Show me your off-road Ranger, tell me what makes it a good off-roader, and what you'd do different today.

[Lil Bronco]

Not a ranger, but…….y’all have always made me feel welcome.

I keep saying this is my spare parts pile. Started as a 1988 2 wheel drive BII.

5.0L stock rebuilt roller with Holley Sniper throttle body, ignition and digital dash.

Backed by a rebuilt C6 with a reverse manual valve body. Behind that is a Northwest Fab doubler in front of a NP 205. I feel it’s pretty much bulletproof.

Stretched the wheel base 4 inches up front and 8 in the rear with F-O-A 14 inch coilovers. The longest arms I could fit on a 4-link rear and 3 link front.

It rides on Dodge AAM’s with ARB lockers turning 3.73 gears on 37 inch bead locked Coopers. Steered with a full hydraulic PSC ram.

All while keeping the AC!!! It is a Texas rig after all.

9.5 warn winch up front when it just won’t go anymore.

Still tweaking it.

Changes to come……

1. A more snug fuel tank.
2. Cleaner enclosures for the rear shock mounts.
3. Snubbers on both axles.

Still playing with it, it’s proving to be pretty formidable and forgiving on the rocks.

Pics to come.

 

[Lil Bronco]

Sorry, it rotated some of the images……..and I’m technologically challenged and can’t fix it.

 

[sgtsandman]

Sorry, it rotated some of the images……..and I’m technologically challenged and can’t fix it.

It's something with the forum software since the upgrade. We are all still trying to figure out the quirks. So, it's not just you.

 

[mtnrgr]

Even though this thing doesn't seem to interest people in this forum anymore, I suppose I should include it in this thread as well.

1997 Ranger
-.030 Over Roller 302
-AFR 185 heads
-Forged Rotating Assembly
-Edelbrock Intake
-Holley 750 DP Carb
-7,200 RPM Rev Limiter
-Custom stainless exhaust system with equal length headers
and custom mufflers by Built-Industies

-Toploader 4 Speed Manual Trans
-David kee big shafts
-Spec Racing Clutch W/Mcleod Hydraulic Throwout
-1350 driveline w/chromoly slip yoke
-37x12.5x17 Falken Tires
-Walker Evans Beadlock Wheels

Front Suspension:
-MitchMade Equal Length I-Beams
-MitchMade Center Mount Radius Arms
-MitchMade Billet Knuckles And 2.5 Hubs
-MitchMade Swing Steering W/ Straight Tie Rods
-Howe Racing Power Steering pump
-Coleman 12" Rotors W/ Wilwood 6 Piston Calipers
-3.5" King 5 Tube Bypass Shocks
-2.5" Coilovers
-2x4" Bump Stops

Rear Axle:
-Axle Pros 9" With Spool And 5.14s
-40 Spline Axles W/ BMS 2.5" Full Float Hubs
-12" Short course rotors W/ Wilwood Calipers

Rear Suspension:
-Custom 3 Link 28" of travel
-3" 3 Tube King Bypass
-2.5" King Coilovers
-2.5x4" Bump Stops

More:
-Mcneil Fiberglass Fenders
-Caged Front to back
-32 Gallon Fuel Cell
-PRP Alpha Seats
-Lawrance Nav 7"

What I Like:
Fast as F#@K in the desert

What I would do different:
Kept it a sealed cab and made more storage so it would be more useful for long mild paced desert trips.

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My goodness Alec, this ranger is still thee best prerunner ranger I've still seen in my life. I've seen some great ones, yours take the prize...especially that suspension design from mild to extremely major off road. I follow this truck still after 17-18 years now??

 

[RaceRanger97]

My goodness Alec, this ranger is still thee best prerunner ranger I've still seen in my life. I've seen some great ones, yours take the prize...especially that suspension design from mild to extremely major off road. I follow this truck still after 17-18 years now??

Appreciate that, definitely been through a lot of changes over the years. I believe I bought it August of 06, So ya coming up on 20 years now.. crazy..

 

[Jim Oaks]

It's something with the forum software since the upgrade. We are all still trying to figure out the quirks. So, it's not just you.

If you use the Attach Files button at the bottom, it might not post it correctly. For some reason it doesn't read the EXIF orientation values in the image, but if you use the insert image button at the top, it should post it the right way.

My goodness Alec, this ranger is still thee best prerunner ranger I've still seen in my life. I've seen some great ones, yours take the prize...especially that suspension design from mild to extremely major off road. I follow this truck still after 17-18 years now??

I remember when you first started building this truck and it still impresses me to this day. It's like seeing someone have a kid and watching that kid grow up to become a well-respected doctor.

 

[mtnrgr]

Appreciate that, definitely been through a lot of changes over the years. I believe I bought it August of 06, So ya coming up on 20 years now.. crazy..

20 years almost..absolutely amazing. I bought my 94 new in 94, right before my 21st birthday, had that truck 31 years. I had my hands into building and designing that truck. As you have done to improve them to our needs to push them past their limits...my 94 was definitely pushed way past it limits many times. Even though I miss that truck alot, gonna make new memories with my 97.

 

[Jim Oaks]

I just did a feature of @JonH Ranger if anyone interested.

JonH 1993 Ford Ranger 4x4 - The Ranger Station

JonH 1993 Ford Ranger 4x4 is a hardcore trail rig with a Dana 44 SAS, 41.5” tires, transfer case doubler, and custom fab.

www.therangerstation.com

 

[Gary DuBois]

2002 Ford Ranger Fx4 Off Road 4.0 v6 245 cid 207 hp - What makes my ranger a good off roader is the 31 inch all terrain tires with 3 skid plates that i have tightened the bolts on under neath my truck in the front, middle, rear and for being off road those stainless steel tow hooks help alot and are cool and my rangers compact size is great for off roading and my ranger is cool =)

I have never gone off roading in my ranger but i have driven through snow and that was fun and enjoyable. I have thought of putting a lift kit on my ranger like a 8 inch with 35 inch tires but then i always think to myself im a stock truck type of guy for the most part so i will leave my ranger at its stock height with its stock size tires. My 4wd high and low work good the way my 4wd is supposed to so thats awesome.

What i would do different today if i could wave a magic wand is for my ranger to have no tinted windows and be a different exterior color. And a locking tail gate would be nice to have.

People have asked me when im out in the past they have said do you want to sell your truck. I bought my ranger with my own money in the early part of december 2022 for $10,500 then i put $4,500 more into my ranger so now I have $14,500 into my ranger. are the stainless steel tow hooks bigger than the non stainless steel tow hooks ? Was there ever stainless steel tow hooks for the rear ? Does anyone know why the FX in my fx4 off road decal is red ? Why did ford not put a under hood light on ? when it would be nice to have installed. The ford f-150 has a under hood light and thats a full size truck but my compact ranger does not have a under hood light and its a compact truck so ford did not make much sense at all to me when they left the under hood light off and it was not even offered as a option. Whos idea was it to have 8 holes in my rims and whats advantage of 8 holes in my rims ?



Thank You Very Much,
Sincerely Gary DuBois