98 ranger crawler

[funinthemud]

ok its not going to be a hardcore crawler but when i can aford 2 trucks this one will go 1 ton.

so what i got.
98 Ranger xcab 4.0 4x4 wrecked
eb dana 44 & 9" with 4.10 gears for now
cage 5.5" eb coils. undesided yet on the rear leafs.
custom radius arms with jonny joints
upgrade the front clip to either the 01-03 or 04 up. haven't decided yet.
roll cage, sliders, and tube bumpers.

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/funinthemud/100_0451.jpg
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/funinthemud/100_0450.jpg
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/funinthemud/100_0453.jpg

the 9"
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/funinthemud/DSC01482.jpg

the 44 after being sand blasted and powder coated
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/funinthemud/DSC01483.jpg

72 bronco were the axles came from. everything else in the pic is for sale
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/funinthemud/DSC01094.jpg

the cage 5.5" coils
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/funinthemud/axle11-12-071.jpg

painted factory f-150 wheels. may redo them with beadlocks.
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/funinthemud/axle11-12-070231.jpg
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/funinthemud/fun020.jpg
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/funinthemud/axle11-12-07020.jpg
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/funinthemud/axle11-12-07021.jpg

[dusto2]

wow looks like you got some really nice parts there cant wait to see how this comes out

[funinthemud]

here is the paint scheme i drew up for it. the rock sliders, shortened bed, and front winch bumper that i may throw some sort of stinger on. probably not to big just enough to put some lights on and protect the grill



http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/funinthemud/paintscheme.jpg


as soon as the b2 and the front & rear axles and suspension on this ranger sells i should be able to finish this all up in a few weeks


http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/funinthemud/100_0284.jpg

[Ranger44]

Cool. I've always liked a "clean" build. Good job.

[funinthemud]

well the b2 sold so here come the parts. i didn't get even close to what i wanted for it but i couldn't stand it sitting there taunting me to go wheel and then having to clean it up everytime, so i let her go.

anyways this what i've got in so far. still looking for the inner fenders(apron) and a frame. all the front sheetmetal and the taillights are in. still waiting on the headlights. they are similar to the tails.

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/funinthemud/Picture002.jpg


http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/funinthemud/Picture001.jpg

[triumphrider-1]

Was this on ebay a while ago?

[funinthemud]

i don't think so. i picked it up in newport, ohio from the local paper

[funinthemud]

headlights


http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/funinthemud/Picture.jpg

[funinthemud]

some more new stuff. i will soon be tearing into the good stuff. sas and 38's


new air bags. the passenger is the dark grey, so if anyone has the light grey and wants to swap them let me know.

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/funinthemud/100_0513.jpg


06 mirrors. had to do a little modding to get them to fit

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/funinthemud/100_0514.jpg


tinted the windows and painted the handle to match the future paint scheme.

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/funinthemud/100_0515.jpg

[Toreadorranger]

if your going to wheel this thing, why even bother to put those hideous tail lights or those mirrors on the truck?

[JeepRecoveryTeam]

Rip it down to the frame and then build a cage, run dana 60s locked and slap on some 39.5 swampers then you got a 98 crawler.

[koda6966]

It's his build, he can do it how he wants.

I kinda like the tails.

[Toreadorranger]

It's his build, he can do it how he wants.

I kinda like the tails.

And this isnt preschool so Im allowed to comment how I like on it.

Ps. You have horrid taste in tail lights also.:thefinger:

[funinthemud]

its a dual purpose if you read the first sentence in the thread you'd see. i'll do all the other stuff to the 72 bronco frame and 97 ranger cab i got sittin beside the garage.

and i'll have to agree the taillight i'm not to impressed with. they looked much different off the truck

[koda6966]

Ps. You have horrid taste in tail lights also.:thefinger:

I think they look better on black trucks yes, but I do prefer them to stock.

[funinthemud]

i put them on my buddies black ranger and they do look better, but there will be a dark grey strip running throught the taillights so i think that will help it out. i don't know the paint code but its the chevy dark charcol its darker than the ford charcol

[Prostreet Ranger]

I've got air bags from a 98. I pulled my airbags and got passenger side non airbag panel from a 94 and moved my underhood fuse block behind the dash where the airbag used to be.

[Motorcraft]

lookin good....


WTF did that truck hit... besides the drivers face on the windsheild.... do you know?

[funinthemud]

the guys wife drove it into a concrete wall at like 45 mph. she hit hard enough for the steering wheel to taco in. :icon_rofl: i think the airbag busted the glass cuz they both went off.

its been i while since i've done anything to it, i have found a frame i just need to get motivated to go get it. i have been fabbin up the radius arms and brackets at work so once i get the frame it should go pretty smooth. i'll get some pics up of the arms in a few days

[myranger26105]

hey where at in vienna do you live i am on 37th st?

