Anybody willing to do some work on a solid axle swap Ford ranger

gray.birch91

gray.birch91

New Member
Hello, I live in Salt Lake (moved here two years ago) and I have recently been reading around this forum and finally decided to join.

I own a 99 Ford ranger (shorty cab and splash bed) which has a 4" super lift on 31's. Last summer I swapped in a 5.0L and it has been running strong ever since.

I want to make this more of a capable off-roader and am looking to swap in a solid axle but I'm not super confident on the fabrication side, nor do I have any time since I am a student at the U. I was thinking of swapping in a d44 or maybe even d60 for the front and a ford 9" for the rear. I am undecided for what type of suspesion but I am kind of leaning to coil overs right now. For lockers I would probably want ARB so I still have the option to drive in the snow. The overall goal here isn't to make an amazing crawler but something that is fun to take out over weekends and also something that you won't see everyday.

So the real question I'm getting at is; Is there anyone here that would be willing to complete the solid axle swap for me, for a price of course? Nothing on the build list is really set in stone at this point so any input and suggestions would be great. Really what I'm asking is to pay someone to build up the truck and hopefully, enjoying working on it.

Thanks so much.
 
Sounds like fun! I've got a 2000 Explorer that I've often thought would make an awesome crawler, but we have to get the wife another driver before I'm allowed to touch it. Good luck with the build!
 
gray.birch91 said:
Hello, I live in Salt Lake (moved here two years ago) and I have recently been reading around this forum and finally decided to join.

I own a 99 Ford ranger (shorty cab and splash bed) which has a 4" super lift on 31's. Last summer I swapped in a 5.0L and it has been running strong ever since.

I want to make this more of a capable off-roader and am looking to swap in a solid axle but I'm not super confident on the fabrication side, nor do I have any time since I am a student at the U. I was thinking of swapping in a d44 or maybe even d60 for the front and a ford 9" for the rear. I am undecided for what type of suspesion but I am kind of leaning to coil overs right now. For lockers I would probably want ARB so I still have the option to drive in the snow. The overall goal here isn't to make an amazing crawler but something that is fun to take out over weekends and also something that you won't see everyday.

So the real question I'm getting at is; Is there anyone here that would be willing to complete the solid axle swap for me, for a price of course? Nothing on the build list is really set in stone at this point so any input and suggestions would be great. Really what I'm asking is to pay someone to build up the truck and hopefully, enjoying working on it.

Thanks so much.
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i got a buddy back home that is swapping in a dana 30 or something out of a jeep on his ranger, his is like a 93 or so. he is using a kit that is for a jeep for all of his suspension parts, bolt on brackets, he said that everything is the same from the jeep to the ranger, i can get more info for you if you want. not sure how much welding though he has had to do on it. just another route you could take. course Im not sure how the frames between your year and his differ.
 
welcome! I think you'd be surprised how well your truck would do right now. I'm not trying to talk you out of a SAS, I think they rock. BUt you'll probably lose some driveability, and unless you plan on crawling the big rocks, it may not be worth the upgrade. I've done the IFS, SAS, thing many times on different rigs, and I've found that for a vehicle that's going to stay a daily driver, I prefer IFS. IFS will still go lots of places, assuming you have the skill to drive it.

Welcome to RME. We'd love to see you out at our next quarterly training day. I'm teaching a class on an introduction to modify your vehicles, I think you'd really enjoy it. Sign up and bring your truck, and we'll get you learning and driving like a pro.

http://www.rme4x4.com/showthread.php?89497-RME-Quarterly-Training-Day-April-2012\
 
Yeah, I know that IFS is pretty capable and it has taken me a lot of places, and never let me down, when I lived out in St. George but the one issue is how limited you are on IFS for upgrades. With a SAS the upgrades are endless and I really want my truck to head that way. The IFS superlift is essentially a body lift for suspension as some of you may know, it pulls my tbars 4" lower and basically dropped the suspension components 4" lower, gaining no ground clearance so it's pretty much for looks and bigger tires. I also plan on running 37s or maybe 35s which wouldn't be possible with IFS (35's is doable IFS but not really ideal). The general consensus I have seen is that if you plan on upgrading later, making it more and more of a serious crawler, then the SAS would be ideal because you will quickly find the limitation in IFS. It just is really the way I want to head with my little ranger.

Thanks

-And sixstringsteve, I'll definitely check to see if I'm free for the quarterly training day, It sounds like fun.
 
Gotcha. Sounds like it'll be a cool setup. D60+coilovers is a lot of $$$, but it'd be sweet.

Shoot "skippy" a PM on here. I'll bet ya he'd do it for ya, and he'll do a good job.
 
Unlimited Fabrication can get you all set up, in house unit bearing D60 setups for any price range. Recently located to Springville, UT and ready to take on work after Jeep Safari.

Call 801-719-8140 for an Estimate.
 
I would recommend you talk to rollover motorsports and i assume they are still around. Have to do a google search and i'm sure you'll find em.
Your budget for dana 60s and ARBs is going to be big. My Frontier now sits on 60s because i got more and more hard core over the years. However it started on Dana 44s which is a good starting point. I'd stay away from a jeep dana 30 because why put a pos in your rig and that's exactly what it is.
Coilovers add cost but reduce the complexity of the build and i'm sure you would love them! Just plan on keeping the rig low. The driveability will be different than what you're used to but as long as the build is competent you will get used to it.
I despise ARBs because of their problems but if you plan to drive on snow and ice then a selectable locker is the way to go.
 
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