Rolled it..

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I did the same in my truck. it's amazing how fast it happens. I found out afterwards why the body is welded to the cage in as many places as possible: in order to prevent excessive body damage. Then it can be as simple as removing unwanted oil in the cylinders, topping up and carrying on. When I had my cage built I was trying for as light as possible so didn't weld the roof, A- and B-pillars to the cage. Once my repairs are complete I will be doing so, that should make it much easier for future repairs. In my series all window glass is removed and window nets replace them. AllenD brings up a point that I'd never considered and will make sure that there is no points where a hand can get squished, and will provide a chicken bar for passengers to hold onto. My main cage hoop is constructed outside the cab as I have a reg. cab, personally I think the door bars are overkill at the speeds we are achieving [55mph] but thems de rools;



Another thing to do before the cage is installed is sandblast and paint the frame. The cage builder can remove paint where he needs to. Also get the most rust free body you can find, its much easier than welding in patch panels around a cage. Solid mount the body as low as possible, remembering that you will need access to the tranny and t-case [if installed]


Good luck,

Richard

[Jim2]

Thanks for the details Richard.

That's a nice roll cage you got on there. I've been looking into making the cage, and there's some good points made by Allen and yourself... My buddy has a good welding machine, so mine will be a DIY cage. We have until the end of next month to get it sorted out. Money is gonna be tight though, and I'm not sure how it will all pan out yet..

If I manage to find a cab that will bolt right up, that'll be the simplest route.. It'll still count as "stock" like that, and there's not too many safety rules in the stock category (roll cage is optional). As a stocker, all I really have to do is secure the battery and roll the windows all the way up (or window nets). Also gotta have seatbelts, helmets, long sleeves, long pants, and covered toe shoes.. and that's about it.
(* gloves and a fire extinguisher are highly recommended, but not mandatory.)

But if I can get a roll cage on there, then I can start to do some mods. There's no restrictions on the modifieds, but you need a roll cage and 5 point harness in that category. A single hoop and two kickers is the minimum requirement, but I'd like to make a full cage if I can.

With a cage, I can put the radiator in the back with an electric fan... cut all the extra sheetmetal out of the cab and bed, and just hang the outer panels on the cage... etc..

My buddy is even trying to talk me into moving the engine back 10 inches.. we already looked at it, and if it goes back that far, it'll also be able to sit lower. ...That sounds great, but it's a daunting task. I just don't think I'll be able to get it done in time for the next race.

We were already running some competitive lap times, even with the jacked up rear end and beat shocks.. the Ranger is a fast chassis! We were pulling away from one of the Subarus, and those Suby's are the fastest guys out there. I don't think I need to move the engine to get a win... just gotta lower it and get some good shocks.. the little 2.9 has plenty power for this track.

[kunar]

the stocker sounds like where the fun is at. once you start running modified, you get in a money competition. eff that.

[Jim2]

Originally Posted by kunar

the stocker sounds like where the fun is at. once you start running modified, you get in a money competition. eff that.

yeah, it's all fun.. but winning is a nice bonus.

Stockers and modifieds run together out here. That's why I called it a category instead of a class...
The classes are divided like this; Cars, Trucks, and SUV's.
There's not enough competitors to break it down to modified or stock..
On any given day... there's about 5 cars, 10 SUV's, and maybe 15 trucks. (plus many dirt bikes and quads)..

The trucks is a fun class, there's a lot of competition..

The SUV's are hardcore.. mostly Jeeps with V-8s, it's always a good race to watch.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8m5Ej...7&feature=plcp

Last season, it was run what you brung.. everyone ran together.. it was great!

This one was funny.. the Black Subaru (#1), is still the fastest car out there to this day...
The Suzuki with no nose (#3) was running pretty good, but he got rear ended by the "Bently" and got hung up. I always give that guy credit for running that little rusty eggshell next to the full size trucks.. he wound up trading up to a Ranger eventually..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zEmrGtwQ-Q&feature=plcp

Here's the #3 and #1 again, a couple months later.. this was the last run for that 2.9.. after that, he got a Bronco chassis with a 302, and put the ranger cab on it..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeTP9o1OHPI&feature=plcp

[Jim2]

we got it lowered, just need a cab now..

[Jim2]

... it looks like lowering the front will be harder, I'm not sure how to go about it yet.

[kunar]

oh wow, you dropped it quite a bit in the back, huh? 6 or 8 inches? i dont have any idea how you're gonna get the front that low. a shorter coil or cut coil would be the start but i think youre gonna get into bump stops pretty easy

[Jim2]

Originally Posted by kunar

...shorter coil or cut coil would be the start but i think youre gonna get into bump stops pretty easy

yeah, I was thinking that too. The bump stops are pretty close as it is, I might have to shave them.

My buddy says to just cut one coil off the spring, and that'll lower it about an inch ... but I'm not sure about that one yet.
I mean, I know it'll be lower but, I'm not sure it'll be better. I'm still contemplating that one..

For the rear, we made it so that the spring mount is adjustable. It can even be mounted "half and half" between the factory holes and the holes in the angle iron. Also, it can be flipped.

The total drop at the back of the spring is about 8 or 9 inches, but it can be adjused to (approximately) 1" intervals.

We also moved the 2.5" spacer block (at the axle) to the top of the springs, so that's another 2.5" right there.
The total drop is probably about 6-8 inches at the axle, but I didn't make any measurements before we did it, so I can't say exactly.

... but I can't see any way to get more than an inch or so out of the front, and I'm not sure if I want to give up what little suspension travel there is.. still thinking about it though..

[94 lngbd]

92 & older would be your best bet for a cab & up tp 97 for the frame

[Jim2]

Originally Posted by 94 lngbd

92 & older would be your best bet for a cab & up tp 97 for the frame

Thanks, I'll keep that in my searches.

The frame seems fine, but it sure does flex a lot.. roll bars would help a lot.

Now that I see it with the cab and bed off, I'm surprised at how much it twists when I jump on the rear bumper.

At the Junkyard, they wanted $400 for a Ranger cab..
I'm hoping to find an entire truck for that (or less) on craigslist...