What donor vehicle to use with my desired mods? (5.0 manual, 4x4 twin sticks w/ crawlbox, etc)

[FFR96]

Hello everyone, it is good to finally make my first post and series of inquiries regarding some ranger goals I have in mind, moving forward with a future project truck. I'll post an introduction later separately to keep this as short as possible. I am currently at a phase in my life where my next 3 years in my career will be a bit of a break in comparison to the last 8 that I have experienced, which means I will have much more time to pursue this project. And while everything I am asking about here has been done before, I have yet to hear of any build that sort of ties it all together into one vehicle, which is exactly my objective. The purpose of this truck, though I would argue is irrelevant to need to know, is to have something that is reliable enough to daily should I ever need to (if one of my bikes goes down that I daily, this never happens knock on wood), but mainly to have a project truck that checks all the boxes of what I want it to have and what I want it to do (be a reliable novelty ranger, be able to tow at least 5000 pounds, meet the cosmetic looks I have in mind, have the utility of the flatbed I have in mind, and have the off roading prowess in mind although this is not intended to be a trophy truck). Most of the time, I will likely use this truck to have fun recreationally on and off road, and transport tools and heavy equipment both on the flatbed and/or on my 10-foot flat trailer.

I am seeking the bottomless knowledge and experience from all you been-there-done-that guys who can help me in my decision, and maybe tell me if and how these mods may conflict, and what exact parts and specs are needed in order to pull this off. One last thing before getting into my desired mods for the Ranger, try to refrain from commenting about difference in money/investment factors. Yes, a brand new TRD Pro Tacoma will be 50-55k most likely (this is the option 2 I will pursue if this ranger build does not work out for some reason), possibly more, while a 3rd gen Ranger can be found anywhere from 2-10k. But please, I just want to discuss these 3rd gen mods and iron out my plan, should I choose this route for a custom RBV. If I can source the doner ranger (So far I believe this to be a 2004+ extended cab manual 4.0 4x4) for no more than 7k, and spend no more than 20-25k in parts and labor (mainly parts, as I am willing to do most of the labor myself), then that would be awesome. I have not yet done a deep cost analysis because I still need more answers on what exactly must be done and ordered, hence this post.

All said and done, I am looking to have the following capabilities/features on the truck: (1) fiberwerx gen 2 raptor front end, custom flatbed in the rear, (2) 33s or 35s, I have a bead lock wheel in mind from BRA that I like, I don't know what size wheel yet or whether or not to offset because this will depend on what I can tow, (3) I'd like about a 4" lift (+ or - 2" if other mods require it as such), I don't know differences in a torsion bar setup or a coil setup, still need to figure this out. Whatever decision comes of this, I am a huge King suspension fan so I will use their stuff wherever possible. (4) 302 HO motor swap with a manual trans (R2? maybe a ZF?) and manual t-case and doubler (1354 + doubler kit perhaps behemoth OR 1354+_____?) (want dual sticks (Pretty sure that doing this with a 4" lift is quite do-able with little to no cutting for the sticks clearance, let me know what you think)
I definitely need an extended cab RBV, and ideally if I can get one with the bench seat and flip down center console in the front that would be awesome! I also imagine that the solid 8.8 rear would be the way to go on this, which leads me to believe that I should seek a 4.0 motor variant RBV as well since they all have em stock to begin with. Don't know what gearing for the axles and T-cases yet though.

Keep in mind the following questions I have when reading this list of desired mods:
1) What donor vehicle? I have had a 2004+ Extended Cab with manual trans model in mind. I have to have jump seats.
2) Are there any 2004+ model year Manual, extended cab rangers that have bench seats with the drop-down middle seat/center console? That would be ideal. If not, does anyone have a bench seat that you can install in the extended cab?
3) Any special considerations for the best frame to use? I imagine some sort of aftermarket cross members will have to be bought and bolted on or welded. OR perhaps a custom one entirely must be fab'd. I do have my own welding set up and a lathe, and a mill in my garage that I call a shop lol. Other than that, I do not know if certain model year or manual/auto style frames have different benefits when talking about the swap described above.
4) EFI or Carb setup? While I am not necessarily planning on turbo-ing it in the future, I would like to have that as an option, and I understand EFI would probably be the best way to keep this door open.
Feel free to point out any other issues or questions worth mentioning that can help me make this possible
5) After swapping to a 302 motor, if I do a 347 in the future and/or turbo it (would most definitely be a low boost application if I were to ever do this), at what point is too much power for the R2 transmission and T-cases? Are there any stronger gearsets/shafts out there off the shelf to swap for the R2 transmission in order to support more power? (Billet, etc) I know, this is getting a little too far down the road, but it's something to consider. The more thought I frontload into this, the less pain I will have down the road when I finetune what I want and like on it, or further modify in the future.
Some other questions I have:
- Is there any reason or way to reinforce the frame? Or to slightly increase the towing capacity of the vehicle when considering some of the other mods I list below? Cooling mods?

