Ranger Questions

[skinny]

Hello everyone
I have a few questions that if answered will help me out a lot.
I recently purchased a 91 Ford Ranger 2WD 4-cyl FI, for 700$. The previous owner was very harsh, and did not take care of the vehicle. As soon as I got it he had a 300w amp running off of a 16 AWG power cord, along with a 250W deck. With 2 speakers and no Sub. This was very bad because the truck could not run for longer than 2 mins without running (obviously) But anyways I removed all of that and just wired the 2 speakers to the deck. All is good. I then found out, almost everything on the truck is still from 1991. He did not change oil,or any fluids. He put new brakes, and a new clutch. So anyways I have put new plugs,wires,filters,oil,fan belt, and all fluids in. She is running like a charm. But there is still one Major problem. The suspension. I currently I have never worked on suspension, but I am very mechanically inclined so if it is reasonable for me to do it myself I would like to.
The truck will bounce after pushing down on the box for about 2-3 seconds. I know this is the shock absorbers, I checked them out and they are in very rough condition(seals cracked, one has oil coming out etc) So I have ordered a set of 4 new absorbers. I then noticed that the Rear of the truck is very low (about 3-6 inches of clearance from Tire to top Wheel Well), and uneven. The leaf springs look as though they are upside down.
Ok sorry for all of that but I feel as though you should know whats going on to accurately tell me what i can do.

Ok for my question. I realize that I need to change the leaf springs, but I am wondering how much will they cost(ballpark). And will they affect the height of the box? Also should I replace the coil springs (they do not look as though they are in bad condition) and how much would those cost(set of 4).

Another thing, I also own a 89 Ranger 2WD 6-Cyl FI, with a stuck lifter, and a wrecked box. Can I swap the leaf springs? or any other parts for that matter?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[skinny]

 

[skinny]

 

[KELLY88]

You said it looks like the leaf springs are upside down? I'm kind of curious what that looks like, can you get a shot of the leaves? As far as your second truck to be used as a parts truck I think it will work just fine, at least for some. Depending on whether it's a short or long bed and regular or supercab will make a difference on some parts.

 

[skinny]

Well I guess that was a bit of an overstatement the leaf springs are flat. But I spoke to someone about it and he said if I put new shocks in they will go back up. That ranger is a Ranger Custom, while the other is XLT with cab/ short box. The rear shocks are identical on both, but the fronts have different bottom mounts. Im going to go measure it all up and see if they fit.

 

[jobar]

Replacing the shocks may not fix your problem. You may need to get new leaf springs. Go ahead and replace the shocks and see what happens it may fix your problem or it may not.



This is a picture when I replaced the shocks and as you can see the leaf springs are still some what flat. So, I had to replace the springs.

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[skinny]

Well I was under my other ranger and I realized it has 4 Monroe Gas Magnums that are still yellow, with minimal rust, and they are nice and strong. So I replaced them on the 91 ranger and it has lifted the box about 1.5 inches. I might switch the leaf springs also, because on my other ranger they look alot better than the ones on the 91. I still havent finished the fronts, so when my camera charges, and I take her for a ride ill update
thnx for all the feedback so far.

 

[jobar]

Make sure that the leafs in your new truck are the same number of leafs as the ones that you replaceing them with. To many leafs and you will lift the truck to much.