4wd to 2wd conversion

[desertrunner]

hello all

so im new to the site, new to prerunning, but not new to offroad by any strech, im unemployed, almost broke, got 6 kids between myself and my wife and ive decided its about time to start building a prerunner

so ive been searching around for a good platform that is already started to trade for a 95 mustang gt convertible that i have but no luck...no biggy. so i found a truck that i think will be an awesome platform but its a 4wd, not that its a bad thing or anything but its not what im lookin for due to expense and limited travel from what ive read. i did a search earlier on this site about converting a 4wd to a 2wd and i found a tread that said its nothing more then removing parts and reinstalling parts, is that correct?? seems too easy for some reason

here is the ad for the truck ive got my eyes on, $600 bucks

92 Ranger Supercab 4x4, 4.0, manual, 4.56 Gears, 8 1/2" Lift (5 1/2" suspension 3" body) 35 x 12.50 BF Goodrich Mud Terrains on 15" Black Wheels (there is also a spare 35" tire in the bed)...

This truck has been parked for 2 years because of engine and transmission issues that I can't afford to fix. Its been suggested that both the engine and transmission be rebuilt or replaced. it is currently not running due to a dead battery and no fuel.

for now my priority is to remove the engine, trans, transfer, then install a fuel injected 5 liter out of a fox body along with a aod trans. ive got some 33's that ill prolly throw on it, 35's seem like a overkill for what my goal is. after that im not sure and id like some suggestions where to go from there on what is the best money spent first and so on.

is a 3 inch body lift too high for a prerunner? i read that a body lift helps with having a v8 but will 3 inchs be a overkill and a big concern at high speed for raising the center of gravity?

for the rear end i have a 8.8 id like to eventually link but for now is it cost effective to go the route of the long deaver spring with the flip shackle till then? or is it better to just put towards something else or save for the link set up since thats my ultimate plan?

for the front end im totally confused about, i want as much travel as possible and i want it be reliable but looking at the camburg kits i dont know which one i will truely need. are there other companys i should be looking at that are more cost effective and just as good of quality or is it one of those things thats either go big or go home?

my desires are to have a truck that i can take over pretty serious jumps at pretty decent speeds, im not lookin for trophy truck speeds and jumps but i do want to rip around with ease.

thanks in advance

[fx2prerunner]

start with safety, roll cage, seats, 5pt. harness, lose the body lift completely, there are good long travel kits for 4x4 trucks there is one on cardomain with 17" of travel, I dont know much about the 2wd conversion. prerunners can get very expensive, if your not financialy ready I dont recomend trying to build a long travle suspension truck

[desertrunner]

what i was planning is a lengthy project in stages to spread out the expenses.

i havnt looked too much into the 4wd long travel stuff as i read in a few places it was a more expensive route. ill look more into it

no go on the body life huh, good to go, im assuming its a good idea to leave it on while installing the 5 liter for more clearance and lower the body back down afterwards?

i just got done reading the postings about the rough riders, gave me a few paint scheme ideas, would i be a poser if i had the best never rest on the truck?

[Beanmachine7000]

The only problem with a 4x4 long travel setup is you start running into binding of the front axle shafts... But, the problem with a Ranger is that the 2wd and 4wd is way different... You'll need to pull the motor and swap in a 2wd crossmember... If you still want to do a 2wd swap I'd be willing to trade you might 2wd beams from my Explorer and everything you'll need (except the crossmember) for your 4wd stuff...

[desertrunner]

here is the link to the thread where i got that information from, after looking at it again i just realized they were talking about a bronco II and at the end of the thread someone mentioned that they have different crossmembers

http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10970

id be interested in the trade but my stepson has a 90 ranger 4x4 so all the parts i will be removing will just end up as spares for his truck if not in it.

[Beanmachine7000]

Yeah, BII's and Explorers are a direct swap 4wd-2wd, Rangers have different engine crossmembers, but since you are pulling the 4.0 anyway, I don't see that big of a deal... For some reason Ford made it harder for Ranger guys... I'd just buy a junk 2wd truck and swap it all over...

[desertrunner]

are 92's and 93's the same by chance? i know of a 93 that was rolled once so the body is afu but the undercarage is still good to go, also has a brand new set of 33 bfg's on it :headbang:

[dave@threat]

Swapping to a 2wd will be cheaper. For a desert truck it is a good idea to try to simplify as many potential problems as possible. Bottom line is if your hard on the truck you will break something at some point in time. Keep it simple and build it strong. You don't need 4wd in the desert. Build up a 9" rearend and put a full spool in it. Here is a truck I am building for a friend. It used to be a 4wd and has been converted to 2wd by using custom equal length beams.

http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t256/87-RANGER/IMG_1322.jpg
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t256/87-RANGER/IMG_1324.jpg
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t256/87-RANGER/IMG_1308.jpg

[desertrunner]

dude that is flippin bad! thats what i need right there. you are here in socal right?

[desertrunner]

7am california time, im about to go look at this 600 dollar truck in person, taking a dolly with me incase shes a keeper. ill post some pics if i buy it when i get back to the house

[fx2prerunner]

I know your leaning towards 2wd conversion but I thought id put this up http://www.cardomain.com/ride/343881

[bobbywalter]

keep the rear axle, sell all the 4x4 stuff and lift, use 2wd b2 or exporer beams or mod van beams/arms.

i would be tempted to scare up some stx brackets for the tib and run e series arms and relocated radius arm brackets with some e coils as well.

i probably could make money on this swap with a bolt on funmoblie.


if you want what dave has you better get to be goooooooooood friends with dave

[bobbywalter]

7am california time, im about to go look at this 600 dollar truck in person, taking a dolly with me incase shes a keeper. ill post some pics if i buy it when i get back to the house




if you get it for 4-6 hundred youcan definatly accomplish your goal with a shit ton of gas money to waste playing in the sand between parting the stang and ranger.


that or break even with a cage ect

[Bryan22]

find someone with a 2wd and trade them, someone would probably even put in some extra cash to trade you! easiest route i see :D not to mention if you're going to go pre-runner with the truck, you're not going to want the lift that's allready installed on that truck. Most likely has drop brackets, you'll want extended beams or at least bent beams. autofab makes some pretty decent kits at a reasonable price.

[dave@threat]

7am california time, im about to go look at this 600 dollar truck in person, taking a dolly with me incase shes a keeper. ill post some pics if i buy it when i get back to the house

Were you the guy that stopped by the other day?



if you want what dave has you better get to be goooooooooood friends with dave

Not sure what you mean by this can you explain?

[desertrunner]

well i bought the truck, got her for 500 bucks, got there and i brought a battery and some gas with me and some various tools to see if i could get it runnin atleast before i bought it, after playin with it she wouldnt accept power, the truck has been sittin for 2 years so im positive there has got to be a ton of corrosion on everything. havnt had a chance to get into in yet as ive got a 5 month old and im currently on baby detail but i felt really comfortable still buying it cause the guy i bought it from seemed honest and the truck is a 1 owner so that made me feel pretty good about it too.

my main reason for buying this exact truck is because my stepson (17) has a 90 4x4 ranger that is bone stock and he wants to do some stuff to it but he is dead broke as most teenagers are and cant afford anything so i figured it would be good because we could put all the 4x4 stuff on his and then i would have a good platform for my prerunner build. after getting it home though i got to thinkin if it is a decent running truck maybe after i get it running i could sell it and make alittle money off it and get a 2wd, all depends though, if it runs like crap im not gonna sink a dine into the 4.0, just gonna pull the driveline and make her a prerunner

heres a few pics of it, i have the front 35's but they are in the garage, had to put the lil fellas on the front so i could strap it down on the dolly, no way the dolly straps were gonna go over 35's. other than the front fenders the body is really straight, paint is drasticly faded but i dont really care, tryin to formulate a plan on a rough riders paint job that wouldnt make me a complete "wanna be" so to speak.

