What can i do with my 1986 Ranger 4x4?


Daven

Daven

15+ Year Member

Joined
Apr 11, 2010
Messages
725
Points
3,101
City
Saskactewan
Vehicle Year
1989
Transmission
Manual
I want to add a lift kit and get bigger tires, but i cant find one for a cheap enough price for my budget. I Dont know whee to look for this kinda stuff tho. Where can i find cheap lift kits for my truck? Tires i can easily do at canadian tire so thats no problem.

Another thing i was wondering was i wants to get a grill gaurd and am having the same problem as with the lift kit. Wheres the best place to get these things? I will probably get some fog lights too. Would they look better on grill or top?

And what are some other things i can do to make my truck stand out as a cool lil 4x4 truck? It is black. Thanks, if u could find sites or something that would be great
 
best bet for a cheap lift is a body lift. 2" or 3" depending on what your needs are. www.summitracing.com for those. grille guard will be cheapest on ebay, craig's list ( or canadian equiv.), or local ads in the paper.
fog lighrs don't work on your top. top is for long range spot lights. fog lights work best at bumper height, same as driving lights. you can also look in the tech library on this site for additional information and also shop at the site store for parts and things. good luck, and welcome to TRS!!
 
Ok Thanks. Do u have any suggestions on good parts for cheap? Or what looks nicest?
 
And what all do i need to buy and get installed with the lift? I dont know alot about this stuff
 
sorry for replying AGAIN, but how big of a lift would i need to have people really notice? and allow for bigger tires? Would a 2" lift actually do anything? Im going more for looks then offroading as i dont really have alot of places here to offroad.
 
If you're just going for looks and to fit bigger tires, a body lift would be least expensive lift and allow fitment of bigger tires. You can get a 1-3" body lift for under $200 (not including installation, which you could choose to do yourself). Again, this does nothing to increase the performance of the suspension, but it sounds like you aren't interested in that. With a 3" body lift you could probably fit 31" to 32" tires.

Another option would be to cut your fenders to enlarge the wheel opening, again not increasing the performance of the suspension but you could fit 31"' to 32" and it wouldn't cost anything but some time and the correct tools to do the work.

Yet another inexpensive option is to get some coil springs from a 1980-1996 F150 and replace your front springs with those. This usually nets a 2" lift and would probably allow 31" tires on the front for about $50 from a junkyard. On the rear you could put in a lift block or add a leaf spring, not sure on the cost of these.

Do all of the above and you could probably fit 33" to 35" tires for under $500.
 
Nice thanks alot. small problem tho, i looked around quite a bit for cheap lift kits and found nothing for so cheap. saw a 2" one for over 300 but thats about it. And would a lift kit allow for some offroading? like will it help or will i be stuck with a offroad lookin truck that cant do nothin?
 
The cheap stuff is in our classifieds pages and craigslist.com Also painting is a cheap options. I rattlecanned My Bumpers and trim in flat black and looks pretty clean. Junkyards have all kinds of parts. I just found 3 cragar soft 8's in black. And they have 2 B2's with manual Tcases that I might try to pull.
 
Try Perforamance Accesories, i know they had a 3 inch body lift for just under 200 bucks for My explorer (ranger kit but it would work on an Explorer) but im not sure if they have going back as far as first Gens, worth a shot to check though.
 
you also might find a good bl kit on ebay. i have a 2" body lift on my 1983 and i'm running 31" tires with room for 32.5" tires next summer. upgraded springs in the front will work for sure as said above. you'd probably need lifting blocks for the rear. i know it's just me, but i'm not a big fan of blocks under my spring packs in the back. add-a-leaf springs are pretty cheap for lifting the rear, but they can also give a pretty stiff ride. nice thing about the body lift is it doesn't change the suspension at all, so you have lift with a decent ride. good luck to you!
 
Daven said:
Nice thanks alot. small problem tho, i looked around quite a bit for cheap lift kits and found nothing for so cheap. saw a 2" one for over 300 but thats about it. And would a lift kit allow for some offroading? like will it help or will i be stuck with a offroad lookin truck that cant do nothin?
Click to expand...

Rangers do pretty well offroad even just stock. Adding taller tires will increase ground clearance, approach angles, breakover angles and departure angles. If you add wider, more aggressive tires you will increase the available traction. The downside to taller tires is that they suck power, making the vehicle accelerate more slowly.
 
I want to get some 31" tires on (or around there) and have that agressive lifted look. Anyone know the best place for me to get a 3 or 4 inch lift kit for cheap? And whats the minimum lift i need for 31s?

Thanks alot for the helps guys
 
Daven said:
I want to get some 31" tires on (or around there) and have that agressive lifted look. Anyone know the best place for me to get a 3 or 4 inch lift kit for cheap? And whats the minimum lift i need for 31s?

Thanks alot for the helps guys
Click to expand...

:annoyed:Ok man search... sorry but there are hundreds of posts out there answering this for you, check the tech library and 4x4section.
3in will clear 31s fine on your truck, buddy of mine ran 32s on his with 3in bodylift with minor rubbing.

can get a bodylift from ANYWHERE that carries one for your truck an shouldnt be more than 150at the most. or keep an eye in the classifieds for a suspension lift for up to a 1997 ranger. ive gotten all the parts needed for a skyjacker 6in lift for less than 500 from there by just being patient and keeping my eyes out..

Summit should have a decent price on a bodylift. oh and nationalwheelandtire.com(or nationaltireandwheelandtire.com i cant remember) has a 6in suspension lift for i think 500.

Didnt mean to come of a jerk, just use the search feature some if you can man. goodluck :icon_thumby:
 
With 31s (chopped fenders or body lift--chopped fenders prefered due to CG considerations), a welded rear axle and a complete disregard for your truck, you can hang with the tall dogs.
 
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