KJRR
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- KJ
- Joined
- Feb 1, 2020
- Threads
- 13
- Messages
- 1,735
- Reaction score
- 8,636
- Location
- Cleveland, OH
- Vehicle(s)
- '19 Ford Ranger, '14 Ford Edge, '74 VW Type 181
- Occupation
- Professional Curmudgeon
- Thread starter
- #1
Done! The (almost) complete list of P. A. Schilke back stories.
This idea was suggested a while back and it's been fun to read all the stories I didn't catch the first time.
Thank you to Phil for so generously sharing your experiences and knowledge!
I couldn't imagine the forum being as successful without you!
Here is the forum search:
Search results for back story by P.A.Schilke
Not sure I captured them all and will continue to search for any I missed and new ones too.
Feel free to add any you find or fix any that need it.
Enjoy!
This idea was suggested a while back and it's been fun to read all the stories I didn't catch the first time.
Thank you to Phil for so generously sharing your experiences and knowledge!
I couldn't imagine the forum being as successful without you!
Here is the forum search:
Search results for back story by P.A.Schilke
Not sure I captured them all and will continue to search for any I missed and new ones too.
Feel free to add any you find or fix any that need it.
Enjoy!
- The History of the Saleen Race Trucks- the title says it all
- Aerostar - 1990 Aerostar All Wheel Drive Launch
- Ranger Ultra Utility Flatbed - 1997 Ford Ranger Ultra Utility Flatbed concept
- Shirt - Ford Racing - Ford Off Road Racing
- cambered rear axle - SCCA Racing testing Picture of the truck
- NASCAR - Daytona Ford Corporate Suite
- Old Ranger cup holder - Ranger started life with no real though for cup holders back in 1982¾
- Alternator Noise - what was the root cause
- Offroad - teaching how to drive off road in an Advanced Off Road School
- Cargo lights - amber light facing rearward
- Interference engine - 1981 Escort 1.6L
- One piece driveshaft - Econoline
- 911 20 Years Later- Ranger FX4
- SuperCooling package (also here) (and here) - F-series unusual uses
- Ranger - Vehicle growth
- Thick steering wheels (also here)- Donkeys and Needles
- Lugnuts (and here)- wheel covers
- wheels (and here)- 4x4 wheels separating from vehicle
- Red Georgia Clay - SCCA Race trucks
- Brid strikes - SCCA Race trucks
- Ranger Edge (and here) - step bar
- Drop in bedliner - 4G Ranger Regular cabs had a low frequency loud moan
- Woodward Dream Cruise
- Cost reductions - Doing it the hard way
- Electric Aerostar - increased energy density battery in 1988
- Military vehicle prototype - F350 Crew Cab
- Harley Hauler
- Same keys - similar Econoline vans
- 2002 Ranger Launch - wrong color mix plastics
- BFG tires - Ford's offroad Racing
- Frame Cracking and here and here - various cracked frame stories
- Engineer training - understanding the whole system
- Mud - Ford's Off-Road Racing
- '62 Rambler - Magic fluid
- Lee Iacocca - exposed screws
- Oil Change -Torino
- Transfer case - attention to detail
- Lockheed WindTunnel (and here) - Steve Saleen
- VP Hydrocarbons - SCCA Truck Race
- body and assembly engineers - Union
- front torsen diff vs an open front diff - FX4, the original prototypes
- Speedo errors more speedo - got rid of cables way back in 1985
- Robby Gordon - Dakar and IndyCar race in Motegi Japan
- Ford GT - Ferrari Testarosa
- Rail test - single point crash sensor
- A4LD Transmission (and here) - durability
- Back Story On the FX4 Brand - how the FX4 Brand came about
- AWD/4WD - build 6 AWD F250s
- new prototype vehicle - not a positive experience
- Clocks - not Ford related but still a good story
- handling track - helmet sizes
- Boneyard tour - another cool story and planes
- button pusher - snow and sunroofs
- 460 Cid exhaust problem - Golden Exhaust system
- Axle flip - overslung to underslung
- Livernoise - custom radiators
- Mitsubishi Diesel (and here) (and here) - the Ranger with Mitsubishi Diesel
- DOT 5 brake fluid - neighbors '62 'vette
- working on prototypes - DIY
- 1910 Ice Box - Why you should sit on your hands at an auction
- sophisticated equipment - Using clay to measure clearance
- Bronco II - CR stability testing
- rubber mat special- what are the options
- pedal package- Size 18?
