BIG RED's build thread
Logistics Pro
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 4,063
Likes: 2
From: Southeastern IL
I gotta say, I live in a heavily populated deer area and have only hit one. It was with my '02 F-150, all jacked up and such. Somehow managed to hit it square in the shoulder with my tow hook. All it did was cracked my lower valance and knock out the fog light. I made it out better than the deer! Got out and rolled it over and it had a chunk about the size of my fist missing out of its shoulder.
Hotshot
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 10,008
Likes: 7
From: Austin, TX
I was on the verge of having myself convinced to take the ranch hand off the front of my SD since I'm getting all this body work done to it and having it smoothed out. Then I get a text from you that a deer smashed into your truck... Now I'm back to trying to decide whether to get a stock front bumper, or a ranch hand back bumper which will cause me to have to get rid of the receiver hitch... Or I could just leave it alone.. I hate deer!!!!
Cargo Master
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 2,526
Likes: 6
From: College Station, TX
Buckstop front and leave the rear alone FTW. But if you really hate money there's always road armor, iron bull, ARB, N fab, fab fours, and smittybuilt. CP trucks also has a cool DIY bumper kit IMO for front and/or rear.
Hotshot
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 10,008
Likes: 7
From: Austin, TX
Just looked up those Buckstop bumpers... I think I'll keep the Ranch Hand or go back stock. One of the two. I've yet to be impressed with anything else except some of the '05+ conversions.
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Hotshot
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 11,132
Likes: 3
From: Southern West Virginia
The truck is doing ok. I spoke to Gary at Valair last week about the clutch and he thinks I just need to take it easy on it for a few hundred more miles. I guess I didn't have enough break in time on it and towed with it too soon. My biggest concern was that I had ruined the disk. Gary feels like it will be ok if I let it get broke in some more. As far as the door goes, I'm just gonna pop it out as best I can and leave it for now. It didn't hurt the cab corner, just the door. I have some extra rear doors, but I've decided that this is my work/tow/hauling truck, and it's gonna get some scuffs and dings, which it had already, so I'm not gonna drive myself crazy chasing dings and dirt and stuff like that on a truck that is gonna get worked. When I get some money ahead and I'm able to get back on my other CC project.....that will be the "nice truck" that I will keep immaculate.
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Hotshot
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 11,132
Likes: 3
From: Southern West Virginia
Me too. I hope I didn't glaze the kevlar side. I'll just have to take it easy on it for a while. The break in period is 500 miles of stoop and go driving with a lot of shifting. That's hard for me to do. I have one stop sign on my way to work. Other than that, once it's in 5th gear it stays there. Gary said if I have to, drive it back and forth in the driveway several times a day. It's the engagements that break it in and makes the kevlar seat to the flywheel.
Lead Driver
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 5,129
Likes: 44
From: Columbus, Oh
Me too. I hope I didn't glaze the kevlar side. I'll just have to take it easy on it for a while. The break in period is 500 miles of stoop and go driving with a lot of shifting. That's hard for me to do. I have one stop sign on my way to work. Other than that, once it's in 5th gear it stays there. Gary said if I have to, drive it back and forth in the driveway several times a day. It's the engagements that break it in and makes the kevlar seat to the flywheel.
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Hotshot
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 11,132
Likes: 3
From: Southern West Virginia
OK, got an update on the clutch slipping. Sunday I noticed a drip coming from the inspection cover on the bottom of the bell housing. I was pretty upset about that, because I pulled the engine to fix any oil leaks. This morning on the way to work the clutch slipped just driving, not towing. So I crawled under the truck this evening after work and pulled the inspection cover. The leak is not oil, it's ATF. The input shaft seal on the trans is leaking and it has gotten on the clutch. Here is the plan......I'm gonna pull the trans for the fourth time and try to clean the clutch disk with brake or carb cleaner. I'll put the trans that was originaly in the truck back in and run it to see if the clutch is gonna be OK, and in the meantime I will do a full rebuild on the hybrid trans. If the clutch can't be saved by cleaning it, then I'll order another disk and put it in when I swap the trans back in. I'm just tickled that it wasn't an oil leak! 