Project Practical Prerunner

[Class5Cole]

Sorry as some of this will be a repeat of my "Introduce Yourself" thread. Bought this 2001 Ranger Edge 4.0 off a family friend. I am the third owner of the truck and bought it with 163,000 miles on it. This truck is my daily driver and now has 181,000 miles with the original motor and trans. I'm trying to keep the truck practical for trips to Lowe's and all that, but this is also my desert toy. I'm struggling to find the balance of how far I want to go with it. Condo life also makes it really difficult with hardly anywhere to work on it and nowhere to fabricate. If the lady and I end up buying a house, I'm sure it'll go far and above current plans.

Interior was in pretty good shape with the exception of the zebra print arm rest and subwoofer. Seats have some normal wear under the covers.
First things first- Cranked the torsion bars to get some ride height. Also got some Method's wrapped in very worn 31" Mickey Thompson 'Deegan 38s' through a work deal. Ripped off the dorky brush guard which unfortunately made large holes in the stock bumper.

 

[Class5Cole]

 

[Class5Cole]

The HID fog lights were really doing all the illuminating. Knowing I was going to ditch the front bumper, I found these IPCW projector lights for way too much money. They work great as a projector light but the fit is absolutely horrendous. Had to make some mounts myself for the passenger side.

 

[Class5Cole]

Stock honeycomb was brittle and damaged. Found this aftermarket grill for $40. Fit was awesome and the color looks pretty good.

 

[Class5Cole]

As a Southern California native, I couldn't resist building a bumper for it. My friends down at Bart's Iron Design did a great job helping me design it and weld it up.

I've since replaced the trans cooler lines, but I'm still looking for other options. Considering steel braided lines or relocating the cooler altogether. The lines are now pretty exposed if you have to mow over any bushes

 

[Class5Cole]

Got some stretch fabric to replace the zebra arm rest. I can't believe how tough it is to find replacement arm rests as well. Constantly checking our junkyards from LA to San Diego.
Changed the PB sub for a 12" Kicker with a 500w Kicker Amp.

Picked up a good rock off a semi, straight to the windshield on the way out to the McKenzies 300. Just glad my it didn't kill my brother in the passenger seat. Dang it!

 

[Class5Cole]

Easter was good to me.
31" BFG All Terrains
New Upper Arms
New Ball Joints
Brake Job
New Shocks (Duralast was better than nothing on a holiday, in a pinch)- Change coming soon
Fabtech 3" Lift Spindle
Fabtech Rear Leaf
*Editors note- Didn't realize Camburg was still making kits for the Edge or I would have avoided Fabtech 100%.

 

[Class5Cole]

A little house keeping- Replaced the cruise control buttons. This ended up being more complicated than it should have been. That's life lol

 

[Class5Cole]

Currently sitting at a crossroads for the next move. Deciding whether to upgrade to Bilstein 5160s and run that for a while OR upgrade to Camburg Uppers and Lowers with the dual shock conversion and shock hoop. I would also like to go to 33s or 35s but not sure if I want to put that strain on the old motor and trans, even with re-gearing

 

[Blmpkn]

Progress always feels good, nice rig.

As for not putting strain on the "old" stuff, re-gearing nearly 100% negates any extra stress from bigger tires. The only stress would be from the extra weight, which comparing a 29" tire to a 33" tire is about 18 pounds.

Rough guesstimate would put the difference between your 31s to 33s at only 9 pounds per side, which I'd say is nearly negligible.

 

[JMF661]

As a Southern California native, I couldn't resist building a bumper for it. My friends down at Bart's Iron Design did a great job helping me design it and weld it up.View attachment 44782View attachment 44783
View attachment 44784


I've since replaced the trans cooler lines, but I'm still looking for other options. Considering steel braided lines or relocating the cooler altogether. The lines are now pretty exposed if you have to mow over any bushes

I like the bumper man! Looks real slick.

 

[Class5Cole]

Progress always feels good, nice rig.

As for not putting strain on the "old" stuff, re-gearing nearly 100% negates any extra stress from bigger tires. The only stress would be from the extra weight, which comparing a 29" tire to a 33" tire is about 18 pounds.

Rough guesstimate would put the difference between your 31s to 33s at only 9 pounds per side, which I'd say is nearly negligible.

Yeah I suppose that's a good point. I just left working in the drag racing world where everything is about rotational mass so I probably freaked myself out about that.

 

[Class5Cole]

I like the bumper man! Looks real slick.

Thanks JMF! Hopefully I can do something clean with the rear bumper while still making it practical.