A few questions regarding lifting my 89 Ranger 4x4...

[Daven]

First off, i would like to point out that i have basically no idea how any of this works. Being as i am only 16 and this is my first vehicle.

Anyways, I am looking to raise it up a bit. Looking at prices, i am thinking that going with a 3 or 4" body lift would be best. But how does a body lift work? I would like to be able to offroad without breaking something in my truck. But my budget doesnt always make that an easy task. So does this just raise up the body, leaving the suspension and everything completely stock? Will getting a body lift still restrict what i can do? In theory, i wanna be able to offroad and not just stand higher above the ground like a poser lol

Also, theres so much talk about swapping out my springs for some from a F-150... How does this work? Can i combine this with the body lift and be good with just that? What all will it effect? Etc

Thanks for the info. If you guys have any suggestions, definatetly post them please. And keep in mind that i cant seem to figure this all out to where u guys all know. Its hard to learn everything all at once lol. :/

 

[r1hatman]

Yes you can get a body lift cheap of eBay, (60.00ish)just make sure you get a good set of bushings. it simply raises the body up off the frame where it attaches to the body mounts, you take out the stock bushings and put in the lift ones. Swapping F150 springs(22.00) in the front like I did lifts the truck from the coil bucket up it will give you approx 2 1/2 inches of lift. and make the ride a lot stiffer! And you will need to get you truck lines up with at least 3 degree shims when your done to get it back in line. You can use drop shackles from Auto Zone on the back for about 2 1/2 inches of lift $39.00
So there are things you can do for cheap to lift it and it will be perfectly safe to wheel in. As far as breaking stuff, well that depends how heavy your gas pedal foot is and if you know what your doing or not? But as far as lifting it making anything break, not if you do it right. Here is a link to when I put my F150 coils on; Good luck
http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/showthread.php?t=78378

 

[99RangerKrazy]

My first suggestions...just start reading. Read everything in the tech library and use the search feature religiously. There's a ton of info on here, pretty much everything about Rangers has been covered.

Back to your questions.

You're going to want a max of 3" body lift. After that it gets a bit sketchy, in my opinion. They're exactly as the name implies, it lifts the body of the truck. Everything, suspension-wise, stays the same. You'll be able to clear 31s-32s with a 3" body lift.

As for F-150 springs, I'd stay away. Everything I've heard is they ride like crap. If you want to put new coils in, at least go for some new Skyjacker leveling coils. But if you're looking at just wanting to put some bigger tires for cheap, body lift works. Especially on a budget.

You can also cut fenders...that's pretty cheap too.

 

[strvger]

if you have a nice truck, the last thing you want to do is take a sawzall to it. they aren't making rangers any more and parts are going to get hard to come by eventually. body lifts and suspension lifts are reversible, cutting fenders is permanent. ruins the resale value if you decide to get something different.
body lifts won't change the suspension, ride, handling, etc. that means you won't have to worry about getting additional parts to get it aligned like you will with some suspension lifts. if yours will be mostly a daily driver, this would probably be the best lift for you.
if you will be using the truck mostly for trails, rock crawling, mud running, etc., then the suspension lift will undoubtedly be needed, perhaps along with a body lift for really big tires.
build your truck to fit your needs. read up on all the forums here and also all the articles in the tech library before you make any firm decisions for your truck.
just my $.02.

 

[r1hatman]

F150 springs ride fine as long as you don't use your stock shocks.

 

[Daven]

My first suggestions...just start reading. Read everything in the tech library and use the search feature religiously. There's a ton of info on here, pretty much everything about Rangers has been covered.

Back to your questions.

You're going to want a max of 3" body lift. After that it gets a bit sketchy, in my opinion. They're exactly as the name implies, it lifts the body of the truck. Everything, suspension-wise, stays the same. You'll be able to clear 31s-32s with a 3" body lift.

As for F-150 springs, I'd stay away. Everything I've heard is they ride like crap. If you want to put new coils in, at least go for some new Skyjacker leveling coils. But if you're looking at just wanting to put some bigger tires for cheap, body lift works. Especially on a budget.

You can also cut fenders...that's pretty cheap too.

I have tried looking this stuff up, but i dont know ery much about this stuff so its hard to understand where and how everything goes. Also is somewhat difficult to find the right ones for my truck

So should i just get the 3" body lift then? That kinda seems like it wouldnt really do a whole lot.

For the F-150 springs, it seems like it would be a alright thing to do (imo). I kinda like the stiffer ride anyways, and it should be very cheap. And what do leveling kits do?

I was thinking about getting fender flares... how does this work?

if you have a nice truck, the last thing you want to do is take a sawzall to it. they aren't making rangers any more and parts are going to get hard to come by eventually. body lifts and suspension lifts are reversible, cutting fenders is permanent. ruins the resale value if you decide to get something different.
body lifts won't change the suspension, ride, handling, etc. that means you won't have to worry about getting additional parts to get it aligned like you will with some suspension lifts. if yours will be mostly a daily driver, this would probably be the best lift for you.
if you will be using the truck mostly for trails, rock crawling, mud running, etc., then the suspension lift will undoubtedly be needed, perhaps along with a body lift for really big tires.
build your truck to fit your needs. read up on all the forums here and also all the articles in the tech library before you make any firm decisions for your truck.
just my $.02.

Ok thanks. It is my DD, so i dont really need too much. But i would also like to be able to do some offroading too obviously. Around here there isnt much other than snow/mud and the odd hill tho, so i should be good lmao