1993 Splash in SC

[Curious Hound]

I bought this truck a few weeks ago - 1993 Ranger "Splash" 4X4, 3.0l, M50D, 1354 transfer case, 7.5" rear Dana 35 front, 3.73 gears. All stock except for the stereo. I live on 12 acres in the country. The truck will be used around the property, around town, and hopefully for trail riding and moderate rock crawling.

So far, I have found the following;
rear brakes grabbing, rusted, leaking - already fixed
leak at top of fuel tank - parts on order (fill tube, new fuel pump, strainer
and gasket
headliner is bad - being replaced today
dash is cracked and many parts are broken due to stereo installation
butcher years ago. - bought used dash parts this past weekend
heater control cable detached (plastic pin broken)
accelerator cable stretched - did the zip-tie mod as temporary fix

My Plans;
8.8" rear
4.56 gears
Lock-Rite - both ends
6" lift
33" tires on 15x8 steel wheels
Make a doubler? (got a 1350 for $75 yesterday - long-term project)
Might sacrifice A/C compressor to convert to air compressor
Engine mods? probably not until it dies

That's most of my plans at the moment. I have to repair and sell an '04 Yukon to finance most of this. I have been reading this forum and checking out the tech articles. In fact, a few of you have already helped me in the thread I started in General Discussions. Here are a couple pictures to get this thread started off right.


That's my stunt driver behind the wheel.

 

[Exenos]

Good looking truck. I like the complete colour matched front clip.

 

[Curious Hound]

Thanks. This truck was bought for my brother-in-law when he was in high school. They took pretty good care of it for the most part. But they aren't extremely "mechanically inclined". The body is almost perfect. The interior is a different story.

Whoever installed the aftermarket stereo broke a lot of plastic clips, pins, etc. on the dash. The instrument cluster isn't even screwed in right now. I did get a complete dash out of another 1993 truck last weekend. It is a slightly darker blue and has some flaws. But it is much better than what is there now.

The man who re-covered the headliner this week did an excellent job and it was only $100.

I might play with the stereo today. I want to install the Sirius/XM unit from my Yukon and replace the speakers. I got 4 new Polk Audio 5x7's that are made for boats. They should last a while and give good sound.

 

[Curious Hound]

Got the speakers replaced and Sirius/XM installed. Now the truck is more fun to drive.

It looks like I will take the bed off this weekend to replace the fuel filler pipe. While I'm doing that, I will also install a new fuel pump and strainer and gasket around the mouth of that opening. A new fuel filter is also on the list. All parts are on hand.

I also plan on cleaning the top of the frame rails and spraying a coat of paint on them and removing the spare tire bracket. That space will eventually be used to hold an air tank for my compressor.

 

[Curious Hound]

I replaced the fuel filler pipe, fuel pump, fuel pump strainer and fuel filter yesterday. Not a bad project.

( By the way, How do you add captions to photos on this forum?)

 

[Curious Hound]

So I had a little time at one of the local U-Pull-It junkyards yesterday. I didn't find much. But while looking at a '94 Ranger, I happened to glance down at the front wheels and noticed manual hubs. I turned the knobs and they turned smoothly and locked into place. they didn't show any damage, just normal aging of the exterior surfaces. One of them had a legible "Mile Marker" label.

So I took them. I also grabbed both lock nuts and the tabbed washer from each spindle. $38 total after taxes. I would prefer the good Warn hubs, but this was too easy to take advantage of. I forgot to make sure the axle was a Dana 35. I just assumed it would be. The truck appeared to be stock otherwise.

Will I need any other parts to make these work as replacements for my auto-locking hubs? I am a bit concerned that the locknuts were all loose - not really even hand tight. I needed no tools for this grab except the lug wrench for one nut on each wheel. Is this most likely due to poor installation? Or is there any known problem with the Mile Marker hubs? Would these have been original equipment for manual hubs on a '94 Ranger or an aftermarket add-on as I suspect?

Maybe I should go back when I have more time and grab the axles and spindles as spares. The transmission and transfer case are there, too. I forgot to check the door tag to get all the info.

 

[prerunner]

The Mile Marker hubs were never original equipment on a RBV (Ranger). They are a replacement and probably about equal to standard Warn hubs. For $38 you did pretty good, IMO.
The best Dana 35 hub is the Warn 37780, its a heavy duty unit. Warn made the OEM hubs for the Ranger based vehicle (RBV) lines but it was part number 29071. Directions here:
http://www.therangerstation.com/Magazine/May04/offroad.htm
Another improvement is to replace the Ford Spindle nut with an older Dana 44 one.
http://therangerstation.com/tech_library/LocknutUpgrade.shtml

Neither of the upgrades above are really necessary unless you're going to beat your rig hard and have been breaking original type stuff.

