Saving the Beetle's life this weekend

On Jul 3, 12:50*am, Jan Andersson >
wrote:
> Shag wrote:
> > I got something to help me save my 64's life this weekend coming up.
> > Will be starting to install this tomorrow: *http://i25.tinypic.com/288o9zb.jpg
> > Grabbed one of these: *http://i31.tinypic.com/2aeo40h.jpg*which will
> > hopefully help with the mid-90s heat that's forecast for the next few
> > days.
> > Befo *http://i25.tinypic.com/2heg0a8.jpg
> > Stay tuned...
>
> Let me guess... the BBQ and fan will be installed on the bed of the
> Ranger, and you still need a pontoon setup and a swamp to ride it in...
> while having a tailgate party. Have any gators where U live? You are
> welcome to try out your amphibious bbq swamp Ranger here in Florida for
> it's maiden voyage.

Yeah, we have some gators out this way apparently. Someone got torn
up by one a few months ago on the Cape Fear River just a couple of
miles upstream from where I live. So I started on the body lift
today. Got the front bumper off, got the radiator disconnected from
the mounts, got tons of stuff disconnected like fuel lines and parts
of the fuel injection system. Crazy how much stuff has to get moved
around. Only four bolts holding the cab to the frame on this truck.
I started on the first one and managed to get it to break off after
about a turn and a half. GRRRRRR!!!!!! SNARL!!!!!!! Went through
about 6-7 drill bits getting the damn thing drilled out. It was an
epic battle and one that's been fought many times in the past, but the
outcome was the same as always. I won. :-) It's Miller Time (tm)
for now but I'll be back out there again bright and early before it
gets hot to work on it some more.

On Thu, 03 Jul 2008 22:43:28 +0200, Shag > wrote:

> On Jul 3, 12:50*am, Jan Andersson >
> wrote:
>> Shag wrote:
>> > I got something to help me save my 64's life this weekend coming up.
>> > Will be starting to install this tomorrow:
>> *http://i25.tinypic.com/288o9zb.jpg
>> > Grabbed one of these: *http://i31.tinypic.com/2aeo40h.jpg*which will
>> > hopefully help with the mid-90s heat that's forecast for the next few
>> > days.
>> > Befo *http://i25.tinypic.com/2heg0a8.jpg
>> > Stay tuned...
>>
>> Let me guess... the BBQ and fan will be installed on the bed of the
>> Ranger, and you still need a pontoon setup and a swamp to ride it in...
>> while having a tailgate party. Have any gators where U live? You are
>> welcome to try out your amphibious bbq swamp Ranger here in Florida for
>> it's maiden voyage.
>
> Yeah, we have some gators out this way apparently. Someone got torn
> up by one a few months ago on the Cape Fear River just a couple of
> miles upstream from where I live. So I started on the body lift
> today. Got the front bumper off, got the radiator disconnected from
> the mounts, got tons of stuff disconnected like fuel lines and parts
> of the fuel injection system. Crazy how much stuff has to get moved
> around. Only four bolts holding the cab to the frame on this truck.
> I started on the first one and managed to get it to break off after
> about a turn and a half.

Use an impact wrench with you compressor on bolts suspect to being stuck.
Works nearly every time.

J.
GRRRRRR!!!!!! SNARL!!!!!!! Went through
> about 6-7 drill bits getting the damn thing drilled out. It was an
> epic battle and one that's been fought many times in the past, but the
> outcome was the same as always. I won. :-) It's Miller Time (tm)
> for now but I'll be back out there again bright and early before it
> gets hot to work on it some more.



