First Gen Front Bumper Delete

[TurboRay]

Hi, Guys (& Gals?) ~ I'm trying to lighten the front of my '87 2.3T short box Ranger, and thus far.....I've moved the battery to the bed, installed a PMGR starter, priced a fiberglass hood ($379 + shipping <eek>), and removed [1] The anti-sway bar, [2] The "boomerang" front cross member, and [3] The front bumper.

BUT.......the front looks kinda ghetto with the bumper missing, so I'd like to find something to make it look better, like a roll pan or even a plastic or fiberglass bumper ~ BUT........I can't find anything. Any suggestions, besides......."put the bumper back on"? <shrug> TIA!

 

[holyford86]

look for an early first gen bumper, they're not made of steel and are lighter

 

[19Walt93]

Please get a bumper on there, without it the truck will look like an old man with his teeth out. I'd be a lot of work but you could cover the bumper with saran wrap and fiberglass over it to make a mold, them mold yourself a fiberglass bumper or make a wooden buck and fiberglass over it. I'd be happy to carry 2 lbs of sway bar in trade for improved handling. I just noticed it says you installed a gasser style straight axle, I hope that's a joke. Ford spent a fortune to engineer the twin I beam set up to get rid of a straight axle. Twin I beam isn't a hot handling set up but a straight axle belongs under a trailer, unless it's serious,4x4 off roader.

 

[Blmpkn]

Pffft. Gasser'd ranger sounds way cooler than a twin I beam

 

[superj]

what are you doing that you are doing all this weight reduction of the truck?

 

[Ranger850]

what are you doing that you are doing all this weight reduction of the truck?

Drift truck

 

[superj]

drift or autocross?

to bad the edge front bumper is curved for the rounder later ranger front end. thats a nice fiberglass front bumper.

one of my son's friends autocrossed his 2.9 powered ranger single cab long bed for a year. he had to lower it alot to meet safety checks but it looked like fun. not fast because of how light hte back was but still looked fun

 

[TurboRay]

THANX for the responses, guys! I haven't found an aluminum(?) Ranger bumper, but I'll keep my eye out for one. The thought of making a mold for a fiberglass version sounds like it's way over my pay grade! I was really hoping that I'd be able to find a mfr of fiberglass body components that still had an old dusty mold stashed in the corner of their warehouse, lol.

As for the "gasser style" tube axle, it's only in the "Imagineering" stage at this point and hasn't been implemented. BUT......I've been kicking around the idea for the past 15-20 years (long before I acquired my current Ranger). As many know, Ford engineered and implemented the Twin I-Beam suspension for introduction in their 1965 F-series trucks and carried the design over to the Rangers when they were introduced in '83.

I'm essentially an old drag racer, hence my desire to cut weight from the truck......with front-end weight being the most critical. As most of y'all know.......weight reduction yields virtually the same result as adding power. And.......in spite of some folk's apparent liking of the Twin I-Beam setup (19Walt63?)........I've always hated it. Not only for its' wonky tire-scrubbing suspension travel, but also for its' heavy cumulative and unsprung weight. A gasser-style tube axle with twin leaf springs may or may not ride as well, but at least it will maintain consistent camber and toe, AND it should result in a dramatic loss of weight.

Two smallish utility-trailer leaf springs (got 'em) and a tubular solid axle will replace the two forged-steel beams, both radius arms, 2 heavy/elaborate cross members, plus both coil springs & their mounts. Obviously, I'll need cross members to support the engine & trans....but smaller/lighter tubular versions should get the job done nicely. 40-Ford spindles (have 'em) are much lighter than the Ranger versions (which also require two ball joints each), AND the brakes I'll tentatively be using (from Speedway) have thinner non-ventilated discs and aluminum calipers. Also, two Chromoly tubular tie rods should be a lot lighter than the forged-steel drag links they'll be replacing. I'm hoping for a 100-ish pound total weight reduction, BUT.......we'll see! <shrug>

 

[Blmpkn]

THANX for the responses, guys! I haven't found an aluminum(?) Ranger bumper, but I'll keep my eye out for one. The thought of making a mold for a fiberglass version sounds like it's way over my pay grade! I was really hoping that I'd be able to find a mfr of fiberglass body components that still had an old dusty mold stashed in the corner of their warehouse, lol.

As for the "gasser style" tube axle, it's only in the "Imagineering" stage at this point and hasn't been implemented. BUT......I've been kicking around the idea for the past 15-20 years (long before I acquired my current Ranger). As many know, Ford engineered and implemented the Twin I-Beam suspension for introduction in their 1965 F-series trucks and carried the design over to the Rangers when they were introduced in '83.