Thanks for reading! What do you guys think? Feel free to share your thoughts and comments/critiques on how to improve where I'm going with this.

 

[FFR96]

Hello everyone, it is good to finally make my first post and series of inquiries regarding some ranger goals I have in mind, moving forward with a future project truck. I'll post an introduction later separately to keep this as short as possible. I am currently at a phase in my life where my next 3 years in my career will be a bit of a break in comparison to the last 8 that I have experienced, which means I will have much more time to pursue this project. And while everything I am asking about here has been done before, I have yet to hear of any build that sort of ties it all together into one vehicle, which is exactly my objective. The purpose of this truck, though I would argue is irrelevant to need to know, is to have something that is reliable enough to daily should I ever need to (if one of my bikes goes down that I daily, this never happens knock on wood), but mainly to have a project truck that checks all the boxes of what I want it to have and what I want it to do (be a reliable novelty ranger, be able to tow at least 5000 pounds, meet the cosmetic looks I have in mind, have the utility of the flatbed I have in mind, and have the off roading prowess in mind although this is not intended to be a trophy truck). Most of the time, I will likely use this truck to have fun recreationally on and off road, and transport tools and heavy equipment both on the flatbed and/or on my 10-foot flat trailer.

I am seeking the bottomless knowledge and experience from all you been-there-done-that guys who can help me in my decision, and maybe tell me if and how these mods may conflict, and what exact parts and specs are needed in order to pull this off. One last thing before getting into my desired mods for the Ranger, try to refrain from commenting about difference in money/investment factors. Yes, a brand new TRD Pro Tacoma will be 50-55k most likely (this is the option 2 I will pursue if this ranger build does not work out for some reason), possibly more, while a 3rd gen Ranger can be found anywhere from 2-10k. But please, I just want to discuss these 3rd gen mods and iron out my plan, should I choose this route for a custom RBV. If I can source the doner ranger (So far I believe this to be a 2004+ extended cab manual 4.0 4x4) for no more than 7k, and spend no more than 20-25k in parts and labor (mainly parts, as I am willing to do most of the labor myself), then that would be awesome. I have not yet done a deep cost analysis because I still need more answers on what exactly must be done and ordered, hence this post.

All said and done, I am looking to have the following capabilities/features on the truck: (1) fiberwerx gen 2 raptor front end, custom flatbed in the rear, (2) 33s or 35s, I have a bead lock wheel in mind from BRA that I like, I don't know what size wheel yet or whether or not to offset because this will depend on what I can tow, (3) I'd like about a 4" lift (+ or - 2" if other mods require it as such), I don't know differences in a torsion bar setup or a coil setup, still need to figure this out. Whatever decision comes of this, I am a huge King suspension fan so I will use their stuff wherever possible. (4) 302 HO motor swap with a manual trans (R2? maybe a ZF?) and manual t-case and doubler (1354 + doubler kit perhaps behemoth OR 1354+_____?) (want dual sticks (Pretty sure that doing this with a 4" lift is quite do-able with little to no cutting for the sticks clearance, let me know what you think)
I definitely need an extended cab RBV, and ideally if I can get one with the bench seat and flip down center console in the front that would be awesome! I also imagine that the solid 8.8 rear would be the way to go on this, which leads me to believe that I should seek a 4.0 motor variant RBV as well since they all have em stock to begin with. Don't know what gearing for the axles and T-cases yet though.