dave - i wasnt the guy that stopped by, i was askin where u are located cause i thought i read u were in riverside area and thats where i got the truck at, was gonna see if you were available so i could of brought it by so you can give me your thoughts on it. no biggy, im sure there will be plenty of time for that. im definately interested in seeing what you have to offer, as i stated before im 100% brand new to the prerunner sceen but not to 4 wheel drives, ive got a 79 cj5 that ive had for 14 years and ripped apart and rebuilt it 3 times, couldnt even count the cash ive got in it and its prolly worth about 50 bucks. had a 88 f150 that i built, 6 inch lift, trimmed fenders with bushwackers, 38 swampers, 5.13's etc. just put a 8 inch lift and 38s on the wifes excursion. blah blah blah

http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/8671/dsc03762.jpg
By badass79cj5 (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/badass79cj5), shot with DSC-P200 (http://profile.imageshack.us/camerabuy.php?model=DSC-P200&make=SONY) at 2009-03-01

http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/3469/dsc03763.jpg
By badass79cj5 (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/badass79cj5), shot with DSC-P200 (http://profile.imageshack.us/camerabuy.php?model=DSC-P200&make=SONY) at 2009-03-01

http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/5673/dsc03764.jpg
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http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/1051/dsc03765.jpg
By badass79cj5 (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/badass79cj5), shot with DSC-P200 (http://profile.imageshack.us/camerabuy.php?model=DSC-P200&make=SONY) at 2009-03-01

http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/4532/dsc03766.jpg
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http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/8366/009fi7.jpg
By badass79cj5 (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/badass79cj5), shot with DSC-P200 (http://profile.imageshack.us/camerabuy.php?model=DSC-P200&make=SONY) at 2008-12-22
f150

http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/7742/dsc02126.jpg
By badass79cj5 (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/badass79cj5), shot with DSC-P200 (http://profile.imageshack.us/camerabuy.php?model=DSC-P200&make=SONY) at 2009-03-01
my cj5

http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/1462/dsc02388.jpg
By badass79cj5 (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/badass79cj5), shot with DSC-P200 (http://profile.imageshack.us/camerabuy.php?model=DSC-P200&make=SONY) at 2009-03-01
my wifes hot rod

[desertrunner]

well doesnt that suck, i guess im not able to post pictures, hum maybe i did them wrong, lemme try and edit it

[desertrunner]

figured it out, i posted them wrong, lemme edit all of them, tell me what you guys think about the ranger...good deal for 500 bucks???? ill try and get some better pics tomorrow when i get the front 35s back on

[fastpakr]

Yeah, BII's and Explorers are a direct swap 4wd-2wd, Rangers have different engine crossmembers, but since you are pulling the 4.0 anyway, I don't see that big of a deal... For some reason Ford made it harder for Ranger guys... I'd just buy a junk 2wd truck and swap it all over...
Explorers are the same 2wd configuration as the Rangers with no dummy transfer case. Bronco II's are as you said (except for some of the late '90 models) though.

[Beanmachine7000]

I meant you didn't have to swap the cross member... I didn't clarify too well...

[fastpakr]

Eh? Far as I know 2wd Exploder front crossmember is identical to the Ranger configuration.

[Beanmachine7000]

Nope, an Ex is just like a BII, except with no dummy t-case, just swap out pass side beam bracket, and get a 4wd tranny and a t-case and you're golden... Guy on Explorerforum.com has done a bunch of swap... I'll find a link...

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1674044

[desertrunner]

got some updates for todays progress...

the first thing actually made me feel like a turd. so i hooked up some jumper cables to the battery and everything had power so obviously my battery was dead. i didnt think anything about it and just grabbed the battery out of my jeep and went to the truck and tried to start it with a dead battery. the guy i bought the truck from said he had no idea what could be wrong and i said i dont either cause i know my battery is good, and come to find out the whole problem was a dead battery.

next thing is i couldnt get the truck to turn over with the steering column. the truck had this little chip on it that the guy said the dealer he bought it from installed and sometimes it acts up, so i removed the whole thing, it had 6 wires total, 4 went to ground and 2 acted as a jumper for the ignition wire, anyhow i just butt spliced the wires and that was that. the truck turned over fine by jumping the solenoid.

i sprayed some starter fluid down the intake and with enough juice she spuddered, sprayed some more and she started for a split second. so i wasnt getting any fuel, turned the key back and forth and never heard the pump, checked all my fuses, checked for voltage at the fuse holders and also checked the impact cut off switch to make sure for some reason it wasnt triggered. everything checked good so that leads me to the fuel pump itself, so i start looking at how to remove the fuel tank and im kicking myself because i just put 10 gallons in it yesterday before i got home, but since it has the 3 inch body lift i started thinking maybe i could pull it out if i only had alittle more room, the thought crossed my mind to cut a hole in the bed to access the fuel sending unit and fuel pump since its gonna be mostly cut up anyways once it gets a full cage but i still didnt like that idea. so i removed the 6 bolts holding the bed on and then put the rear 2 back in finger tight so it is still lined up and doesnt fall off the truck, i then used my cherry picker to lift up the front of the bed. worked perfectly and to anyone who might have to change a fuel pump any time soon i highly recommend this because it was so flippin easy compared to droppin the entire tank. i got under the truck and had plenty of room to work and pulled the sending unit/fuel pump, once i got it removed i was about 90% sure the pump was the problem as it had about a 16th of rust covering the majority of it. just to be sure though i checked the wire connector that plugs into the top of the sending unit for voltage and it was good. so i went to autozone and picked up a fuel pump for just under 80 bucks got back to the house and reinstalled it. i then turned the key back and forth a few times to prime the system, and she fired up on the first bump. she ran really rough at first as the whole engine was shaking and it was spittin out this rust lookin water out the pipe. that didnt last long though, maybe a full minute to a minute and a half and a few bumps of the throttle, she now runs just as smooth as can be and the exhaust has completely cleared up. so i let it run for the duration of time that it took me to put remount the bed and it seemed to run better and better. taking it through the rpm range it knocks about 2500-2800.

i then remounted the 35s back on the front and took her for a spin around the block, she drives really good actually. brakes feel good, clutch feels good, drives straight and doesnt pull. got back to the house and parked it, while i cleaned up all the tools and put everything away i monitored it to see if it had any leaks and nothing. took it for another spin, this time paying more attention to the transmission, it makes a strange noise in first and second, third it makes a totally different noise, 4th and 5th it completely goes away. i dont have the first clue what thats all about.

tomorrow im goin to the local junk yard to see about getting a new steering column, my turn signals dont work as well as my starting with the column issue and im hoping i can find one for cheap that will take care of both of those issues. im also wondering if my starting with the column issue might have something to do with the neutral safety switch. will look more into that before i go to the yard.

sorry for such a long posting, was a pretty eventful day.

heres a few pics of the day

http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/5365/dsc03770.jpg
By badass79cj5 (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/badass79cj5), shot with DSC-P200 (http://profile.imageshack.us/camerabuy.php?model=DSC-P200&make=SONY) at 2009-03-02

http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/9990/dsc03772.jpg
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http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/7168/dsc03773m.jpg
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[desertrunner]

if you want what dave has you better get to be goooooooooood friends with dave

Not sure what you mean by this can you explain?

dave - reading over that again does this mean you only build stuff for your buddys or what? if so thats cool ill start looking into the camburg stuff in i guess. just let me know, thanks

[dave@threat]

dave - reading over that again does this mean you only build stuff for your buddys or what? if so thats cool ill start looking into the camburg stuff in i guess. just let me know, thanks


No I actually do this for a living. Thats why I asked him what his comment was suppose to mean. Only thing I can think of is he thinks my stuff is expensive so you need to be a good friend to get a deal???

