King 1
Member
- Joined
- Jan 3, 2020
- Messages
- 9
- Reaction score
- 0
- Location
- Bellingham, WA
- Vehicle Year
- 1st gen
- Make / Model
- Ford Ranger
- Transmission
- Manual
- 2WD / 4WD
- 2WD
Hello all. Been lurking a while, figured it was time to make an account and say hi.
I don't currently own a vehicle relevant to this site but I hope to in the near future. Here's my plan:
I want to compete in the 24 Hours of Lemons (low budget endurance racing. look it up, it's cool) using a 1st gen Ranger. I'm hoping to buy a short bed, regular cab, 2.3L manual, pre-facelift. Preferably with a carburetor but doesn't matter too much because I eventually want to swap the engine.
Step one is getting the ranger and stripping the interior.
Step two is to get a 96-01 Explorer with a 8.8" 3.73 locking differential and a 5.0L V8.
I want to swap the whole axle AND the leafs and use the explorer SUA setup. This also gains me rear disc brakes (I don't intend to make any other changes to the factory ranger braking system unless I need to?) It's my understanding that the only welding required here would be a shock mount in the proper location on one side. The 5.0L (and its radiator) will be kept and set aside for rebuilding. The remaining carcass of the Explorer will be sold as parts and scrap.
Step three is to get a 7th, 8th, or 9th gen F150 and remove the front springs for use in the Ranger. They will be cut to achieve a level ride with the new SUA setup in the rear. Hoping for basically a '2/4' drop overall and dramatic increase in suspension stiffness. Brand new shocks at all four corners. The stock ranger front beams will be used and I'm aiming for between 2 & 3 degrees negative camber. Hopefully this is achievable without any other parts or modification. The rest of the F150 will also be sold off, perhaps keeping that radiator as well.
Some possible problems I foresee: For one, the Exp axle is about 3 inches wider from the information I've found. I intend to run 225/50r16s on 16x8 with +12mm offset at all four wheels. Between the axle and the rims, the outside edge of the rear tires will move outwards about 2 to 2.25 inches on each side. This seems like it will be outside the sheet metal by about 1/4" on each side. I may add fender flares or some such but I'm more concerned that the top of the stock wheel opening is going to hit the tires, so I may need to employ the sawzall here.
My other concern is the driveshaft. Am I going to need to have one custom fabricated, or is there some junkyard solution? Will the stock ranger driveshaft work with the stock engine/transmission and the explorer axle? Budget is critical in order to stay within the rules of the race series, BUT if I buy a complete donor car and take parts from it, the resale of the donor car can be deducted, making the part essentially free, so if there is some other vehicle model/trim out there that can donate a usable driveshaft that would be the preferred route.
The 5.0L V8 from the Explorer will eventually be rebuilt and converted to carb and put into the ranger, but this will probably be much further down the line after we've raced a season with the stock ranger engine and the mods listed above. I haven't figured out the best solution for a transmission to go with the V8 because it needs to be a stick and those years Explorers didn't have it. A mustang T5 would probably be best but that seems unlikely in the budget I'm working with. A T-18 from an F-150 seems like the next best thing. The track I'll be racing probably won't see me exceed 120mph so I think the gears in the T-18 will be sufficient. One of the extra radiators mentioned above will be mounted in the bed of the ranger, replacing the factory one up front and freeing up space in the front of the engine bay for air ducting to the front brakes.
So what am I missing? Are there any major flaws in this plan? I'm on a very long timeline here so I have plenty of time to find the perfect donor vehicles. The main limitation is cost so I hope to avoid buying anything new or having anything custom made if there's another way to do it.
Thanks all!
I don't currently own a vehicle relevant to this site but I hope to in the near future. Here's my plan:
I want to compete in the 24 Hours of Lemons (low budget endurance racing. look it up, it's cool) using a 1st gen Ranger. I'm hoping to buy a short bed, regular cab, 2.3L manual, pre-facelift. Preferably with a carburetor but doesn't matter too much because I eventually want to swap the engine.
Step one is getting the ranger and stripping the interior.
Step two is to get a 96-01 Explorer with a 8.8" 3.73 locking differential and a 5.0L V8.
I want to swap the whole axle AND the leafs and use the explorer SUA setup. This also gains me rear disc brakes (I don't intend to make any other changes to the factory ranger braking system unless I need to?) It's my understanding that the only welding required here would be a shock mount in the proper location on one side. The 5.0L (and its radiator) will be kept and set aside for rebuilding. The remaining carcass of the Explorer will be sold as parts and scrap.
Step three is to get a 7th, 8th, or 9th gen F150 and remove the front springs for use in the Ranger. They will be cut to achieve a level ride with the new SUA setup in the rear. Hoping for basically a '2/4' drop overall and dramatic increase in suspension stiffness. Brand new shocks at all four corners. The stock ranger front beams will be used and I'm aiming for between 2 & 3 degrees negative camber. Hopefully this is achievable without any other parts or modification. The rest of the F150 will also be sold off, perhaps keeping that radiator as well.
Some possible problems I foresee: For one, the Exp axle is about 3 inches wider from the information I've found. I intend to run 225/50r16s on 16x8 with +12mm offset at all four wheels. Between the axle and the rims, the outside edge of the rear tires will move outwards about 2 to 2.25 inches on each side. This seems like it will be outside the sheet metal by about 1/4" on each side. I may add fender flares or some such but I'm more concerned that the top of the stock wheel opening is going to hit the tires, so I may need to employ the sawzall here.
My other concern is the driveshaft. Am I going to need to have one custom fabricated, or is there some junkyard solution? Will the stock ranger driveshaft work with the stock engine/transmission and the explorer axle? Budget is critical in order to stay within the rules of the race series, BUT if I buy a complete donor car and take parts from it, the resale of the donor car can be deducted, making the part essentially free, so if there is some other vehicle model/trim out there that can donate a usable driveshaft that would be the preferred route.
The 5.0L V8 from the Explorer will eventually be rebuilt and converted to carb and put into the ranger, but this will probably be much further down the line after we've raced a season with the stock ranger engine and the mods listed above. I haven't figured out the best solution for a transmission to go with the V8 because it needs to be a stick and those years Explorers didn't have it. A mustang T5 would probably be best but that seems unlikely in the budget I'm working with. A T-18 from an F-150 seems like the next best thing. The track I'll be racing probably won't see me exceed 120mph so I think the gears in the T-18 will be sufficient. One of the extra radiators mentioned above will be mounted in the bed of the ranger, replacing the factory one up front and freeing up space in the front of the engine bay for air ducting to the front brakes.
So what am I missing? Are there any major flaws in this plan? I'm on a very long timeline here so I have plenty of time to find the perfect donor vehicles. The main limitation is cost so I hope to avoid buying anything new or having anything custom made if there's another way to do it.
Thanks all!