So, I’ve played with leaf springs a bit… used leaf packs are a bit of a gamble, but they can also often be had cheap, so I’ve played, lol.
My understanding is that the Explorer leafs from the 4-door models were a little more arch and a little heavier rated pack. I’ve also found two different leaf packs, the older ones were a “heavy duty” pack and actually less arch than the Ranger packs, but also thicker leafs. The newer ones are similar to the Ranger packs, just heavier rated. So theoretically the 1,750# Ranger packs should do pretty much the same thing, little lift over the worn stock springs.
Dad got a new set of 1,750# packs for his one Ranger, but we never got them put in yet. My first Ranger I built a set for it out of Ranger and I think it was Dodge Dakota springs that someone gave me. My stock springs were pretty shot (admittedly, back then I used it like it was an F-250). I don’t remember the exact stack, but I know I used bits from three different sets of packs and I cut the eyes off a main leaf for the first leaf under my main, then built a 5-leaf pack like that, using or trimming leafs to use the longest ones I could, which helps load carrying a lot and still keeps the pack relatively soft. That got me at least 2” of lift because suddenly my 2wd needed the longer 4x4 rear shocks, lol.
I built a 5-leaf pack set for my Choptop out of Explorer leafs like that too, all long leafs. That with a “Belltech“ shackle got me level with the 3” lift coils and F-150 spring perches in the front (roughly a 5” suspension lift that I cobbled together back in the day). Admittedly, I’m not overly thrilled with how it turned out. It works, fairly well actually, I just think there’s room for improvement.
My F-150 got custom packs I made out of F-250 packs and that’s worked rather well, it rides decent (I put 1-ton rated coils in the front), that stuff lifted it to F-250 stock height and it literally laughs at a ton in the bed. The only time she really wasn’t happy was also the day it rolled over a scale at over 10k, the loader gave me more than I asked for, by like a ton and a half more than I asked for. Since I had already paid for what I had asked for, nobody was really complaining, and I didn’t have far or fast to go, we just took it easy.
My green Ranger I just built a 5-leaf pack set out of the thinner Explorer packs (the newer ones) and Ranger leafs. Kept them all long and did them spring under with an Explorer axle. That gave me considerably more drop than I had anticipated and it took the “Belltech” shackles and some tweaks to make it more or less right. Seems to ride harder than any of the others, but I’m also using Explorer rear suspension goodies since it’s supposed to be a street toy which may also have something to do with it. First time I built the packs I tried mixing the older, thicker Explorer leafs with the newer ones and found they don’t play nice, you have to stick with similar thickness and arch when you build packs.
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