Introduction
Name: Shawn
Forum Name / Link: 4x4junkie
Joined TRS: 2001
Located: San Fernando Valley, California
Born: 1971
Occupation: Electronic repair
Background & Expertise
Brief biography:
I’ve been a tinkerer my whole life (vehicles, electronics, repairing, etc.). I also help with a family-run business.
How long have you been a member of The Ranger Station?
Been here since 2001 (wow!)
How did you first get into Ford Rangers or off-roading?
Rode dirt bikes & ATVs as a kid, parents / parents’ friends took me on outings in their 4x4s, brother had a Ranger, wanted my own after I got my driver license.
Any certifications, qualifications, or education worth noting?
Self-taught on most things (especially mechanical/physical stuff). I’ve often found myself reading product service manuals simply out of curiosity or leisure (knowing the inner workings of something ahead of time has helped speed up diagnoses when things do break).
What specific areas of expertise or interest do you bring to TRS?
A little bit of everything, but mainly suspensions (inc. fabrication), axles, and transmissions.
What kind of Ranger(s) (or Bronco II, Explorer, etc.) do you currently own or have owned in the past?
- 1994 Ranger XLT 4×4
- 1990 Bronco II XLT 4×4
1990 Ford Bronco II XLT 4×4 Vehicle Details:
- 1990 Bronco II
- 2.9L EFI V6 (mostly stock with 160K orig. miles)
- 5-speed manual w/4.0L flywheel & clutch swap
- 1350/1354 dual transfercase
- D35 & 8.8″ with 5.13:1 gears & ARB Lockers
- Warn “Jeep” Hubs
- Spicer 5-760X axle u-joints with full-circle clips
- 5-inch lift piecemealed together (Rancho axle brackets, Skyjacker Cherokee coils, Bilstein shocks on extended shock mounts, homebuilt extended radius arms, modified K-link steering, modified Explorer rear leafs + ext. shackles, 2″ body)
- 35×12.50 BF Goodrich MTs
- 15×8″ black steelies
- Pacer Flexy-Flares
- Warn M8000 winch with Master-Pull synthetic rope
- Home-built bumpers with rear swingout tire carrier
- Rocksliders
- (old) K-mart aux. driving lights
- Hella 550 fog lights
- In-cab rollcage
- Dual rear-mounted batteries
- 98″ wheelbase (stretched 4″)
- A/C works too
Contribution to TRS
What do you do at TRS?
Helping others with their trucks where I can, forum content creation.
Do you contribute or help with specific areas of the forum?
Have maybe 6 or 7 Tech articles I’ve contributed (I forget exactly how many now). Most active in Suspensions and Axles.
What do you enjoy most about being part of the TRS community?
Seeing people get their problems fixed / seeing them fixed in ways that make the most sense (which occasionally will go against wider internet folklore, like curing a tire wear/handling problem on a lifted TTB axle by simply fixing the steering linkage vs. tossing the whole thing out for a SAS).
Fun & Personal
Favorite Ford vehicle ever?
It’s a toss-up between my Ranger & Bronco II… But maybe a FSB too.
Favorite mod or upgrade you’ve ever done?
The camping / sleeping / storage drawer platform I built for my Bronco II (suspension + lockers very close 2nd)
Most memorable off-road trip or experience?
Running the Dusy/Ershim trail with friends (almost a week’s worth of rock crawling & camping)
One piece of advice you’d give to a new Ranger owner:
TRS is your best Ranger Resource! (don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise!)
About The Author
Shawn “4x4junkie” has been part of The Ranger Station since 2001 and brings decades of hands-on mechanical experience to the community. A lifelong tinkerer from the San Fernando Valley, he’s largely self-taught, learning by working on his own vehicles, reading service manuals for fun, and tackling everything from suspensions and axles to transmissions. He currently owns and maintains a 1994 Ford Ranger XLT 4x4 and a 1990 Ford Bronco II XLT 4x4.
Shawn has contributed multiple technical articles and countless forum insights, most notably in the Suspensions and Axles sections. He’s known for practical, experience-based problem solving—often cutting through online folklore with real-world fixes. Whether helping diagnose issues or sharing fabrication knowledge, he’s committed to keeping TRS the best Ford Ranger resource available.