I'm essentially an old drag racer, hence my desire to cut weight from the truck......with front-end weight being the most critical. As most of y'all know.......weight reduction yields virtually the same result as adding power. And.......in spite of some folk's apparent liking of the Twin I-Beam setup (19Walt63?)........I've always hated it. Not only for its' wonky tire-scrubbing suspension travel, but also for its' heavy cumulative and unsprung weight. A gasser-style tube axle with twin leaf springs may or may not ride as well, but at least it will maintain consistent camber and toe, AND it should result in a dramatic loss of weight.

Two smallish utility-trailer leaf springs (got 'em) and a tubular solid axle will replace the two forged-steel beams, both radius arms, 2 heavy/elaborate cross members, plus both coil springs & their mounts. Obviously, I'll need cross members to support the engine & trans....but smaller/lighter tubular versions should get the job done nicely. 40-Ford spindles (have 'em) are much lighter than the Ranger versions (which also require two ball joints each), AND the brakes I'll tentatively be using (from Speedway) have thinner non-ventilated discs and aluminum calipers. Also, two Chromoly tubular tie rods should be a lot lighter than the forged-steel drag links they'll be replacing. I'm hoping for a 100-ish pound total weight reduction, BUT.......we'll see! <shrug>

Duuuuuuude. Get it done.

The fiberglass work, while seeming exotic and fancy, shouldn't be too terribly difficult.

 

[Shran]

If there were ever 1st gen bumpers produced that were NOT steel, I have never seen or heard of one.

I imagine that you could shorten the frame horns and build something like a roll pan commonly seen on the rear of trucks... maybe even combine it with the air deflector piece directly under the grill? I don't know how to make it look good. I can't picture it looking right, it needs something there and more sheet metal instead of a bumper might look like a dude with a huge chin.

 

[Ranger850]

maybe a fiberglass hood?

Ford Ranger Off-Road Fiberglass Body Panels - The Ranger Station

Frequently Asked Questions: Q – How will fiberglass fenders help my off-road rig? A – Offroad fiberglass fenders allow for more travel of your tires and suspension so you won’t have to lift your truck as high. The hoods, fenders and bedsides … Continued

www.therangerstation.com

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I just removed the cross bracing in my hood and used hood pins. I made my bumper easily removable via pins as well.

 

[TurboRay]

maybe a fiberglass hood?

Yeah.....I sent an inquiry the THESE folks about whether or not their 'glass "race-weight" hood has bracing for hinge mounts ~ since I don't wanna install one with just "pins". But, I haven't heard back yet. <shrug>

 

[sgtsandman]

As far as I know there isn’t any all ready made options for a front bumper delete unless there is something in specifically race oriented websites and stores.

I’m afraid it’s going to have to be a custom made job out of aluminum or fiberglass. Fiberglass would probably be the easier of the two.

 

[19Walt93]

THANX for the responses, guys! I haven't found an aluminum(?) Ranger bumper, but I'll keep my eye out for one. The thought of making a mold for a fiberglass version sounds like it's way over my pay grade! I was really hoping that I'd be able to find a mfr of fiberglass body components that still had an old dusty mold stashed in the corner of their warehouse, lol.

As for the "gasser style" tube axle, it's only in the "Imagineering" stage at this point and hasn't been implemented. BUT......I've been kicking around the idea for the past 15-20 years (long before I acquired my current Ranger). As many know, Ford engineered and implemented the Twin I-Beam suspension for introduction in their 1965 F-series trucks and carried the design over to the Rangers when they were introduced in '83.

I'm essentially an old drag racer, hence my desire to cut weight from the truck......with front-end weight being the most critical. As most of y'all know.......weight reduction yields virtually the same result as adding power. And.......in spite of some folk's apparent liking of the Twin I-Beam setup (19Walt63?)........I've always hated it. Not only for its' wonky tire-scrubbing suspension travel, but also for its' heavy cumulative and unsprung weight. A gasser-style tube axle with twin leaf springs may or may not ride as well, but at least it will maintain consistent camber and toe, AND it should result in a dramatic loss of weight.

Two smallish utility-trailer leaf springs (got 'em) and a tubular solid axle will replace the two forged-steel beams, both radius arms, 2 heavy/elaborate cross members, plus both coil springs & their mounts. Obviously, I'll need cross members to support the engine & trans....but smaller/lighter tubular versions should get the job done nicely. 40-Ford spindles (have 'em) are much lighter than the Ranger versions (which also require two ball joints each), AND the brakes I'll tentatively be using (from Speedway) have thinner non-ventilated discs and aluminum calipers. Also, two Chromoly tubular tie rods should be a lot lighter than the forged-steel drag links they'll be replacing. I'm hoping for a 100-ish pound total weight reduction, BUT.......we'll see! <shrug>

Actually, I don't like the twin I beam front suspension, or the swing axles used under VW's from 37-67 and under the first generation Corvairs because the camber goes nuts over bumps. TIB just sucks less than a straight axle. Our roads aren't smooth or straight- we have so few straight sections of road that we name them. Hit a bump in the middle of a curve with a straight axle and you're going for a sleigh ride.