[desertrunner]

in that case we are best friends right dave?

went to the junk yard this mornin, they have a few mid 80s bronco II's and rangers. they also have a 94 and a 90 explorer. both explorers are drum rears and are 2wd, what parts do i need to pull for the 2wd conversion? im confusing myself by reading about the crossmember, do i need it or no? the beams etc im just gonna hopefully get my best buddy dave to build so i dont really see much point in getting junkyard beams or other stuff unless they are parts i will end up using for the long travel setup.

also are there any other better parts i could steal off the explorers for the ranger or is there no real benefit in the other stuff?

they want 50 bucks for a fender so i think im gonna pass on that since ill end up flared fiberglass in a matter of time anyways. they also want 50 for a steering column so im gonna wait on that till i troubleshoot it alittle bit more to find out if thats my problem.

[84projectFORD]

in that case we are best friends right dave?

went to the junk yard this mornin, they have a few mid 80s bronco II's and rangers. they also have a 94 and a 90 explorer. both explorers are drum rears and are 2wd, what parts do i need to pull for the 2wd conversion? im confusing myself by reading about the crossmember, do i need it or no? the beams etc im just gonna hopefully get my best buddy dave to build so i dont really see much point in getting junkyard beams or other stuff unless they are parts i will end up using for the long travel setup.

also are there any other better parts i could steal off the explorers for the ranger or is there no real benefit in the other stuff?

they want 50 bucks for a fender so i think im gonna pass on that since ill end up flared fiberglass in a matter of time anyways. they also want 50 for a steering column so im gonna wait on that till i troubleshoot it alittle bit more to find out if thats my problem.

If your gunna have dave do your beams id jsut have him build the same equal lenght beams he is building for his buddy.

If you want to have bolt on beams from a 2wd ranger you WILL need to swap out crossmembers. I really recommend the equal lenght beams though as they jsut work better over all as dave has talked me into for my race truck. Oh and by the way, daves stuff is priced for the workin man that wants to go play on a buget :icon_thumby:.

[bobbywalter]

i dunno dave....have you seen your work?


pretty impressive stuff....at least to me anyway. he states he is long term po boyin' it' and i figure if he wants what you can do being a friend wouldnt hurt.


i know what i would pay for your truck, and i am a usually a cheap fawker.... but cheap does not cross my mind after gawking at your pictures..

outstanding is to weak a word.


where are you located? i would like to see it if that is ok?



the suk is i was thinkin of buying a decent 88 last weekend and changed my mind after i got ganked on a seperate deal and then seen these pics of the 500 dollar cali stuff again.


the pain.....yu guys just dont know how well you have it.

[desertrunner]

If your gunna have dave do your beams id jsut have him build the same equal lenght beams he is building for his buddy.

If you want to have bolt on beams from a 2wd ranger you WILL need to swap out crossmembers. I really recommend the equal lenght beams though as they jsut work better over all as dave has talked me into for my race truck. Oh and by the way, daves stuff is priced for the workin man that wants to go play on a buget :icon_thumby:.

ok im understanding now, equal length threat beams i dont need to swap out the crossmember but if i go aftermarket beams such as camburgs ill have to swap out the crossmember for sure, correct? if thats the case the truck is a keeper and ill use this one for my prerunner platform

[desertrunner]

ya i dont think she is too bad for 500 bucks, i didnt buy it for the engine/trans so its just an added bonus that it runs and drives which will definately help out while the build is in progress, im thinkin i might start on the suspension first and do the engine/trans later this way the truck will be mobile 95% of the time, im thinkin at bare minimum im gonna have a month or longer of it not being mobile while i do the engine/trans swap. i really desire to stay efi so im expecting it to be quite a chore.

i didnt get any further troubleshooting the truck not starting with via the key in the steering column, anyone got any suggestions, i contacted the previous owner and he said he never had a problem with it not starting with the column so it doesnt make much since, he did say that the clutch pedal had to be pushed in hard for the neutral safety switch to activate, is this adjustable? i havnt looked into it yet, its on the to do list tomorrow.

i didnt do much more today after the junkyard, i did take off the drivers fender and straighten it out the best i could with a rubber mallet, i couldnt really justify spending 50 bucks on another fender that is just going to be replaced anyways with flared ones so i just removed the fender i have and straightened it out the best i could, then i went to the car wash and tried to get her clean, must of cost me 20 bucks in quarters, there was some sort of film built up on the entire truck from sitting so long i guess, i got about 80% of it i believe, the paint looks alotttt better, dont get me wrong its not gonna win any car show awards but compared to it was it looks alot better.

tomorrow i think im gonna swap the tires around, gonna be putting these 35's on my jeep and i have some good 33's that im gonna put on the ranger, after that im gonna work on removing the body lift.

few pics...

http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/6902/dsc03776.jpg
By badass79cj5 (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/badass79cj5), shot with DSC-P200 (http://profile.imageshack.us/camerabuy.php?model=DSC-P200&make=SONY) at 2009-03-03

http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/9449/dsc03777y.jpg
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http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/4475/dsc03778.jpg
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http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/2015/dsc03779.jpg
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http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/8325/dsc03780.jpg
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http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/2609/dsc03781b.jpg
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[84projectFORD]

ok im understanding now, equal length threat beams i dont need to swap out the crossmember but if i go aftermarket beams such as camburgs ill have to swap out the crossmember for sure, correct? if thats the case the truck is a keeper and ill use this one for my prerunner platform

Yes using Daves beams that he is currently building for his buddy will work on your truck unless im incorrect. To use unequal lenght beams that a regular 2wd ranger uses you will have to switch crossmembers. so yes you are correct, just givin ya a bit more information.

Truck looks great though! Reminds me of when i bought my 84. The new guy at my auto shop had it and was only keepin it for a short time before sellin it so i said when you do let me know. Well later that week he said he was sellin it and wanted me to know first. I said ok, how much? he said i dunno as i traded a ported and polished atv cylinder head for it. Now this truck at the time was four different colors, had bald 31s, the fiberglass fenders were in great shape, the tranny had a shit ton of slop in the shifter and the 2.8 was kinda tired. I told him id give him 400 buks for it and that way i could just go beat the hell out of it as it had a decent 5.5" lift on it. Well one thing led to another and now its turing into a full blown race truck lol.

be careful as the bug may bite you too!

[Lindenmooch]

I'm very interested in this 4 to 2wd conversion....as I'm looking to buy a Ranger for prerunning. I see more 4x4's than not...and I don't think I need or want the extra weight and cost.

We could use a swap like this in the tech library....so noobs like myself don't have to constantly bug the experts in the forum. =)

[desertrunner]

Yes using Daves beams that he is currently building for his buddy will work on your truck unless im incorrect. To use unequal lenght beams that a regular 2wd ranger uses you will have to switch crossmembers. so yes you are correct, just givin ya a bit more information.

Truck looks great though! Reminds me of when i bought my 84. The new guy at my auto shop had it and was only keepin it for a short time before sellin it so i said when you do let me know. Well later that week he said he was sellin it and wanted me to know first. I said ok, how much? he said i dunno as i traded a ported and polished atv cylinder head for it. Now this truck at the time was four different colors, had bald 31s, the fiberglass fenders were in great shape, the tranny had a shit ton of slop in the shifter and the 2.8 was kinda tired. I told him id give him 400 buks for it and that way i could just go beat the hell out of it as it had a decent 5.5" lift on it. Well one thing led to another and now its turing into a full blown race truck lol.

be careful as the bug may bite you too!

thats great info cause i really didnt wanna go through the hassle of changin the crossmember.

wow i thought i got a good deal, yours sounds like what mine is now and also what mine will eventually be.... the wife hit the brakes on my prerunner build for now, she says to run it the way it is so i agreed. gotta get some cash flowin b4 i get crazy on the project. so for now im gonna try and make the truck more liveable. i did break down today and go get a steering column from the junk yard, gonna install it tomorrow. im thinking the exterior and interior is gonna be multi colored here soon. they have some explorers at the yard with good fenders im thinkin about snaggin, one explorer has a good left fender, the other explorer has a good right fender, the best part is one is a light faded red, the other is purple and my truck is dark red, should be pretty sweet. whats even cooler then that is none of these trucks at the junk yard have gray interior, so today i snagged some tan sun visors and a tan center console. im also lookin for a good set of seats, the ones in the trucks at the yard are trashed, if i cant find a good set i might get the trashed ones and have them redone. theres nothing wrong with the seats i have but i really like the idea of having the center console.