 

[Curious Hound]

Well, I got the hubs installed this weekend. I'm happy to have that finished.

I also bought four 2" receiver hitches from Craigslist for $30 total. None of them were meant for a Ranger. I cut the end brackets loose on one yesterday found where a bolt hole would match on the side of the frame. Then I bolted the brackets up and vise-gripped them to the bumper bracket. After that, I slid the cross-tube into the brackets, tack-welded a few spots, removed the whole bumper/hitch assembly and welded it all together. It turned out pretty good and I'm not afraid of it's load rating. I don't expect to tow an M1 Abrams anyway. Next, I will up-size the mounting bolts and paint it.

 

[Curious Hound]

I got a used 8.8" rear end yesterday. It came from an '02 ranger FX4, So my understanding is that this should be the stronger 31 spline version. The original LS carrier (V305A?) had failed and the owner got a non-LS carrier installed but while that was being done, he got another used rear end for his truck. So this one sat waiting for a home. He drained it and had the cover bolts loose so I could see the inside before purchase. Looked good to me. For $150, I'm pretty happy.

What are the best 4.56 gears I should buy?
What is the best value in a lunchbox locker?
What else should I do before installation, besides new wheel cylinders?
Should I weld the tubes to the center? If so, do I need to be careful about heating it unevenly and warping it?

 

[Curious Hound]

Just a quick update. I installed an oil pressure sensor and gauge this weekend. I put a water temp gauge in the gauge pod also.

The big news is I got a set of BFG AT's off Craigslist Saturday. 35x12.50x15 They have been on a Jeep that was being restored over the past couple years, but were not really driven - still have the mold flashing on them. $600 for a set of 4. That seemed like a good price.

This will definitely require some work....

 

[prerunner]

The big news is I got a set of BFG AT's off Craigslist Saturday. 35x12.50x15

This will definitely require some work....

Depends how much fender trimming you're comfortable with. Since your trucks still pretty after two decades I'll assume not much.
Somewhere in here you should find a lift or body lift (or both) combo that will suit your needs: http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/index-suspension.shtml
And of course the tire fitment guide: http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/TireFitment.shtml
Of the suspension lifts, the one everyone likes is Skyjacker. Body lifts are pretty much all alike. You asked about gears, I've had success with G2 but as long as you get an American made (not offshore) brand you'll probably be okay. Post what you're thinking about getting to get feedback from the people here. Theres some serious knowledge among these (mostly) guys.
Here is a gear ratio chart to optimize you axle ratio choice: http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/gearandtirechart.shtml (remember to use the actual tire size not the size marked on the sidewall. Your 35" BFG's are 34.7" https://tiresize.com/tires/BFGoodrich/All-Terrain-TA-KO.htm )

 

[Curious Hound]

I'm planning on a 6" Skyjacker lift and shooting for 4.56 gearing. If 6" doesn't get me the clearance, I'll decide between body lift or trimming. The front is probably the bigger clearance issue.

 

[prerunner]

The front is always the issue. The 35's might fit the rear without lift.
I have a 33x9.5 on the front of my 93 2wd right now and it steers and clears. The extra width of the 12.5 tire wouldn't clear.
An alternative would be to use fiberglass fenders like the racers do.
http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/ford_ranger_fiberglass.shtml

 

[Curious Hound]

I'm still at it. I got my used wheels straightened, cleaned and painted and had the 35's mounted on them the other day.

Had a faint squeal begin under the hood last week and traced it to the idler pulley bearing going bad. Water pump shaft has radial play also. So, new idler, water pump and seal, upper and lower radiator hoses, t-stat and seal and even new belt tensioner are on order for this weekend. I'll flush the cooling system, replace all that stuff and hopefully be good for a while.

My Yukon is finally on Craigslist. When that sells, I can order the lift kit, diff gears, lockers, etc. and start the hard work.

I also have someone that is going to help me get the A/C system converted to 134a and working.

 

[Curious Hound]

Just a helpful tip in case any of you ever need it. When removing the fan clutch from my water pump the other day,I used this technique to hold the hub so I could break the clutch free.

I removed 2 of the pulley screws. Then inserted 2 pins from the rear of the hub. ( I had some brake caliper pins from my father-in-law's Tacoma that were the perfect diameter). I then used a vice-grips chain wrench to hold the pins against the water pump housing. It worked great.