Yoopersteeze's Ranger Build

[86MUDRCJ]

Looks like its going together good.

 

[YooperSteeze]

As blasphemous as this is... I'm trading the truck for a 97 Corolla. This summer I'm going to be doing a lot of driving to and from my job and the 10mpg's I get in the explorer ain't gonna cut it. I wasn't planning on this at all but my buddy who was gonna buy the truck got an offer to trade his camaro for a corolla so we went and looked at it. They traded straight up and then he's giving me the Corolla plus $200 for the Ranger (put back to stock suspension). So the Explorer is going to be my wheelin rig plus I'll likely DD it in the winter. Thanks for following my build guys, I'm sad to see it end so early but you gotta do what you gotta do.

 

[YooperSteeze]

It's back! The kid supposedly had nothing but problems with it, I got it back for $300. Had a vacuum leak from an open port and needs rear brakes and he was going to scrap it. Idiot. I ended up trading that corolla for a 3" rancho lift with extended rad arms, and a chev lift I sold for $300 so I made out well haha. Lift kit is going on soon, need to rebuild a 3.73 pig I have around, do the brakes and she's ready to wheel.

 

[racer1044]

Hurry up and get that lift on man! We can do it in my garage when my truck gets finished up..

 

[kroussinoffroad]

maybe do a trip the weekend after rifle deer season is over.

 

[YooperSteeze]

Main issue is cash flow... finished tearing down the front end last night so I just need to get that 3.73 pig rebuilt, but that takes money I don't have at the moment haha. I probably could get that lift under now seeing that its already bare beams. I may just have to start tearing beams out tonight... In other news I removed all a/c components to simplify the engine compartment and whatnot. Did some rust repair on the core support to try and stiffen it back up, and almost have the driver's fender beat back into shape. I'll post some pics eventually hahah

 

[kroussinoffroad]

Get that thing Going!!!

I need to tear into my truck after the new years.

 

[YooperSteeze]

Beams are out! Grinding the mounts out tomorrow and hopefully getting new mounts in. Need to haul the beams over to my buddy's (Alex) house to tear the beams down with air tools and a torch so I can get my extended radius arms. Pulled the lift kit out tonight, I need to find a manual online so I can figure out where all these damn little bits and pieces go. I'll get some pics up soon, I promise.

 

[kroussinoffroad]

if yer going to Alex's with the beams why not do a cut and turn? hahaha

 

[YooperSteeze]

Hahah I'm at Alex's nearly daily. We haven't built a cut and turn jig yet, although that is in the plans for the winter...

 

[YooperSteeze]

How it looked about ten minutes after I pulled it in the garage...

Beams on their way out...

And they're gone. This is pretty much how she sits right now

Ain't they pretty? I traded the corolla I originally traded this truck for for a brand new rancho 3" kit with extended arms and what not, among other things. I had a set of unknown 4" coils around from another truck, tossed those in as they were only a half inch taller, and felt a tad softer.

This was a bummer to find... Keeping my eyes out for a spare so i don't have to drop $80 on a new one

I bent up a couple of these brackets out of (legally obtained) street signs to stiffen up the rotted core support a bit.

 

[YooperSteeze]

Welp I figure that nearly six months later its about time for an update. Blew the trans in my dd 94 Explorer, halfway through the swap and realized the head gaskets were on their way out too. That got pushed out into the driveway and I got this ranger thrown together in a few days to daily drive. Once I got slightly shorter coils in to correct my sick gnar nose high stance and wicked camber, and aligned to account for no drop pitman, it really wasn't too bad as a dd. Chicks didn't dig the buckets though. Got some sweet looks at the gas station as I was fueling up my in toolbox tank too haha. Picked up a 97 Explorer to dd, four door stick, rare unit, that needed a few things so plan was to fix that up over the next month or so and swap over to that. So now that I had a back up dd, I decided to wheel the ranger. Picked up a girl, no other trucks with me, figured I would be able to self recover like usual if I got stuck. Finally found a decent un plowed trail, about 2-3' of fresh powder and no real bottom to it. Truck was plowing straight through, taking it like a champ. Til the front pump seal blew on the trans. 2 a4ld's in one month. This was the night before winter semester started, had five trucks out trying to get me out, finally made it out of the woods at 6am. Sadly I have no pictures of any of this, as I managed to lose my phone. Anyway, as of right now, its sitting in my garage, torn into even more pieces than before. I have a 5 speed waiting to go in, waiting on funds to get the proper pedal assembly and shifter setup from onebadex.