The RangerLander

[Canadian_ranger]

Hey guys!

After being around for years i finally decided to join and contribute with my own build! It's started quite
sometimes ago to i'll try to make it as chronological as possible. I'm open to suggestions but know that
this is my build and as much as you might hate it, well, it's mine so i'll do it my way!

I bought my 94 ranger xl about 3 years ago. I don't have any pictures of the state it was in when i bought it but
i have not done a single body work to it whatsoever so the pictures you'll see today are just the way it was
when i bought minus the goodies!

It came on some poor 185/85r15 with the classic ranger 5 spoke steel wheel with automatic front lockers,
wich of course did'nt work. Then it all started. I had owned a few rangers prior to this one and had much fun
in the mud with them, even though they were all 2WD, a 86 2.3 standard (totaled) and a 2003 3.0l auto (rusted to death).
This was my first 4X4 and i was not gonna wait any longer! The idea behind the build was to find somewhat a
proper balance between Overlander and mud machine. I'm still figuring out some setups but i'm starting to have a clearer idea.

I started by actually getting the power to the 4 wheels properly. An upgrade was needed

You can see as well that the small tires and classic wheels were'nt gonna cut it. Swapped these over
for some procomp steel wheel in 15 inch still and a set of BF mud terrain for like.....160$....
and they came with a brand new spare. Not the newest tires but it was what i could afford at that time.
Size is 33x9.5x15. A little narrow but will do for the moment.

The truck stayed as is for the first years, as i had other stuff to attend to. Next summer, back to it.
Started looking into overlanding stuff to get a bit more comfortable on my camping trips for the season.
Found a canopy for a 100$ wich was in pretty decent shape and also a flat-top, wich i wanted for gravity
center reasons. Also started a quick fab for a front bumper to hook to for eventual rescue.
Also got a Poison spyder sling and some 3/4 d-rings but no pictures of these
[

Then i had a beautiful income from selling old completed projects, My 92 lapping civic and both
my casual drifter 944 and the donor car 944. So it was time to go big on the truck! Got these!

-Belltech 6400 for the shackle flip with 64 inch leaf,
-Procomp brake line extender,
-Radius and TTB arms bushings by Jame Duff,
-Steering stabilizer kit by James Duff
-Superlift K-link steering kit
-Daystar 3 inch body lift.
It was Christmas in june! Then found myself a set of f-150 coils and some 4 degrees cam adjsuters for camber,
thinking it would provide enough adjustment for the lift. Boy was i wrong

The height was pretty good though! But before even installing the adjustment cams, i knew it would'nt cut it
so i ordered Skyjacker's 6 inch lift bracket kit, wich you'll hear more about later. Then went back to my overlanding part.
Fixed some issues on the canopy

it had hit my head enough. Also changed the opening mechanism with the locks, just for safety.
Then i figured i would like to be able to sleep in it, so i built myself a little something over a week-end just to be a little more comfortable.

I made it so that i can sleep both alone and with my girlfriend pretty comfortably, though the head clearance is quite low.
Still it was better than borrowing a tent everytime.

I think that'll do for tonight. I still have more content but i don't want to make the thread boring already so i'll update the rest slowly!

 

[Jim Oaks]

I love overlanding rigs.

You posted links to the pages your photos are on, not the actual photos.

This:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/158514104@N02/37357357765/in/dateposted-public/

Should actually be this:

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4420/37357357765_8a558012b9_h.jpg

You need to add the image tags before and after the image link like this:

{img}https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4420/37357357765_8a558012b9_h.jpg{/img}

But use [ and ] instead of { and }

 

[Canadian_ranger]

Ok let's continue.
By the time i was done with the canopy camper i thought i'd be great to have gear to fit in and since at that time i was working on gas stoves and appliances, it was a walk in a park to get these

I had to wait just a little longer for this one to arrive as the first one was damaged in transport.

Of course, these all being liquid propane systems, i needed to do something about it. I could'nt fabricate anything outside the truck for gas tanks because of some stupid canadian laws thats were interfering with my concept. The canopy being ventilated, i went for an inside installation, although temporary. The swing out rear bumper will remedy the situation someday. Please note that the tank restrains have been updated for something safer!

These are quick connect fitting, exactly the same type as on an air compressor but built for propane. Makes it pretty easy to connect any of my gas systems.
Then i went to get a few more items that could prove useful on the trail and camping.

Not gonna chase a bear but still useful!

Then i hit a military depot and literally stole these for 40$ total.

This table was brand new in the package and in dates back to the second world war. Pretty damn sturdy, weighs about 15 pounds and perfect storage size for an overlander. Got it for 30 bucks! Still plenty around that place at this very moment if you guys could be interested.

Everything was going fine and the build was progressing small steps but going somewhere. But now comes the not so happy part of the build and even the truck had rough times.....

Stay tuned more to come!!

 

[Jim Oaks]

I didn't think you were allowed to have propane tanks inside. You might want to double check on that. Why can't you put the tanks in a holder outside? Camper do it all the time. Even in Canada.

 

[Canadian_ranger]

Inside is fine as long as its vented, wich the side windows on the canopy are fine for. In canada you can have your tanks in a holder outside the vehicle.....as long as its not at the back, wich kinda ruined the ideas i had for my setup....I'm thinking of getting vertical tanks to fix the issue so i could mount them in a roof rack. If not, i'm gonna rework the canopy a lot probably this summer if time allows and i won't sleep in it anymore so i'll make a better setup but this worked fine for the trips we've done!