body swap,

[fordtrucks4toys]

dont know if this is the right category for the posting, but ....

im doing a body swap on my 83 ranger 4x4. i got the body off, engine pulled, trans is coming out too, then the chassy is goin to get sand blasted and painted, new shocks, rebuilt trans, axel ect. im also doing the 4.0L swap.

would it be easier to install the motor while the body is off, or easier to do it after the body is on? itll obviosly be easier with the body off, but how much harder will it be to put the cab on the chassy? this is the first ranger ive done a resto on, these trucks are differnt from the s10. the cab and front is is one piece once u remove the front quarter panels.

any advice would be appreciated. and the s10 i worked on as a side job for money, and it sucked?

 

[merc2dogs]

Main issue with having the engine installed first is that you need to raise the cab higher.

The only thing I really see it making easier is getting to the tranny bolts and hooking up the exhaust. Nearly everything else (wiring, hoses, etc) has to be done with the cab on anyway.
If you install a body lift, you have easier access to the tranny bolts, and more clearance for everything else so you would only save a few minutes by installing the motor first.

Ken.

 

[fordtrucks4toys]

how to get a new cab on to a truck with a huge lift??

(it has a 3in body lift)

rite now the frame is getting painted, both axels and steering box are rebuilt, the new cab is ready to go on.

so if i put the body on first, when i go to install the motor an trans & t case, do i install the t case after the motor and trans is in, or would i have to install the trans from underneath? also when installing the motor and manual trans, i gotta remove the 2 bolts that keep the gear shifter in and take it out rite? cuz when i took off the cab, it kept on getting hung up on the cab floor,but thats cuz i removed the cab my self, ( 2x4's and flipped it off and watched go crunch, ) havent though how this would work out. last cab swap i did, we used a car lift , and lowered the body on to the truck. this time its a ranger,and its lifted, and its gonna be 2 people putting it on..
still aint figured out how we going to get it on the frame, with the big tires and lift, mite have to take the tires off and, set the frame on blocks??

( what i mean by huge lift is, 2 sets of lift blocks ..dont know if thats safe, coils that look like they 3feet long,... body lift, room to get 42 in tires, but it sits on 35's cuz the 42's were sold. but with the 42's u couldnt turn the wheels , have to cut , didnt want to do that)

 

[UrbanRedneckKid]

Let the air out of the tires. Use an engine hoist. Take the doors off. Setup a sling inside the cab. With the hoist through the side of the cab, position the sling so that you are just higher than the cab's center or gravity. Then drop it on the frame.