Anyone seen a 1998-2001 Ford Ranger 4x4 converted to TTB?

[Jim Oaks]

Anyone seen a 1998-2001 Ford Ranger 4x4 converted to TTB?

I'm not crazy about the price of converting a 1998+ truck to a long travel setup, and can't see spending the money for a 4-inch Superlift.

The SAS has been done with coils and leafs, but it would be cool to convert one to TTB. Maybe a Dana 44 TTB.

If I was building a 1990-1997, I'd upgrade the Dana 35 to Dana 44 knuckles and hubs versus swapping in a Dana 44. But if I was completely working from scratch, a Dana 44 TTB would be cool. Especially since most people would just do a Dana 44 SAS.

Just gotta be different

 

[planeflyer21]

Well, if you have to be different...

I never would have thought about doing a TTB swap on my '99. When entertaining SAS ideas, I've thought of getting Super Duty axles and cutting them down to Ranger width.

If you do the TTB, take lots of pics!

 

[Curious Hound]

Not yet.

But if you're gonna do it, I'll be watching.

 

[1996xlt]

Jim,

Starting at about page 15 on this thread this Mountaineer owner did it (however PB sucks so all the pics are gone): http://www.explorerforum.com/forums...-elite-registry-00-mountaineer.207070/page-15

 

[Jim Oaks]

Jim,

Starting at about page 15 on this thread this Mountaineer owner did it (however PB sucks so all the pics are gone): http://www.explorerforum.com/forums...-elite-registry-00-mountaineer.207070/page-15

Thanks. I'll dig in to that. I wonder how close the frame designs are from the cab forward on his 2000 Mountaineer and the 1998+ Ranger?

 

[fastpakr]

Any measurements in particular you want? I should have the '99 Ranger and Explorer side by side with engines out in the next few days.

 

[BlackBII]

Here's some of the relevant pics from that thread

 

[Curious Hound]

In my opinion, that is very well done.

 

[Jim Oaks]

Damn BlackBII, Thanks

Any measurements in particular you want? I should have the '99 Ranger and Explorer side by side with engines out in the next few days.

If he did it on a Mountaineer, I was wondering how similar it would be on a 1998+ Ranger.

I see Mounty71 used coilovers. I don't want to do that. I want to use coil springs and radius arms to try and keep it looking as close as I can to something the factory would have turned out, but probably use Skyjacker radius arms and 6-inch coils.

If I have to start adding brackets and crossmembers, then I can choose whether I want to do a Dana 44, or Dana 35/44 TTB hybrid.

I'm guessing Mounty71 used the engine crossmember from an earlier Ranger. I wonder how much wider the F-150 engine crossmember is on the 80's TTB trucks?

Autofab offers the TTB mounting brackets to put a Dana 44 TTB in a Ranger:

1983-97 Ranger 4x4 to Model 44 pivot brackets

Nicely hand crafted and welded beam pivot brackets for the 1983-97 Ranger 4x4 frame only. We spent many hours working out the location for lift, wheel travel and the best results from our equal length tie rod steering system. Requires some trimming of the inner frame bottom edge to determine the best up travel. The left side or 3rd member side will dictate final wheel travel figures. Front end will be 8 inches wider than stock. Use a F150 rear end to match up to the front, change to 1/2 ton 5 on 5.5 wheel bolt circle with much better brakes, stronger hubs and axles.

Pricing: $600.00

So, I wonder if I could put in a D35 crossmember with the Autofab brackets and use 4-inch bulged fiberglass fenders?

I think I had read 4x4Junkie saying that the D44 beams were 1/8" shorter at the radius arm mount, and would need a washer to shim the Ranger radius arms. I wonder what the difference is between the F-150 and Ranger Skyjacker radius arms?

I would have to add coil buckets. I feel like the f-150 frame would be wider, and therefore space the coil buckets out farther than they are on a Ranger.

And finally, I'd have to add an earlier Ford Ranger steering box.

The end goal would be a 2001-2011 4-door Ranger with a TTB front, 1/2 ton hubs, and 35-inch BFG's.

 

[4x4junkie]

I have no reason to think the front frame sections of a '98-'11 Ranger, '96-'01 Explorer, or any pre-'02 Mountaineer are significantly different. I have not inspected them side-by-side to confirm though, so maybe fastpakr can help with that.

Agreed, that is some fine work in those pics. That does appear to be a RBV TTB crossmember grafted in there.

The D44 beam is indeed about 1/8" narrower than the D35 beam. Building from scratch, I definitely would consider using extended F-150 arms.

$600 for a set of pivot brackets is a bit rich for my blood though. I see nothing that makes those brackets special vs Skyjacker's brackets, other than the hole positions being further inboard for mounting the D44 axle (infact, I'm a quite bit surprised they don't have any gussets on the mounting ears to the frame ). What I would do instead is extend the D44 beams near the pivot 1" each (it can only help travel, right?) and then mount the axle straight into a set of standard RBV brackets.

 

[Jim Oaks]

So you're saying I could add 1-inch to the pivot end of each Dana 44 beam, and then bolt them in to say a set of Skyjacker brackets for a Ranger? How much wider is this going to be over the stock Dana 35?

 

[4x4junkie]

I recall the D44 width (wms-wms) being 65.5", so 6" wider (59.5" - 65.5").

If you go straight into the RBV brackets w/o lengthening the beams, then you should be 4" wider than the D35 (and will need to trim the passengerside D44 axle shafts down a bit so the shaft doesn't bottom in the yoke).

 

[adsm08]

Thanks. I'll dig in to that. I wonder how close the frame designs are from the cab forward on his 2000 Mountaineer and the 1998+ Ranger?

They should be almost identical.

 

[Jim Oaks]

I recall the D44 width (wms-wms) being 65.5", so 6" wider (59.5" - 65.5").

If you go straight into the RBV brackets w/o lengthening the beams, then you should be 4" wider than the D35 (and will need to trim the passengerside D44 axle shafts down a bit so the shaft doesn't bottom in the yoke).

I thought I needed to lengthen them an inch to go in to Ranger brackets. Isn't that why people have made conversion brackets, because the Dana 44 TTB won't work in the original Ranger mounting locations?

So then if I needed to lengthen them an inch to fit in the Ranger brackets, the wheels would stick out 5-inches farther on each side? That would take a 6-inch bulge fender.

 

[4x4junkie]

No, the D44 is designed to be 6" wider overall than the D35. This means each side should stick out 3" further.

You can infact bolt the D44 straight into the RBV pivot brackets without lengthening the beams, but this means it will be two inches narrower than it's design width (causing each side to stick out 2" more vs. the D35, rather than 3" more) and you having to shorten the passengerside D44 axle shaft(s). Preservation of it's full width (and not having to shorten the shafts) is reason for either lengthening the beams, or using special (or modified) brackets.