Ford ranger Street fighter

[WtrskiAdic]

So me and my buddies were bullshitting today at work and we all thought it would be Bad ass to build an all wheel drive lowered V8 powered ranger and Im wondering if anyone has done this
I like what Mitsubishi EVO's can do but i don't want to go out and buy something anyone and there dog can and i like Ford Rangers. I've got the drive train figure out its gonna be an Explore engine tans and transfer case with a mustang IRS its the front suspension that's got me perplexed meaning how to get the front end down and keep the geometry right to have it handle like its on rails with the front drive
To the true cars Thank you

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I've been thinking the same way for a rally style ranger. I think the best stock front suspension to use would the ifs, I think 98 up. I'm racing a 91 ranger in short course off road and also would like to lower the center of gravity, but I have the TTB front suspension. I've never owned one that new [98 up] so can't really say whether that would be best. I'm also not familiar with the awd TC, does it have a true disconnect between front and rear axles?

PS; I edited your post as we are not likely to disrespect out of the box ideas like some other sites.

Richard

 

[WtrskiAdic]

Idk if the the TC has true disconnect between front and rear as you put it. but i do know that if you run the explorer TC and then put manual lock out on the front axle then park on an incline the truck will not stay in place

 

[JoshT]

This idea has been dreamed of more than once by many people, myself included. That said I don't know of anyone that's successfully tackled it yet.

Your biggest hurdle is going to be getting a 4wd front suspension low enough for performance. If using a "stock" Ranger suspension wise your best bet would be a 98+ 4x4 Ranger. The SLA set-up can drop lower than a TTB truck and still be drivable. For the AWD you would actually need 2001 and up for the live axles, but those components (axles, unit bearings, hubs, and maybe differential) could be put on a 99 and you might be better off using the ones intended for an AWD Explorer anyway (not sure if AWD parts are different).

Your biggest issue on the front is going to be the axle shafts and CV joints in front, they will start to bind before you can get very low. That could probably be fixed by getting custom center sections made for them, but never seen anyone do it. Regardless you can only go so low before they start hitting the frame and to notch it (if possible) would probably weaken the it too much. Guys lowering 2wd torsion bar Rangers have already gone lower than what you'll probably be limited to, so that part is covered. For handling and ride I'd ditch the torsion bars in favor of coil overs, people over on Ranger-Forums have details on making coil over adapters to replace the stock shocks, you'll just need shorter coil overs. Add to that some nice sized anti-sway bars, poly bushings, and good tires should get you in the ball park.

Have you considered the Explorer IRS? The Explorer is a much more common, and it's 31 Spline pumpkin is an often used upgrade for Mustangs and other IRS cars (IRS equivalent of the Ford 9").

I think you have the right idea on the drive train.

 

[WtrskiAdic]

Thanks for the input. I had plan on coil overs. I guess I thought that the mustang IRS would be more common for aftermarket performance parts but if the explorer is stronger that would probably be the way to go

 

[JoshT]

You may have a point about the aftermarket, either way you will be doing more than a bit of custom back there.

Doing some quick Google searching the most drop I've seen mentioned on a SLA 4wd Ranger is 3", not details just a mention. I think it could probably be taken lower, but not too sure what the limiting factor was.

 

[Nativetroy]

The easiest way to do this to me would be to find a AWD explorer and put the body on it. You have the easy option of the 02 and earlier with the 5.0, lots of shared parts. Or a 03 or newer with the 4.6, but you have IRS already in place and better brakes.

 

[JoshT]

Except that it is even harder to get an Explorer to sit low because of the suspension and frame design (rear in particular). That's not to mention that the wheel base is different, frame width is different, and body & bed mounts won't line up.

 

[stmitch]

Like Josh said, there have been a few lowered 4wd/awd trucks done. Most of them run into cv joints binding around 3 inches of drop.

One thing that is different, is that most of those trucks were lowered in the front with drop keys or flipped stock keys. Now, you can get drop control arms for torsion bar trucks that may allow the front end to be dropped more before the CVs bind.

One other thing to consider is that all of the torsion bar trucks had a much thicker engine crossmember than the trucks with coil springs. That might cause clearance issues when lowered. The guys that would bag their torsion bar trucks would have to Z the frame to get it low.

There was a member over on RPS a long time ago that had a lowered, AWD, 5.0 Ranger named Edgeucator. Maybe you can dig up some of his old posts for info.

 

[WtrskiAdic]

Awesome thanks dude. I plan on ditching the TB's for coil overs

 

[WtrskiAdic]

I think this is the ride height I want http://www.ranger-forums.com/attachments/suspension-tech-36/50280d1345357250-want-lower-my-07-stx-what-do-i-need-know-2160602_23_full-jpg I know ill have to modify both front and rear frame sections to clear the CV axles how

 

[stmitch]

The truck in that photo was a 2wd, coil spring truck, not a 4wd truck with torsion bars like what you're wanting to do, so you can't use the same stuff he did (at least in the front). It was lowered a few times, and eventually bagged, but it looks like it's about a 5/7 drop there.

There are a few issues with getting a 4wd, torsion bar truck that low in the front. I've already mentioned the larger front cross member, and the CV's binding. I don't think just notching things for the CVs will do anything to reduce the binding. What you need to do is reduce the severity of the angle that the CVs would have to operate at by raising the front differential, or Z'ing the front of the frame entirely. It's a major job, that might require sheetmetal fab of the transmission tunnel, or firewall, and could cause hood clearance issues depending on how much you Z the front.

Lowering the rear would be just like lowering any other Ranger, unless you wanted to fab a 4 link or IRS setup. Axle flip would give you 5 inches of drop. Removing the factory lift blocks that most 4wd trucks had would drop it about 2 inches. Any more than that would require notching the frame, either with a bolt-in C notch, or a full frame notch depending on how far you want to go. For a 5/7 drop, a C notch is usually fine.