[bobbywalter]

why did you buy a steering column?

[desertrunner]

why did you buy a steering column?

well im 6'2" so i really wanted a tilt column cause i beat up my knees everytime i get in and out of the truck, also my signals dont work (either direction) and i cant start the truck via the column, ive ad to jump it from the solinoid everytime i start it. im hoping these other problems are related to the column but if not i atleast got the tilt out of it and i had a credit at the junkyard so i got it for free. :icon_thumby:

[fx2prerunner]

free is always good, looks like you got a fun toy to play with and a good base for a prerunner, cant wait to see more.

[desertrunner]

free is always good, looks like you got a fun toy to play with and a good base for a prerunner, cant wait to see more.

thanks, i appriciate it, its a work in progress and will be awhile before it is a prerunner but im gonna keep tinkering with it and ill get there one day.

well i didnt get around to doing anything to the ranger today, i had to go down to van nuys this morning to do some stuff. while i was down there i went to the "pick your part" yard and spent the better half of the day scrounging around lookin for stuff. they have a huge yard but no kidding there might have been 6 rangers total and they were all gutted. i did find out that they had a totally different section of the yard that was strictly for 97 and up vehicles but they wanted 2 more bucks to check that side out so i passed for now. they are gonna have a 50% off everything sale the 13th-15th of march so maybe ill go back then and check that side out.

i did however find some gray double sun visors out of an explorer, u know the ones that allow u to turn the main visor towards the door window and then flip down another one for the windshield, so i snagged those, also snagged a gray console from the same explorer.

then i had a stupid thought, look for seats, i read through the library on what seats will bolt right up but i couldnt really find any that i liked or that were in good shape at the yard, the ones i liked were trashed and the ones i didnt like were in excellent shape, go figure. so for some reason i thought i read something about second generation probe seats, i found a set that i really liked, they are mostly black with a gray design in them and the drivers side is even power. so im satisfied and remove them and get back to the house and look in the tech library again, NOPE the probe seats are not on the library for bolting right up, so then i did a search to see if there are any writeups and i didnt find anything other then people asking questions to see if they would fit or not but no one actually doing it. does anyone know of a writeup on installing these that you can send me a link too? ive got an idea of how im gonna try it, im gonna try the passenger seat first, gonna jump on it tomorrow morning and see what i can come up with. while i have the drivers seat out im gonna swap the column.

i got a question that i posted in the exterior forum but it hasnt got a response yet. just eyeballin the explorer front fenders they appear that they flare out alot more then the rangers and the flare is also much higher. i know by putting the explorer fenders on a ranger the body lines will not line up but what im wondering is if it would be worth swapping them for the extra flare they have for the possibility of tucking the tires at full compression?

heres a few pics of my seats and my new console

http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/8941/dsc03784q.jpg
probe seat is on the left, looks like they are gonna sit about 3 inchs lower than the rangers

http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/473/dsc03785f.jpg
hard to tell in this picture but the probe seats have this fancy pocket in the back of them. no idea what im gonna use them for but i thought it was a pretty cool lil feature

http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/1958/dsc03783r.jpg
picture of the seat brackets, DRASTICLY different but i aint skerred!

http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/2195/dsc03786e.jpg
my fancy explorer console with cup holders, gonna figure out how mount a cb in it.

[desertrunner]

well fellas ive got the probe seats in. now i understand why no one ever puts probe seats in rangers. what a freakin pain. all in all it wasnt that bad but theres no way id ever do it again, id just get a set that directly bolts in and be done with it.

the positives to having them in are i have a ton of leg room, way more then i need and im not even back all the way with the seat. the seats are unbelieveably comfortable, i adjusted the bolster to tighten in on my sides, adjusted the lumbar etc, super super comfy seats! i honestly cant say enough about how comfy they are. what a difference!

the negatives to having them are the drivers seat isnt centered on the steering wheel, sits a good bit to the left, the tracks are so wide that i pushed them as far over as i could towards the transmission hump but it still isnt centered, its not so far over that its a problem but it is something that i noticed. both the drivers and passengers seat are so wide that they make contact with the door panels, nothing to where i have to worry about it breaking something but you definately gotta give the door a good push to get it shut all the way.

i also changed out my steering column before installing the drivers seat. im 3 for 3 on the column, i now have turn signals, i can now start the truck via the key and ive also got the tilt. cant be any happier about that. i do have one problem with the new column, its a cruise control column so the wiring for the horn is different so i dont know which wires to cut and splice for the horn to work. anyone got any experience with this?

o i forgot to mention, i went and looked at the explorer fenders again and took some measurements, just by some rough measurements it flares out a half an inch wider than the rangers does and also it flares a full inch higher than the rangers does. after taking these measurements im really not thinking that 50 bucks a fender is really worth it for that little of a difference but who knows if i can get both of them for 50 bucks i might consider it since they are way straighter then mine are.

tomorrow im gonna get my tires swapped around and try and get a front end alignment.

ive got a few questions...

will an explorer driveshaft work on a ranger? im interested in doing the 1 piece driveshaft conversion but my local yard only has explorers, no newer rangers.

i currently have a 3 inch body lift on the truck that i havnt got around to removing yet... if i do the rear shackle flip will this allow the shackle to clear the bed or will i need to cut the bed regardless?

i was reading in the tech library about swapping in explorer springs in place of the rangers. one guy was saying that he did a mixed spring set up with both the ranger and explorer springs and gained 3.5 inchs of lift. i have a 3.5 inch lift block in the rear of my truck so would this be worth doing to get rid of the block and just have a hybrid spring, or would the spring be so stiff at that point that it wouldnt flex good at all?

are there any other things i can steal out of an explorer that would be of benefit to my truck or is it basicly all the same? i read that the explorer has 31 spline with a trac lock but with it being so much wider is it worth doing since the donor explorer still doesnt have disc brakes?

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/badass79cj5/DSC03791.jpg passenger side probe bucket

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/badass79cj5/DSC03792.jpg

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/badass79cj5/DSC03802.jpg drivers side probe bucket

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/badass79cj5/DSC03803.jpg

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/badass79cj5/DSC03790.jpg reenforcement squares i cut up

[fx2prerunner]

glad to hear the column worked out and the seats look good. If you flip the shackle you will loose height but with stock shackles you wont have to cut, with or without a body lift and the explorer leafs might compensate for the loss of height. Now I got a question for you, What axel is in your truck now. definatly look for a rear with discs, I put in a 8.8 with drums cause of the trac loc and 3.73's but my truck is 2wd and I couldn't find one with discs, you need to make sure the ratio in the new axel is the same as your front gears, your truck is 4x4 so you have lots of traction, the trac loc wont make a big difference right now so hold out for a 8.8 with discs and the right ratio, also you should check to see if the gears have been changed from stock by the last owner where it has larger tires.

