Sports car technology in a humble little truck

[Lefty]

I'm an older guy. My first ride was a '58 Chevy Belair with a 348 v8. It was incredibly fast for it's time, but there were also so many other better cars. Porsches were made with torsion bars, maybe also panhard rods or sway bars. Corvette Stingrays came out soon after sporting flyweight fiberglass bodies, disk brakes, fuel injection, too. Those all became classic cars in time, even that ho hum lead sled Belair.

These days, of course, so much of that very same once exotic technology has found its way into the modern pickup truck. The Ranger generation II, especially the Edge, Came out with all of that. The hood and the back flareside fenders were fiberglass. making for a light weight little package with great pulling power and good mileage too. Today's cars and trucks come with air bags and computers too. Who knew!

The Ranger is far from perfect. It is certainly not a sports car, but the regular cab edition makes it almost 500 lbs lighter than a Mustang. It may not be very fast, but it seems up to its job, very sophisticated for an otherwise inexpensive truck.

This old fart continues to impressed. The Ranger responds well to go-fast parts and aftermarket upgrades. There's plenty of spare parts in the junkyard as well. I've made a few changes already, but personally I can't wait until the weather turns so that I can put on my grungy pants and scour the graveyards once again. Future plans for me, include pulling the entire rear axle assembly and replacing it with a Ford Explorer: limited slip with rear disks.

I'm wondering about the rest of you. What have you done? Have you been equally as pleasantly surprised? what are your future warm weather plans? And if you do reply, attach pictures please.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Get the rear sway bar to go with your explorer axle, if you don't have one a plain ol Ranger rear sway bar is amazing but won't fit a Explorer axle without custom brackets.

And the Explorer bar is bigger than the ranger one.

 

[Lefty]

Good advice. Thanks. Would you happen to know how an Explorer limited slip differential can be identified? Do they all come that way?

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Axle code on door jam. There are charts in the tech library on what codes mean what.

 

[Lefty]

I would imagine that the letters LS appear on the vin number.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I would imagine that the letters LS appear on the vin number.

No, don’t believe the VIN has much of anything to identify the axle. Door vin tag has a spot on it labeled “axle” and will have a 2 digit code. If I remember right, if it has a D or R, it’s a limited slip, IE, an D2 is a 4.10 geared limited slip, but a 42 is an open 4.10. If the rear axle still has the metal tag on one of the diff cover bolts, it will have the axle ratio stamped in it (along with some other information), and like the code, a letter identifier is used. 4L10 would be limited slip, 4 10 would be open.

 

[Lefty]

No, don’t believe the VIN has much of anything to identify the axle. Door vin tag has a spot on it labeled “axle” and will have a 2 digit code. If I remember right, if it has a D or R, it’s a limited slip, IE, an D2 is a 4.10 geared limited slip, but a 42 is an open 4.10. If the rear axle still has the metal tag on one of the diff cover bolts, it will have the axle ratio stamped in it (along with some other information), and like the code, a letter identifier is used. 4L10 would be limited slip, 4 10 would be open.

You, dear sir, have just made my day. Here's hoping you drive the Ranger of your dreams.

 

[sgtsandman]

No, don’t believe the VIN has much of anything to identify the axle. Door vin tag has a spot on it labeled “axle” and will have a 2 digit code. If I remember right, if it has a D or R, it’s a limited slip, IE, an D2 is a 4.10 geared limited slip, but a 42 is an open 4.10. If the rear axle still has the metal tag on one of the diff cover bolts, it will have the axle ratio stamped in it (along with some other information), and like the code, a letter identifier is used. 4L10 would be limited slip, 4 10 would be open.

Worse come to worse, I remember the ratio being cast in the side of the ring gear as well. That's how I found out that the recycling yard tried to sell me a bill of goods instead giving me the axle I told them I wanted.

 

[Lefty]

I got a u pull UR own yard. I might get the wrong part, but at least I can return it. I will only waste a half a day. I wonder if any of the members has a foto. That way I can also tell at a glance. I say this because I have already pulled something with the right number that did not fit

 

[bobbywalter]

odds are on a disk explorer....3 L 73, 4 L 10....or 3 L 55 will be on the axle tag

most have limited slips.....if it dont have an L then its likely an open diff.....


if there is no tag...pull the cover and it may have a surprise inside ...like a locker or 456 gears and a locker...

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

odds are on a disk explorer....3 L 73, 4 L 10....or 3 L 55 will be on the axle tag

most have limited slips.....if it dont have an L then its likely an open diff.....


if there is no tag...pull the cover and it may have a surprise inside ...like a locker or 456 gears and a locker...

When I regeared my F-150 I left the 3.31 tag on it for a surprise of a different flavor for the next guy.

 

[bobbywalter]

When I regeared my F-150 I left the 3.31 tag on it for a surprise of a different flavor for the next guy.

i always look.....they drain ours by poking holes in the cover...


and for sure it goes both ways.

 

[Lefty]

I'm glad there's a money back guarantee!

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

i always look.....they drain ours by poking holes in the cover...


and for sure it goes both ways.

They don't drain them where I hunt.

 

[gaz]

Lefty,

The optional leather Recaro bucket seats are the best "sports car" tech; nothing like some extra comfort on the inside of an old truck.

I grew up driving long bed farm proven Silverados, F-150's and Power Wagons (all bench seats with multi colored burlap seat covers). The first time I rode in a mid sized pick-up I was in love with the amount of road they needed to navigate but a set of leather Recaros transforms each drive into a memorable, desired experience, with one underlying thought...dog-gone these seats are comfortable!