Steve Arndt baja build project

[GoMopar440]

Naw, I'm a realist about that sort of stuff. So much industry has moved out of the USA it's almost impossible to get something without at least some part of it being foreign. Even my old early 70's Mopars used to have a bunch of parts marked "Made in Canada".

My comment about buying USA made stuff usually applies to hand fabricated stuff like the trailing arms in the post above.

BTW, I don't own any Chubbys. Just a Jeep Grand Cherokee and a Mazda B4000 (no stickers on either). From what I've read on The Ranger Station forum, my '94 Mazda is the first year Ford started making them. Prior to that, the Rangers were made by Mazda.

[dustymojave]

Nope. Rangers weren't made by Mazda, but Ford Couriers were. A Mazda B400 is a Ranger with a 4.0L engine, built on the Ranger assembly line with mostly just different fender panels and trim. It's kind of ironic that an American car is built in other countries while a foreign car is built here in the US. Toyota, Mazda, Mercedes, VW, BMW, Nissan, Hyundai...the list of foreign cars built in the US keeps growing, while the list of American cars built here gets shorter and shorter.

[Steve Arndt]

I think I have my strange stability / alignment issue licked and you won't believe how simple it was.

After going over every setting and checking every moving and non moving part 16 times I noticed the issue. The upper section of the steering shaft where it clamps into the rubber donut was slipping. Moving the steering wheel back/forth sawing I was able to detect slop in the clamp. The nut/bolt were tight but the shaft was still slipping. I move the clamp some and put a better bolt in there and tightened the pee out of it. The "flat" on the shaft was hitting the pinch bolt and that was giving me my steering torque, flop flop. Very sketchy and I'm glad I didn't ignore it or I could have lost all steering input.

I had to put a new column and steering shaft in it this winter after the crash so I think it has been slopping around since then. Feels good to finally have it fixed, SO SIMPLE. I had a combined 150 years of mechanics looking at this thing trying to find bad ball joints, bad alignment settings, etc etc.

I also installed a new upper steering column bearing and anti rattle bushing so the wheel doesn't have any radial play anymore. Getting there!

[Fiatdude]

Don't you hate it when it's that simple stuff that escapes you -- -- but it's not like that donut is right out there where you can see it either though -- Good pull !!!!!

[GoMopar440]

Nope. Rangers weren't made by Mazda, but Ford Couriers were. A Mazda B400 is a Ranger with a 4.0L engine, built on the Ranger assembly line with mostly just different fender panels and trim. It's kind of ironic that an American car is built in other countries while a foreign car is built here in the US. Toyota, Mazda, Mercedes, VW, BMW, Nissan, Hyundai...the list of foreign cars built in the US keeps growing, while the list of American cars built here gets shorter and shorter.

It's been a while since I've been over on the TRS forum so I was just going by memory. Looks like I had the idea right, just not the correct model. Still, my Mazda was built here so I guess I'm driving an American vehicle, sort of.

Steve,
Glad to hear you got it figured out. Steering is one of those important little details that can bite you pretty bad when they fail. My Mazda pickup had 90* of free play in the steering when I got it. A new steering gear box and a drop pitman arm to work with the already installed 4" lift were needed to fix it. Getting that truck home after I bought it was the first time I actually got to drive it. Talk about a hair raising 20 mile ride.

[bajaherbie]

I thought the Yoda Tundras were made in San Antonio, Tejas?

Maybe the Tacoma are made in Kintucky?

Sent from my SM-G920R4 using Tapatalk

[dustymojave]

Mine is a pre-Tundra, pre-Taco Toyota Pickup.


Steve, did you need to slit the column tube wider, or anything else to let it tighten down? Or was the bolt wrong and running out of thread before it got the column tube tight on the shaft? I've encountered loose bolts, way wrong bolts, tube welded to shaft, etc., but not one that didn't want to tighten down.

[Steve Arndt]

The lower edge of the stamped clamp had shifted downward. It was part on the split steering shaft and part on the input to the rubber coupler (the smaller segment that slides inside with the splines). I opened up the clamp, moved it upward, and cranked it back down. There is room to fit a second clamp over the split portion which I'm tempted to do.

Those pieces fit very tight and are usually rusted together. I had mine all apart and cleaned up to change out the whole column so things were clean and the clamp wasn't quite positioned just right.

[Steve Arndt]

My odometer is a mile off with 30" tall front tires. I used my Garmin GPS last weekend to record accurite miles traveled. 2000 ft to 6000 ft elevation change six times. 205 miles. 8.15 gallons. 25.1 miles per gallon. My best MPG yet.

This is a a 2275 type 1, 45 ITBs, 40x35 heads, 12.2:1 compression on 91 octane chevron.


Been working on my fuel maps in the critical cruise zone. I've got my barometric correction table for fuel mostly 1s since the map referenced fuel pressure regulator automatically helps some there. I do have to work on barometric timing tables a bit more. Going from 92 Kpa in town to 79-80 up in the mountains shifts the cruise zone way down in my maps so I have to pull some timing on the compensation map to not over time at high altitude since it throws a ton of advance at it compared to in town here.

[CentralWAbaja]

Is it baja time yet Steve? Any plans, upgrades, trips ect?

[Steve Arndt]

I haven't driven the baja since November. Finally made enough room in our new rental shop to get it moved inside. First order of business is to built the mounts for my passenger seat. I finished the drivers side so I just need to duplicate it. I got married December 23rd so I haven't had a free second.

[CentralWAbaja]

Happy for ya man! I know I have seen your smiling face on that other social media place. Just do not forget about the STF gang.

[Leatherneck]

Congratulations Steve. Good to see you back.

[Steve Arndt]

Still here! 11 degree low temp tonight planning on driving my baja to work.
Speaking of work. I got a nice new job. Mechanical Engineer at Diversified Fluid Solutions. I design precision gas and liquid blending machines for Intel, Atmel, Micron, Samsung, Bayer, ... Been there a month now.

[Ol'fogasaurus]

Congrats on both new adventures! That has to be a lot of change and new responsibilities gained in such a short time; Both must have had to have worn you down.

Lee