Want to make the front clip removable on 1987 Ranger

[corerftech]

I am looking for some photographic assistance (or precise verbiage) from those that have removed the entire front clip on a ranger and made it bolt in.

I would like to either weld or bolt tabs at the firewall to support the inner fenders such that the entire clip can be removed by virtue of the frame bolts below and the bolts at the tabs at firewall. Essentially a one piece front end.
The concern is not logistics of radiator/wiring, etc but more so the sheet metal modification at firewall.

Alternately I’d be interested in just having a removable core support but that seems way more cumbersome than the entire clip to the firewall.
The firewall welds and access are much cleaner than the corners at fender to core support junction. Harming the spot welds at those corners I believe would be a bad move.
If anyone has done such, or if your an off roader and have have tube framed a new fender support I’d sure like to see some photos.
Any suggestions of a car that might have a bracket that can be removed (right and left) and adapted to the purpose to save me some fabrication or welding (firewall to inner fender support) would be great too.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Uncle Gump]

I'm pretty sure @bobbywalter has done this... maybe he will chime in.

My new Bronco II with a 6 inch lift sure is a reach to do anything under the hood. It's also gonna get worse when a new front bumper goes on. I need a better step stool or tire step... something.

Pulling the front end right off would certainly simplify all of it. I've thought that if I do any kind of powertrain swap that I would dig into doing this exact thing.

I'm gonna follow along...

 

[Shran]

Problem #1 is that the inner wheel well liners hold up a lot of wiring, air cleaner box, etc, and the metal inner fender support holds those up. That is fairly easy to overcome.
Problem #2 is supporting the radiator core support piece from flopping forward or backward once you remove the side supports.

I think you could make the outer sheet metal "lift off" or hinged or whatever. The one problem is the bottom rear section of the fenders. My buddy had an Early Bronco that had a hinged front clip and made a cut diagonally on the fenders so that they were two separate pieces. Then riveted everything together and put hinges on the front, under the grill, attached to the frame, and hood pins on the back. It needed a lot of structural work on the inside but it worked. Here's where the cut was:

I can see this having some potential for a street truck but a driver or an offroad truck would probably turn me off to the idea. Once you lose your inner wheel well liners and the structure above them, you will get a LOT more mud, dirt, dust, water, salt, etc in the engine bay... no thanks.

 

[bobbywalter]

There are many ways to skin that cat.

If I do a large engine swap. It's made removable.

Not tilt. Just removable.

Makes maintenance cake.

 

[bobbywalter]

All you need is a drill ...and some patience with a cut off wheel ... And some 1/4 inch bolts.

Takes about an half hour to an hour.

 

[corerftech]

BW is this just removing the core support welds or the firewall clips welds as well?

I am making fast progress toward my v8 transplant (streetcar) and the advantages of no inner fender liners coupled with easy removable of front clip steel ala Chevrolet truck front end…… sure is appealing.
Uncle Gump and I are on same wavelength.

I would like to have brackets at the firewall with welded nuts on the firewall side so that 2 or 3 pieces of 3/8” bolts with integral lock washers to draw the bracket (welded to inner fender steel) into the firewall.

Clip removal would be best for plug changes, exhaust install, etc.

Ultimately——- a firewall with Frame rails is all I want….. just like a Chevy front end. Fill access. I don’t mind a laborious process of assembly and dis——— what is important is to have automatic realignment of panels and minimal attachment points which are easy access for the big steelwork.

Pull number, remove the lower trim just above the bumper, remove two frame bolts, remove 6 firewall bolts.
Detach supported cabling (a carbureted v8 leaves little to support and electrical even if injected can be revised to allow for removal), get a friend—-and lift up and forward.

I saw a blurb on a sticky about an off-road ranger (posted here) that was morphed from a 93 front end to a 98? He used Focus or some other small passenger car corner brackets to affix fender to firewall although pics and details on post are very poor, no offense, no perspective for photos!

BW sound like your directing some precision spot weld drilling and then replacing with nut/bolt.

Please as you have time elaborate!

 

[bobbywalter]

The brackets are built in with the upper inner fender rail frame horns.


I will put a pic up when I get a min.

 

[bobbywalter]

i am not finding pictures of what i want....so i hope this helps.....but look at the horns at the cab.


these horns are already there... you just need to make a small diag cut right near the horns and follow it along under the firewall. then tab it in if you want for more support....you can weld nuts to the backside or use clip-nuts.... this is easily done with no welding and a few pieces of metal strap if you want max support. i will take a picture of my bronco setup...it is what you want.

mine on this pickup is fully removed but that is unnessessary with a truck that is not rotten and in need of patching. my trucks are saltbelt to say the least.

i make the radiator stand alone in most situations if allowed. cutting the core open for airflow is my preference if power is the goal. i run the diesel radiator from a g 30 application and it sits where the frame is modified. i do not need the front end on to drive the truck.

just to get an idea of scale....this is a 350 next to a 6.5...

it takes 10 minutes to pull the front end off and you can pull the heads off of a big block no problem....or anything else that needs wrenching....i can totally pull all of the trans bolts...only have to go underneath for torque converter bolts.