Keep in mind the following questions I have when reading this list of desired mods:
1) What donor vehicle? I have had a 2004+ Extended Cab with manual trans model in mind. I have to have jump seats.
2) Are there any 2004+ model year Manual, extended cab rangers that have bench seats with the drop-down middle seat/center console? That would be ideal. If not, does anyone have a bench seat that you can install in the extended cab?
3) Any special considerations for the best frame to use? I imagine some sort of aftermarket cross members will have to be bought and bolted on or welded. OR perhaps a custom one entirely must be fab'd. I do have my own welding set up and a lathe, and a mill in my garage that I call a shop lol. Other than that, I do not know if certain model year or manual/auto style frames have different benefits when talking about the swap described above.
4) EFI or Carb setup? While I am not necessarily planning on turbo-ing it in the future, I would like to have that as an option, and I understand EFI would probably be the best way to keep this door open.
Feel free to point out any other issues or questions worth mentioning that can help me make this possible
5) After swapping to a 302 motor, if I do a 347 in the future and/or turbo it (would most definitely be a low boost application if I were to ever do this), at what point is too much power for the R2 transmission and T-cases? Are there any stronger gearsets/shafts out there off the shelf to swap for the R2 transmission in order to support more power? (Billet, etc) I know, this is getting a little too far down the road, but it's something to consider. The more thought I frontload into this, the less pain I will have down the road when I finetune what I want and like on it, or further modify in the future.
Some other questions I have:
- Is there any reason or way to reinforce the frame? Or to slightly increase the towing capacity of the vehicle when considering some of the other mods I list below? Cooling mods?

Thanks for reading! What do you guys think? Feel free to share your thoughts and comments/critiques on how to improve where I'm going with this.

***Additionally, I am open to using the McNeil Racing one piece raptor conversion and I would prefer one of these two raptor conversion kits the most, but I may also be open to using the McNeil 6" or 10" bulge fenders instead, and then just get one of the commonly added F-O-R-D raptor style grills and aftermarket hood and headlights. The reason why I am leaning towards the actual raptor conversion is because I like the raptor headlights a lot, and I have a feeling that overall this will produce more space for the V8 swap/future turbo applications.

 

[rubydist]

The first question I have is will this need to pass emissions and inspections? Because if you are going to register it in CA (or many other places), you will have to use a 2001 or earlier, since 2001 was the last year that Explorers got the 5.0 HO engine. If you will need emissions/inspections, you will be required to use efi. I personally have had my fill of carbs, so I do efi on all my projects.

Yes, it is possible to put a bench seat in the manual trans extended cab trucks.

The torsion bar front suspension Rangers all have the front part of the frame boxed. It is possible to box the rest of the frame if you need more structure.

The M5OD trans is certainly good for up to 350-400 ft-lbs of torque - there are plenty of boosted 4.0 sohc trucks out there and I have yet to hear of anyone blowing up the trans from too much torque.

 

[2011Supercab]

I'm kind of wondering about the needing a bench seat and the jump seats,

You're not going to get 5 adults into a Supercab Ranger.

The sideways jump seats in the back don't work with car/booster seats for small children, and are way to small for an adult.

 

[ericbphoto]

Wow. Wish I had the budget to consider all that. Personally, if I was going to do all that with anything later than a 97 (97!is last year of third generation, by the way. See photo below), I think I would consider a solid axle swap on the front to make it easier to lift. Definitely check emissions requirements in your state so you know what engine you can or cannot legally use. California isn’t the only place that is strict on that. My preference is for EFI. I like how it can be tuned and customized and you don’t have to worry about floats getting stuck when the vehicle is on steep
Angles. Bench seat? You’re talking about manual transmission, manual transfer case (twin sticked) and doubler. That’s 4 shifters in the floor. Sounds crowded in a Ranger cab with bench seat.

just my initial thoughts.

Ranger generations;

 

[bobbywalter]

Hello everyone, it is good to finally make my first post and series of inquiries regarding some ranger goals I have in mind, moving forward with a future project truck. I'll post an introduction later separately to keep this as short as possible. I am currently at a phase in my life where my next 3 years in my career will be a bit of a break in comparison to the last 8 that I have experienced, which means I will have much more time to pursue this project. And while everything I am asking about here has been done before, I have yet to hear of any build that sort of ties it all together into one vehicle, which is exactly my objective. The purpose of this truck, though I would argue is irrelevant to need to know, is to have something that is reliable enough to daily should I ever need to (if one of my bikes goes down that I daily, this never happens knock on wood), but mainly to have a project truck that checks all the boxes of what I want it to have and what I want it to do (be a reliable novelty ranger, be able to tow at least 5000 pounds, meet the cosmetic looks I have in mind, have the utility of the flatbed I have in mind, and have the off roading prowess in mind although this is not intended to be a trophy truck). Most of the time, I will likely use this truck to have fun recreationally on and off road, and transport tools and heavy equipment both on the flatbed and/or on my 10-foot flat trailer.

