1991 ranger ideas??

[91TheHoff]

I have a 91 ranger 4.0'4x4 160k . It's got a rough country 4 inch suspension lift (springs not blocks) , 265/75/15 all terrains, black painted rims, new red paint, aftermarket radio and speakers, tsc toolbox, it's a nice little truck. I plan on putting some money into it. It needs a few things and then the rest of the money will go towards mods ( better shocks, tires, exhaust ect) .
What it needs: front end rebuild , some parts are just warn out and I want a fresh front end. And a fan clutch. A battery will be necessary soon also. I will be putting 4-5000 into it. I wanna hear some ideas on what I could do with it.
Thanks

 

[christw]

What are you looking to use it for? Work truck, DD, off road, all of the above? I'd find and fix all existing issues and then reassess the budget personally. I'm $1500 into my $500 truck.

 

[wildbill23c]

Take a careful look at the body, address any rust issues first, that will be your most important expense aside from rebuilding the front end. I spend $400 to have all the ball joints and alignment done on my Bronco 2 so it wouldn't chew up a new set of tires. I'm pretty close to having the major mechanical stuff done on my Bronco 2, then onto tackling the body rust issues which is going to be a very long process and very expensive from what I've been told as I have no clue when it comes to body work so that is something I have to leave to the body shop, I want it done right and to look good so I can have it completely repainted. My plan is to restore it and use it as my daily driver which I drive it pretty much daily anyhow, but I mean to take care of the body rust, and the few dents at least.

Unless you do most of the work on your own a $5k budget won't go too far from what I'm realizing. Good luck with your project and post pictures as you are able to do so.

 

[feellnfroggy]

Id like to think i would go with a dana 30 for DD and mildly better off road than ttb. Id call up supersixmotorsports for some 4.0 mods. (supersixmotorsports.com) short throw shifter from hurst on ebay, and some kind of bumper and bed mods, to facilitate your on/offroad experiences. spare tire mount, jackmounts, maybe air tank for on board air, etc. just use your imagination.

 

[tmcalavy]

Figure out how you're gonna use/drive it most, and build it for that. Don't go overboard...chances this won't be your first one, so save your money instead.

 

[91TheHoff]

In regard to the front end. Should I rebuild the ttb or swap in a Straight axle ?

 

[4x4junkie]

Depends on how far you're looking to go with it.
If you want to build it into a hardcore rock crawler (38"+ tires), a 1-ton straight axle (and matching rear axle) would be the ticket for sure.
Anything less than that (weekend trail runner, work/play/camping truck, DD, etc.), with a couple simple mods the D35 TTB is plenty strong and has gearing options available for tires up to 35x12.50 or so (37s if you treat it nicely).

There's a ton of info here about the TTB frontends if you search around a bit.

 

[zekew64]

As for a mod, spend the money and wire in an electric fan; this will save 5-10 HP. I would also say that if you have to get a fan clutch, then it is time to upgrade. A Taurus E-fan, from a 95-98, would work very well. Also, there are places that you can go to that carry a wiring kit for a fan, or, if you want to keep it simple, use a manual toggle switch when you need it.