I'm bumping this for two reasons:
1. There is a lowered, most likely straight piped, flareside Ranger that has been absolutely hauling all of the ass it is capable of hauling (and therefore just barely achieving the speed limit) past my house most weekdays and it keeps reminding me of Betsy.
2. Reflecting on my automotive memories from the last couple of years, driving Betsy over the bridge from Jekyll Island with the sun rising behind me, a bed full of parts, Ratatat blasting through the crappy FM radio adapter, smiling to myself knowing I was about to begin a full weekend of playing with GRM friends at the challenge, is one of my absolute favorites. Thanks for making that possible!
In reply to ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ :
I think you should buy Lof8's Ranger.
In reply to Pete Gossett (Forum Supporter) :
I can't pretend I haven't seriously considered it- the main thing stopping me is that I want my next rally vehicle to handle better than the Merkur, and twin I-beam suspension seems like a less than stellar choice for that purpose.
In reply to ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ :
Idk the ex-GRM van handles surprisingly well, and it's both way taller & heavier than a Ranger.
Bumping for three reasons:
- To document that Betsy gets the free exhaust cutout
- Because I'm really interested in the current state of Betsy
- Because that berkeleying dumped, loud, flareside Ranger went by again
I have 5 days off that was supposed to start today, now tomorrow, and planned to start with a more comprehensive update here. I have been making progress on various fronts, (without much time to update) and recently came to a decision about goals/scope. More soon.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ said:
In reply to Pete Gossett (Forum Supporter) :
I can't pretend I haven't seriously considered it- the main thing stopping me is that I want my next rally vehicle to handle better than the Merkur, and twin I-beam suspension seems like a less than stellar choice for that purpose.
Given the big swing arc of an ibeam, you can never have too much shock controlling that arc. Most people put puny E36 M3 on then bitch why it doesn't "handle". Jmo. Do you want plushness or to actually handle?
Im still going to run ibeams in my ranger and I'm just not going to allow the suspension to move and it'll be great. 
Betsy rides at dawn. er, dawn-ish. I just couldn't get myself to sit down in front of a computer today, so updates tomorrow when I have to send a few work emails out,
So, what's up with Betsy? Well, not much has changed configuration wise since the '19 challenge. I took my usual DD e46 wagon (Greta) down for a full bushing/suspension/brakes/mounts/etc.. overhaul starting over thanksgiving week, and it took me until March to wrap that up (I got sick a lot in January and February, thanks to bluekid starting daycare). This all meant that I commuted with Betsy a fair amount through the winter, and I have to agree with Chris, I love Betsy. Driver her feels very honest, like you're operating something real and mechanical, not just piloting a cocoon with wheels. Covid came along in March, and then Betsy sat for a good while. I did user her for a few essential trips to big box hardware. This past weekend I ended up taking her for a socially distant cruise with irish44j through the local-ish VA hills. It was Sunday morning, the air was just comfortably cool enough to roll with the windows down and heat blowing slightly at your feet (more on that later). Rolling through those country cuts and farm straights with arm on the sill felt a heck of a lot like when I was home from college, borrowing my Dad's ranger to just get out and escape on my own for a while. Gasoline therapy is a wonderful thing.
While not much has happened on the truck, I've actually been fairly busy with challenge related efforts. I picked up a new-to-me axle (thanks dherr!), made a couple JY trips, scored a good deal on a megasquirt w/ wideband, and some other things. I've been getting a little bogged down with feeling like I need to make a big post update, so I'm going to cut this one off here, and try and update sooner. I think the next post needs to be about goals. Some things have gelled recently, so It's a good time to bring it up and share.
I want to hear about the E46 :)
95maxrider said:
I want to hear about the E46 :)
Hah! Greta deserves her own thread once I've caught up on Betsy's
In for goals. A recent pic would be nice too, since I'm in full lust for a small truck right now.
Robbie (Forum Supporter) said:
In for goals. A recent pic would be nice too, since I'm in full lust for a small truck right now.
Here you go. From last weekend
Robbie (Forum Supporter) said:
In for goals. A recent pic would be nice too, since I'm in full lust for a small truck right now.
Meant to add this to the update post. Betsy slept out a lot of quarantine here:
In reply to bluej (Forum Supporter) :
Something about the little boxy flares and that wheel/tire combo makes the 3/4 view just perfect.
