Just inherited an '88 Ranger STD cab longbed 4x4

A little back story.....my father-in-law bought a 1987 Ford 4x4 from the original owner a year ago about two months before retiring from a 40 year career in law enforcement. It's a creampuff with minimal rust, and runs and drives great. To put it in perspective he has a 2011 Jeep Wrangler which has VERY little miles on it since he purchased the Ranger. Basically, he got the bug on these fine rigs.

He stumbled upon the "inherited" Ranger I am posting about on Craigslist a week before Christmas. He had back surgery and asked me to take look at it. Though I do not know much about these vehicles I have been doing bodywork for almost 20 years with a strong consitration on vintage 4x4 trucks and SUV's. Currently performing a frame off resto on a 1972 Toyota Landcruiser FJ40, but that is a whole other topic.

I took a look at it and it was OK for the price in my opinion. It ran good, 4WD worked fine and the body was/is in decent shape for an east coast vehicle. I got the seller to $900 and sealed the deal. I've driven it about a dozen times to and from work and got to really like it. It's an unmolsted original Ranger but does need some help as well as some upgrades which is my main reason I've come to this site for help.

My first order of business is the vehicle has difficulty going into PARK. I gotta admit that I haven't researched that problem via this site so flame away. The other problem is that the gas gauge is not working. I have researched this one and most fingers point to a bad sending unit. Not a big deal. The third question I have is in regards to lifts. I read the 11 pages on the site discussing the Chevy 63" or 64" (I'm a Toyota guy so we ALWAYS call them 63" springs from 88-98). This is not what I'm worried about. I have never been a fan of the TTB so I would probably get a Dana 44 front diff. My question is what would you do if you wanted a decent weekend wheeler that can also get you back and forth to work when need be? I have a bunch of guys I know in the early Bronco community that I can get a front disc brake 76-77 front rear from. Are these recommended or should I source out J@@P parts?

Again, I'm a newbie in the Ranger department, but no stranger in the wheeling department.

Anyone have any good suggestions?? I will post some pics of it tomorrow.

toomanytoyzz said:

My question is what would you do if you wanted a decent weekend wheeler that can also get you back and forth to work when need be? I have a bunch of guys I know in the early Bronco community that I can get a front disc brake 76-77 front rear from. Are these recommended or should I source out J@@P parts?

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Well... If it were my truck, I'd keep the TTB, but bolt in a Dana35 from an early Explorer (especially for the uses you mention).
The D35 TTB axle is stronger than the early Bronco Dana44 (has bigger u-joints, and is high-pinion) and the TTB suspension can be built in many of the same ways you would a straight axle setup (and some ways you can't, too). The D44 axle itself does have better aftermarket potential however (though I'm not sure I'd dump much coin into one having a low-pinion diff).

If you are determined to do away with the TTB suspension, then I would say start your research on swapping in a hi-pinion F-150 D44 (narrowed to Ranger-width or not) or even a Dana60 (search for straight axle swap/solid axle swap, or simply "SAS"). Plenty of others here have done it and have documented their swaps pretty well.
Whatever you do though, don't use a J00p Dana30... It's weaker than the D35 TTB, and still requires the same amount of labor to get it under there (I know D30s are tempting because Jeepers often give them away for free or something close to it... There's a reason for that )

Welcome to TRS.