88 99 front end conversation

[charliegearhart]

So I have a 99 stepside ranger and been getting ready to do some body/paint work and I really like the 86-88 rangers square front ends..Does anyone one here know if a 88 fenders,hood,front bumper,grill,headlights wold bolt up to my 99 without much mods or are we talking to different world's here? Thanks

 

[Mark_88]

Different worlds...

However, with the right tools and skills and a ton of money (perhaps) anything can be done.

The body lines are not exactly the same but are, apparently, close...I haven't compared them myself but I have seen a few posts to that effect...there was one thread on tailgates that indicated they were close enough to work with a bit of mods.

The Gen I Ranger (83-88) did not use the same type of headlight as the later generations...it was a sealed bulb with a male 3 prong connector...the newer ones use the 9004 or 9007 bulbs...the 92 front ends used the 9004 bulbs and I was considering swapping to a 92 front end and modifying the wiring to work with the earlier bulbs...

So...if you wanted to do it best thing I could suggest is to obtain a front fender (for now) from that generation...see how difficult it is to remove the 99 and then try fitting the earlier one to what you have...you might see an easy way to retrofit them...

I think the hardest part would be the front area...each generation had a slightly different way of attaching things...so removing the cross member rad support and replacing with the earlier style (which was not as wide I believe) and modifying that...even the hood might be narrower on the earlier models so making them fit might be a bit harder just by that...

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I believe easiest [but not easy] way is to get the 88 rad + fender supports and install them on the 99. That involves drilling out the spot welds along the fender/cab. There's ~ 50 spot welds. The bumpers are different as are the frame horns, will require cutting and welding. Then as Mark said, wiring changes.
The biggy in my view, shadow lines don't line up;

The shadow lines would be more prominent if the 99 doors were beside the 88 fenders. In my pic its 99 bedsides with 91 cab.

I'm pretty sure there was someone that did the opposite and there are pics somewhere on site.

 

[charliegearhart]

Great guys thanks for the info.
Not sure what I'm going to do.
First thang I'm going to do is find a Gen 1 maybe I'll just have both��

 

[JoshT]

Now that sounds like a good plan!

I think I'd finish up on the one you've got first though.