$300 truck on CL?

[Speedwagon]

Ok, can you go wrong with a $300 4wd ranger on craigslist? It seems like it'd be worth it, for the price. I'm looking for something to use as a 4x4 for offroading here in Colorado. That'd really be it's only purpose in life..

White, manual, good drive train, rblt trans, runs well but burns oil, good tires, tailgate trashed, needs back window. Would be a great parts truck.

Thoughts?

 

[mhughes165]

looks clean, buy it, u can scarp it for more then that if its not worth anything to ya

 

[Speedwagon]

Or... would this be worth getting as a donor vehicle, to turn my good condition '92 2wd into a 4wd?

 

[MAKG]

Or... would this be worth getting as a donor vehicle, to turn my good condition '92 2wd into a 4wd?

If you have to ask this, it's beyond you. WAY beyond you.

A pickup makes a poor choice for a trail vehicle. It has a long wheelbase and is far too light in the rear. If you're buying a trail vehicle, as opposed to a hauler, get an SUV. There is a reason for all those Early Broncos in the Front Range.

 

[mhughes165]

If you have to ask this, it's beyond you. WAY beyond you.

A pickup makes a poor choice for a trail vehicle. It has a long wheelbase and is far too light in the rear. If you're buying a trail vehicle, as opposed to a hauler, get an SUV. There is a reason for all those Early Broncos in the Front Range.

if u know what ur doing a pickup can make a fine choice for a TRAIL vehicle.....however its not the ideal vehicle for rock's a pickup is a better all around vehicle, so if u plan on doin some trails with hill climbs, som mud, and the occasional rocks, then that would be the perfect truck, and like i said before, with scrap at 12.50 per hundred ATLEAST on average around the country for cars, u can get ur money back out of it if u change ur plans

 

[Speedwagon]

If you have to ask this, it's beyond you. WAY beyond you.

You can go pound sand. A swap of any type is definetaly not way beyond my ability.

A pickup makes a poor choice for a trail vehicle. It has a long wheelbase and is far too light in the rear. If you're buying a trail vehicle, as opposed to a hauler, get an SUV. There is a reason for all those Early Broncos in the Front Range.

But that bit of advice is appreciated. I'm not a Colorado native, so I don't know what makes a good/bad trail vehicle.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

You can go pound sand. A swap of any type is definetaly not way beyond my ability.

Actually the frames are different between the 4x4 and the 4x2 trucks, you have to cut out the main crossmember that also holds the engine and switch it out. It is a pretty involved process, especially to get a weak dana 28 axle. The best way to make a 4x2 a 4x4 IMO would be a SAS, which is still pretty involved.

SUV vs Truck is a battle of +'s vs -'s. SUV's have a better forward/backward balance but trucks have a lower CG to they are less likely to tip over and have better visability.

Just going from the looks of your picture it is too nice of a truck for a trail queen...

 

[Speedwagon]

Actually the frames are different between the 4x4 and the 4x2 trucks, you have to cut out the main crossmember that also holds the engine and switch it out. It is a pretty involved process, especially to get a weak dana 28 axle. The best way to make a 4x2 a 4x4 IMO would be a SAS, which is still pretty involved.

SUV vs Truck is a battle of +'s vs -'s. SUV's have a better forward/backward balance but trucks have a lower CG to they are less likely to tip over and have better visability.

Just going from the looks of your picture it is too nice of a truck for a trail queen...

I know the xmember needs to be swapped. What I don't/didn't know, is what the 87 4x4 comes with.

 

[MAKG]

The best way to make a 4x2 a 4x4 IMO would be a SAS, which is still pretty involved.

I thoroughly disagree. the best way to make a 4x2 into a 4x4 is to sell the 4x2 and buy a 4x4.

Never engineer a one-off when an off-the-shelf solution exists. The latter will ALWAYS be more reliable, and will almost always cost orders of magnitude less.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I thoroughly disagree. the best way to make a 4x2 into a 4x4 is to sell the 4x2 and buy a 4x4.

Never engineer a one-off when an off-the-shelf solution exists. The latter will ALWAYS be more reliable, and will almost always cost orders of magnitude less.

I agree, it would be much easier to just buy another truck, but if you are going to do it, SAS would be the way to go. If you have the parts and time it may be cheaper to convert the 4x2 than buy a 4x4 as once they get some age on them 2wd's are worth about half as much. It Depends on the situation how worthwile it would be.

Calling a D28 (what the 87 has for a front axle BTW) more reliable than a D44 or even a D30 is a slight stretch though...

 

[MAKG]

Calling a D28 (what the 87 has for a front axle BTW) more reliable than a D44 or even a D30 is a slight stretch though...

If you consider the axles alone, sure.

If you consider the complete system, YES a factory installed D28 is more reliable than a custom installed D44. It's not just the axle itself that might fail.

The factory installation has been through quality control, and presumably hundreds of thousands of miles of "proof testing."

The thing is, welds aren't anywhere near of uniform quality unless a robot makes them and the rods and stock are from uniform suppliers. There will ALWAYS be guessing about the quality of any particular weld (at least without an X-ray machine), as testing it requires breaking it or sawing it in half.

 

[mhughes165]

If you consider the axles alone, sure.

If you consider the complete system, YES a factory installed D28 is more reliable than a custom installed D44. It's not just the axle itself that might fail.

The factory installation has been through quality control, and presumably hundreds of thousands of miles of "proof testing."

The thing is, welds aren't anywhere near of uniform quality unless a robot makes them and the rods and stock are from uniform suppliers. There will ALWAYS be guessing about the quality of any particular weld (at least without an X-ray machine), as testing it requires breaking it or sawing it in half.

everything under my truck was completely bolt , no welding required, the only place that welding takes place is for the track bar mount, but that mount is bolted to the frame, and then beads fo weld for extra strength, same thing with my radius arm brackets.....and i garuntee u mine will be stronger then a factory ttb system ever was....

 

[PaleBlue90]

Ok, can you go wrong with a $300 4wd ranger on craigslist? It seems like it'd be worth it, for the price. I'm looking for something to use as a 4x4 for offroading here in Colorado. That'd really be it's only purpose in life..



Thoughts?

i say go for it

 

[MAKG]

everything under my truck was completely bolt , no welding required, the only place that welding takes place is for the track bar mount, but that mount is bolted to the frame, and then beads fo weld for extra strength, same thing with my radius arm brackets.....and i garuntee u mine will be stronger then a factory ttb system ever was....

Welding is an example. All handmade fabrication is irreproducible.

You CANNOT guarantee that without an objective quality control process including tracking "outliers." Which is impossible for any one-off.

Some of us actually have worked in quality. It's not as simple as you think. It's a PITA, but rather necessary to make the statements you have asserted.

 

[blackbronc]

He didn't say trail rig, he said offroader. I guess all those Toyota 4 bys running around the woods and rocks of the world should be considered incapable by some peoples standards.