frame modification

[4w87ranger]

im not really sure where to put this but this seemed like the best place

this is my first post here and i came to the experts because i know nothing about this ranger i bought

its a
1987
ford
ranger
2.9
4x4
std cab
LONG bed
5 speed

its a perfectly good running truck, daily driver quality its just the body is rotted out and dented and two different colors

the other truck i have is a
1987
ford
ranger
3.0 (yea i know, its actually a 87 ford prototype engine)
2wd
std cab
SHORT bed
4 speed

this truck is in pieces and we have never had the engine started, but the body has fresh pant on it since tear down,

overall, what i want to do is shorten the frame on my long bed truck to fit the short bed on it, along with the rest of the good body, plus the shorter wheelbase is better for ground clearance while wheelin anyways

i am fully capable of doing all this myself, i plan on a z shape cut, and chop some of the end off, the only part that concerns me is it has the larger single 17 gallon fuel tank, i might just have to fab something up so it can hang thier

has anyone done anything like this or thought about it?

any help would be appreciated

 

[Loanranger]

Why don't you just swap the motor/tranny/tranfercase into the shortbed?

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

because he wants a 4x4.

however, since you have a complete working 4x4 donor, it wouldnt be that hard to swap the 4x4 crossmember into the 2wd truck, thus avoiding having to cut and weld the frame (which i dont like to see done, its too dangerous in most cases). it'd probably be less work then cutting/welding a frame since the crossmember can be installed with bolts.

if your concern is the gas tank, why not just use whatever tank is in the short bed? i believe mines a 12-13 gal. otherwise, you could go to the junkyard and snag up a rear BII fuel tank (mounts behind the axle, where the ranger spare tire is).

just a few options to keep alive....

 

[Natedog]

Swapping the front crossmember to the 4x4 type is alot harder than it looks at first glance. Body swap is a pita too....but easier than the cross member swap.....I'm knee deep in mine right now.

I would just put your good cab on the longbed 4x4 and find a longbed to match. Put the crappy cab back on the 2wd and sell it.

If you must cut and splice the frame, just do a single angled cut, and reinforce with a piece of stitch welded fishplate. This works fine.

 

[4w87ranger]

thanks for the advice guys, i also forgot to mention in am doing this on the cheap and finding a rust free long bed and having it painted would cost way more than what the truck is worth

and trying to sell a 1/2 built truck with crappy body panels is impossible so it will end up being scraped

and welding and cutting the frame if done correctly can make the stronger than from the factory

 

[Natedog]

Just a suggestion. And I meant put the cab on and hook it all up, not just bolt it on and leave all the wires hanging. I didn't mean welding the frame was bad, just a better and easier way to do it.

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

itd be a shame to see a perfectly good 3.0 long block go to the scrapper....

 

[4w87ranger]

yea well ill see about selling the leftover parts when im done, its a real 87 3.0 it even says ford prototype on the valvecover

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

i'd love to be able to buy it from you, unfortunately due to recent medical bills i dont think i can go buying things i dont need (like another engine that i dont have a truck for ).

if you have a cam, i'd love to see a pic of those valve covers though...probably a rare find.

 

[Mutant Pony]

3.0s were standard production in '86, just not in a Ranger. I have an '86 and an '87 with 3.0s that were swapped in. It is the Ranger that you plan on cutting up that is Rare. What letter is the 8th digit of the vin?

 

[4w87ranger]

it not the original truck, ford sent its prototype trucks to a guy my dad knew, and he used the body panels for off road racing and the rest was so pose to be scraped, but why let a perfectly good engine go to waste