Sleeper/drift Ranger?

[Joey Stacks]

i just posted an introduction im trying to build a ranger for some street race/drift action... What should i be looking for in a rear diff? i read the DIFFS FOR DUMMIES but it didnt help me. guess im too dumb. Im looking for some higher speed sideways action in my 2wd 92 Ranger any ideas? Check my introduction for a little more info

 

[tpking]

8.8 from a explorer would work, or a 9inch cut down from a full size .. what motor you gonna run?

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

If you're gonna do it right (modified suspension to handle drifting) and a motor to match, you'll prolly want a narrowed 9" but it woln't be cheap to do all the work.

I would not try to drift on a stock suspension. It can be done, but it would likely end up with you flipping.

Also street racing is not condoned on this site. Sure a lot of us were young an stupid at one time, but street racing is no joke and if you're really lucky you'll walk away from wrapping it around a tree or telephone pole wondering why you were so stupid. If your not so lucky, someone will be carried by six as they say. If you want to talk about street racing, find another site.

If you do build a race/drift truck, be sure to put a good quality cage in it as one of the first mods. Even the best racers sometimes lose control and a cage may save your life.

 

[Chance]

^what they said. It won't be cheap, my buddy has a narrowed 9" in his 350 s10 with Moser axles and whatever bolt pattern is on a stock s-10 (i forgot, I think 5x4.75) I believe it ran him $1,500. His is lincoln locked i think... (again can't remember) and the thing gets stupid sideways with a turbo350 tranny and a claimed 400hp (pry more like 300,320), I can only imagine how worse it would be if he ever gets a 5spd swapped in. Oh and he's got... shoot I think like 3.88's.

I don't know if any of that is helpful (or if it even had a point) but in my own experience, it doesn't take much to get a truck sideways as long as you know how to use a stick.

Whatever you do, build it right and don't take shortcuts. Cage, tuned suspension, axle and engine swap. Oh, and keep it on the track not the street.

 

[Joey Stacks]

no doubt Im looking for something on the cheaper side of things.
1500 bucks is a little out of my price range

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

no doubt Im looking for something on the cheaper side of things.
1500 bucks is a little out of my price range

Hate to say it, but if $1,500 is out of your price range, you should just wait to do it till you can afford it. No sense doing it half-baked an having problems later.

I say that cuz I've been down that road. I've been dreaming of a sleeper since before I got my first truck. Hell, I tried to talk my dad into letting me buy an 89 Ranger that someone shoehorned a 460 into for my first truck! Tried to tweak my Ranger and was young an stupid enough to hotrod it a bit. After walking away from wrapping it around a telephone pole I came to realize just how f'in stupid I was.

I still have the truck an I believe it's fixable. But I got lucky. I also haven't even touched the thing for months now. It'll get fixed, but I don't want the temptation to jump in it an stand on the gas when dumping the clutch an taking off in a cloud of smoke. I'd rather wait and cool off a bit before fixing 'er back up. My mistake cost me a hell of a lot of money that I could have spent on better things an I want the lesson to sink in good before I fix it.

 

[odie1969]

well if you trying to build. a drifter I would stay away from the V8. and go with more of a 2.3 or 4.0 turbo. something that will produce alot of high RPMs and still keep the weight somewhat balanced. I would think that a V8 would be heavy enough to cause the front end to dive more than you would want. also I would think to use a lower gear like 4.10. I would also think that a 8.8 31 spline out of a exp. would be able to handle the power of the 2.3 4.0 turbo. again I would think of a coil spring set up in the back with some kind of 4-link. I would also lower the truck a few inches to lower the center of gravity. I know this really isn't cheap but it would be cool.

 

[Joey Stacks]

more than 1500 for the 8.8 rear??? thats what i was talking about! this is a project which may take years to finish if its gonna cost me that much for just the rear... well crap that sucks i found the 2.3 turbo t-bird engine for less than a grand i havent priced out suspension parts yet

 

[Joey Stacks]

yeah i just found that 8.8 rear for $1025 i can swing that.... eventually.... THE DREAM IS STILL ALIVE
will it handle around 250 to 300 horses supplied by a 2.3 turbo coupe motor? i was looking up an actual turbo coupe yesterday it the owner said he was making around that with not too many mods to it.
what im trying to do is figure out if i can find affordable performance in my ranger... otherwise im gonna end up looking elswhere

 

[james99]

i would not pay 1025 for a 8.8 rear end i got a 8.8 out of an explorer with L/S and 410 gearing

thats just my 2 cents

 

[Chance]

Yeah that is a gross overprice on an 8.8 rear. You should be able to snatch one up for a couple hundred.

 

[Fx4wannabe01]

HAHA...i got one for $60!

 

[Beanmachine7000]

...my buddy has a narrowed 9"... His is lincoln locked i think...

So, he spent $1,500 on a 9" and didn't spend the money to get a locker/spool? That's crazy...

 

[Chance]

Yeah actually... It was open diff for quite some time and... wait, he picked up a limited slip out of a junkyard, he didn't Lincoln lock it. But yeah, stuff ain't cheap when you have someone else do it for you. He's planning on either spooling it or getting a detroit but now he's busy building a 355 to drop in it. He just bought the axle new and didn't have enough left over for a good locker. Better than the stock 10b anyway...

 

[Ric]

I've been screwing around with Rangers for a long time. Raced a few of mine in SCCA events and have been a drifter for years.



If you're going to build one for Drifting...

1st or 2nd Gen to keep weight down
7.5" with a 4.10 and a mini spool. 7.5 or more plentiful and will hold. You're not using 15" wide slicks and launching a 500lb of torque. Having a spooled rear end will make initiating the drift a ton easier and will make it bunch more predictable... along with cheaper than buying a real LSD (not a clutch type).
2.3 Turbo with a T5. 200-250 hp will be enough.
axle over leafs rear and spindles in the front. Dont go too low, you need to transfer weight.
Do your research for the shocks and springs. You want more spring and more damping, without raising the truck back up.
Big and I mean BIG sway bars
17x8 +25 with 245/45 on both ends.
Steering multiplier. Rangers need 140 turns of the wheel to get lock to lock.

Dropping the truck and getting the spring/dampeners/sways right is going to be your challenge. Not the rear.