lowering

[grey ghost]

i have a 2004 bare bones "stock" ranger and i would like to drop the back to have that " level " look and was wondering what the best way would be to acheve this look?
thanks for any advice..

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

shackle flip. check the tech library, theres a writeup on it.

 

[grey ghost]

so using the factory hanger and shackle and just fliping them over will lower the rear of the truck and make it sit level? i thought that it would be higher in the front after doing that or are the stock shackle's the right lengh fliped?

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

depends on how much rake you have now. a shackle flip is good for roughly 2" of drop in the back. if its too much, you can always make up the height later with more leaves.

you could remove a leaf from your pack, but thats going to make the back squishier which some people dont like.

 

[grey ghost]

thanks wicked...the truck is 100 % stock and has that sits higher in the back for " load squat " as i'll call it. i don't haul anything exept my 4 wheeler gear in the bed. the atv is allways on my 4x6 trailer so i don't have to deal with the mess in the bed and it's easyer for my crippled ass to get off the trailer ...

 

[doorgunner]

Wicked, it must be true that all Rangers don't act alike--I keep reading that everybody gets a 2" drop by flipping the rear hangers/brackets, but I measured frame to ground distance before & after the flip--I got 4" drop (total 5" when I removed the overload leafs)--the ride got better, now the rear end doesn't hop around on these Louisiana roads(test-tracks for Army tanks). But now the most I can haul in the back is a 600# Harley, but I'll add adjustable air shocks. Thanks for all the advice from you guys---it's saved me a lot of TMT(TimeMoneyTrouble) in 2008, but I am keeping the Harley mufflers on the '89 to '36

 

[grey ghost]

ok i have the shackle flip done . how do you measure for difrent sized shocks or will the factory length be ok? i took my bumb stops completely off for now and haven't driven the truck out on the road..

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

the factory shocks will probably bottom out. you should have measured your pre-lower ride height from thre bumper to figure out what shocks you need. failing that, you can probably just guestimate and be alright.

if it were me, i'd cut the factory bump stops in half and re-install them. better to have something there at least.

 

[grey ghost]

the factory shocks will probably bottom out. you should have measured your pre-lower ride height from thre bumper to figure out what shocks you need. failing that, you can probably just guestimate and be alright.

if it were me, i'd cut the factory bump stops in half and re-install them. better to have something there at least.

ok wicked i figured i'd put the quad on the trailer and set my skoal can on the axle and mesure for the size of the bump stop that should get me close.
care to take a guess on shock size now that i'm an idiot and didn't think ahead? could i measure a diffrent truck and get something close?
or what would you sugest?

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

you could try measuring a stock truck...but all trucks sit a little different. take a stab on how much drop you got....2"? 3"?

 

[doorgunner]

Wicked, Grey. --- I just got thru being there & doing that. Now that you have the truck sitting the way you want, measure from the shock top-bolt to the bottom bolt----for example 12.5". Go to a NAPA store & ask em to let you look thru their shock catalog(with all the dimensions). Pick out the style shocks(eye-holes) and the length you need ( for example: if you measured 12.5" from the top shock bolt to the bottom shock bolt, you would need a shock with a compressed length of approx. 8.5" & an fully extended length of approx.16.5") Just make sure you have rubber bump stops installed so your axle doesn't have more than 3.5" of clearance before it hits the bump stop, or you'll bottom out the new shocks & ruin them. Wicked, splain this so it makes more sense.

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

you nailed it man

 

[grey ghost]

thanks guys i feel like such a moron for not knowing half of this before i started this project
to everyone..

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

gotta learn somehow. some people (myself included) learn best with greasy hands

 

[Hazmat Ranger]

I just put 93 Nissan Hardbody shocks on mine in the rear, but I still need to cut the bump stop down. I asked the parts store if I could compare the stock Ranger and Nissan shocks - the Nissans are about 2 - 3 inches shorter fully compressed. I like seeing the actual thing rather than comparing numbers.