1991 Ranger Long Travel Woods / Prerunner Build

[legoms013]

Lookin good

 

[nooch450]

glad to see someone else doing a prerunner/trail truck (i hate florida) the radius arms look good. (pm sent) i just finished my bed cage last night and looking at your pics, it looks like im looking in my garage. same tools..lol. how do you like the hb notcher?

It works well for the price, I had to put washers between the pipe clamp and the 3 pinch bolts +(the ones you loosen and tighten ti adjust the angle) to make it drill centered but a little modification was expected... that's the price you pay for buying cheap tools. But its better than none at all lol.

 

[nooch450]

Hey guys,

Got some more pics of the shock towers / hoops...

What do you guys think???

I will need to brace them together with a removable bar...

Also I want to brace them to the frame so they cant tilt, there just not alot of room

 

[4x4junkie]

Hey guys,

Got some more pics of the shock towers / hoops...

What do you guys think???

I suspect someone may come along and tell you they're hacktacular (they certainly contrast with those radius arms lol), though if they're welded up well, I see no reason they can't work. What I WOULD do though is run a reinforcement rib or something similar spanning across the top of that upper tube to disperse some of the bending moment the shock will be putting on the center of it (also cap off the ends of it with some 1/8" plate as well). You don't want them flexing at all.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Hard to tell if you have room but I would run a removable bar across the engine and ALSO from each side to the center of the firewall. Similar to some of the '60/'70 mustang/fairlane/torino brackets from the tower to the center firewall. Depending on design you don't have to use tube. You would have to incorporate some kind of bushing at the firewall to account for body to frame flex.

Richard

 

[88_Eddie]

sweet looking arms you got there, put my home made ones to shame!

 

[nooch450]

Thanks for the complements guys.

The shock towers will all be braced up and the ends will have caps put in. There will also be a removable cross bar.

For those who think its a "Hacktackular" way of making them... I dont really care lol I think when they are all done they will look good and be different... Everybody has the same hoop style

I dont wana finish them up until I got my Coilovers.

I forgot to add that I ordered my coilovers for the front last night.

2 2.5" 14 inch travel FOA coilovers with remote res. and High temp seals. I also got the dual rate kit.

Check out what I got and comment if you think i ordered the wrong spring rates or shock valving...



2 ea.
3" Springs•size - 16x400-3ID
$150.00



2 ea.
Coil Over w/reservoir 2.5•size - FOA-14
•Compression Valve - Med/Firm
•Rebound Valve - Light
• - Dual Rate Spring Hardware
•Mount width - 1.5"
• - High Temp
$520.00



2 ea.
3" Springs•size - 12x350-3ID
$150.00


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Sub-Total:
$820.00

Total shipping amount (Best Way):
$91.00

Total:
$911.00

 

[Bennybooster]

I would pay someone to bend your shock towers for you, the welds on your design are going to be shear points

 

[legoms013]

I would pay someone to bend your shock towers for you, the welds on your design are going to be shear points

I'm not following what you are getting at?

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I'm not following what you are getting at?

Keep a close eye on your welds. There is a 'haz' [heat affected zone] that is weaker than the metal or the weld and could crack under stress. Gussets should help though.
Keep in mind I'm self-taught and my advise is worth what you paid for it

Richard

 

[AaronC]

I've ran an "engine cage" similar to that. Be sure to build a cross member. As far as the stub off the side of the frame. Just run plate /\ like that off the tube and plate in the face. 100x stronger than a bent tube that you end up plating anyways. Truck looks good man

 

[nooch450]

I am post up my idea on how i want my shock hoops / engine cage to look... Im still waiting on the coilovers befor finishing them...

I think it would look sick

 

[RangerBoy94]

Lots of work lol

 

[nooch450]

Lots of work lol

That's one thing im sure of! Lol

 

[nooch450]

OK... IM still waiting on the shocks to come in and I have been thinking about the steering alot...

I am considering doing a single swinger, putting a dual swinger may just be overkill for my setup... Im not doing 100 through the dezert lol... Plus I obviously dont have equal length beams... But considering im using drop brackets I may need to put a second swinger to get the swing as close to the beam pivot as possible...

What are your guys experiences?

What do people usually replace the stock tire rod ends with? Do people usually drill out the tapered hole and just bolt a heim in the drilled out hole?