--
Using Opera's revolutionary e-mail client: http://www.opera.com/mail/

On Jul 3, 6:22*pm, "P.J. Berg" > wrote:
> On Thu, 03 Jul 2008 22:43:28 +0200, Shag > wrote:
> > On Jul 3, 12:50*am, Jan Andersson >
> > wrote:
> >> Shag wrote:
> >> > I got something to help me save my 64's life this weekend coming up.
> >> > Will be starting to install this tomorrow: *
> >> *http://i25.tinypic.com/288o9zb.jpg
> >> > Grabbed one of these: *http://i31.tinypic.com/2aeo40h.jpg*which will
> >> > hopefully help with the mid-90s heat that's forecast for the next few
> >> > days.
> >> > Befo *http://i25.tinypic.com/2heg0a8.jpg
> >> > Stay tuned...
>
> >> Let me guess... the BBQ and fan will be installed on the bed of the
> >> Ranger, and you still need a pontoon setup and a swamp to ride it in....
> >> while having a tailgate party. Have any gators where U live? You are
> >> welcome to try out your amphibious bbq swamp Ranger here in Florida for
> >> it's maiden voyage.
>
> > Yeah, we have some gators out this way apparently. *Someone got torn
> > up by one a few months ago on the Cape Fear River just a couple of
> > miles upstream from where I live. *So I started on the body lift
> > today. *Got the front bumper off, got the radiator disconnected from
> > the mounts, got tons of stuff disconnected like fuel lines and parts
> > of the fuel injection system. *Crazy how much stuff has to get moved
> > around. *Only four bolts holding the cab to the frame on this truck.
> > I started on the first one and managed to get it to break off after
> > about a turn and a half.
>
> Use an impact wrench with you compressor on bolts suspect to being stuck.
> Works nearly every time.
>
> J.
> GRRRRRR!!!!!! *SNARL!!!!!!! *Went through
>
> > about 6-7 drill bits getting the damn thing drilled out. *It was an
> > epic battle and one that's been fought many times in the past, but the
> > outcome was the same as always. *I won. *:-) *It's Miller Time (tm)
> > for now but I'll be back out there again bright and early before it
> > gets hot to work on it some more.
>
> --
> Using Opera's revolutionary e-mail client:http://www.opera.com/mail/

C'mon, now. You really think I didn't think of that and try it? The
one bolt I tried it on would not budge. At all. The remaining three
bolts that hold the cab down are soaking in PB Blaster overnight and
I'm gonna hit them with the ol' blue torch first thing in the morning
to get things really loosened up. Y'all wish me luck. I'm not giving
up.

On Fri, 04 Jul 2008 02:18:05 +0200, Shag > wrote:

> On Jul 3, 6:22*pm, "P.J. Berg" > wrote:
>> On Thu, 03 Jul 2008 22:43:28 +0200, Shag > wrote:
>> > On Jul 3, 12:50*am, Jan Andersson >
>> > wrote:
>> >> Shag wrote:
>> >> > I got something to help me save my 64's life this weekend coming
>> up.
>> >> > Will be starting to install this tomorrow: *
>> >> *http://i25.tinypic.com/288o9zb.jpg
>> >> > Grabbed one of these: *http://i31.tinypic.com/2aeo40h.jpg*which
>> will
>> >> > hopefully help with the mid-90s heat that's forecast for the next
>> few
>> >> > days.
>> >> > Befo *http://i25.tinypic.com/2heg0a8.jpg
>> >> > Stay tuned...
>>
>> >> Let me guess... the BBQ and fan will be installed on the bed of the
>> >> Ranger, and you still need a pontoon setup and a swamp to ride it
>> in...
>> >> while having a tailgate party. Have any gators where U live? You are
>> >> welcome to try out your amphibious bbq swamp Ranger here in Florida
>> for
>> >> it's maiden voyage.
>>
>> > Yeah, we have some gators out this way apparently. *Someone got torn
>> > up by one a few months ago on the Cape Fear River just a couple of
>> > miles upstream from where I live. *So I started on the body lift
>> > today. *Got the front bumper off, got the radiator disconnected from
>> > the mounts, got tons of stuff disconnected like fuel lines and parts
>> > of the fuel injection system. *Crazy how much stuff has to get moved
>> > around. *Only four bolts holding the cab to the frame on this truck.
>> > I started on the first one and managed to get it to break off after
>> > about a turn and a half.
>>
>> Use an impact wrench with you compressor on bolts suspect to being
>> stuck.
>> Works nearly every time.
>>
>> J.
>> GRRRRRR!!!!!! *SNARL!!!!!!! *Went through
>>
>> > about 6-7 drill bits getting the damn thing drilled out. *It was an
>> > epic battle and one that's been fought many times in the past, but the
>> > outcome was the same as always. *I won. *:-) *It's Miller Time (tm)
>> > for now but I'll be back out there again bright and early before it
>> > gets hot to work on it some more.
>>
>> --
>> Using Opera's revolutionary e-mail client:http://www.opera.com/mail/
>
> C'mon, now. You really think I didn't think of that and try it? The
> one bolt I tried it on would not budge. At all. The remaining three
> bolts that hold the cab down are soaking in PB Blaster overnight and
> I'm gonna hit them with the ol' blue torch first thing in the morning
> to get things really loosened up. Y'all wish me luck. I'm not giving
> up.

I did not know you had tried already.