[desertrunner]

good to go on the shackle reversal

i have an 8.8 but ive read that my year for sure is a 28 spline open diff and has the 10 inch brakes. the previous owner told me he had the gears changed to 4.56's i have not verified it yet though, i swapped the tires around to some 33's i had today and now what feels like 60ish in 5th is 2000 rpm'ish but my internal speedo could be off so im gonna pull a cover and find out.

after i took the truck to get the tires changed around i went to get an alignment done. well the guy tells me it cant be done so i ask why and he takes me into the pit and shows me that my right lower ball joint is shot, the right outter tie rod end is pretty beat as well, both bushings where the twin traction beams pivot are shot and the wheel bearings on both sides are toast. so directly after that i told him just to back it back out and i decided its time to take it to the desert. :headbang:

well i thought i was cool cause i was rippin around at about 40-45 mph over some bumpy dirt roads and then i stumbled on what appeared to be a dirt bike or 4 wheeler trail because it was so narrow and the turns were so tight and i started playin around on that trying to go as fast as i could over it just having a good time, i was bouncing so much that i overlooked a large bump and had no time to slow down and i jumped it, it wasnt big or anything but it was big enough to tell i was airborn. i was stunned that the truck took it so well so i turned back around and kept hitting it purposely now faster and faster each time until i finally hit it so fast that the truck completely bottomed out on the landing so i figured that was enough for the day but my god was it fun! the next thing i knew i was doing 50-55 over the same stuff i was doing 40-45 on before, very addicting!

for now im gonna leave the front end as it is, i cant really justify putting money into it when im planning on converting it to a 2 wheeler. if for whatever reason i decide to keep it a 4wd i figure nows a perfect time to convert the d35 to the d44 outters

[84projectFORD]

good to go on the shackle reversal

i have an 8.8 but ive read that my year for sure is a 28 spline open diff and has the 10 inch brakes. the previous owner told me he had the gears changed to 4.56's i have not verified it yet though, i swapped the tires around to some 33's i had today and now what feels like 60ish in 5th is 2000 rpm'ish but my internal speedo could be off so im gonna pull a cover and find out.

after i took the truck to get the tires changed around i went to get an alignment done. well the guy tells me it cant be done so i ask why and he takes me into the pit and shows me that my right lower ball joint is shot, the right outter tie rod end is pretty beat as well, both bushings where the twin traction beams pivot are shot and the wheel bearings on both sides are toast. so directly after that i told him just to back it back out and i decided its time to take it to the desert. :headbang:

well i thought i was cool cause i was rippin around at about 40-45 mph over some bumpy dirt roads and then i stumbled on what appeared to be a dirt bike or 4 wheeler trail because it was so narrow and the turns were so tight and i started playin around on that trying to go as fast as i could over it just having a good time, i was bouncing so much that i overlooked a large bump and had no time to slow down and i jumped it, it wasnt big or anything but it was big enough to tell i was airborn. i was stunned that the truck took it so well so i turned back around and kept hitting it purposely now faster and faster each time until i finally hit it so fast that the truck completely bottomed out on the landing so i figured that was enough for the day but my god was it fun! the next thing i knew i was doing 50-55 over the same stuff i was doing 40-45 on before, very addicting!

for now im gonna leave the front end as it is, i cant really justify putting money into it when im planning on converting it to a 2 wheeler. if for whatever reason i decide to keep it a 4wd i figure nows a perfect time to convert the d35 to the d44 outters


hahaha your tellin me! i was hooked the first time i rode in a long travel race car. now im spendin my all my hard earned money on my ranger lol. Careful cause it can make your ass go bankrupt :D. We have all been tryin to tell Jim (the founder) that when he come out here for the Primm race that he will be addicted. he seems to think not but im sure the bug will bite, the newer ranger he has im sure will be goin under the knife :icon_welder:

[desertrunner]

hahaha your tellin me! i was hooked the first time i rode in a long travel race car. now im spendin my all my hard earned money on my ranger lol. Careful cause it can make your ass go bankrupt :D. We have all been tryin to tell Jim (the founder) that when he come out here for the Primm race that he will be addicted. he seems to think not but im sure the bug will bite, the newer ranger he has im sure will be goin under the knife :icon_welder:

ya the last time i went to the junkyard my wife actually asked me how much i spent, i said um well i got alot of good parts, she says how much, i said well look at what all i got, she said how much, so i bowed my head and said 160 bucks, she says how did you spend 160 bucks and i said on some good parts that the red rocket really needed, she said uhh huh so does that mean i get to go get the new cell phone i want, i said hum...

i honestly dont see how anyone into any type of motorsports or cars in general wouldnt love prerunning. its one thing to jump a hill on a dirt bike or a 4 wheeler but its totally different in an actual vehicle. he will be addicted fo sho!

i got to lookin at the front of my truck after i jumped that hill a few times and i destroyed my drivers side bump stop, its afu. but i had a good time doing it so its cool, part of the game.

i started my rear shackle reversal today, im about halfway done with the drivers side and i still gotta do the passengers side. i got the rear leafs out of a 4 door explorer and have combined them with my rangers, i doubt it will give me the 3.5 inchs since i dont have add-a-leafs or anything but it sure would be nice to totally get rid of that block i have in the rear. eventually im thinking they are gonna crack but who knows maybe they will hang in there for awhile.

:icon_cheers:

[fx2prerunner]

man I love seeing a junk yard build, do us all a favor and I know you will without me asking but TAKE PICS we want to see those leafs.

Did you get the center console in yet?

I guess its a safe bet that your wife got her cell phone. I bet she didnt care how many good parts you got (if she is anything like my girlfriend) just what you spent ha ha.

[84projectFORD]

haha i totally agreee on the wife thing. My soon to be wife is the same. i send 1,000 on the ranger or the diesel and she says "well can i go buy the coach purse then??". i have to keep tellin her that untill we are offcially married that my money is MY money lol.

[desertrunner]

man I love seeing a junk yard build, do us all a favor and I know you will without me asking but TAKE PICS we want to see those leafs.

Did you get the center console in yet?

I guess its a safe bet that your wife got her cell phone. I bet she didnt care how many good parts you got (if she is anything like my girlfriend) just what you spent ha ha.

i had alot of things goin on today so i only got the left side done but its not too bad, no idea how its gonna ride or flex and im kinda nervous about it. ill get some pics tomorrow when i get the right side done as well

havnt got the console in yet

ya she will prolly get her cell phone, she is the type of girl that has to have her nails and hair done on a routine basis to stay with the "times" so now she wants a new cell phone, for the most part she always gets what she wants. ya she doesnt really care what i got at all just how much was spent, i honestly think she only asks just so she can use it against me at a later time when she wants something, such as this cell phone.

haha i totally agreee on the wife thing. My soon to be wife is the same. i send 1,000 on the ranger or the diesel and she says "well can i go buy the coach purse then??". i have to keep tellin her that untill we are offcially married that my money is MY money lol.

dude i wish i had that power, im already married and my wife looks at it as if my money is her money and her money is her money so im just assed out all around. dont get me wrong she is cool though, doesnt care one bit about all my projects, her dad is the same way so she grew up around in the gearhead life.

-------------------

the shackle reversal and flip was really easy, gave me a chance to wire wheel a good section of the surface rust on the frame as well, primered her up and put some black on it. by me doing the reversal im assuming that i lost 2 inchs or so but with me combining the leafs i gained about the same so the ride height is the same. i did realize once i got under there that my shocks are way too short, i disconnected the shock at ride height and ive only got about an inch and a half more shock left for droop, not even kidding. so my shackle reversal is pointless until i get longer shocks.

should i just remove the lift blocks and leave it since that will give me 3.5 inchs further on the shocks travel? should i take the springs back apart and do a different combo? talk to me prerunner goo roos i need some direction!

my leaf pack consists of:

explorer top spring
explorer second spring
ranger middle spring
explorer third spring
ranger overload

[fx2prerunner]

leave the leaf pack the way it is and try to find some longer shocks, if you are going long travel your gonna end up with a deaver leafpack anyway so run the pack you got and maybe someone got a old set of shocks their not using anymore that could find a good home under your truck. SO ANYONE GOT A SET OF LONGER REAR SHOCKS TO HELP OUT OUR GOOD BUDDY DESERTRUNNER?

And about the wife, ahhh yeah lastnight my girlfriend and I got in a argument and something I did two years ago got thrown in my face. Every chance she gets to use something aginst me she do, but the money is all mine and i'll blow it however I want to.

[desertrunner]

ya i cant believe that about the shocks, that really sucks, the previous owner must not have ever changed them over once the lift was installed so i assume i am going to need longer ones for the front as well.

i pulled my rear diff cover, verified that i do indeed have 4.56's after doing the math on the teeth count. so thats pretty flippin sweet! :headbang:

my step son has been talkin alot of crap so tomorrow we are going to have a dual. gonna bring the tow strap for whoever breaks down first.

