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chrisser
Well-Known Member
Just picked up an '87 Ranger 4x4 supercab. First Ranger, and first Ford.
Having fun learning about Rangers.
If you're bored, read on for my story/plans...
Wife and I (and the dog) live in the city in Cleveland OH.
My DD is an 02 Sebring convertible I just rebuilt. Wife's a homemaker and rabid gardener. She generally drives our 00 Sierra e-cab 4x4. We also have an old (94) Altima that is rusting to the point I'm going to have to get rid of it soon.
We're trying to be frugal and avoid a car payment, so I need to have 3 used cars at any given time for the two of us so there's always a spare in case one needs work.
Couple years ago, we managed to buy 30 acres in rural WV outside Parkersburg. We own most of a valley and we have our little travel trailer down there so we can vacation - which usually involves working on the property.
It's a steep trail in and out. Little mud - more slippery than sinking-to-the-axles, some ruts. Just generally rough and inclined, but not anything crazy. Just about any 4x4 with a little clearance could get in and out - it's really a matter of traction than anything else.
The Sierra has always worked well, but it's heavy, large, and uses a bunch of gas. It's also expensive to keep maintained. I need it to tow the travel trailer or any future projects, so I'd like to ditch the Altima, keep the Sierra as the backup vehicle, and get something else for my wife to drive and that will takes us down to WV and get us on/off the property.
The Ranger fits the bill. Supercab gives us room to stash the dog, and it's lighter than the Sierra.
Far as plans for the Ranger, I'm looking at a slightly different approach than I've seen.
One of the problems with the Sierra is trying to go up hill. The engine sits on top of the front axle. If you get any traction problems, the front end wants to point downwards. We almost lost it over the edge of a trail once. Not fun.
I've since bought chains, which oughta help. A locking front axle would be a plus, but the Sierra front axle is pretty weak as it is (do have a G80 "locker" in the rear). But the reality is, gravity is a harsh mistress.
I'd like to get the COG on the Ranger down as low as practical and distribute it over the axles better.
To do that, first I plan on tearing off the TTBs and replacing with a leaf spring Cherokee SAS. This should lighten up te front end a bit, and also provide a bit more space to work. I may push the axle forward a bit, depending on engine clearance. Looking for a CAD axle that I'll convert to cable actuation, and then install a lunchbox locker. That should give a good mix of 2wd streetability and 4wd traction, and the manual control ought to eliminate a lot of the issues with the CAD.
We don't need to haul a heckuva lot, so I think the Cherokee D30 will do the job. Mostly clothes, food, water and a small generator. If I ever need more, I'll build a trailer, and then it would most likely be empty coming out of the property.
I have a 4.0 and m5od to replace the 2.9. I'm hoping I can relocate the engine down and back, slightly clocking the tcase if necessary, to get the powertrain as low in the chassis as I can and distribute the weight over both axles to a ddgree. Probably will involve some cab mods, plus plenty to the chassis. New driveshafts just about mandatory.
I'm hoping to keep the ride height of the chassis basically stock which I think is doable. I don't need a lot of clearance for obstacles - as long as things aren't hanging down lower than the axles, I should be OK, and if I have to plate or otherwise protect the powertrain, that's preferable to having it higher up in the chassis and raising the COG for my needs. I have no plans for bogging, rock crawling, jumping etc. Just reliable, slow and steady progress up and down muddy/rutty trails until we can afford to drop a couple dozen grand on a mile and a half of gravel paving.
Miscellaneous plans include OBA, Weldernator, and a 110VAC inverter, along with receiver hitches front and back for a reciever-mounted winch (and for towing). We're pretty isolated when in WV. It's not unheard of to have to cut down a few trees after a storm to get back out of the property, or even get down the county road. I think if I have compressed air, a welder, AC and DC power and a winch - well I can pretty much fix/move/destroy anything that might otherwise strand us.
It's a pretty ambitious project, and one that won't be completed overnight, but it should be fun. In the end, I think I'll have a very versatile vehicle, that is still reasonably streetable.