[Live 2B OffRoad]

nice looking build so far man. i had a quote from the a local powder coater to do an eb44 he wanted 90$ for the housing and 45 for each knuckle.

keep the updates comin:headbang:

[funinthemud]

thanks it will start to come along now, i'm finally back to work and i've been pokin around on it lately

i live on 18th street u probably saw me in my old b2 red/black with 35's

[PaleBlue90]

the guys wife drove it into a concrete wall at like 45 mph. she hit hard enough for the steering wheel to taco in. :icon_rofl: i think the airbag busted the glass cuz they both went off.

do ya have any pics of that? id like to see that:icon_twisted::icon_rofl::icon_surprised:

[koda6966]

do ya have any pics of that? id like to see that:icon_twisted::icon_rofl::icon_surprised:

See the above white ranger..

[funinthemud]

i've already bent the steering wheel back to almost straight and i have a new one waiting to go in as soon as i go get a puller, or i would

[funinthemud]

ok finally got some time to work on this thing, after 3 months of nothing. got the radius arms lenthened and a bracket made for them. all i need to do is get the frame(which i have been procrastinating on doing) and i can star puttin this baby together.

if anyone knows where a good x cab frame is sitting around WV let me know, cuz i really don't want to go strip the 02 ranger at the junk yard down in this freezing ass weather.


http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/funinthemud/Picture-1.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/funinthemud/100_0832.jpg

[funinthemud]

heres what i have been up too this week


http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/funinthemud/Picture001-1.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/funinthemud/Picture003.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/funinthemud/Picture004.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/funinthemud/Picture-2.jpg

[scubasteve]

I have been hoping you would make some progress on your truck for a long time! what year frame are you using? why didnt you use a 98+ frame? it might be a good idea to fully box the frame while its apart just my .02
keep the pics comin!

[funinthemud]

the frame is from a 93, i figured it would be easier to do the swap with a 93-97 frame and it was the first thing i found that was cheap and close. it was already sand blasted and painted. i've been thinkin about boxing it. i don't have a welder at home or i would for sure. once i get it rolling i will prolly trailer it out to the shop and do it. its also getting a cage when i can afford a bender and welder. when i get my taxes back i'm going to try and finish up the rear axle and get things rolling


i do need a few things to get a rolling chassis.
steering box
6" softride leafs
4.11 gears and carrier for the 9" 28 spline

[dangerous_rangerous]

Nice to see the project that frame is gettig used for. Im the guy you got the frame off of. looking good man.

[funinthemud]

thanks man yea its startin to come along nice now that i have a frame. i'll be mocking up the rear axle as soon as my softride chevy leafs come in

[jaymegriffiths]

cool truck man, impressive work and with no welder nonetheless. really almost inspiring for me to try a sas. i have a 2wd 88 ranger xlt. do you think it's possible? just a milde lift, say 4" gain with some 33's v8, and solid axles? i dont know but i sure wanna try. maybe ill start this summer. ill get parts now and work hard this summer. We'll see. Good luck and good job!!!

[funinthemud]

cool truck man, impressive work and with no welder nonetheless. really almost inspiring for me to try a sas. i have a 2wd 88 ranger xlt. do you think it's possible? just a milde lift, say 4" gain with some 33's v8, and solid axles? i dont know but i sure wanna try. maybe ill start this summer. ill get parts now and work hard this summer. We'll see. Good luck and good job!!!


well i have access to a welder out at my union hall. so i just take it out there when i do any welding. but i imagine its possible without a welder. the only thing i can think of that will really need welded is making a track bar bracket. i don't think this is a hard swap at all so far.

[funinthemud]

ok ran into my first little snag. i'm using the coil buckets of the 72 bronco frame and on the drivers side rail by the steering box looks like its going to need a little fab work to get them up in there. anybody have any solutions for this before i start cutting and welding?

[funinthemud]

the front end is in and all thats left is track bar and upper steering link. i figured out my coil bucket situation, just cut, beat, and welded it.
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/funinthemud/Picture087.jpg
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/funinthemud/Picture099.jpg
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/funinthemud/Picture104.jpg
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/funinthemud/Picture105.jpg
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/funinthemud/Picture106.jpg


setting up for the chebby leafs. i am going with the procomp 5.5"


http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/funinthemud/Picture102.jpg

[88ranger2.95sp]

Sweet!

