2000 Ranger 2WD 3.0 stock in Gilbert, AZ Beer for Advice/Help

I am interested in turning my 2000 Ranger super cab 3.0 into a good desert runner. The only, small, issue i have is that I have no idea where to start. I am not looking to race it (I am 31 with two kids), but I want something I can have some fun with in the desert around here and in baja. Is there any one in my area who would be willing to trade some time for beer??? I don't need labor, although any help would be appreciated, just advice.

Thanks in advance

well for advice some of the best folks to talk to in our area, would be fordproject84, but he is up in flag and works on earlier trucks.
you might also try dezertrangers.com there is a lot of good info over there. But they do kinda expect you to drop every dime you have in your truck.

Some Kit you might also look into are the Chamburg. and the dixon bros. these seem to have a good reviews with decent to good travel. both kits come with new spindles with uni-ball uppers. and they also includes new control arms. But again these seem to run a pretty pennie.

O ya if you are advaible sun the 17 we are having a get together down at chandler fashion at barnes and noble around noon. 84 should be there and we can see if he has any more ideas.

Thanks for the response. I will be there on the 17th. I look forward to meeting some of you.

like odie1969 said dezertrangers is a great source for info. also check their classified and you might be able to find a kit for your truck for a good price.

i should be able to stop by sun the 17th as well

SuperCab 2x Desert Runner

Having driven short, long and super cab Ranger versions one problem worth mentioning is front to rear weight bias ratio.
i.e. the super cab truck is pretty light in the back compared to the front. i.e. less off road traction. This calls our for a few things going offroad: a higher lift in the front with soft rear springs, perhaps with some frame weights (or put a shell on it) over each rear wheel & a smooth progressive mech. locker or an air locker. Don't use a lockrite or detroit locker type as you'll only "bark" the tires incessantly.

Locker

I was having difficulty choosing between a locking or a possi differential. So as I was doing some research on the subject I came across a locking limited slip differential by auburn differentials. Below is the link. What do you guys think about this?

http://www.auburngear.com/aftermarket/product_listing.aspx?category=8946f7ff-e4b5-4b07-b738-c6f9d7f93179

well if you can definitely make it out this upcoming sunday, we can definitley figure out what you want to do and where you stand finacially.

I wouldnt neccecarliy worry about the wieght difference in front or rear, that can all be fixed by adding a few things in the back as far as batterys, spare tire, tools, ect and also the valving in the shocks and spring types.

Odie is right that i am doin an older truck but i have worked on all kinds of trucks, last truck was a 2000 GMC full size and put a 20" long travel kit on the front.

I really recommend a cage if your really gunna use it off road whether you race or not as safety is first in my book but its up to what you would like to do.

unfortunatly i cant build you a set of arms as i have not practiced with that yet and will be here soon on my diesel (that should be a great test subject as she is super heavy and sees a good amount of hard use) but buying anyone of those kits mentioned and a set of deavers out back with some well valved shocks will really make you happy. putting some hydrolic bump stops on probably wouldnt hurt neither if you do lots of off roading.

that locker is a very good locker and have seen it tested in few friends trucks. Still not sure on longevity as my friends only have 5k on them but they in no way have been easy on them in that 5k.

Thanks for the recommendations from all of you so far I really appreciate them. As I said earlier I have two kids so safety is first for me. I am definitely going to be there Sunday. How will I know you guys?

Ill have a titties and beer racing hat on and my diesel will be there (black crew cab long bed w/ 8" lift on 37s and fiberglass fenders on the front and a tubed bumer w/ 3 HIDs on it.)

jeromeshelton said:

Thanks for the recommendations from all of you so far I really appreciate them. As I said earlier I have two kids so safety is first for me. I am definitely going to be there Sunday. How will I know you guys?

Click to expand...

I'll be driving this poser ride.

A buddy of mine grabbed a set of used 33" for me, Now I just need to get a new rear end with a LS.

Thanks to all of you I met today at Chandler. I truley apreciate your patience and knowledge. So many times when you try to enter a new hobby the guys already in it forget that they where once new to the scene as well. I especially wanted to thank oddie project84 and that guy with the lifted gold XLT... Sorry I cant rember your name .

There are a few differant Camburg kits. I do not truley understand the differance in them other than the significant price increase from one to the other. Can any one explain it in easy terms? Is any one willing to help me put one of these systems on for traded labor?

As the price of the kit goes up the level of travel that it is able to acheave goes up (usually)

The basic 5.5 XLT kit for $1800 is what I have on my truck that you saw Sunday. Its a fairly simple bolt on system. Nothing all that extreme, good mix of offroad ability and daily driver use. The key reasons to get this kit is to replace the upper ball joint and the forged spindle. You can upgrade the system to use 2.0 adjustable reservoir shocks at a later date (when you save up more money).

The Long travel XLT kit for $3800 requires quite a bit of work to install. Namly removing the coil bucket and smoothing out the frame, which we talked about. That basicaly lets your XLT use an Edge style system. The advantage of this kit is that you can use coil over shocks and replace both the upper and lower ball joints with uniballs.

The LT Race kit for $5500 gets you everything the LT kit comes with but with all the upgrades: better hubs, brakes, billet upper arm, coil overs and bypass shocks and so on. That way you can run bigger tires, better rims with a stronger bolt pattern, and have brakes big enough to stop you. If you truely want to "Race" baja like you mentioned it would be a good kit for you. However if you just want to finish and do the drive then the it might be a bit over kill.

Remember that shocks are not included in these kits with the prices I listed. Thats why the Long travel XLT kit has two prices on the site the 3800 for just the kit and 5800 with all the goodies. Getting it all from Camburg can be good since you know it will work but if you want to fine tune the set up you can buy the air bumps, coils, and shocks on your own.

Hope that helps. Keep the questions coming.

Andrew

That helped a huge amount!!! I highly doubt I would ever "Race" Baja, but I do want to drive it once just to know I did. If you had to guess how much do you think I would need to spend on shocks to go with the RANGER LT RACE KIT?

you might want to talk to. Dave@threat he builds some amaizing trucks and kits for older trucks but I was told he is starting to build A-arm(control arm trucks). I would also talk with the guys at Rumblegoat racing these are the folks that race a stock 4x4 ranger in the Best of the desert series. Also another great resource other than 84 on shocks and cost of shocks. I would talk with Simonsays and CanyonCritter both of these folks have a bit of experince with race style shocks. O and I know Simons family has raced the baja a few times