Having fun learning about Rangers.
If you're bored, read on for my story/plans...
Wife and I (and the dog) live in the city in Cleveland OH.
My DD is an 02 Sebring convertible I just rebuilt. Wife's a homemaker and rabid gardener. She generally drives our 00 Sierra e-cab 4x4. We also have an old (94) Altima that is rusting to the point I'm going to have to get rid of it soon.
We're trying to be frugal and avoid a car payment, so I need to have 3 used cars at any given time for the two of us so there's always a spare in case one needs work.
Couple years ago, we managed to buy 30 acres in rural WV outside Parkersburg. We own most of a valley and we have our little travel trailer down there so we can vacation - which usually involves working on the property.
It's a steep trail in and out. Little mud - more slippery than sinking-to-the-axles, some ruts. Just generally rough and inclined, but not anything crazy. Just about any 4x4 with a little clearance could get in and out - it's really a matter of traction than anything else.
The Sierra has always worked well, but it's heavy, large, and uses a bunch of gas. It's also expensive to keep maintained. I need it to tow the travel trailer or any future projects, so I'd like to ditch the Altima, keep the Sierra as the backup vehicle, and get something else for my wife to drive and that will takes us down to WV and get us on/off the property.
The Ranger fits the bill. Supercab gives us room to stash the dog, and it's lighter than the Sierra.
Far as plans for the Ranger, I'm looking at a slightly different approach than I've seen.
One of the problems with the Sierra is trying to go up hill. The engine sits on top of the front axle. If you get any traction problems, the front end wants to point downwards. We almost lost it over the edge of a trail once. Not fun.
I've since bought chains, which oughta help. A locking front axle would be a plus, but the Sierra front axle is pretty weak as it is (do have a G80 "locker" in the rear). But the reality is, gravity is a harsh mistress.
I'd like to get the COG on the Ranger down as low as practical and distribute it over the axles better.
To do that, first I plan on tearing off the TTBs and replacing with a leaf spring Cherokee SAS. This should lighten up te front end a bit, and also provide a bit more space to work. I may push the axle forward a bit, depending on engine clearance. Looking for a CAD axle that I'll convert to cable actuation, and then install a lunchbox locker. That should give a good mix of 2wd streetability and 4wd traction, and the manual control ought to eliminate a lot of the issues with the CAD.
We don't need to haul a heckuva lot, so I think the Cherokee D30 will do the job. Mostly clothes, food, water and a small generator. If I ever need more, I'll build a trailer, and then it would most likely be empty coming out of the property.
I have a 4.0 and m5od to replace the 2.9. I'm hoping I can relocate the engine down and back, slightly clocking the tcase if necessary, to get the powertrain as low in the chassis as I can and distribute the weight over both axles to a ddgree. Probably will involve some cab mods, plus plenty to the chassis. New driveshafts just about mandatory.
I'm hoping to keep the ride height of the chassis basically stock which I think is doable. I don't need a lot of clearance for obstacles - as long as things aren't hanging down lower than the axles, I should be OK, and if I have to plate or otherwise protect the powertrain, that's preferable to having it higher up in the chassis and raising the COG for my needs. I have no plans for bogging, rock crawling, jumping etc. Just reliable, slow and steady progress up and down muddy/rutty trails until we can afford to drop a couple dozen grand on a mile and a half of gravel paving.
Miscellaneous plans include OBA, Weldernator, and a 110VAC inverter, along with receiver hitches front and back for a reciever-mounted winch (and for towing). We're pretty isolated when in WV. It's not unheard of to have to cut down a few trees after a storm to get back out of the property, or even get down the county road. I think if I have compressed air, a welder, AC and DC power and a winch - well I can pretty much fix/move/destroy anything that might otherwise strand us.
It's a pretty ambitious project, and one that won't be completed overnight, but it should be fun. In the end, I think I'll have a very versatile vehicle, that is still reasonably streetable.