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/badass79cj5/DSC03815.jpg
my trusty cherry picker comes in handy once again

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/badass79cj5/DSC03816.jpg
frame after i cleaned her up

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/badass79cj5/DSC03819.jpg
ranger leaf pack next to the explorer leaf pack

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/badass79cj5/DSC03820.jpg
my "hybrid" leaf pack

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/badass79cj5/DSC03823.jpg
shackle reversal

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/badass79cj5/DSC03821.jpg
back together

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/badass79cj5/DSC03824.jpg
back together 2

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/badass79cj5/DSC03825.jpg
ride height after shackle reversal and "hybrid" spring install, looks exactly the same, i didnt lose anything nor did i gain anything

[fx2prerunner]

lookin good,common...flex pics LOL

[desertrunner]

dont have any flex pics yet. ill get some though, quick question on flex though, with the rear shackle reversal will the springs only go into full droop if both rear tires are dropping? the reason i ask is i took it on some hills yesterday and one of the rear tires was off the ground but the shackle wasnt extended out, i figure it didnt extend because the springs themselves were in a twisting bind from one tire being stuffed and the other at droop

also i remembered some shocks that i had in the garage stored away that came off our excursion when it had a 4 inch lift on it when we got it. the rears i used on the rear of the ranger, they are about 4 inchs longer then what was on the ranger at full extention. the fronts i wont be able to use with the stock ranger mount since the top of the ranger mount uses the stud type shock and the excursion uses the eyelet on top.

now for my carnage.... took the ranger out yesterday and jumped it over some little stuff. got back to the house and noticed the front axle was severely wet. didnt think much of it other then maybe i need to extend out the breather tube off the top of the axle so this morning after i changed the fluid in the tranny and transfercase i went to the front axle to inspect the breather tube, well right next to the breather tube was a nice 3 inch hold and from what i can see it looks like the pinion is destroyed. im assuming that when i jumped it hard a week or so ago and it bottomed out and destroyed the bump stop that it must have cracked the case then and when i took it out yesterday and jumped a few times it must have hit again and went all the way through. pretty crappy since there was a good 4.56 gearset in that front axle. pretty good on the other hand cause now i can rip the front axle out and go 2wd if i want. :icon_welder:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/badass79cj5/DSC03830.jpg
drain pulg from the tranny, nice huh, the fluid was almost black, pretty sure thats the origional fluid

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/badass79cj5/DSC03832.jpg
side view, this is what i first saw when i was looking at the breather tube :icon_confused:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/badass79cj5/DSC03834.jpg
nice huh

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/badass79cj5/DSC03835.jpg
poor gearset :dunno:

[RaceRanger97]

On my shackle flip the leafs wont droop out unless they both go. kind of anoying, my rear inside tire comes off the ground everytime i take an off-ramp quickly. Ive seen a few desert trucks that use a uniball on the bottom side of their shackle so that it doesn't resist the twisting motion so much. here is a pic:

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd33/RaceRanger97/uniball.jpg

[fx2prerunner]

On my shackle flip the leafs wont droop out unless they both go. kind of anoying, my rear inside tire comes off the ground everytime i take an off-ramp quickly. Ive seen a few desert trucks that use a uniball on the bottom side of their shackle so that it doesn't resist the twisting motion so much. here is a pic:

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd33/RaceRanger97/uniball.jpg

thats interesting... I get my shackles built and then see this. HMMM :annoyed: oh well

[desertrunner]

Eh? Far as I know 2wd Exploder front crossmember is identical to the Ranger configuration.

it took my carnage for me to finally investigate this. went to the yard today and got to lookin at a 2wd ranger, 100% no if's and's or but's about it the crossmember is way different than the 4wd ranger crossmember. went and looked at a 2wd explorer, looked too good to be true so i went back out to my truck and looked at it again, then went back to the explorer, exact match. just by eye ballin it im 95% positive they are exactly the same.

i removed the i-beam set up to include ibeams, radius arms, tie rods, the outters, and the passenger side pivot bracket. the drivers side pivot bracket looks like it is the same as whats on my truck but it was hard to tell by just eye ballin it since mine has the drop bracket installed because of the lift. i used my saw zaw to cut out a section of the crossmember which included the drivers pivot bracket since it is rivoted in from the factory just incase it is different.

i havnt had a chance to start workin on it yet cause im on baby duty again and will be for most of tomorrow as well but again im about 95% sure this is going to be a bolt on operation. i will without a doubt take pictures and notes along the way so that if it all works like i hope it does maybe the writeup can be put into the tech library for future reference.

On my shackle flip the leafs wont droop out unless they both go. kind of anoying, my rear inside tire comes off the ground everytime i take an off-ramp quickly. Ive seen a few desert trucks that use a uniball on the bottom side of their shackle so that it doesn't resist the twisting motion so much. here is a pic:

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd33/RaceRanger97/uniball.jpg

nice! ive gotta get me a welder, i had a 110 volt lincoln but i sold it with the intentions of using the money to turn around and buy a better welder. im pretty sure i just used the money to buy beer or somethin. anyone ever try and put teraflex shackles on the back of a ranger? i run them on the back of my jeep, helps out tremendous for flex on the rear because it twists along with the leaf spring so there is 0 binding but this is also just crawlin around, no idea how they would hold up to high speed punishment.

well the baby is cryin so its time for me to start drinkin :icon_cheers:

[Beanmachine7000]

it took my carnage for me to finally investigate this. went to the yard today and got to lookin at a 2wd ranger, 100% no if's and's or but's about it the crossmember is way different than the 4wd ranger crossmember. went and looked at a 2wd explorer, looked too good to be true so i went back out to my truck and looked at it again, then went back to the explorer, exact match. just by eye ballin it im 95% positive they are exactly the same.

i removed the i-beam set up to include ibeams, radius arms, tie rods, the outters, and the passenger side pivot bracket. the drivers side pivot bracket looks like it is the same as whats on my truck but it was hard to tell by just eye ballin it since mine has the drop bracket installed because of the lift. i used my saw zaw to cut out a section of the crossmember which included the drivers pivot bracket since it is rivoted in from the factory just incase it is different.

i havnt had a chance to start workin on it yet cause im on baby duty again and will be for most of tomorrow as well but again im about 95% sure this is going to be a bolt on operation. i will without a doubt take pictures and notes along the way so that if it all works like i hope it does maybe the writeup can be put into the tech library for future reference.

well the baby is cryin so its time for me to start drinkin :icon_cheers:

Yeah, BII's and Explorers have the same cross member 2wd or 4wd... It's Rangers that are weird...

[desertrunner]

Yeah, BII's and Explorers have the same cross member 2wd or 4wd... It's Rangers that are weird...

right on... the first time i was reading about the crossmembers i really confused myself about what was what. then i just got to thinkin screw it all and go with daves equal length set up when i have the money. then i decided it would be a swift idea to put a hole in the top of my axles pumpkin and i really dont like the idea of cruisin around with a hole in the axle even though it isnt spinning so im gonna go ahead and convert it to a 2 wheeler and once money allows ill still go with daves equal length set up.

are the brake caliper set ups the same as far as the mounting and 2wd to 4wd or do i need to to get 2wd explorer calipers? the donor explorer was a 92 and also my ranger is a 92 if that says anything

are the radius arms the same for 2wd and 4wd? the reason i ask is the pass side of the explorers is worn a bit, nothing horrible but if i could just use the 4wd ones that would help

i was planning on removing all of the drop brackets, is this a good idea or is it a better idea to leave them and run them with the 2wd beams since the 2wd beams are stockers and obviously arent bent which would drasticly effect the camber to where i seriously doubt they could be adjusted since i have the lift coil springs. i grabbed the explorer springs just in case.

what about the steering set up? will the explorer tie rods line up perfectly with my steering box or will i need to run my ranger tie rods? or are they exactly the same? looks like the explorer tie rods have alot more bends in them.

is there anything else i should be expecting for this swap? trying to formulate a plan of attack for this swap to minimize downtime as much as possible

[Beanmachine7000]

You'll need everything from the 2wd, including steering set-up... Radius arms are different between 2wd and 4wd (4wd beams are wider)... I'm not sure if calipers are different (I think they might be the same, I don't know though) but rotor will be very different... If I were you I'd just swap everything instead of trying to mix and match...

