A while back we had picked up a Ranger frame that we thought was a SWB cab. While it was a single cab, the frame turned out to be a long bed wheelbase. This means the wheelbase of this frame is about 5 inches more than that of the vintage Mustangs we work with. One of the things I noticed with this frame is that it actually is a two piece frame, being riveted together right where the front spring shackles mount to the frame. The rivets that hold the front shackles also hold the sections of frame together. The way it looks, if I break these rivets, I should be able to bring the two frame halves in enough to shorten the wheelbase to meet the measurements of the Mustangs. After cutting and grinding the rivets, I had to grind the studs and tap them out in order to completely separate the frame rails. Only a couple of rivets would not tap out and as a result they had to be drilled out deep enough to allow for the frame rails to separate without catching on the studs. The protruding portions of the studs had to be ground down first before drilling. The next order of business is dropping the transmission in place, putting the short driveshaft I grabbed from the junkyard into the transmission, and bringing the frame sections together. The only difference between this transmission and the old unit is the bellhousing patterns. Otherwise everything is the same. The transmission is placed on the crossmember with the mount in place. The driveshaft yoke is placed in the tail shaft, awaiting a test fit after bringing the frame sections together. I had to use the sledgehammer to beat on the rear of the frame to bring them together. I managed to get sections moved in closer, but the physical shape of the frame sections have them unable to come together close enough to yield me the 108" wheelbase I seek. I even trimmed the outer frame rail ends hoping they would come in closer but the inner portions will also need to be trimmed to allow for the ends to come in closer without hitting the folds in the rails. The front section of frame has a taper that makes the overall lines of the frame be even from front to back. Even with the trimming of the rear frame section, the front frame rails (which are inside the rear frame rails) also have a taper they hit that will require me to separate the two sections so I can trim the front frame rail ends as well. I could possibly go with the wheelbase that I have with the frame sitting where its at, but when I attach the driveshaft to the rear end, there is only half of the tail shaft spline being covered by the yoke. This isn't desirable as it will stress the transmission tail shaft, bearing and U-joint to the point of premature failure. The wheelbase is around 109-110, which could be worked around, but now the driveshaft is the main focus, since lengthening the driveshaft will be expensive versus just doing the extra work to separate the frame sections. With the driveshaft inserted into the transmission tail shaft where it needs to be, the driveshaft is unable to meet the rear end yoke, requiring either the frame rails be brought in closer somehow or the spring shackles be remounted farther forward to allow the rear end to sit forward more, using the pivoting rear shackles to work the whole assembly forward some. In the next go around I will be propping up the frame sections so I can beat the rear section out to separate them. The only other possible option will be to reposition the front shackles about an inch forward on the frame, which will allow for the rear end to sit forward an inch or two, achieving the desired wheelbase. This will require some force to work against the weight of the rear end as well as the springs themselves. This might be my first option versus trying to separate the whole frame into two separate halves.
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