Welcome Visitor! Please take a few seconds and So, my grandfather gave me hit work truck to fix up when he passed away. He knew I liked to go out wheelin in my jeep, so he gave me his 86 ford ranger to fix up and do with as I please. My grandpa (Papa Roger) used his ranger to go up into the woods and to move his boat down into the canal. When I got it the exhaust was rusted out and the breaks were shot and it barley ran.
This is the money pit sitting at my grandpa's house (Yes, thats a crab pot grill.)
Me and my dad managed to get the truck started and running long enough to get it on the trailer to bring it home. Once I got it home I started working on changing simple parts out (water pump, battery...ect) after changing out enough parts the truck was running alittle better (Fresh Gas helped alot).
Since my dad was paying for it, he had new breaks put on and a cherry bomb exhaust.
Whatcha know about that kind of flex? haha
My tranny was pretty shot, you could barley ever get it into 4th gear and 3rd was starting to go out. So I took the truck up to a tranny shop and had it rebuilt, they quoted me a low price then screwed me over in the end after they charged me way over what the initial quote was. But in the end it shifts good now and I can actually use 4th gear.
My friend had a new champion winch that had been sitting in his garage for a while that he was trying to sell. After a while of asking if he was still selling it he gave it to me. He was even nice enough to let me have it for free. It sat in my garage for a couple months since I had a stock bumper and the truck wasn't going out to the woods anytime soon with those stock donuts that were on it.
After awhile I bought some 31 tsl super swampers, I was comfortable with the ride height of the 2 inch body that had already been on it. So, I just bought some bigger tires to make it sit a little higher and be able to go through some mud. Now I wish I had just waited to make it bigger and better.
Sitting on its new 31's
The new tires were a little much for the fenders since after going 100 yards at most i had bent both front fenders.
With a little drawing with the sharpie and cutting with the grinder I started cutting away at the fenders to raise them up and widen them out.
My little cardboard stencil taped to the side of the truck.
It was finally ready to go out to ravensdale to play in the mud. But after one time stuck there in a rut waiting for someone to stumble across us to pull us out made me decide it was time for the winch to be put on. So, I got my neighbor Joe to help me out with making a bumper for the truck.
Bumper being painted.
Joe welded up the outside welds and taught me how to weld on the inner seams.
Front bumper mounted up looks pretty good to me but I had to get rid of the crab pot grill to make the bumper fit.
Winch all hooked up. Just need to buy some quick connects so I can move it from the front bumper to the back if i need to pull my self out backwards.
After getting that all hooked up I had alot of fun times out in ravensdale wheelin around getting stuck and pullin out.
After a fun day with me in the truck and my beautiful girlfriend on my quad.
After deciding I want to go bigger with the height and tires and get a locker, I found an amazing deal for a HP dana 44 and 9 inch rear for around $350 with radius arms, coils, leafs, new disk breaks. I talked to my buddy who I have known since elementary about him helping me re gear the axles, I went ahead and bought them. The man who sold me the axles was a real nice guy. Even told me to come out wheeling with him once I get this money pit finished. I didnt figure I was going to meet a nice guy like him on craigslist.
Once I got the axles home and got 4.88 gearing with the rebuild kit and my aussie locker for the 44. I took my junk to Max's house. He was nice enough to help me out over the next couple of weekend on re gearing them. Finally around the time we had finished I had also bought some new 35's tsl swampers and some used steel rims that I ended up painting a matte black.
I sold my 31's on craigslist to a marine who had just got back and was starting to build his Xj.
I took a break from working on my truck for a while and focused more on school. But one weekend I got bored and the barn was clear so I took the bed off and dropped the rear axle( after driving down the back road feeling like a hot rod since I roasted the tires so much. Its nice not having weight back there)
Bed off
Rear axle out
As for raising the ass end I used some chains and the handy dandy tractor to raise it up while i set some cinder blocks and a board under the frame. After and hour or so the rear axle was out thanks to Joes snap on impact wrench. ( went out and bought a dewalt 18v impact wrench a couple days later (I figured it would come in handy and it definitely has) So, with the ford 7.5 out I remounted the rear leaf perches and bolted up the leafs and had the 9inch sitting under.
As for the front ttb dana 28 up front I started pulling that out a week later. Propped the front up and started unbolting everything that was holding it in. After a little love with the pry bar the axle fall on out and the brackets were cut off.
Dana 28 ttb out
I bought a radius arm drop bucket from thebroncograveyard and cut out my tranny cross member (Dont worry it was supported before cutting commenced) I mounted my RA bracket to the bottom hole of where the tranny cross member was and drilled some other holes for the rest of the bracket. After getting new C bushings finally put on, I got the axle in place under the truck with the radius arms hooked up and the axle connected.
I was going to run james duff 5.5 inch lift progressive coils but I ran into a slight problem with the alignment of the coil bucket to the top of the coil tower.
Ive decided that there are 2 ways to finish this front suspension,
-Way 1 buy steel weld it to the frame and buy new coil towers from james duff and raise them up then buy shock towers and new front shocks.
-Way 2 Buy fox air shocks or FOA coil overs and if max is willing to, have him bend me some shock hoops
So far Im leaning towards Way 2 I already have the old coil towers cut off and cleaned up, I have about 8 inches of up travel before my pumkin comes in contact with my front cross member (which can be cut for more room).
