the crash: The donor truck gives up the needed pieces and the project moves forward.
14 days after the crash: The donor frame section is back from media blasting and three coats of sealer goes down ahead of the chassis black color.
That's so shitty.
Interesting that person had to run into the most perfect Ranger ever built.
Interesting that person had to run into the most perfect Ranger ever built.
Damn that sucks about your wreck, glad you are okay for the most part. Looks like you've made quite a good amount of progress already!
It pretty much sucked! The impact was insane. It folded back both outside mirrors, broke the dash, broke the driver seat, and moved the entire drivetrain. I felt the arm immediately.
Thank you. The accident happened a few years ago but I have not been able to discuss it until recently. I am just trying to catch the thread up now. It took 45 days to complete the the repair and get the truck back to work.
18 days after the crash: Just like the donor truck this Ranger was cut at the intersection of the front and rear frame sections. Everything was detached from the frame and left in place to complete the work as quickly as possible and return the vehicle to work. Unlike the original restoration, this time the clock is ticking.
The hammer rivets are cut in a cross pattern, lifted with a chisel, and then cut flat. Once the 16 rivets are cut they can be hammered out of the frame. Then the rear frame section is removed from the vehicle.
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28 days after the crash: the two frame sections are placed side by side and the damage is clearly visible on the old piece.
The new section is positioned in place and temporarily fastened with ARP hardware while measurements can be taken to make sure the entire frame is true.
The remaining components are returned to their original location and the truck is back under its own weight and ready to be welded.
A quick trip down to Bill's Classic Auto Restoration and the welding is complete. It feels good to get the Ranger back on the road even if it is only for a short test drive while we wait for sheet metal.
The new section is positioned in place and temporarily fastened with ARP hardware while measurements can be taken to make sure the entire frame is true.
The remaining components are returned to their original location and the truck is back under its own weight and ready to be welded.
A quick trip down to Bill's Classic Auto Restoration and the welding is complete. It feels good to get the Ranger back on the road even if it is only for a short test drive while we wait for sheet metal.
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Wow I hate to hear about the damage your body took. Hopefully all things are back to normal. Good work on the truck.
Just skimmed the entire thread, holy crap what a build. It's crazy the truck was back on the road in 45 days, but how in the world were you back driving a manual transmission after that much damage to your shoulder??
That was a challenge at best following the surgery. I was out of work for five weeks recovering from the surgery. The next three weeks were very difficult driving. I had to rest my right hand on my thigh and stretch my pinky finger onto the shift lever and walk the rest on my hand over to it. Then shift gears without moving my arm, only flicking my fingers back and forth to move between gears. Then reverse the process stretching my thumb on to my thigh and walking my hand back to a comfortable resting position while not shifting gears. It was a real circus act! Reverse gear could only be found using my left hand. The shifts were very slow and deliberate. It took a lot of physical therapy before I could lift my arm normally with shoulder muscles.
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