86 Ranger build finaly

[90jurassic2]

What's you Up travel and Down travel?

 

[n_bannerman]

86mudracer, I did lower it back to factory ride height. Was going to run it spring over axle giving about 5" lift but had issues with my steering and leafsprings not working together so spring under it went and it ended up sitting right at the height I was wanting. I can't stand lift, I would rather take time to keep it low.

90jurassic2, not sure on up travel yet, have a little more trimming to do and need to mount shocks but probably 2-3 in up travel and how ever much my leafs will let it droop for down travel.

 

[86MUDRCJ]

Ahh gotcha I've never been a fan of someone putting stupid lift on a truck but, to each their own. I like lifted trucks if the have the tire to fill it. Ever thought about just a small 3" body lift on it? What was wrong with the steering?

 

[n_bannerman]

Ya tall trucks make me nervous plus I tend to push corners and try to slide around a bit so lift would not be good. Not going to do a body lift but am on the hunt for new springs with about 1.5-2" more lit to them but can't find 4" wagoneer front springs anywhere. The guy that I bought the axle from welded the spring over perches on at a weird angle which causes the tierod to touch the bottom of the leaf pack with factory jeep steering set over the knuckle. I am running the ruffstuff 1ton y-link kit and that would put my tierod right in the middle of the spring packs so I am just staying spring under to keep the truck low. Wen I go to 40's with dana 60's I will go spring over with a softer leaf pack.

 

[bobbywalter]

you needed hi steer the other way.


thats way to low to use around here. maybe a short bed reg cab could get away with it.

my truck is a lil tall for 33's but a lil low for 44's.


kind of tough to get the sweet spot to run the range. i want to drop 1.5 in body and go 2 up on suspension to maximize travel potential.

or maybe i will go back to coils.



its about as bad ass looking a 4x4 low rider that i have ever seen though.

if you put my style fenders on it it would really be one mean lookin rig.

 

[n_bannerman]

Bobby,
For the snow wheeling around here, we want low for all the side hilling but with it being a extended cab it is a bit on the low side for crawling over stuff but that is where lockers and sliders will come in when I get to the point of putting them on. Your fenders are nice, I've been looking at how to flare mine a bit.

 

[n_bannerman]

Flipped the front springs around to move the front forward, now 2" stretch from factory this past weekend then today I stretched her legs on a hillside at work.

Has about 3 inches of up travel at ride height.

 

[n_bannerman]

Well yesterday I went car shopping with he girlfriend and her parents, and well they ended up buying a new car to replace the 99 4runner they have. Trying to use the truck for dd use and turn into a wheeler is tarting to become a pain having it down to work on it, so I made an offer on the runner and now have a new car. So, in short the truck is getting parked for a bit while I pay for the runner and I will have time to slowly get it ready to hit the snow and now I can do road trips in the new car!

 

[n_bannerman]

The project(Jane) and the payment(duke)

Oh and the girlfriend named both of them long before I met her seems they both belonged to her parents.

 

[n_bannerman]

Time for an update, after 3 months of driving the truck daily, the slider boxes already killed a set of spring bushings so time to change to a shackle set up. The handling of the truck was great but the rancho bushings are hard to come by so doing a rear shackle set up for approach angle.
Slider setup at droop

Then tried the Chevy lowering shackles I bought for the back of the truck on the front, awesome amount of travel! But no approach angle.

Then went to a rear set up and mocked up new front spring hangers today

Shackle angle I'm going for

And mocking bumper up

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[n_bannerman]

Welded another piece of 2x2 to the bottom of the bumper brackets and the spring hangers also today. First time playing with a mig welder also

Slid into place with 2 bolts holding it for now.

Need to drill more mounting holes, holes for the spring bolts, notch the bottom of the hangers for the springs, grind welds smooth, paint, light mounts, move shock mounts, and play with the leaf springs this weekend. Almost done! Next will be regear, tires, front shaft.

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[n_bannerman]

Drivable!

Just need to redrill holes on the rear hangers to adjust shackle angle. Also pulled the bottom leaf out of my waggy spring pack and wow! It is much softer now!!!

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[n_bannerman]

So after a few months of driving with the rear shackle set up, I got tired of the bad handling and shit steering so I turned my springs
around and moved the shackles up front. By turning the springs around and using the same holes it moved the axle back 1" for only a 3" stretch and no longer have issues with the steering or the diff hitting what is left of the cross member. Now I am thinking about frenching the rear hangers, building a new front bumper that has the body mount and shackle mount built into it and go to a flat but flexy spring.
Pictures

Oh and my springs are on backwards right now with the long side forward.
But I am happy with how it is now driving, just need to gear the axles and build a driveshaft.


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