[desertrunner]

whats up fellas? nothing new with the ranger since my last posting. been pretty busy the last week sharing the love with my stroker stang.

anyhow met up with the in-laws over the weekend and was talkin with my father-in-law about my old truck which lead to the subject of this 95 mustang ive been tryin to sell. to make a long story short he threw a trade offer at me that im biting my nails on cause im really interested in doing it, but i wanted to run my thoughts across some of you guys that know prerunners to get some insite before i get too carried away.

months back my father-in-law was trying to start up a handy man business and needed a truck so since my truck was sitting on the side of my house doing nothing i sold it to him for 3 grand to help him out under the agreement that if he were to ever want to sell the truck he would offer it back to me. well his handy man business didnt go as well as hoped and now he doesnt really have a need for a truck anymore and now he lives near a drag strip so now he wants to build a car for the track.

the trade offer is to trade me back my truck (88 f-150 4wd) as well as a 1987 f-350 4wd with a 460/c6 for this 95 mustang gt that ive been trying to sell.

here are pics of each

http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/8366/009fi7.jpg

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/badass79cj5/d0beb1fe-7ce4-4d2e-b.jpg

http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/9021/dsc03595jg8.jpg

here is what i "think" my plan would be if this goes through...

remove the 4.0/5 speed out of the ranger and keep as spares for my step sons truck

remove the 302/5 speed set up out of the f150 and put into the ranger

remove the 460/c6 from the f350 and install into the brown f150

remove the axles out of the 1 ton and set them aside for my jeep

sell the flat bed off the f350

sell the ranger

trash remainder of f350 parts i cannot use nor have a use for

brown f150 is now the prerunner project

im really liking the idea of this whole thing but its along road to get all of this done so its definately not going to happen overnight. i guess the main reason im liking this idea so much is i know everything about my brown truck front to back top to bottom, i know its a good solid truck and what im working with.

are there any obvious problems with this that stick out to anyone? will a f150 single cab be a good canadiate for a prerunner or is this just a horrible idea all together?

[fx2prerunner]

WOW thats alot of work and alot of swapping stuff, dont know what to tell you maybe dave@threat can give you some advice

[84projectFORD]

whats up fellas? nothing new with the ranger since my last posting. been pretty busy the last week sharing the love with my stroker stang.

anyhow met up with the in-laws over the weekend and was talkin with my father-in-law about my old truck which lead to the subject of this 95 mustang ive been tryin to sell. to make a long story short he threw a trade offer at me that im biting my nails on cause im really interested in doing it, but i wanted to run my thoughts across some of you guys that know prerunners to get some insite before i get too carried away.

months back my father-in-law was trying to start up a handy man business and needed a truck so since my truck was sitting on the side of my house doing nothing i sold it to him for 3 grand to help him out under the agreement that if he were to ever want to sell the truck he would offer it back to me. well his handy man business didnt go as well as hoped and now he doesnt really have a need for a truck anymore and now he lives near a drag strip so now he wants to build a car for the track.

the trade offer is to trade me back my truck (88 f-150 4wd) as well as a 1987 f-350 4wd with a 460/c6 for this 95 mustang gt that ive been trying to sell.

here are pics of each


here is what i "think" my plan would be if this goes through...

remove the 4.0/5 speed out of the ranger and keep as spares for my step sons truck

remove the 302/5 speed set up out of the f150 and put into the ranger

remove the 460/c6 from the f350 and install into the brown f150

remove the axles out of the 1 ton and set them aside for my jeep

sell the flat bed off the f350

sell the ranger

trash remainder of f350 parts i cannot use nor have a use for

brown f150 is now the prerunner project

im really liking the idea of this whole thing but its along road to get all of this done so its definately not going to happen overnight. i guess the main reason im liking this idea so much is i know everything about my brown truck front to back top to bottom, i know its a good solid truck and what im working with.

are there any obvious problems with this that stick out to anyone? will a f150 single cab be a good canadiate for a prerunner or is this just a horrible idea all together?

If i were you id trade for the two truck and then turn around and sell them both, you would have enough to really get your ranger goin. If you turn the F150 in to a prerunner its gunna be a bit more expnesive in my opinion.

the ter-a-flex shackels are a bad idea. when your crawlin the tires are not flyin on and off the ground so you dont feel the shackel coming apart to allow more flex. In off road racing, your constantly having all your tires or atleast two tires coming off the ground at the same time. so when you hit the ground you will hear a loud "SNAP" as the shackels fall back together again. eventually they will break.

I think your hole in the diff is from your drop braket hittin the case, not the diff blowin apart. the 4.56 should still be good. If you take the spring out of the driv3er side and fully compress the driver side beam ill bet you see the diff hit the drop bracket or crossmember.

[desertrunner]

WOW thats alot of work and alot of swapping stuff, dont know what to tell you maybe dave@threat can give you some advice

ya thats the scarey part, ive already changed ideas around anyhow as far as the swaps would go, doesnt even seem practical at all to put the 460 in the 150, the 1987 f350 460 had 220hp and 360ftlbs of torque, a stock mass air 302 out of a stang has 225hp and 300ftlbs of torque, doesnt seem worth the trouble or expense to even consider the 460 idea.

If i were you id trade for the two truck and then turn around and sell them both, you would have enough to really get your ranger goin. If you turn the F150 in to a prerunner its gunna be a bit more expnesive in my opinion.

the ter-a-flex shackels are a bad idea. when your crawlin the tires are not flyin on and off the ground so you dont feel the shackel coming apart to allow more flex. In off road racing, your constantly having all your tires or atleast two tires coming off the ground at the same time. so when you hit the ground you will hear a loud "SNAP" as the shackels fall back together again. eventually they will break.

I think your hole in the diff is from your drop braket hittin the case, not the diff blowin apart. the 4.56 should still be good. If you take the spring out of the driv3er side and fully compress the driver side beam ill bet you see the diff hit the drop bracket or crossmember.

ya id definately consider the trade and then selling both trucks off then using the money for the ranger. my origional thinking is that the 150 would be a stronger platform since its a half ton but i guess with the added weight it isnt really any better?

thats what i figured on the teraflex shackles, just a rock crawlin thing, couldnt handle the prerunner abuse

the hole in the diff is for sure from the drop bracket hitting, the reason i think the r&p is shot is because when i hit the dirt i lock the hubs just to save myself the 14 seconds it would take me to get out of the truck and lock them if i were to get into a jam. so the front axle was spinning but the tcase was still in 2wd when this happened so the bits of case were floating around in the oil and im pretty sure jammed in the teeth twice. absoultely no idea what the condition is until i pull it apart but im thinkin they are shot.

no idea if im gonna do this trade for sure or not, still weighing out all the options and possibilitys, selling the mustang isnt going in my favor so by doing the trade mentally i would somewhat feel like im moving forward.

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/badass79cj5/DSC03835-1.jpg

[simonsays]

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/badass79cj5/DSC03802.jpg drivers side probe bucket


my brother put those seats in his ranger too.. they are pretty nice seats.

[TayCo 7s]

dude you can use the 4x4 ibeams just take out all the beef from the 4x4 reinforce the beams the truck is perfect 4.0, the tire 35´s sounds awesome! come on its perfect
C:\Documents and Settings\Administrador\Mis documentos\Mis imágenes\tapia 010.jpg

[84projectFORD]

Any updates?

