ForOffRoadDriving's 94 Ranger Build

[ForOffRoadDriving]

the pedals are just squares of aluminum measured up i cut out, as far as attaching them i took all the rubber covers off and clamped the aluminum pieces to the pedals with some vise grips, then drilled two 3/16" holes in each and then used a rivet gun to attach them. as far as leveling goes i bought skyjacler leveling coils for an extended cab but they werent tall enough. so i went looking for the f150 coil spacers but the dealer couldnt get them any more and the junkyard didnt have any donors i could get them from, so i got some skyjacker spacers (a puny 1/2" worth on each side) and put them under the leveling coils. i still think it sits a little high in the ass, but once i build the back bumper it may level out more.

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

heres an update from my last 2 days off. terra and i are going to be making a trip up north for memorial day so there were a few things i needed to address to make the trip go smoother. i made up the brackets for the zx2 seats and got them mounted, then mounted the center console to fill in the large gap.

i got this center console out of an explorer a few years ago and until now i was only using the upper half in my std cab (rescue ranger), but since the ext cab was designed to use the bottom half i had to do some painting.

the next issue to reslove was spare tire carrying, which short of building a tire swing didnt leave me many options. i decided to turn to the muffler clamps and my roll bar to hold the spare, keeping in mind that i need the tire to be as high up as possible when loading the bed (not above the roofline though) and as low as possible when daily driving. heres what i came up with, in the low position it doesnt obstruct my view too badly, and if i unbolt it and put it on the top side of the roll bar i can slide my camping totes under it and still have room for more gear. i still need to get one more F.S. bronco tire carrier mounting plate to finish the design, but ill get to that in a few days.

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

last night i got the trailer hitch mounted (with some welding, drilling, and bending of the bumper brackets) and decided to rework the tire carrier since it just didnt seem to look right.

by using bolts welded to the clamps i can swivel them downward and mount the carrier below the roll bar legs and carry the tire lower in the bed.

 

[slammer67]

dude that's awesome
I'm gonna try that method to mount my shovel
good work

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

thanks slammer, do you have any pics of your truck on here? from the looks of your avatar it looks quite similar to mine?

 

[slammer67]

I dont have a build thread yet but I will soon
I just have some pics I've posted in other threads
our trucks are similar, in fact mine looked alot like yours - same colors and interior anyway -before I started the buildup.

here's one of the back, I now have a bed box very similar to yours

 

[Ranger Sport Honduras]

awesome work man!!
nice seat swap!
u know everytime i see your truck, i want a rollbar and bfg's soo bad hahaaha

dunno, just my opinion, but u should lift it a bit more. a 2"bl would look really nice on it.

 

[r1hatman]

Bad ass build!

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

i kind of want to do a beltech rear shackle lift and maybe a 2" coil spring lift in the front (not sure if ill need to use drop brackets and/or a drop pitman arm to keep tie rods and everything lined up the way they are now), but ive also got to think about moving out soon. my parents said your out when you turn 25 and i just turned 24 in april, so ive got 11 more months to find a small house with a BIG garage!

 

[Kyle M.]

Why don't you just use drop spindles? That way you can keep you geometry good......I think you need to make a a little bigger.

 

[TrexMex]

i kind of want to do a beltech rear shackle lift and maybe a 2" coil spring lift in the front (not sure if ill need to use drop brackets and/or a drop pitman arm to keep tie rods and everything lined up the way they are now), but ive also got to think about moving out soon. my parents said your out when you turn 25 and i just turned 24 in april, so ive got 11 more months to find a small house with a BIG garage!

You don't need drop brackets/pitman arm with a 2" front leveling, adjustable degree caster/camber bushings will help you a ton if you'll be messing around with alignment a lot... About the Belltechs... do you have lifting blocks on the back? I know I do, they come stock in the 4x4's... if you do, you don't need extra lift..

Here, 2" front lift, no lift at all (stock) in the back.. 31X10.5s Cooper M/Ts

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

i like the look of that! i dont have any blocks on the back, thats why i was thinking about using the belltechs. where can i find a drop spindle for my year truck? i was under the impression that they were only available for new model IFS years? ive got some new pictures from memorial day weekend that ill post up tomorrow.

 

[TrexMex]

i like the look of that! i dont have any blocks on the back, thats why i was thinking about using the belltechs. where can i find a drop spindle for my year truck? i was under the impression that they were only available for new model IFS years? ive got some new pictures from memorial day weekend that ill post up tomorrow.

Maybe just looking for a set of stock blocks from the u-pull? Can't help you on the dropped splindle stuff for pre 98s but as I said, you don't need to mess with the axle brackets if you're just leveling (lifting 2") your truck.

Here's a thread I started a while ago on this subject: <clicky>

I'll try to take some pics tonight on the blocks I put in after that which gave me an extra .5 - .75", and like I said, I didn't mess with the axle brackets/pitman arm at all.

EDIT: pics!!

Block I machined from a carbon steel bar

The result:

No drop brackets/pitman arm, just stock stuff and no camber issues.... Hope the pics help to figure out what you're trying to do

 

[WNY964x4]

i just read through the last 6 pages , i must say i like how clean it looks and how it is coming along

 

[Kyle M.]

hmmm, I guess I was under the false impression that there were drop spindles for all 2wd...My bad. With a quick google search, I see I was wrong.