- 4 spare tires - things seen in AZ
- Ranger in South America - changing tastes in vehicles
- pinstriping - Kansas City Assembly
- low mounted alternator (and here) - How engine components select their position on the engine.
- Belt Minder (Seat belts) -testing the disable function
- AZ MDV - Vision test
- twin I beam - alignment changing during shipping
- Product Design Graphics System (PDGS) - transitioning from drafting layouts to CAD and how it relates to Sync
- Spray in bedliner - how testing turned it into a black gooey mess
- tailgate white letters - how its done
- spindle design - Take prudent risks. Think out of the box. Do not be afraid to fail.
- TRPO - Ford truck camper
- Child seats - ever changing seat design
- wheel offset - how it may affect handling and tire wear
- Arizona dust - and condoms on an expense report
- OEM and aftermarket - for a particular tire size there were two different constructions
- potty patrol - sometimes we don't get the whole backstory and that may not be a bad thing...
- Design Verification and Proveout Report - just the facts
- Molson Indy in Toronto - running afoul of the law
- ABS - Does it help in off roadracing?
- Supplier Quality Assurance - The reason I advocate filing with Ford Customer Care
- golf tees - Not just for holding your balls
- step bars - and Ford Attorneys
- dinner bell sound - Pre-Production Product Proveout on the 460
- Where is your leak - using all your senses to find it
- Tumblehome - Why my seat gets wet with snow and rain
- beating moan condition - E350 with 460
- Ford programs names - RAM (another RAM story)
- Castellated Nuts and Cotter pins- taper engagement
- Error Codes - parts swapping
- Electrical wiring (also here) (and here) - Don't use solder or ScotchLoc
- Ford Lightning - selling to management
- carbon fiber leaf spring - failed springs
- phenolic timing gear (also here) - how it took the Duce to change it
- Firestone Wilderness AT - finding a replacement
- Road and Track Article - read the article and whole thread...
- Gauge Package - analog idiot lights pretending to be a gauge
- Tire pressure - use a quality gauge
- diamond stitch - what stuffing not to use
- shocks - don't abuse the jounce bumper
- rear shock exploded - finding the design flaw
- Tremor (and here) - terrible rattle in the cab
- Fiamm horns - Purchasing decided that maybe we should source horns...
- styled steel wheels - we wanted to get rid of the painted wheels...
- dressed to the 9's - A bosses reward
- vent windows and here - how to break into a F Series truck
- Document, Document, Document - more importantly...follow the test procedure
- REVOLUTIONARY FUEL ECONOMY IMPROVEMENT - Gas Wiz
- fording water - watch out for bow wave
- EPA letter to HFII - P.A.S sleuthing saves a recall
- story about cows - Ford truck did not have any power
- dealer swapped parts - do you have parts off another vehicle on the dealers lot?
- ZERO options truck - Manual steering, Manual brakes, a 4-speed manual trans
- aluminum wheels from China - assembly line issues
- drive a stick story - also heal-toe in an Aerostar?