[88f150driver]

whats up fellas? nothing new with the ranger since my last posting. been pretty busy the last week sharing the love with my stroker stang.

anyhow met up with the in-laws over the weekend and was talkin with my father-in-law about my old truck which lead to the subject of this 95 mustang ive been tryin to sell. to make a long story short he threw a trade offer at me that im biting my nails on cause im really interested in doing it, but i wanted to run my thoughts across some of you guys that know prerunners to get some insite before i get too carried away.

months back my father-in-law was trying to start up a handy man business and needed a truck so since my truck was sitting on the side of my house doing nothing i sold it to him for 3 grand to help him out under the agreement that if he were to ever want to sell the truck he would offer it back to me. well his handy man business didnt go as well as hoped and now he doesnt really have a need for a truck anymore and now he lives near a drag strip so now he wants to build a car for the track.

the trade offer is to trade me back my truck (88 f-150 4wd) as well as a 1987 f-350 4wd with a 460/c6 for this 95 mustang gt that ive been trying to sell.

here are pics of each

http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/8366/009fi7.jpg

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/badass79cj5/d0beb1fe-7ce4-4d2e-b.jpg

http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/9021/dsc03595jg8.jpg

here is what i "think" my plan would be if this goes through...

remove the 4.0/5 speed out of the ranger and keep as spares for my step sons truck

remove the 302/5 speed set up out of the f150 and put into the ranger

remove the 460/c6 from the f350 and install into the brown f150

remove the axles out of the 1 ton and set them aside for my jeep

sell the flat bed off the f350

sell the ranger

trash remainder of f350 parts i cannot use nor have a use for

brown f150 is now the prerunner project

im really liking the idea of this whole thing but its along road to get all of this done so its definately not going to happen overnight. i guess the main reason im liking this idea so much is i know everything about my brown truck front to back top to bottom, i know its a good solid truck and what im working with.

are there any obvious problems with this that stick out to anyone? will a f150 single cab be a good canadiate for a prerunner or is this just a horrible idea all together?

because i drive a grey 88 f150 stock and i got about 2 grand in the bank i was goin to spend on my truck....What all do u have done to it beacuse it is beautiful:shok: ...thanks

[88f150driver]

What do u have done to the 88 f150.....(specificly) and how much because im 17 and got a 88 grey and got a couple of grand in tha bank im willing to put in to it and i want mine to look close to that 1 cuz that is a head turner right there

[feellnfroggy]

A couple grand wont get you much more than the tires/wheels, brushguard, fender flares and gears. Unless you check the junkyards and get a few steals on wheels and brushguarrd and gears.

[desertrunner]

sorry fellas, i actually got into a tight spot with money awhile back and sold my ranger so i havnt been on the site in awhile. someone sent me a pm the other day on my f150 so i got on here to look around again, its been awhile.

because i drive a grey 88 f150 stock and i got about 2 grand in the bank i was goin to spend on my truck....What all do u have done to it beacuse it is beautiful:shok: ...thanks

o lord i had so much money wrapped up in that truck it was insane

What do u have done to the 88 f150.....(specificly) and how much because im 17 and got a 88 grey and got a couple of grand in tha bank im willing to put in to it and i want mine to look close to that 1 cuz that is a head turner right there

i had about 10 grand or so wrapped up in it when it was said and done. i really freakin loved that truck and thought i would never get rid of it. to make a long story short my father in law came to visit and was telling me about how he was wanting to start up his own handy man business and was lookin for a truck so he asked if id want to sell it since i rarely drove it. we made a deal inwhich was more of me really hooking up my father in law and that was that. well a few months later he we got to talkin and he was telling me how he really isnt interested in doing the handyman thing anymore and asked if i wanted the truck back so i said yes, i traded this mustang that i had for it and a f350 that he had. he shows up with them and he had basicly stripped the brown truck. i was so pi$$ed i couldnt see straight. i wanted to freakin lose it but what do you do its my father in law. so i kept it for a couple more months and everytime i looked at it i got insanely pissed off over the whole thing so i ended up just selling it for 2 grand just so i didnt have to see it anymore cause it made me sick thinking about it everytime i saw it.

A couple grand wont get you much more than the tires/wheels, brushguard, fender flares and gears. Unless you check the junkyards and get a few steals on wheels and brushguarrd and gears.

not trying to be rude to the origional guy that was asking how much i had in it but this is pretty much the truth, u wanna play then your gonna pay. the tires alone were 415 each, but that was back when the economy wasnt crappy so they are prolly alot cheaper now.

if you have any specific questions about the truck id be more than happy to answer anything anyone wants to know about it. i knew the truck front to back and had prolly turned every bolt on it atleast once at some point in time.

it was a 6 inch lift with f250 rear lift springs not blocks. the fender flares were bushwacker 4 inch cutouts, had to trim the fenders for them but i went that route vs a 3 inch body lift cause my wife is short. for this truck inorder to fit 38's you either have to do a 6 inch suspension and a 3 inch body or a 6 inch suspension and cut the fenders. the front axle was the ttb dana 44, rear was the 31 spline 8.8, had 5.13 gears in them. the wheels were us wheels 15x14's. ranch hand bumpers front and rear. the front i boxed and put a 2 inch reciever in. the rear i had wired up for a 7 way plug. the bed had line-x even on the bedrails. had a rebuilt 302 with a torque cam and a few other goodies. i ran a 460 radiator and a 30% overflow waterpump to help cooling when towing. had a hurst short throw shifter on the 5 speed. had a pretty sick stereo in it as well. 300 watts to 2 jl audio subs, monster cap, mb quart 6.5's. cobra cb with dual fire sticks. the list goes on and on. had alot of cash wrapped up in her.

[desertrunner]

Any updates?

i did end up converting it to a 2 wheel drive before i ended up selling it. let me load up all the pics on photobucket and ill post them up

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/badass79cj5/DSC03869.jpg
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/badass79cj5/DSC03870.jpg

^ what i was workin with, front 2 wheel explorer beam set up

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/badass79cj5/DSC03843.jpg

^ this is the explorer passenger side pivot bracket, i cut it and a small section of the crossmember off in the junkyard with my saw. after using it for mockup i removed all the rivots, drilled 1 new hole in the drop down bracket and used it.

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/badass79cj5/DSC03872.jpg
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/badass79cj5/DSC03871.jpg

^ prepping the front end for disassembly

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/badass79cj5/DSC03873.jpg
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/badass79cj5/DSC03874.jpg

^ springs out of the way, pitman arm/tie rods removed


http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/badass79cj5/DSC03875.jpg

^ ready to pull her out

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/badass79cj5/DSC03876.jpg
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/badass79cj5/DSC03877.jpg

^ the drop down bracket and passenger pivot that had to be removed

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/badass79cj5/DSC03878.jpg

^ worthless bumpstop that was destroyed and allowed my pumpkin to smash against the above drop down bracket

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/badass79cj5/DSC03883.jpg

^ hole in the axle housing. i questioned earlier if the r&p was still in good shape and after removing it and really checking it out it was still in good condition after all

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/badass79cj5/DSC03880.jpg
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/badass79cj5/DSC03881.jpg
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/badass79cj5/DSC03879.jpg

^ explorer beams etc mocked up and in place, checked everything for clearance etc before continuing

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/badass79cj5/DSC03882.jpg

^ dana 35 once it was completely removed, right before i pulled the springs

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/badass79cj5/DSC03884.jpg
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/badass79cj5/DSC03885.jpg

^ back together again, still needed an alignment as the camber was off as well as the position of the steering wheel was way off as well. rode like a champ. installed new wheel bearings inner and outter, new rotors, pads. used the stock calipers.

i used the explorer passenger side pivot bracket as well, removed the rangers from the rear side of the drop down bracket, had to drill 1 new hole on the drop bracket and bolted the explorers up to the front of the drop down bracket. everything lined up perfectly and was actually "plug and play" since i had the right parts and id do it again without hesitation.