I am seeking the bottomless knowledge and experience from all you been-there-done-that guys who can help me in my decision, and maybe tell me if and how these mods may conflict, and what exact parts and specs are needed in order to pull this off. One last thing before getting into my desired mods for the Ranger, try to refrain from commenting about difference in money/investment factors. Yes, a brand new TRD Pro Tacoma will be 50-55k most likely (this is the option 2 I will pursue if this ranger build does not work out for some reason), possibly more, while a 3rd gen Ranger can be found anywhere from 2-10k. But please, I just want to discuss these 3rd gen mods and iron out my plan, should I choose this route for a custom RBV. If I can source the doner ranger (So far I believe this to be a 2004+ extended cab manual 4.0 4x4) for no more than 7k, and spend no more than 20-25k in parts and labor (mainly parts, as I am willing to do most of the labor myself), then that would be awesome. I have not yet done a deep cost analysis because I still need more answers on what exactly must be done and ordered, hence this post.

All said and done, I am looking to have the following capabilities/features on the truck: (1) fiberwerx gen 2 raptor front end, custom flatbed in the rear, (2) 33s or 35s, I have a bead lock wheel in mind from BRA that I like, I don't know what size wheel yet or whether or not to offset because this will depend on what I can tow, (3) I'd like about a 4" lift (+ or - 2" if other mods require it as such), I don't know differences in a torsion bar setup or a coil setup, still need to figure this out. Whatever decision comes of this, I am a huge King suspension fan so I will use their stuff wherever possible. (4) 302 HO motor swap with a manual trans (R2? maybe a ZF?) and manual t-case and doubler (1354 + doubler kit perhaps behemoth OR 1354+_____?) (want dual sticks (Pretty sure that doing this with a 4" lift is quite do-able with little to no cutting for the sticks clearance, let me know what you think)
I definitely need an extended cab RBV, and ideally if I can get one with the bench seat and flip down center console in the front that would be awesome! I also imagine that the solid 8.8 rear would be the way to go on this, which leads me to believe that I should seek a 4.0 motor variant RBV as well since they all have em stock to begin with. Don't know what gearing for the axles and T-cases yet though.

Keep in mind the following questions I have when reading this list of desired mods:
1) What donor vehicle? I have had a 2004+ Extended Cab with manual trans model in mind. I have to have jump seats.
2) Are there any 2004+ model year Manual, extended cab rangers that have bench seats with the drop-down middle seat/center console? That would be ideal. If not, does anyone have a bench seat that you can install in the extended cab?
3) Any special considerations for the best frame to use? I imagine some sort of aftermarket cross members will have to be bought and bolted on or welded. OR perhaps a custom one entirely must be fab'd. I do have my own welding set up and a lathe, and a mill in my garage that I call a shop lol. Other than that, I do not know if certain model year or manual/auto style frames have different benefits when talking about the swap described above.
4) EFI or Carb setup? While I am not necessarily planning on turbo-ing it in the future, I would like to have that as an option, and I understand EFI would probably be the best way to keep this door open.
Feel free to point out any other issues or questions worth mentioning that can help me make this possible
5) After swapping to a 302 motor, if I do a 347 in the future and/or turbo it (would most definitely be a low boost application if I were to ever do this), at what point is too much power for the R2 transmission and T-cases? Are there any stronger gearsets/shafts out there off the shelf to swap for the R2 transmission in order to support more power? (Billet, etc) I know, this is getting a little too far down the road, but it's something to consider. The more thought I frontload into this, the less pain I will have down the road when I finetune what I want and like on it, or further modify in the future.
Some other questions I have:
- Is there any reason or way to reinforce the frame? Or to slightly increase the towing capacity of the vehicle when considering some of the other mods I list below? Cooling mods?

