What coilovers should i buy? and more info about the coilover conversion kits

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Yeah... I have absolutely no existential dread about this whatsoever.

Meh, a torch and a welder fix a lot of problems

 

[MaicoDoug]

"existential dread", man I played with those guys once....

Sometimes, you just got to go for it. I rebuilt my whole deal as I had just replaced every part of the front end ball joints & new CVs' included. The shock itself is pressurized, so cycling through the entire assembly limit to limit was never completed, however at the extended limit (Top Out) is controlled by the sway bar & the shock mostly. I did eventually install a limit strap that I fab'ed, but removed it for some reason I forgot. I have apx 50Kmi on everything w/ zero issues. The craziest stuff this front ends does is just plain work better than anything else. Having a "linear" suspension is so nice. Rock crawling, making jeeps look like mall crawlers & street use is most of what it's exposed to. If I ever do it again to a less collectable 2wd XLT Ranger, I'll extend the upper shock placement with a hoop (then run a longer shock) & fab up some sort of longer lower A arm, or heck, best would just go back with twin I beam swing arms if you don't mind long drag links.

 

[button_pusher]

As I am due for a new project after my front end rebuild, coil overs seem like a sweet option. Just as a sanity check, it sounds like Rick's mounts (these), paired with the Fox 2.0 x 5 #980-02-040 are the move?

@MaicoDoug As we have the exact same year and trim (07 Lvl 2), did you find the 5 inch adequate or was 6.5 more desirable to match the stock height of the stiffer bars on the level 2? I want to keep the geometry and height as stock as possible to avoid CV axle or ball joint issues.

 

[MaicoDoug]

As you can see in my pics, the ride height is just about stock, maybe an inch higher than what the factory set it as with the -040 Fox shock. Anything longer would for sure need a wider lower A arm. I mean at top out (Lower A arm) is at 45 degrees. When the washes run over the 2 lane black top here in the 4 corners area, the wash board is totally absorbed at more than the speed limit, especially WFO on open trails, the shock action is the best. Going up curbs, coming off the El Camino my F150 with the new Bilsteins (50kmi old) can't come close to the complete absorption with these Fox Coilovers. The only thing that I wanted to try was some sort of non-linear or dual spring, but that as I already mentioned would be with a longer shock where the spring selection has way more offerings. In this sort of swap with the stock arms & shock tower, there is just not a whole bunch of room to experiment with. I do know one thing for sure, my setup is dialed with the front leveled & stiff enough for great initial handling, yet sensitive enough that one knows that the small ripples are very, very well smoothed out. The big hits are no problem, so I believe any more shock length would be hampered by coil bind which would limit the bottom out height. Remember some modeling of the whole "system" is necessary to know the whole picture. We're not tossing on "bolt on mall crawler dress up stuff" in a world of give & takes, this mod carries over the factory geometry where only small changes can be introduced. If one wants a longer travel, then you would want a wider A arm, longer CV, longer shock, & a taller place (hoop) to attach it higher up top.

Congrats of a 07 Lvl II! I hope you keep the stock wheels (forged Alcoas) & the stock track width. Remember (this is my take), with the rubber closer together (tucked) there is more weight on each tire at any given time, as the CG is kept closer to the center. With a wider track width setup, more weight is extended out away from the centerline more often, plus anyone else can't pass you on a tight fire road which backing down (or up) is anything but a pleasant & safe situation. Nothing like watching someone's video tooling along where their outside wheels are half on / half off the trail~

Post a couple of pics of that war wagon when you have a chance. Also Rick's drop outs look perfect, complete the whole rebuild, you'll be glad you did especially with the 33s.

 

[button_pusher]

Awesome! Are you on the 800lb Eibachs? 04ranger mentioned that he's leaning towards a softer spring for the supercab. Ultimately my goal is to make this thing comfortable and capable.

Here's my level 2, as I bought her:

And now:

Looks practically the same, but I've done a manual swap, 7-leaf Deavers, and a whole new front end as well as housekeeping items like tensioners, aluminum thermostat housing, valve covers, and some other things I've forgotten. Been a fun project so far, but I'm itching to get it out on some trails soon, weather is turning good and it's been almost a year since I bought it.

 

[MaicoDoug]

Are you on the 800lb Eibachs? YES Exactly, they only come in 100 Lb increments, so 800 it is. The shock itself operates I'd say at the upper 50%, with full compression when it requires it, preload is (I'll measure it) around 1 inch. I have provided a level surface fender lip to ground measurement. Depends on the tire size. If you look closely yall can make out the Eibach PN. 1000-250-0800. {10.00" long-for a 2.5" diameter shock (outer diameter of a 2.0" shock) - 0800 denotes the 800 pound / inch load rating}

The jeep trails around these parts are fairly nice. The tucked in style of these Rangers don't get too wide so there is always plenty room to pass. I like to tool around Ouray, Imogene Pass, Silverton, La Plata Mtns. Looking east into the gold country since all the rain lately. Hold on to those forged Alcoa wheels, their worth $2k used a set! Perfect offset!

Sometime after I get my ramcharger all settled, I may look into dumping the 4.0 for a 302 w/ aluminum heads. But with 170Kmi, so far it's still got some BHP balls. The interior is really nice with the larger console.

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

I went a different route.

Kartek of California set these up for me after reading this thread and several other threads.

Ymmv, tire wear, etc.