Dean
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I migrated from a 2003 Sport Trac. I decided to keep my old bed extender with the thought that I could adapt it to my new Ranger. It turned out well. You might be able to find Gen1 Sport Trac extenders on the used market if you wish to attempt this. Check your local Craigslist or ebay.
The first issue to deal with is that the extender is too narrow. I choose to just cut it down the center with a saws all. I then bought some schedule 40 grey PVC from home depot and cut it to 12" lengths. These sections then slip over the existing tubes. I bonded the sections over the existing tubes with Permatex Ultra Grey Rigid High-Torque RTV Silicone that I had in the caulk gun. I used this because the clearance between the the PVC and tubes was wide and this stuff would fill the gap. The result is a pretty strong bond. The area of bond is large and it is spread across three tubes. BTW, I bonded everything after I had all the mountings in place (see below) and let it set up installed in the truck with bungy cords holding it together.
If you want full strength you'll have to find suitable stainless pipe and MIG or TIG it. I still have that option if I should ever come across some stainless pipe of the right size.
I turned some nylon and threaded it with 8mm bolt section to make the pivot mounts. I'd like to find a steel solution for this, but it is satisfactory for now.
The final components are not totally necessary. They allow you to lock the extender in the extended position. I used some phenolic plastic and drilled a hole of the right size for the interlock. This then has another 8mm hole drilled through so it could bolt to the existing threaded hole in the side of the bed. I then put a little JB weld on the back to hold it in the correct position (in addition to the bolt holding it)
So there you have it. Oh yeah, I kept my Sport Trac bed mat as well. Little small but I am OK with it.
The first issue to deal with is that the extender is too narrow. I choose to just cut it down the center with a saws all. I then bought some schedule 40 grey PVC from home depot and cut it to 12" lengths. These sections then slip over the existing tubes. I bonded the sections over the existing tubes with Permatex Ultra Grey Rigid High-Torque RTV Silicone that I had in the caulk gun. I used this because the clearance between the the PVC and tubes was wide and this stuff would fill the gap. The result is a pretty strong bond. The area of bond is large and it is spread across three tubes. BTW, I bonded everything after I had all the mountings in place (see below) and let it set up installed in the truck with bungy cords holding it together.
If you want full strength you'll have to find suitable stainless pipe and MIG or TIG it. I still have that option if I should ever come across some stainless pipe of the right size.
I turned some nylon and threaded it with 8mm bolt section to make the pivot mounts. I'd like to find a steel solution for this, but it is satisfactory for now.
The final components are not totally necessary. They allow you to lock the extender in the extended position. I used some phenolic plastic and drilled a hole of the right size for the interlock. This then has another 8mm hole drilled through so it could bolt to the existing threaded hole in the side of the bed. I then put a little JB weld on the back to hold it in the correct position (in addition to the bolt holding it)
So there you have it. Oh yeah, I kept my Sport Trac bed mat as well. Little small but I am OK with it.
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