Thanks for reading! What do you guys think? Feel free to share your thoughts and comments/critiques on how to improve where I'm going with this.

The purpose of this truck, though I would argue is irrelevant to need to know,

THAT is the single most important factor to offer advice for a custom build...

is to have something that is reliable enough to daily should I ever need to (if one of my bikes goes down that I daily, this never happens knock on wood), but mainly to have a project truck that checks all the boxes of what I want it to have and what I want it to do (be a reliable novelty ranger, be able to tow at least 5000 pounds, meet the cosmetic looks I have in mind, have the utility of the flatbed I have in mind, and have the off roading prowess in mind although this is not intended to be a trophy truck). Most of the time, I will likely use this truck to have fun recreationally on and off road, and transport tools and heavy equipment both on the flatbed and/or on my 10-foot flat trailer.

and i am very glad you answered it.


i have exactly what you laid out....a swiss army knife of a ranger that fullfills MY needs IN MY LIFE.

a regular pickup bed is a limitation in every way for myself. when i had beaten my bed to death and was sick of putting the box sides back on......and was sick of hauling dirtbikes in a very limited fashion....i wanted a flatbed... i looked at what was on the market..all were wildly out of my price range and realized i would have build what i needed ...and most of it was done from scrap.

that is always a specific end user thing. in my case i run a huge range of adventure and work...so being able to accommodate 42 inch tires required the bed to be built a specific way for maximum wheel travel for trail work...

the current model of ford ranger is absolutely useless for me....the bedsides on a stock truck are too high let alone a modified one....and the space available is too low...

to consider buying one...i know i have to extend the chassis and build a custom bed to even own one. but they offer sooooo much to work with as a starting point in regards to cabin space and powertrain...someday maybe....



as to powertrain... i selected to go with a dirtball diesel and a specific type of diesel for quite a few specific reasons....all of which are in your parameters....and then some back in 2008 and got away from my windsors because i was driving 50 k a year minimum to work and fuel cost was just becoming too much. today...i am looking at the next 10 years if i live that long...and am thinking based on whats readily available what engine makes sense... and its not easy to do that for my rig.


i ran windsor v8s for 100s of thousand of miles....nearly a million actually all in...over13 years or so on one specific chassis and i do love them.

but today...they are not on my list of viable powertrains. the way the government is pushing things ...parts stores being a good business model and with availability of components already becoming a thing...long term powertrain selection needs to be a careful thought.... for something that can be a daily driver.

for a mild truck on 35 inch tires or smaller....i would consider the modern ranger powertrain as a swap. they will outperform any stock windsor swap and always have the fuel economy advantage and emissions capacity, and maintenance retention will be much easier going forward the next 10 years.

from there i would do a gm gen 4 late....with likely an ar5 swap. these are cheap and available...and 400 hp is easy. will get better economy then the windsor.

if you want to stay ford and simple....consider a cyclone engine....3.7 or 3.5 or 3.3 N/A are very available and will take a ridiculous amount of boost if you ever want to play that game.


last on the list is the windsor..... 15 years ago it was first on the list....

times change.

and i love windsors...especially 351s.... but you are not getting 400 naturally aspirated hp out of any stock headed windsor.....the same can not be said about a 5.3.


and that is coming from a guy with a hummvee powered 1988 ranger that does not even have a functioning stereo in the dash....

or much sheetmetal left.... but it is my main method of personal conveyance.


but you asked and i am obliging.

 

[FFR96]

The first question I have is will this need to pass emissions and inspections? Because if you are going to register it in CA (or many other places), you will have to use a 2001 or earlier, since 2001 was the last year that Explorers got the 5.0 HO engine. If you will need emissions/inspections, you will be required to use efi. I personally have had my fill of carbs, so I do efi on all my projects.

Yes, it is possible to put a bench seat in the manual trans extended cab trucks.

The torsion bar front suspension Rangers all have the front part of the frame boxed. It is possible to box the rest of the frame if you need more structure.

The M5OD trans is certainly good for up to 350-400 ft-lbs of torque - there are plenty of boosted 4.0 sohc trucks out there and I have yet to hear of anyone blowing up the trans from too much torque.