Right about at desired ride height.
As for my build thats where it sits for the moment unless I get something bought this week it might sit until im finished with EMT class.
This is the money pit sitting at my grandpa's house (Yes, thats a crab pot grill.)
Me and my dad managed to get the truck started and running long enough to get it on the trailer to bring it home. Once I got it home I started working on changing simple parts out (water pump, battery...ect) after changing out enough parts the truck was running alittle better (Fresh Gas helped alot).
Since my dad was paying for it, he had new breaks put on and a cherry bomb exhaust.
Whatcha know about that kind of flex? haha
My tranny was pretty shot, you could barley ever get it into 4th gear and 3rd was starting to go out. So I took the truck up to a tranny shop and had it rebuilt, they quoted me a low price then screwed me over in the end after they charged me way over what the initial quote was. But in the end it shifts good now and I can actually use 4th gear.
My friend had a new champion winch that had been sitting in his garage for a while that he was trying to sell. After a while of asking if he was still selling it he gave it to me. He was even nice enough to let me have it for free. It sat in my garage for a couple months since I had a stock bumper and the truck wasn't going out to the woods anytime soon with those stock donuts that were on it.
After awhile I bought some 31 tsl super swampers, I was comfortable with the ride height of the 2 inch body that had already been on it. So, I just bought some bigger tires to make it sit a little higher and be able to go through some mud. Now I wish I had just waited to make it bigger and better.
Sitting on its new 31's
The new tires were a little much for the fenders since after going 100 yards at most i had bent both front fenders.
With a little drawing with the sharpie and cutting with the grinder I started cutting away at the fenders to raise them up and widen them out.
My little cardboard stencil taped to the side of the truck.
It was finally ready to go out to ravensdale to play in the mud. But after one time stuck there in a rut waiting for someone to stumble across us to pull us out made me decide it was time for the winch to be put on. So, I got my neighbor Joe to help me out with making a bumper for the truck.
Bumper being painted.
Joe welded up the outside welds and taught me how to weld on the inner seams.
Front bumper mounted up looks pretty good to me but I had to get rid of the crab pot grill to make the bumper fit.
Winch all hooked up. Just need to buy some quick connects so I can move it from the front bumper to the back if i need to pull my self out backwards.
After getting that all hooked up I had alot of fun times out in ravensdale wheelin around getting stuck and pullin out.
After a fun day with me in the truck and my beautiful girlfriend on my quad.
After deciding I want to go bigger with the height and tires and get a locker, I found an amazing deal for a HP dana 44 and 9 inch rear for around $350 with radius arms, coils, leafs, new disk breaks. I talked to my buddy who I have known since elementary about him helping me re gear the axles, I went ahead and bought them. The man who sold me the axles was a real nice guy. Even told me to come out wheeling with him once I get this money pit finished. I didnt figure I was going to meet a nice guy like him on craigslist.
Once I got the axles home and got 4.88 gearing with the rebuild kit and my aussie locker for the 44. I took my junk to Max's house. He was nice enough to help me out over the next couple of weekend on re gearing them. Finally around the time we had finished I had also bought some new 35's tsl swampers and some used steel rims that I ended up painting a matte black.
I sold my 31's on craigslist to a marine who had just got back and was starting to build his Xj.
I took a break from working on my truck for a while and focused more on school. But one weekend I got bored and the barn was clear so I took the bed off and dropped the rear axle( after driving down the back road feeling like a hot rod since I roasted the tires so much. Its nice not having weight back there)
Bed off
Rear axle out
As for raising the ass end I used some chains and the handy dandy tractor to raise it up while i set some cinder blocks and a board under the frame. After and hour or so the rear axle was out thanks to Joes snap on impact wrench. ( went out and bought a dewalt 18v impact wrench a couple days later (I figured it would come in handy and it definitely has) So, with the ford 7.5 out I remounted the rear leaf perches and bolted up the leafs and had the 9inch sitting under.
As for the front ttb dana 28 up front I started pulling that out a week later. Propped the front up and started unbolting everything that was holding it in. After a little love with the pry bar the axle fall on out and the brackets were cut off.
Dana 28 ttb out
I bought a radius arm drop bucket from thebroncograveyard and cut out my tranny cross member (Dont worry it was supported before cutting commenced) I mounted my RA bracket to the bottom hole of where the tranny cross member was and drilled some other holes for the rest of the bracket. After getting new C bushings finally put on, I got the axle in place under the truck with the radius arms hooked up and the axle connected.
I was going to run james duff 5.5 inch lift progressive coils but I ran into a slight problem with the alignment of the coil bucket to the top of the coil tower.
Ive decided that there are 2 ways to finish this front suspension,
-Way 1 buy steel weld it to the frame and buy new coil towers from james duff and raise them up then buy shock towers and new front shocks.
-Way 2 Buy fox air shocks or FOA coil overs and if max is willing to, have him bend me some shock hoops
So far Im leaning towards Way 2 I already have the old coil towers cut off and cleaned up, I have about 8 inches of up travel before my pumkin comes in contact with my front cross member (which can be cut for more room).
Right about at desired ride height.
As for my build thats where it sits for the moment unless I get something bought this week it might sit until im finished with EMT class.