[funinthemud]

got the rear settin in there temporarely. i need new shackles. but i want to get it rolling so i can take it out to the shop and do some welding on it and then shoot it with some undercoating

the springs are the procomp 5.5" chevy lift springs

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/funinthemud/Picture005.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/funinthemud/Picture006.jpg

[Randy960]

dude, i think your pinion angle is off a bit.....

haha, someone had to say it.

looks like its coming along nicely though

[funinthemud]

yea i was waiting on that. i'm going to get u bolts on monday and get it centered up and then put the motor and trans in and set the pinion angle and weld it all up :icon_welder:

[spaz1879]

wow looks like alot of work went into this bad boy keep up the good work+pics:D also if you dont mind get some good pics of the steering setup thanks.

[funinthemud]

i'm gonna wait to finish the steering up when i get the weight of the motor and cab on it, but when i do there will be pics up for your enjoymentn :D

[funinthemud]

more progress

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/funinthemud/Picture008.jpg
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/funinthemud/Picture009.jpg
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/funinthemud/Picture010.jpg
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/funinthemud/Picture011.jpg
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/funinthemud/Picture012.jpg





:headbang: :yahoo: :beer:

[compleckz]

where'd you get the 5.5" leaves? im trying to find the best deal...

[funinthemud]

4wheelparts.com they were 340.00 shipped that was the best price i could find anywhere and it looks like they are gonna be pretty flexy

[out cast]

build looks great, can't wait to see it finished...

[PaleBlue90]

looks like your makeing good headway

[funinthemud]

ok finally got some things done. its gettin hard to do anything by yourself. nobody ever wants to come help with the heavy stuff.

have the cab on and the motor is hovering over the mounts. once the engine is in place i'll figure out the steering and track bar angles and set the pinion angle on the rerar axle and get this thing out to the shop to weld everything up. hopefully this can all be done this week

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/funinthemud/Picture010-1.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/funinthemud/Picture011-1.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/funinthemud/Picture012-1.jpg

[out cast]

any progress on this build?

[funinthemud]

yea i finally have the motor in and bolted down today. hopefully have it running and possibly moving on its own before the weekend. i have to get the tank in and figure my driveshafts out

[funinthemud]

doesn't look like much but i got a lot done yesterday and today

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/funinthemud/img1243445495979.jpg

[funinthemud]

so i finally have the front end all buttoned up. i'm going to ad some more support to the trac bar bracket and maybe some more bolts. but other than that i think its done. :headbang:

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/funinthemud/Picture014.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/funinthemud/Picture015.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/funinthemud/Picture016.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/funinthemud/Picture017.jpg

[machinist]

hows it coming?

[fordxranger]

hows it coming?

I was looking for this build a while back. I also want to see how this is coming along.

[rngr4x4beast]

good lookin build man wanna come do mine for me lol

[Downey]

need an update man

[funinthemud]

i'm gonna be gettin back to work on this. i've been layed off all summer so money i did have went to bills. i'm back to work now so i'll be gettin back at it

[funinthemud]

ok here is the first thing i got to. i wasn't happy how my first set of radius arms turned out so i made some new ones.. 2" .250 wall dom this time around about 30lbs lighter each and i put a bend in them to give me better clearance for those bigger tires.

old ones
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/funinthemud/Picture-1.jpg

new ones
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/funinthemud/100_1365.jpg
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/funinthemud/100_1366.jpg

[ozziemo27]

any updates?

[funinthemud]

not really. my dad took his heater back to his garage so it a little to cold out there. i've been collecting parts all winter, so as soon as it warms up i should be pretty close to wrapping it up.

[kris97ranger]

i like the tail lights and i agree they would look better on a black truck. i get the same thing with my tail lights though. some ppl hate them some ppl love them. same with my headlights
________
AVANDIA CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT (http://classactionsettlements.org/)

[ozziemo27]

not really. my dad took his heater back to his garage so it a little to cold out there. i've been collecting parts all winter, so as soon as it warms up i should be pretty close to wrapping it up.

Sounds good!

[funinthemud]

i think i'm going to sell everything but the axles and suspension. i made a thread in trucks for sale. i really need a truck for work so i think i'm just going to find a running ranger and swap the susp and axles over later.

[buckshotz43]

Like The WV front plate got the same one Go EERS! anyways you got a camper top for the bed with this one??

[funinthemud]

Like The WV front plate got the same one Go EERS! anyways you got a camper top for the bed with this one??

nope sorry

[funinthemud]

well i got tired of straightening everything out on the old cab, so i bought a better one its a 2000 in the color i am painting it anyways.

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/funinthemud/SSPX0285.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/funinthemud/SSPX0284.jpg

[funinthemud]

i'm hoping the front springs settle a little. i think it may sit higher than i'm wanting. i'm back at it again. so i'll try and get this thing going again.

[funinthemud]

well i wasn't real happy with my welds on the panhard bar bracket on the frame, plus i wanted to add a stud for the motor shock thing. so i took it off and rewelded and added a stud.

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/funinthemud/SSPX0296.jpg
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/funinthemud/SSPX0297.jpg