- Bad gas story - avoid cut rate gas stations
- Yellowstone National Park - where the buffalo roam
- dissimilar spare - Ford Handling Track tested
- Ranger Edge - Design, engineering and testing
- Alignment, pull to the left - Experimental Garage alignment rack
- two piece driveline - not so good vibrations
- EPA and vacuum lines - Also reason for automatic Start/stop
- auto stop start - Flywheel variety
- Foutz Motorsports - Side by Side quad frame
- Aerostar - shiny binnacle cover
- driveshaft loop - why they are needed
- rodent problem - the well-travelled field mouse
- polarizing film - NASCAR windshields
- Firestone fiasco - finding a replacement
- crash tests - the first is always the best
- seating - inflatable lumbar and where to locate the bulb
- Shackle brackets - off road racing improved
- Greenhorn - Ford Graduate Trainee gets his tools
- Davis Dam testing - Cherry red exhaust but no overheating
- commercial for Ford Tough - would be great to find this commercial
- Ford chassis Motorhomes (and here) - Ford requirements of any RV manufacturer and how it relates to tunes
- 2.3L structural oil pan (and here) - knock sensor
- Ferrari TestaRosa - slick as goose sh!t
- Livernois Motorsports - relation with Ford and evolving as a company
- taking cost out of the Ranger - gap hiders, understand how it happens
- Helmholtz tuner - oil filter can mounted to the air cleaner
- mechanics Stethoscope - tracking down noises
- convex mirrors - original experimental mirror
- Cigar lighter - Never was a cigarette lighter
- Common Chassis program and here - Ford Light Truck, F Series and a Econoline, effort
- fracture analysis - twin I beam suspension
- Ford pranks - loud radios and banging wrenches
- 2001 SEMA show - solving vendor problems
- seating design - not just in vehicles
- ZZ Top - RangerZilla fix
- Towing - good information here
- Aerostar signoff Drive - 4 banger Dodge Caravan
- aspiring engineer - little ball on the top of the aerial
- Mazda B2000 - leather seats
- assembly plant - the smell of a newborn Ranger
- hot air balloonist - business card collector
- grab handle - alternative motives
- Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) - In an RV
- Baja 1000 - Helmet lift
- drop in bed liner - is it worth removing
- Cruise control - unsophisticated that at low speeds
- Camo removed - naked Aerostar makes the auto mags
- Pacifico - nectar of the gods at the Baja 1000
- why do you tape ducks - You only need two things in the shop
- vehicle NVH - on the line fix
- Usui fan clutch - eliminating the fan noise on the cheap
- Sirius Radio in the Ranger - how it relates to French rockets
- Left foot braker - pedal spacing
- pedal spacing - Aerostar big foot story
- block heaters - how to prevent your extension cord from being stolen
- Blackwood - a little insight into the Lincoln pickup
- Mr. Fixit - giving back
- Le Mans - broken transmission input shafts
- Aerostar 2.8L Manual trans - early preview at a dealership
- Ranger 2.0L motor - not a favorite motor
- part numbers - 2 stories for 1 post
- Antilock Brakes - rollover Ranger
- tall sides of the pickup box - who has the deepest bed
- cold testing - The power of the mighty 2.0
- blade adjustable sway bars - how they work
- EEC IV - short story on the first truck in Ford's history to have EFI
- Ford's off-road racing - short story on mid-west off-road racing
- sway bar diameters - Craftsman Truck series story
- Mazda 5 speed transmission - Racing improved
- PROCO...Programed combustion - DI
- static/dynamic loads - No need for figs
- rear wheels turning green - Exhaust
- Head gaskets - 3 suppliers
- renaming Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) - Ford Advanced Racing Technology?
- Ranger cracked frame - stiff shocks
- wiring harness - recall story
- headboard logo - how it came to be (race truck pics too!)
- backstory story - so glad you pushed ahead with posting these stories! Now to get the PDFs
- SHO Ranger - almost missed this one!
- added features - how you may get more than you purchased
- lost wheel - racing story tied back to production
- Never Forget - 9/11 support by FX4 Pre Production
- Dealer Flat Rate - Determine how it is determined
- Windstar Rear Axle Ripped out of the Prototype Garbage in equals garbage out
- Flat Track testing/wheel failure Testing wheel attachment
- Frozen EGR Transducer - How fast-food helped in cold weather developement
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