 

[bobbywalter]

As for strength with just a couple of bolts holding it on.....


Lil bob bashes the front of the bronco off of stuff all the time.....hard stuff.

 

[corerftech]

That is bad A$$ BW!!!
Exactly!!!
I will examine he pics carefully and also compare to my parts and attempt to discern your info!!

Uuuge, simply Uuuge!

 

[corerftech]

I’d like to see the fender side of the tab/horn attachment.
I see the “horns”, I’m at work but as soon as s home will digest!

 

[bobbywalter]

Bronco setup.


The straps are welded....but they can be bolted on the the fixed side obviously.

 

[corerftech]

BW,

see array of photos (mud free! LOL)
With questions.

Top photo, my finger is IN a hole underside of “horn”, which seems like the hole you may have used after drilling the inner fender panel.

Next photo:
Finger pointing along the seam, wondering under the outer fender skin, are there spot welds to drill on the top flank?

Next photo:
Simply to illustrate what looks like about 6-7 spot welds that will need drilling in the vertical plate of the “horn”.


Last, what do you do with the fold over factory tab at the firewall??

Does it do anything after modification or get in the way??


You mentioned having a freestanding radiator. Do you use just the frame tips with a fabricated cradle and some vertical support?

It appears that the entire middle of the core support really needs to be sectioned out, from top to bottom.
I am envisioning a radiator support to some extent, like a model A hot rod, minus the bars tagged to the firewall. The the facade core support or what is left of it, supports the grille, headlights, etc. Or am I making it unnecessarily complicated?

I like the stand alone freestanding radiator. I would gladly ditch the hood latch for some pins at right and left. I’d love to have a “center less” core support, just a. R& L headlight bucket. Maybe add a gusset tube from top of core support diagonal to inner fender wall to support the sides of the core support, keep them vertical and square. Actually then the clip would be two pieces. Right fender that includes half the core support/headlamp, etc and the left, similar. Not sure how the grille would tolerate having a disunified place to attach to. If the car flexed on a launch and twisted it might just have parts fall off as the fenders separate from each other.
I took pics of the assembled car due to light and clarity. My subject vehicle is empty unlike the red one, and the front end is apart.

Later questions may be answered by looking at the subject disassembled truck core support.

 

[bobbywalter]

you leave the horn as is....just seperate the spot welds... unce the fender is off...it should be clear.

as you can see ours is smashed to hell and holding up fine.

as for center less...yes.....this setup on the ranger was center less for some time. and your not likely going to twist em up at the strip like we do off road.

but it does not have to be cut ALL the way up....maybe some air holes....you can leave the radiator right in the core support if you just want to run a hd 4.0 radiator or go to a 5.0 explorer core setup. they can work. just have to play around...if you already have that stuff...may as well see if it can work.

eventually i made the one on my main ranger as light and strong as possible so i can plop it off easily by my crippled ass self all alone. but i have a massive radiator due to the 400 cubes of diesel....it literally goes headlight to headlight...it does not incorporate the factory body mounts due to the space constraints. so i hacked up some square stock to make a bridge with mounts for the rails to test it out with no factory body mounts...and...well...shit...13 years later....its still there. literally a test mach up piece....oh well. it works i guess.... the amount of heat this thing can make is impressive for such low horsepower.



typically...on a sub 400 hp gas engine i prefer to use a 25x19 or 25x17 radiator on a c channel connecting the lower frame rails. single mustang e-fan or explorer mechanical fan. for added strength, spanning the opened up core support to connect the body mounts with a bridge strap, which allows the factory gen one facia and turn lights to be easily retained works real good..

but, I shit canned it all because i hit alot of deer and tree branches and snow banks ect and it just adds time for removal. i usually just zip tie regular lights in. everytime i get cool lights they get smashed or clobbered with rocks and mud....fleet bulbs are cheap. your not going to have that luxury.

the gen 2 trucks are more complicated in parts content.

the later generation 3 trucks have much more wiggle room which will allow some nice hack and slash modifications maximizing radiator size...and more importantly...air flow...and retaining air conditioning.





this is from the ttb days... with bridge removed and i tend to run a 3 in body lift. with no body lift the 19 tall radiator still fits well.

these are fairly current. i have a newer radiator yet to install. but i may go back to a summit unit so i can go back inside the frame rails...

 

[n2xlr8n]

I did the core support for a LS turbo. 28 spot welds just for the core support (20 around the headlights, 4 on top each side). Moved the radiator / WP to the bed to allow the front mounted turbo and intercooler in front of the core support. Everything fits just like stock. I plasma cut the core support for cold side piping, too. My build has been somewhat detailed on the AJE front end thread started by Yotaismygame...he encouraged me to document it there.

All told, about 3 hours work- but I left the inner fenders in place to keep the fender alignment.

I will admit, I should have done this years ago; it makes work around / on the engine so much easier.