major ranger project

[rifle6]

has anyone built up a ranger?

i have one i have big plans for.

body,
i want to take the 2 door shortbed and go 4 fullsize doors with a shorty bed.
moderate 4 to 6 suspension/body combination.
fenders.cut out
full inside roll cage
engine stock, 4.0 v6
tranny stock 5 speed,
transfer, probably upgrade, gear change.
locker front.(don't know what type ) yet. air-electric? other?

tires? probably in the 33" range

so is this to much for a rookie?
anytips?
anything you see wrong? or would do better/different?

thanks in advance.

 

[Coreshot]

I believe almost any vehicle can be built into a competent wheeler, some just take more work. Rangers are popular with the desert racing crowd, so they are probably a solid foundation to build a crawler out of. If the frame will stand up to the jumping that they do, it will probably be fine with the twisting that we do. All you can do is get started and see where it takes you, there's a lot of good people on the board here to give advice, and maybe even help depending on your situation.

 

[Badger]

has anyone built up a ranger?

i want to take the 2 door shortbed and go 4 fullsize doors with a shorty bed.


tranny stock 5 speed,

the first line has me confused .didn't the Ranger have the same size door whether it was a 2 or extra cab?

the stock tranny will not last long if used hard.the stock 5 speed was marginal in stock form ,add larger tires and it won't last.

 

[kowe69]

For a rookie you've got some good ideas to get you started. One thing I would definitely consider is doing a solid axle swap in the front. This can be very simple or quite complicated depending in the suspension you choose. I have seen a solid axle on a ranger before. I believe it may have been a Dana 30 and front leaf springs from a Jeep. It was very simple but worked well and was also cheap.

The transmission comes from the Mazda B series trucks and is intended for light duty use. Bigger tires and off road driving will take it's toll but will the proper combo of axle/t-case gears and driver finesse you can help that transmission live longer.

 

[rifle6]

thanks.
sorry about the door confusion, the rangers have smaller doors, and they did not come 4 door till recently, the extra doors would be same as front, not the little half (suicide)dooors.

my plan for that is a second cab clip, fabricated to the rear of the cab. that takes away half the bed, so i would shorten that. the new cab would go almost to the wheel well.

i like the solid front axle idea, that would be better, and that would solve the locker problem, i think i could find a dana 30 with locker.

for tranny, i was hoping to get feedback on the stock one, thanks
any suggestions?
what will be better and bolt up to the 4.0?


thanks guys

 

[mbryson]

thanks.
sorry about the door confusion, the rangers have smaller doors, and they did not come 4 door till recently, the extra doors would be same as front, not the little half (suicide)dooors.

my plan for that is a second cab clip, fabricated to the rear of the cab. that takes away half the bed, so i would shorten that. the new cab would go almost to the wheel well.

i like the solid front axle idea, that would be better, and that would solve the locker problem, i think i could find a dana 30 with locker.

for tranny, i was hoping to get feedback on the stock one, thanks
any suggestions?
what will be better and bolt up to the 4.0?


thanks guys

Why not start with an Exploder and butcher that similar to what Badger is doing with his Cherokeee?

 

[rifle6]

good question.
i have a ranger, i guess i could find an explorer,
but if i change base vehicles i would look for a jeep Cherokee.

thats what i am weighing out right now,
i liked the idea of a franken 4 door ranger, because i have never seen one, but it will be a big project, i've been drawing it out, i really like what i see in my head

 

[mbryson]

good question.
i have a ranger, i guess i could find an explorer,
but if i change base vehicles i would look for a jeep Cherokee.
.....

....but you have a frame with the Exploder/Ranger. The powertrain of the Exploder I know little about. How's the 4.0L hold up? I don't even know what tranny is in there. Is it worth a crap? I'd assume it's got a BW tcase and I don't see many upgrades to that kicking around (but then again, I'm not really looking). I doubt it would be very hard to swap in a Mustang 5.0L (you'll have to figure out what bellhousing pattern that is to match a trans up) and maybe an F150 trans? Grab an Atlas and you've got something fairly solid, I assume.

You'd just have to swap out the TTB or the IFS (depending on year) or just work with what's there.

XJ's are pretty easy to build, but I'd think the F*rd would give you a longer life. Just my opinion, YMMV....

 

[Greg]

You can find the later-model Exploders with V8's... that would be a great base to start from. The 4.0 is a powerful motor, but nothing beats V8 power.

 

[phatfoto]

We're in the middle of reworking our 90 Ranger. Replacing an older 6" lift with a newer 6" kit with extened radius arms. Replacing a rusted out cab, we need to get some flex out of the truck, its very stiff. Heres a pic of the truck with 31s, we're slipping 35s under it soon.

Truck sits today with no cab on it. Yes, the fenders will get painted. And we need to stretch the rear fenders to cover the tires.

Rangers are used for desert racing, yes, they take a ton of abuse, even the 4 banger and 5 speed trucks. The 5 speed that gets the bum rap was the Mitsubishi behind the 2.9 V6. The Mazda unit was even used behind 302s, though they don't have interchangeable bellhousings. It is a very tough unit.

Later plan for us with this truck is to put a solid axle under the front, likely a Jeep D30 with some softer springs.

YOu didn't mention what year your Ranger is, the TTB was used through 97 when it switched over to IFS.83-89 Rangers had a D28 for the TTB, late 89 and up got the D35.

Lots of good Ranger specific info at http://www.therangerstation.com...

 

[rifle6]

it's a 90

how do you get more (flex).

 

[phatfoto]

Softer coils in the front, but with the TTB softer coils can make for a very scary if not outright dangerous ride. In fact, some people call using Jeep XJ coils in the lifted TTB trucks "Suicide Coils". Just remember, the TTB has a lverage effect on springs, so stiffer springs actually ride good on the street. Its the pivots. Softer springs will work well for a solid axle truck. Also, to get the most travel out of the front, use extended radius arms. Flex is why I am switching to longer arms. Also, the older kits I'm removing has clearance issues with the differential. NOT good.

For the rear, a common trick is to use 88-98 63" Chevy half ton leaf springs, just like the Toyota guys. You will need to move your front spring hangers forward 6" though. Provides some lift too. You can pull leafs out to get a ride anf flex you can live with.

Also, just like everyone else, swaybar disconnects. DO NOT drive a TTB truck on the street without your swaybar on a lifted truck.

The desert guys can get lots of travel from the TTB, but the serious desert guys run the twin I beam 2wd trucks. How does 20" of travel sound? THe TTB trucks can get 15" and more...

I mentioned ours is a 90 too...

 

[JParriott]

Build the ranger!

There are several hundred things you can do. I wouldn't strech anything. It may look cool but it will rip itself appart eventually and it will be real difficult too not make it look like absolute dogshit. ( I don't care who is doing the fabwork.) The cool thing about rangers is they cost $100 to $500 to replace the whole car. Just weld the front and rear up, cut the fenders, keep a 31" tire, and kick ass. If it, breaks leave the title on the dash and walk away.

I've personally been down this same road many times. Trust me when I say that your smile will not be any bigger if you do all the labor of fab.
J

 

[Tacoma]

WHEN IT breaks leave the title on the dash and walk away.

J

Fixed it.



heheheh

 

[rifle6]

ya.
i have been really lookin at the mechanics of the 2 to 4 door. i don't think i will tackle it, it is still going to crawl but with a tube bed and seat bolted to that with a bikini top of somesort.