1990 ford ranger 300 swap in progress

[bobbywalter]

Yes I’m aware and almost all yj you see is SOA with high steer because it doesn’t jive with SUA in nearly all applications I’ve seen done.

soa is cheap lift.

very effective lift.




if the current ride height is the area you prefer...



the solution is to go spring under. this will allow you to have the mounts in a perfect position and actually allow you to go a bit lower possibly....and use those springs.



your steering will be perfect inverted to under the steering arms.....tierod flip down.


then you have up travel and no crazy mods to the steering tierod... with multiple bends to clear the oil pan.... can just leave it straight

you dont have a jeep...and dont benefit from the spring and tierod flip.


UNLESS YOU WANTED IT SKY HIGH...

 

[Thatbrokeranger]

soa is cheap lift.

very effective lift.




if the current ride height is the area you prefer...



the solution is to go spring under. this will allow you to have the mounts in a perfect position and actually allow you to go a bit lower possibly....and use those springs.



your steering will be perfect inverted to under the steering arms.....tierod flip down.


then you have up travel and no crazy mods to the steering tierod... with multiple bends to clear the oil pan.... can just leave it straight

you dont have a jeep...and dont benefit from the spring and tierod flip.


UNLESS YOU WANTED IT SKY HIGH...

I think you’re just missing the point completely as this is still in mock up … I didn’t buy a jeep I bought a parts truck with this exact setup to begin with…. It wasn’t a let’s buy it but by bit it was hey it worked well there let’s see how it fits on mine. I understand SUA is a huge like for many. Personally I wasn’t ever a fan of how it drags and looks but everyone has their own preferences. I looked at it as it’s together it’s simple it’s decent ground clearance let’s try it out because I have a feeling eitherway I’m going to have to science out steering because I feel like I’m the only one here seeing the pitmans height doesn’t change it’s not getting lower or higher so whether it’s running high steer or a “ drag link and cross bar type steering it’s still gonna run straight into the oil pan as it sets….

Rant over. People forget once again this isn’t a build being done with income coming in every day or week lol it’s will this work with parts I already have

 

[bobbywalter]

i do not like sua....you said you wanted it lower right? well....i just happen to have a low rider sprung over 4x4....

i am working with the parts you have. and i just run my tierod under the springs...



of course your springs are gonna flatten out and no way to know till its mounted. that might be a different set of options once known.

the pitman arm dont have shit to do with what i am suggesting...it can stay right where it is. the angle that results from what i suggested is a non issue.

 

[Thatbrokeranger]

i do not like sua....you said you wanted it lower right? well....i just happen to have a low rider sprung over 4x4....

i am working with the parts you have. and i just run my tierod under the springs...



of course your springs are gonna flatten out and no way to know till its mounted. that might be a different set of options once known.

the pitman arm dont have shit to do with what i am suggesting...it can stay right where it is. the angle that results from what i suggested is a non issue.

for god sake man it’s high steer! Its not “ just a tie rod flip” im not trying to build the lowest sas on earth or tuck 40s or 35s.. you cant just flip a tie rod on high steer and poof it’s all fine. And yes the pitman has a lot to do with it as with how close the steering is right now it’s gonna contact no matter what…. And if I go SUA and run stock uh steering it still has to pass under the oil pan… get what I’m saying. There is no by the book solution here it’s all gonna have to come together and see what works/ what doesn’t. This isn’t my first solid axle swap but this is my first in a ranger with an engine it was never designed to accommodate. I wish I could have raised the engine high but just not able to without a body lift. Here’s how it was setup I. The parts truck if that shows anything.

 

[bobbywalter]

yeah.

exactly.

 

[bobbywalter]

maybe run a jeep steering gear too.

 

[Thatbrokeranger]

ideally I just want to keep it on a 32-33” tire tops and it looks like I’m on the right road for that. But also looks like eitherway the steering will potentially run directly into the pan. Regardless I’ll setup the axle as it sets and see how it settles and what happens then decide from there. I don’t have stock yj steering on hand so this is what I have it’ll work or it won’t. Simple as that.

 

[Thatbrokeranger]

yeah.

exactly.

It’s the same setup in both pics not sure what ya mean but either way it’ll work or it won’t.

