the old guy

[theoldguy]

hey guys... 30 years ago a lift kit was angel iron and hockey pucks , weld the diff closed & away you go, things sure have changed. i got an 06 ranger, i got a lp8500 superwinch for it, can't find a bumper..... seems like nobody i called makes anything for rangers... well except for arb but they cost almost as much as a new truck (HELP !! ) I was going to put a locker in the rear utill i found out it has 28 spline axles ( HELP !! ) where do i find 31's. and the front cv axles... what was ford thinging..... can they be upgraded without replacing the whole front end ?.... again HELP !! any insight here would be greatly appreciated . i've been stumbling around the wedsite here and found some really cool... do you guys still say cool ? ... trucks, very inspiring. thanks, hope to hear from ya

 

[Jay FX4]

Welcome to TRS!

The only Rangers that came with the 31-spline axle was the FX4 Level II. I think the 31-spline Explorer axle is more common, but that will require some welding work.

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/Explorer8_8.html

 

[97BlackBetty]

Well as far as the bumper goes, there isnt anything. You will have to fabricate something. For installing the winch, you could look into a front mounted reciever hitch, and then run the winch on a hitch plate. Problems here are a greatly decreased approach angle. For a locker, you could run a Powertrax lunchbox. I believe they make a 28 spline unit. However, like stated previously, 31 spline 8.8 axles can be found in FX4 rangers, or they were in all explorers. To pull one from an explorer with the intent of putting a locker in it you will want to look for a unit that has an open carrier. A spring perch swap will also be required to remain spring over, and you will have to add shock mounts (for new leaf spring mounts and shock brackets ceck out Ruff Stuff Specialties).

The only way to get rid of the cv axles... solid axle swap. It is well covered and there are many people who have undertaken the beast. Check out c-note's build, he is the current off-road truck of the month and his build is featured on the home page.

Yes we still say cool, although it is often times replaced with words such as; awesome, blast, the bees-knees, and "golly jee wizz, that sure was a hoot mister." Depending on your age you may be familiar with the last two. Isnt it weird how things come back in style?

 

[Rangerman4158]

Welcome to TRS old guy

 

[Will]

The 28 spline holds up just fine with a locker.

The front SLA will hold up fine too. Wait until you break it to even think about it.

They had arc welding back in 1860 when you were born. Make a bumper. Even us pimply-faced kids that are still waiting for pubic hair weld shit up.

 

[Sunk]

Yeah, the Ranger axle will be fine with a locker, just don't put it under an Explorer.