Good question, yes it will have to pass emissions in Arizona. I am definitely trying to do an EFI set up now. As for the boxed frame, is a 1999 4wd manual going to have a boxed frame? This is what I am currently looking at getting for the DV. Feel free to poke any holes in my plan.

 

[FFR96]

I'm kind of wondering about the needing a bench seat and the jump seats,

You're not going to get 5 adults into a Supercab Ranger.

The sideways jump seats in the back don't work with car/booster seats for small children, and are way to small for an adult.

I should have further specified. It is not necessarily the jumpseats more so than it is the extra space provided from having the extended cab. But I do have a 4 year old and likely another on the way in time so jumpseats are a must as well.

 

[FFR96]

Wow. Wish I had the budget to consider all that. Personally, if I was going to do all that with anything later than a 97 (97!is last year of third generation, by the way. See photo below), I think I would consider a solid axle swap on the front to make it easier to lift. Definitely check emissions requirements in your state so you know what engine you can or cannot legally use. California isn’t the only place that is strict on that. My preference is for EFI. I like how it can be tuned and customized and you don’t have to worry about floats getting stuck when the vehicle is on steep
Angles. Bench seat? You’re talking about manual transmission, manual transfer case (twin sticked) and doubler. That’s 4 shifters in the floor. Sounds crowded in a Ranger cab with bench seat.

just my initial thoughts.

Ranger generations;

Some good points, I am not married to the idea of bench seats. The 99 DV I am looking at now has the fold down center console/middle seat and is a manual 4wd 4.0. The fold down seat/console is probably more preferred than a true bench seat anyways.

 

[FFR96]

THAT is the single most important factor to offer advice for a custom build...








and i am very glad you answered it.


i have exactly what you laid out....a swiss army knife of a ranger that fullfills MY needs IN MY LIFE.

a regular pickup bed is a limitation in every way for myself. when i had beaten my bed to death and was sick of putting the box sides back on......and was sick of hauling dirtbikes in a very limited fashion....i wanted a flatbed... i looked at what was on the market..all were wildly out of my price range and realized i would have build what i needed ...and most of it was done from scrap.

that is always a specific end user thing. in my case i run a huge range of adventure and work...so being able to accommodate 42 inch tires required the bed to be built a specific way for maximum wheel travel for trail work...

the current model of ford ranger is absolutely useless for me....the bedsides on a stock truck are too high let alone a modified one....and the space available is too low...

to consider buying one...i know i have to extend the chassis and build a custom bed to even own one. but they offer sooooo much to work with as a starting point in regards to cabin space and powertrain...someday maybe....



as to powertrain... i selected to go with a dirtball diesel and a specific type of diesel for quite a few specific reasons....all of which are in your parameters....and then some back in 2008 and got away from my windsors because i was driving 50 k a year minimum to work and fuel cost was just becoming too much. today...i am looking at the next 10 years if i live that long...and am thinking based on whats readily available what engine makes sense... and its not easy to do that for my rig.


i ran windsor v8s for 100s of thousand of miles....nearly a million actually all in...over13 years or so on one specific chassis and i do love them.

but today...they are not on my list of viable powertrains. the way the government is pushing things ...parts stores being a good business model and with availability of components already becoming a thing...long term powertrain selection needs to be a careful thought.... for something that can be a daily driver.

for a mild truck on 35 inch tires or smaller....i would consider the modern ranger powertrain as a swap. they will outperform any stock windsor swap and always have the fuel economy advantage and emissions capacity, and maintenance retention will be much easier going forward the next 10 years.

from there i would do a gm gen 4 late....with likely an ar5 swap. these are cheap and available...and 400 hp is easy. will get better economy then the windsor.

if you want to stay ford and simple....consider a cyclone engine....3.7 or 3.5 or 3.3 N/A are very available and will take a ridiculous amount of boost if you ever want to play that game.


last on the list is the windsor..... 15 years ago it was first on the list....

times change.

and i love windsors...especially 351s.... but you are not getting 400 naturally aspirated hp out of any stock headed windsor.....the same can not be said about a 5.3.


and that is coming from a guy with a hummvee powered 1988 ranger that does not even have a functioning stereo in the dash....

or much sheetmetal left.... but it is my main method of personal conveyance.


but you asked and i am obliging.

