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Cab swap on a 1996 4x4


sebastian323

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Vehicle Year
1996
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Ranger XLT
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4.0 V6
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Manual
2WD / 4WD
4WD
I bought a rolled 4x4 1996 ranger for $550 and I am considering buying a new cab at a salvage yard or sourcing a cheap donor truck. Will the RWD extended cab of the same year bolt in ? I imagine i need to port over all the electronics and wiring from the 4x4 cab. My other option is to replace the roof pan and repair the damaged section of the roof frame, as the rest of the cab is more or less fine. I believe the cab swap would be easier as there is no need for paint and is an entirely bolt on affair.

as far as mounts go theyre the same from 93 all the way to 2011. cab's of the same generation and size should be the same (like extended cab for extended cab, etc.). There may be cosmetic differences but those frame mounts should line up. 4x4 and 2WD frames differ in the front for mounting the front axle and such. Since this is facebook, if this information is wrong, I will be gently corrected by those that know.
The beds are identical from 1993 to 2011 (except for 6 foot versus 7 foot beds). Later beds had 8 bolts (instead of 6) to secure them to the frame but the original 6 bolts line up. Bed styles (step versus non step) have different rear bumpers and tailgates. Taillights had 3 wire and 2 wire configurations but that is fairly easy to modify.
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Last edited:


SenorNoob

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1988
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Ford
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4.0
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4WD
Total Lift
1.5" Front + 4" Rear
Tire Size
245-70-R16
Any extended cab Ranger (maybe Mazda too?) of similar body style should work. Depends on how correct you want it to look. Finding junkyard parts the same color might be difficult. If you can shouldn't be any need to swap electronics over except maybe the ECU and instrument cluster to keep the mileage correct if it's the same year model.
 

4x4junkie

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Bronco II
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2.9 V6
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2.9L V6
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Manual
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35x12.50R15
×2.
2WD Rangers are quite plentiful still, and can be real cheap if you happen to find one in non-running condition. Finding one with good paint though might be a bit tough, the paint on these seems to last maybe 10-15 years at most unless you can find one that spent much of it's life garaged (maybe a body (cab) from a '98-'11 model would swap? I'm not sure... I do know the regular cabs of those years will not swap with '93-'97 models, but the Supercab models still might. Maybe someone else can confirm).
 

bobbywalter

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Total Lift
sawzall?
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33-44
My credo
it is easier to fix and understand than "her"
Hell ... I would just drive it .
 

bobbywalter

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sawzall?
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33-44
My credo
it is easier to fix and understand than "her"
Need a heat gun .....and maybe two tries on the windshield . ...


Good to go
 

sebastian323

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1996
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Ranger XLT
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Manual
2WD / 4WD
4WD
Need a heat gun .....and maybe two tries on the windshield . ...


Good to go
I am considering applying heat to the bent area and shoving my engine crane in through the window and sending it. I dont see why it should not unbend it
 

sebastian323

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1996
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Ranger XLT
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4.0 V6
Transmission
Manual
2WD / 4WD
4WD
Any extended cab Ranger (maybe Mazda too?) of similar body style should work. Depends on how correct you want it to look. Finding junkyard parts the same color might be difficult. If you can shouldn't be any need to swap electronics over except maybe the ECU and instrument cluster to keep the mileage correct if it's the same year model.
Would a 1990 ranger extended cab or lets say a newer 2005 cab fit onto the same frame as the 1996 ? I would transfer over the dash, steering column and electronics from my truck
 

bobbywalter

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Location
woodhaven mi
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1988
Make / Model
FORD mostly
Engine Type
V8
Engine Size
BIGGER
Transmission
Automatic
2WD / 4WD
4WD
Total Lift
sawzall?
Tire Size
33-44
My credo
it is easier to fix and understand than "her"
Better to try a newer cab ....they got bigger
 

sebastian323

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1996
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Ranger XLT
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4.0 V6
Transmission
Manual
2WD / 4WD
4WD
(maybe a body (cab) from a '98-'11 model would swap? I'm not sure... I do know the regular cabs of those years will not swap with '93-'97 models, but the Supercab models still might. Maybe someone else can confirm).
any word on whether the newer 98-11 cab will fit ? what about older cabs from the the first gen ranger ?
 

scotts90ranger

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4WD
Total Lift
6
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35"
Newer cabs should fit, should just be mostly wiring changes cab wise, the 6 body mounts should be in the same place, at some point the seat brackets changed adding airbag related stuff. Older extended cabs should fit too, but the beds are narrower on the older ones and fitting the newer dash might be interesting.
 

sebastian323

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Ranger XLT
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Manual
2WD / 4WD
4WD
I am considering applying heat to the bent area and shoving my engine crane in through the window and sending it. I dont see why it should not unbend it
I did this and was almost able to get the window to completely close. We did not apply any heat, simply just used the engine crane and a piece of 2x4 in between
 

JoshT

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Would a 1990 ranger extended cab or lets say a newer 2005 cab fit onto the same frame as the 1996 ? I would transfer over the dash, steering column and electronics from my truck
All extended cabs had the same wheelbase. All short beds are interchangable, which means the cab length on the extended cabs didn't change. To my knowledge all Rangers had the same location for the core support and front cab mount bushings. I extroplate this to mean that there's about a 90+% likelyhood that ANY Ranger extended cab will bolt onto your frame, since it's unlikely that they would have changed just the rear cab mount locations. My confidence in this statement is bolstered by the fact I recall someone bolting a first gen extended cab onto a 98+ chassis, and recall reading a few times over the years where the pre 97 and post 97 extended cabs and frames were swapped around for the reason you are looking to do it.

That does not mean that ANY extended cab will be an easy swap onto your frame. Due to changes in wiring and electronics, easiest swap would be for another pre-97 cab that matches yours. More difficult but doable would be to swap your wiring/electrical into a later cab. IMO 83-92 wouldn't be a good swap due to obvious cosmetic reasons, unless you also wanted to swap the bed to match. If you wanted to do that I'd go for 89-92 because bumper mounting would be easier, but you'd still encounter the same electrical and electronics issues. My concern doing any cab swapping would be titling issues since on these trucks the VIN and title are assigned to the cab.
 

sebastian323

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Ranger XLT
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2WD / 4WD
4WD
from a facebook group
may have to cut the hole for the shifter. COMPLETELY gut the replacement cab and use ALL of your wiring and controls.as far as mounts go theyre the same from 93 all the way to 2011.beds should also bolt right up as long as theyre the same as yours. and if youre gonna do a cab swap put new rubber mount cushions in there,they do wear out and crack over time.thats why you see alot of old full size chevys with the back of the cab sitting lower than the bed.2 mounts for the radiator support and 4 for the cab.

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Regarding the cab - just a guess (since I've done no cab swap before) but cab's of the same generation and size should be the same (like extended cab for extended cab, etc.). There may be cosmetic differences but those frame mounts should line up. 4x4 and 2WD frames differ in the front for mounting the front axle and such. Since this is facebook, if this information is wrong, I will be gently corrected by those that know.
The beds are identical from 1993 to 2011 (except for 6 foot versus 7 foot beds). Later beds had 8 bolts (instead of 6) to secure them to the frame but the original 6 bolts line up. Bed styles (step versus non step) have different rear bumpers and tailgates. Taillights had 3 wire and 2 wire configurations but that is fairly easy to modify.
 

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