One problem I have had on several occasions, are the impact wrench simply
being to small.
At work I had one which I used for everyday work, and one big heavy m.f.
for all things stuck..
I also had a tiny little almost cute wrench for delicate work.

Also try not to use any extensions as they absorb much of the impacts and
torque, sometimes it even helps using the black designated sockets
specially designed for impact wrenches.

Are you taking pictures of the process?

J.


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P.J. Berg wrote:
> [...]sometimes it even helps using the black designated sockets
> specially designed for impact wrenches.

FWIW, I had a very unhappy experience using a chrome socket on a 1/2"
impact wrench. I had a nasty bolt to remove. No heavy duty black socket.
My neighbor got a free set of sockets from a toolbox salesman. He gave
me the 11/16" socket I needed. I applied it. It exploded into so many
pieces I never did find the part that said "Made in", but I did find the
part that said, "China".

LOL

OK, I got the body lift installed on the cab of the truck. I probably
should have read the instructions... I thought I had one bolt left to
go this morning. Front passenger side bolt that had broken off. I
got that drilled out finally. Started to jack up the body off of the
frame to put the 3" lift blocks in. Hmm... That's odd. I wonder why
the front tire is off of the ground... Oh, maybe it's because there
are two more bolts right at the front "core support" area that I had
not noticed in my haste and in my lack of reading the directions.
D'oh!!!! I lowered the body back onto the frame and proceeded to
remove one of the two bolts and to break the other one.
Jeeeeeez!!!!!!!!!!! To make a long story short I used a lot of heat,
a lot of PB Blaster, and a LOT of cussing and finally got ALL 6 bolts
completely out. Installed the lift blocks and very loosely tightened
them down. Checked to be sure both doors close correctly (they do,
perfectly) because I noticed while I was jacking the body up on one
side that it made the door not quite close right... So I'm good
there. Just got to go around and tighten things down at all 6 points
and then start adding the extra relocation brackets for the radiator,
tranny cooler, emergency brake line, etc, etc. I'll do that
tomorrow. Then next weekend I can work on the bed of the truck some.
Gonna have to remove the bed-liner to get to the torx nuts that hold
the bed down first. Oh joy! I'm saving myself somewhere around $650
by doing this myself instead of letting "We Do Trucks" take care of it
for me. That's really my only motivation. I figure with the money I
save I can pay for a chunk of the wheels/tires I'm going to get for
the truck. Looking good so far... Oh yeah, I'll never buy another
"stud extractor kit" again. WASTE of money. I broke two of them off
trying to get some broken bolts out and them being broken off in the
bolts only made it that much harder to drill the damn bolts out.
GRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!! All this for three inches. Hey, that sounds
like something my wife would say. HO HO HO! Oh, I'd be taking
pictures of the procedure but my wife's out of town with her mom and
uncle on a road trip and she has the digital camera. Gonna have to
settle for "before/after" pictures on this one.

Got the front half done. Looks pretty dorky without the bed lifted
but I'm not touching it again until next weekend.
http://i28.tinypic.com/ojnfyp.jpg
Oh, when I got it all together and started the truck up I backed out
of the garage and popped the hood and looked carefully to make sure no
belts were rubbing hoses or anything like that when I suddenly
noticed... water dripping very quickly from the radiator area.
AAAAAAGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!! NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!! A quick inspection
revealed that I'd bumped the radiator cap while working on the lift
kit under the hood and it was only leaking from the cap. Thank
goodness. Would have really sucked if I'd somehow gotten a hole in
the radiator.

"Shag" > wrote in message
...
> Got the front half done. Looks pretty dorky without the bed lifted
> but I'm not touching it again until next weekend.
> http://i28.tinypic.com/ojnfyp.jpg

it's a ranger, no matter what yo do to it, it will always look
dorky....hahahahahahaha

On Jul 6, 12:25*pm, "Joey Tribiani" > wrote:
> "Shag" > wrote in message
>
> ...
>
> > Got the front half done. *Looks pretty dorky without the bed lifted
> > but I'm not touching it again until next weekend.
> >http://i28.tinypic.com/ojnfyp.jpg
>
> it's a ranger, no matter what yo do to it, it will always look
> dorky....hahahahahahaha

Eat me. :-)
It'll look great once I get some 33s slapped on there. Doing this
body lift has completely cured me of the desire to want to lift the
body of the Beetle. EVER. I will NEVER do another body lift again.
Over here snorting BC Powders and guzzling Guinness to try to get over
the soreness/pain now.