Thank you for the good info here! As I mentioned above in some of my other replies, I am currently looking into a 1999 4.0 manual 4wd. Any conflicts here? Any holes in the plans? I am looking for recommendations on what transfer case (able to be mated to a second T-Case and doubler) to run with the M5OD-R2 trans and the 5.0.

 

[bobbywalter]

we rode 5 deep for a few years. when lil bob was 0-3 i had a pedestal on the floor and his car seat was strapped through that. it sucked in winter but in summer i would open the back slider and could reposition it where he wasnt always kicking me in the face when he wanted something...

Madisyn and Zoie were small enough they could sit facing forward on the jump seat and i had a pad that went from the floor up past the window on the back wall. seatbelt fastening sucked but it worked.... i had to run with the seat almost all the way forward but for cruising about it was fine.


i have a bench in the bronco so we can fit three in the front in an emergency....but its not horrible...even know it is a manual.

 

[bobbywalter]

Thank you for the good info here! As I mentioned above in some of my other replies, I am currently looking into a 1999 4.0 manual 4wd. Any conflicts here? Any holes in the plans? I am looking for recommendations on what transfer case (able to be mated to a second T-Case and doubler) to run with the M5OD-R2 trans and the 5.0.

behemouth if they are available have solid options. cost effective if you are near a suppl of 1356 t cases...

Behemoth Drivetrain

Creators of the Dana 300 and NP205 Billet Aluminum Colossus transfer case, the Borg Warner Electric to Manual conversion kit and the Strongbox underdrive series.

behemothdrivetrain.com

from there..

i would consider a nwf and a 205 if you want front dig.... or 44xx t case if you just want a doubler....odds are a 4.2 5 speed trans will come with a 44xx t case..

 

[rubydist]

Good question, yes it will have to pass emissions in Arizona. I am definitely trying to do an EFI set up now. As for the boxed frame, is a 1999 4wd manual going to have a boxed frame? This is what I am currently looking at getting for the DV. Feel free to poke any holes in my plan.

To pass emissions, you need a donor that is the same year or newer than your project vehicle, so if you have a 99 Ranger you are modifying, you need a 99-01 Explorer donor. Fortunately, the 99-01 Ex into a 99 Ranger is about the easiest of the swaps. There are threads on this site that will give you the parts list, etc that you will need.

Any Ranger with the torsion bar front suspension will have the front half of the frame already boxed, so your proposed truck will have that.

 

[FFR96]

Well guys it's been a while now and I am still on the hunt for the DV. As of now I'm lined up to get a 99' 5sp 4x4 3.0 with the flareside bed tomorrow knock on wood.

Anyways, I am having a hard time having absolute clarity on what parts to get and what to get first for this build idea of mine. It's been a few months and nothing has really changed with my intent of this planned build, but I am growing more interested in a 4bt swap, which of course is wildly different in a lot of ways (like complexity and cost), but many of the supporting components (same m5odr2,teases, etc) remain the same in the event I go the 4bt route. Some of the things I'm struggling with are:
1) Should I do axle swaps and get all the chassis/suspension on there prior to swapping motor/trans/t case?
2) If I am going to need to support another 3-400 pounds of weight in the front due to a 302 motor (maybe even a 4bt...), what axle should I go with and why? And what suspension, control arms, etc should I go with if I want a 4 inch lift over stock. With that 4 inch lift I'd like to maximize the travel, and I will likely have either 33s or 35s on either 15s or 16s.

Sorry for the naiveness, again, I am dumb when it comes to suspension and chassis stuff. I just know what my goals are with it and need a means to an end here. Thank you all for the knowledge and as always let me know if im failing to cosnider something or if something conflicts with another component.

 

[scotts90ranger]

I wouldn't bother with anything smaller than a Dana 44 or 60 front axle, depending if you are wanting to stay stockish in width will change the $$ amount of the axles...

If you want the "easiest" and simplest setup going to the Explorer 5L swap would be it for engine then the M5OD-R2 from a 4.2L F150 from '97-03 I think and the BW 4406 transfer case is the narrowest of stockers, can't be twin sticked though...

I have an '00 Explorer that I did a manual T case swap to a 4406, headers and mild cam that I plan on putting a Dana 54 TTB front axle and a 10.25" out back... maybe next year I'll get to working on it, got the engine freshened up this year so getting closer...