 

[bobbywalter]

It’s the same setup in both pics not sure what ya mean but either way it’ll work or it won’t.

its not the same. its the same....yes. but not the same. i want you to bring the angle back.

that working angle with the ttb k member intact applied to your engine installed pic will allow the clearance you need.

with the engine installed the drag link and tie rod... its flat.

with the rod inverted as i suggested you will have 3 inches to work with.


know this.


my truck is made with shit i found on job sights and my bed is made with well pipe i pulled for my buddy so he could go up a size for water volume....


i made 400 bux swapping a 6.5 diesel into my ranger....and gave away the gt40 engine i took out of it.

working with what i have and occasionally can scrounge out of a junkyard is just what i do.

 

[Thatbrokeranger]

its not the same. its the same....yes. but not the same. i want you to bring the angle back.

that working angle with the ttb k member intact applied to your engine installed pic will allow the clearance you need.

with the engine installed the drag link and tie rod... its flat.

with the rod inverted as i suggested you will have 3 inches to work with.


know this.


my truck is made with shit i found on job sights and my bed is made with well pipe i pulled for my buddy so he could go up a size for water volume....


i made 400 bux swapping a 6.5 diesel into my ranger....and gave away the gt40 engine i took out of it.

working with what i have and occasionally can scrounge out of a junkyard is just what i do.

 

[Thatbrokeranger]

There is no way to pull off this setup with angle and ford 300 in the bay man the engine needed to go lower to actually have a workable driveline angle with the m50dr2. The cross member had to go to achieve yhat. Ain’t no other way besides a 3”body lift

 

[Thatbrokeranger]

its not the same. its the same....yes. but not the same. i want you to bring the angle back.

that working angle with the ttb k member intact applied to your engine installed pic will allow the clearance you need.

with the engine installed the drag link and tie rod... its flat.

with the rod inverted as i suggested you will have 3 inches to work with.


know this.


my truck is made with shit i found on job sights and my bed is made with well pipe i pulled for my buddy so he could go up a size for water volume....


i made 400 bux swapping a 6.5 diesel into my ranger....and gave away the gt40 engine i took out of it.

working with what i have and occasionally can scrounge out of a junkyard is just what i do.

And I understand the angles most likely will not work but for now it’s what I have to work with. Can’t sell it it’s worthless around here so it’s either find a use or modify or scrap it. I also know going back to stock style yj stewing would lead to a better steering angle aswell which may be what happens but it’s a long ways from running … let alone being road worthy so for the sake of it I’ll leave it. Mock it up and see how it all looks under weight. I still think it’s gonna be fairly low for a SOA setup. If it sets up a bit higher than it did years ago I wouldn’t be mad as the stock coils were shot and buckets bent.

 

[bobbywalter]

i would have at least a 2 inch body lift in general.....1 inch anyway...just easier to work on stuff and clean shit up.



i was just working off of your pics and past experience.

with a stock efi its not fittable without hacking the body up.. with a carb it is easily fittable.

they have been in rangers in that configuration i know of since the mid 90s.

not sure exactly how you are configured....i am just floating shit out there, not telling you what to do.

 

[Thatbrokeranger]

i would have at least a 2 inch body lift in general.....1 inch anyway...just easier to work on stuff and clean shit up.



i was just working off of your pics and past experience.

with a stock efi its not fittable without hacking the body up.. with a carb it is easily fittable.

they have been in rangers in that configuration i know of since the mid 90s.

not sure exactly how you are configured....i am just floating shit out there, not telling you what to do.

Your fine man I try not to take it personally and while this configuration has been done… I’ve only seen it done with a 4spd as guys either don’t want to deal with ditching ttb or don’t want the added length. To my knowledge atleast there is no other person who has done a 300 with m50dr2 and transfercase., it’s doable but when I had it mocked up the engine was sitting on the cradle and trans would have been basically in the cab and transfercase on the floor to get a usable angle. A friend of mine later confirmed this and went np435 on his swap and still had to cut and alter the oil pan and firewall. I chose the lesser evils and took the cradle out to mount the motor and trans as high as I could while still maintaining around 3 degrees of tilt.

I didn’t want a body lift with a sas and cut out flares as I knew it would just end up on far too big of a tire. This still needs all fresh body mounts as it is. So the body sags as it is.

I

 

[bobbywalter]

there are several with zf 5 and doublers out there...

most have aod automatics or c6....and usually 2wd. very hard to make the aod happy with the aod....with a cutback kit and fixed psi its easier...