What did you do to your Ranger today?

[Colo_Ranger]

installed WeatherTech in channel guards today. Subtle, but I like it. Hoping the wife will allow me to run the windows down more often with them. We shall see.

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[IdahoRanger]

Finally joined recently - but have been reading since last year. Ordered my 22 Christmas week of 21 and it arrived April 20 2022.

Best truck i have ever owned - mostly because I got exactly what i wanted, not something off the lot.

Did not do anything today - but what i have done since last year
spent way too much money as everyone says - but i wanted it all

hood decal​

rollbar​

custom decal on rollbar sides​

bumper step​

tailgate and grille decals​

light on the rollbar - not fully wired yet​

what is sitting in the shop awaiting install

switch pro​

dash tray mounting plate​

putco freedom blade - going on the rollbar - not the tailgate​

and now i am perusing posts to see what else i want to do - i guess it never ends

Welcome Steve, truck is looking good.

 

[IdahoRanger]

Hi folks, new owner of a 23 XLT Tremor (had it a couple weeks, and I'm really loving it)
thanks to Ford Credit rewards points, I put in a bed mount swing-out storage box, the sling to keep my dog in the back seat, and burned off points and got the first aid kit and roadside assistance kit. I also just finished installing the smoked Ford emblem, front and rear. If I may add, I don't think it would be possible to include more vague instructions, and the front was a royal pain in the back side. (I did find the video somewhere here which showed how easy the back replacement was). While working on the front, I managed to drop only 2 bolts and 1 plastic clip retainer, too!
No pictures of the rear right now, it's too dark out to take a decent one

Good choice John, I really like the Tremor.

 

[IdahoRanger]

installed WeatherTech in channel guards today. Subtle, but I like it. Hoping the wife will allow me to run the windows down more often with them. We shall see.

My wife noticed when i put them in right away. I do roll the windows down a bit now. You will get a little noise when you do.

 

[Brett Fields]

Today was OVS 270LT awning install day.
Very happy.

 

[AndyMedic]

installed WeatherTech in channel guards today. Subtle, but I like it. Hoping the wife will allow me to run the windows down more often with them. We shall see.

Hope this drops some wind noise. It is horrendous in these trucks for some unknown reason to me.

 

[Colo_Ranger]

Hope this drops some wind noise. It is horrendous in these trucks for some unknown reason to me.

i understand. Also, that weathertech cafe is awesome. I had to go back because the wrong part and I got a second coffee. ? free coffee is one helluva sales tactic. Might go in for free coffee and “browse” their selection tomorrow. ?

 

[9zero1790]

Finally joined recently - but have been reading since last year. Ordered my 22 Christmas week of 21 and it arrived April 20 2022.

Best truck i have ever owned - mostly because I got exactly what i wanted, not something off the lot.

Did not do anything today - but what i have done since last year
spent way too much money as everyone says - but i wanted it all

hood decal​

rollbar​

custom decal on rollbar sides​

bumper step​

tailgate and grille decals​

light on the rollbar - not fully wired yet​

what is sitting in the shop awaiting install

switch pro​

dash tray mounting plate​

putco freedom blade - going on the rollbar - not the tailgate​

and now i am perusing posts to see what else i want to do - i guess it never ends

i like that color combo very sharp!!

 

[AndyMedic]

i understand. Also, that weathertech cafe is awesome. I had to go back because the wrong part and I got a second coffee. ? free coffee is one helluva sales tactic. Might go in for free coffee and “browse” their selection tomorrow. ?

I’ll go. Now I want some to, coffee and truck parts lol

 

[IdahoRanger]

I’ll go. Now I want some to, coffee and truck parts lol

The best of both worlds.

 

[samsd]

Finally joined recently - but have been reading since last year. Ordered my 22 Christmas week of 21 and it arrived April 20 2022.

Best truck i have ever owned - mostly because I got exactly what i wanted, not something off the lot.

Did not do anything today - but what i have done since last year
spent way too much money as everyone says - but i wanted it all

hood decal​

rollbar​

custom decal on rollbar sides​

bumper step​

tailgate and grille decals​

light on the rollbar - not fully wired yet​

what is sitting in the shop awaiting install

switch pro​

dash tray mounting plate​

putco freedom blade - going on the rollbar - not the tailgate​

and now i am perusing posts to see what else i want to do - i guess it never ends

Nice truck, did you add a damper? By the way, the light cover on your overhead garage door motor is open.

