Prerunnin the '88

[Boggin]

hey guys i'm really reconsidering dropping this ranger cab on a 4x4 frame. i got the 4x4 truck down to the frame with this cab ready to go on but i'm wondering if i shouldn't. i always got the 79 bronco for 4x4ing, and i got my 89 B2 that someday i can make into an extreme wheeler. and i don't really need another 4x4 and i like the simplicity of 2wd's. I can always just make a bare cage on the frame of the 4x4 frame if i really wanna wheel it. Here in Newfoundland, we don't have races but still have lots of old logging roads, the same thing in general as what fx2prerunner is doing and we would probably be doing a nice of beating around together if i had a prerunner to keep up with his(doubt it though, haha).

I'm not looking to go all-out with cages, dual coil-overs etc. but i would like her to be tough enough to get 2 or 3 feet of air without beating the shit out of my truck and get some decent travel too.

I figured i'd use an explorer 31 spline 8.8" and probably 4.56s and locked, leaving it SUA(spring under axle) and doing 63" leaves and shackle flip and maybe going up through the bed for long travel shock mounts. really only looking to get around 3-4" lift in the rear and around 5-6" up front. I'm not sure about front suspension though. I don't think I'd be running coil-overs cause they're a bit over the budget unles i came across a deal on some good cheap ones. Otherwise what coils/shocks do you think would be good to run for a modern truck that eventually hits some hard terrain
the truck would be a DD too so it wont be strictly pure off-road. im thinking 4" skyjacker drop brackets would be good and would skyjacker coils be good or is there a cheaper kind that are still able to take some beating one in a while? and Radius arms would be custom made, around 8" longer than stock and still be using the studs cause heims are stupid-expensive and apparently wear out too fast.. and a bumper would be made too with a couple lights and i really like the light bars that are used on the roof of prerunner trucks like this one:

So the truck wont be anywhere near a hardcore race truck just some simple longer travel and so better gearing and some custom tubing here and there along the way.

I really like the look of this one

but like i said those fenders are out of the budget but who knows i might get my buddy to make me some.

I'd appreciate all input on the coils and shocks and what you guys think of my idea. the 2.9 will do for now with the 86-87 larger throttle body and maybe some porting thanks to a nice friend of this website (fx2prerunner, again lol)

 

[fx2prerunner]

lol no problem porting some heads for you but I think you should stick with the 4x4 idea

 

[Boggin]

i dunno, i got enough 4x4 i wanna do a race truck for a change. wanna do somethin different, 4x4s are too old thats all i ever had besides this ranger and when im driving a 2wd i wont break as much shit as with a 4x4 cause i wont try any big mud holes or anything cause i know ill get stuck lol so i jus wanna be able to build a nice longtravel DD.

I plan to take off the body lift and get a 6" suspension kit for the front and some 63" leafs and some other shit for the rear

 

[Ranger Kip]

you could always just make your own by cutting and pasting the fenders
Go to a junkyard and buy the fenders off of a duely and worth with those =)

 

[BlackBII]

How much you looking to spend?

You can make or buy the fenders. You're going to need some long travel shocks, springs and extended radius arms.

What kit were you looking at getting??

 

[Boggin]

for the ttb drops i was thinking skyjacker brackets from trs fab
these 7-8" lift skyjacker shocks from topguncustomz, id be getting that amount of lift cause i would make custom mounts for them after looking at some more peoples on here.
radius arms would be custom made with brackets, no heims.

 

[Boggin]

and procomp pitman arm from topguncustomz for $67

 

[Quasi242]

for the ttb drops i was thinking skyjacker brackets from trs fab
these 7-8" lift skyjacker shocks from topguncustomz, id be getting that amount of lift cause i would make custom mounts for them after looking at some more peoples on here.
radius arms would be custom made with brackets, no heims.

I might be missing something here, but the words lift and long travel rarely go together in a desert truck build. A long travel truck build should be all about high quality suspension travel, low center of gravity, and balanced weight distribution. I guess that if you are going for the look of exagerated SoCal lean, a front end lift would accomplish that. However, since it sounds like you would like to use your truck, spend some time reading build threads on a site like DR or give Dave at Threat a call. I bit more understanding regarding what you are trying to build will likely save you a lot of money in the long run. Just my $0.02. Good luck.

 

[Boggin]

you make a good point, but fx2prerunner talked to me about it a bit an he thinks i should do the 4x4 long travel like Copykats so ill probably still go ahead with swapping the cab on the 4x4 frame then try some long travel. So ill keep updating here as progress goes on which will be very soon cause the hoist ill be using to lift the cab off is currently big used by the motor in my '79 but the new motor monuts will be here in a week or so then i can move the bronco on the other side of the garage and put the ranger over where the hoist is, lift up the cab, roll out the frame, roll the new frame in, left the cab down, once im that far its only cake to get the rest of her going.