 

[Racket]

Installed the new SUMA mirrors from the group purchase on here. Also installed my new Tremor wheels, just have to program TPMS

You got yours already?

What do you think so far? Worth it?

 

[subquark]

I finally did it after a year of back and forth. My big motivation is that part of me secretly desires to be Mad Maxy like @DukeCanBuildit and part of me is for self-reliance. Even though I don't plan of ever 4-wheeling with my 2WD Soupie, I still like the possibility of pulling myself out of a jam with a come-along.

So I installed those Rough Country tow hook shackle dealios. First off, and I'll ask them about it on Monday, one of the two hooks was nicely made and the other must have been welded by someone with a bad hangover. That one is total crap - poor welds and it took me 10 minutes with a dremel to fix the piss poor alignment to allow the shackle pin to go all the way through. "Powder coating" isn't of much use once it's ground away.

Anyway, enough moaning and I did plenty of cussing installing these things.

First off, I have an XL 2-WD so no tow hooks on the front and that lower valance isn't cut out.

• I ordered the hook/shackle things:
  https://www.roughcountry.com/ford-tow-hook-shackle-conversion-kit-rs144c.html
• The proper cut-out valance:
  https://parts.levittownfordparts.com/oem-parts/ford-valance-lb3z17626captm
• The 4 OEM hook bolts:
  https://parts.levittownfordparts.com/oem-parts/ford-tow-hook-bolt-w720626s900
• The 2 rubber air dams, left and right (hope @DukeCanBuildit gives me a hint at how he cut his to fit):
  https://parts.levittownfordparts.com/oem-parts/ford-ranger-hook-bezel-kb3z2101927b
  https://parts.levittownfordparts.com/oem-parts/ford-ranger-hook-bezel-kb3z2101926b

Popping off the lower valence wasn't as hard as I thought (I'm a total newb with plastic fasteners). There are five 10 mm bolts on the bottom that are easy to reach.

BUT ... there are two Torx25 screws on the top outside edges that I broke the anchor points off. It didn't matter because those were part of the old valance.

Then there are 5 plastic tabs. A plastic trim tool helped a little but just firmly pulling did the trick. There are also "hooked tabs" that slip into slots in the grill opening where the Putco grill and license plate bracket attach. If I were to do this again, I'd probably take that off with the valance as one unit. That darn hindsight! =)

Once off, I saw that the air dam needed to be trimmed for the Rough Country parts to mount. Standard OEM tow hooks would not need that to be done.

So off I went to Lowe's to get a Dremel and rotary cut bit (not sure what that's called, kind of like a milling bit). I then mutilated precisely trimmed the air dam. =p

After getting ABS shavings all over myself, I continued working with a smile on my face (read: I was ready to throw my torque wrench at the next passing car!). =D

It wasn't bad bolting them into place and I thought I was home free ...

Well, like I said, me and plastic fasteners is a tougher puzzle than any Indiana Jones ever faced! =p

I finally realized that you're supposed to reshape those metal clips and place them on the tab and not in the hole. Yes, I put them in the hole and they promptly got shot back behind the bumper. That was really relaxing, craning my hand behind the bumper trying to feel for those clips. And not just once, but probably 5 times! I'm a slow learner ...

Thank God for knee pads and a rubber mat, it was murder getting my fat @$$ up, down, and under the truck a zillion times. =(

Two hours later (!!!), it was done, including "fixing" the one crappy Rough Country tow hook/shackle thing.

old valance off and the indispensable knee pads & kneeling mat

when I was 15, I worked in a butcher shop and those skills show here!

just admire that precision, and be envious if you must =p

eesh, quite the weld glob, makes you want to grab a file

what craptacular QA at Rough Country, what a glob of a bead!

should have dry fitted the shackle, it would not go past this alignment sh!t show!

should have tried it first, but it wasn't ever gonna get through that!

finally, after 10 minutes of Dremel grinding ...

they should work for my mellow needs (probably never get used)

Soupie's nipple rings! More HP but less payload!

I'm happy with them, for what they are, I hope Rough Country sends me one replacement

five 10mm bolts, five plastic clips, and a bunch of "tabs" at the top

leftover parts - when I figured out that the clips needed to be placed on the tabs, it was too late, the valance was back on (I learned how the clips work on the part that stayed on the truck that I had partially pried off and that's where the two T25 screws go too). But it seems to be on there pretty solid ...

 

[Chris M]

I finally did it after a year of back and forth. My big motivation is that part of me secretly desires to be Mad Maxy like @DukeCanBuildit and part of me is for self-reliance. Even though I don't plan of ever 4-wheeling with my 2WD Soupie, I still like the possibility of pulling myself out of a jam with a come-along.

So I installed those Rough Country tow hook shackle dealios. First off, and I'll ask them about it on Monday, one two hook was nicely made and the other must have been welded by someone wiith a bad hangover. That one is total crap - poor welds and it took me 10 minutes with a dremel to fix the piss poor alignment to allow the shackle pin to go all the way through. "Powder coating" isn't of much use once it's ground away.

Anyway, enough moaning and I did plenty of cussing installing these things.

First off, I have an XL 2-WD so no tow hooks on the front and that lower valance isn't cut out.

• I ordered the hook/shackle things:
  https://www.roughcountry.com/ford-tow-hook-shackle-conversion-kit-rs144c.html
• The proper cut-out valance:
  https://parts.levittownfordparts.com/oem-parts/ford-valance-lb3z17626captm
• The 4 OEM hook bolts:
  https://parts.levittownfordparts.com/oem-parts/ford-tow-hook-bolt-w720626s900
• The 2 rubber air dams, left and right (hope @DukeCanBuildit gives me a hint at how he cut his to fit):
  https://parts.levittownfordparts.com/oem-parts/ford-ranger-hook-bezel-kb3z2101927b
  https://parts.levittownfordparts.com/oem-parts/ford-ranger-hook-bezel-kb3z2101926b

Popping off the lower valence wasn't as hard as I thought (I'm a total newb with plastic fasteners). There are five 10 mm bolts on the bottom that are easy to reach.

BUT ... there are two Torx25 screws on the top outside edges that I broke the anchor points off. It didn't matter because those were part of the old valance.

Then there are 5 plastic tabs. A plastic trim tool helped a little but just firmly pulling did the trick. There are also "hooked tabs" that slip into slots in the grill opening where the Putco grill and license plate bracket attach. If I were to do this again, I'd probably take that off with the valance as one unit. That darn hindsight! =)

Once off, I saw that the air dam needed to be trimmed for the Rough Country parts to mount. Standard OEM tow hooks would not need that to be done.

So off I went to Lowe's to get a Dremel and rotary cut bit (not sure what that's called, kind of like a milling bit). I then mutilated precisely trimmed the air dam. =p

After getting ABS shavings all over myself, I continued working with a smile on my face (read: I was ready to throw my torque wrench at the next passing car!). =D

It wasn't bad bolting them into place and I thought I was home free ...

Well, like I said, me and plastic fasteners is a tougher puzzle that Indiana Jones ever faced! =p

I finally realized that you're supposed to reshape those metal clips and place them on the tab and not in the hole. Yes, I put them in the hole and they promptly got shot back behind the bumper. That was really relaxing, craning my hand behind the bumper trying to feel for those clips. And not just once, but probably 5 times! I'm a slow learner ...

Thank God for knee pads and a rubber mat, it was murder getting my fat @$$ up, down, and under the truck a zillion times. =(

Two hours later (!!!), it was done, including "fixing" the one crappy Rough Country tow hook/shackle thing.

old valance off and the indispensable knee pads & kneeling mat

when I was 15, I worked in a butcher shop and those skills show here!

just admire that precision, and be envious if you must =p

eesh, quite the weld glob, makes you want to grab a file

what craptacular QA at Rough Country, what a glob of a bead!

should have dry fitted the shackle, it would not go past this alignment sh!t show!

should have tried it first, but it wasn't ever gonna get through that!

finally, after 10 minutes of Dremel grinding ...

they should work for my mellow needs (probably never get used)

Soupie's nipple rings! More HP but less payload!

I'm happy with them, for what they are, I hope Rough Country sends me one replacement

five 10mm bolts, five plastic clips, and a bunch of "tabs" at the top

leftover parts - when I figured out that the clips needed to be placed on the tabs, it was too late, the valance was back on (I learned how the clips work on the part that stayed on the truck that I had partially pried off and that's where the two T25 screws go too). But it seems to be on there pretty solid ...

Dammit, man!
You need your own YouTube channel at this point.
"The Regular Joe's Guide to Doing Stuff"

 

[subquark]

Dammit, man!
You need your own YouTube channel at this point.
"The Regular Joe's Guide to Doing Stuff"

You're not kidding! I am not graceful at all in doing anything that requires me getting on the ground! Plus my expletives would need an adult rating! =p

The issue with making a YouTube video is that Greenpeace might come over and try to roll me back into the ocean! =D

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