My Ranger

[Dogboy]

My Rangers

I figure since I've never done a build thread, I might as well start.
I bought the truck wrecked before I got my license, and me and my dad fixed it.

Stayed stock for about 6 months expect for leveling spacers, then it got 33's.

Sometime over the next year, it got 4-5" of lift, front and rear bumpers, and winch.

Most people tell me to ditch the TTB, but I wouldn't swap it for a solid a if I was handed all the parts. It performs how I want it to, you just have to understand it.

One September, the automatic overheated going over snoqualmie pass, so a couple months late it got a 5 spd swap.

The next thing was a D.D. doubler. 6.15:1 double low

I threw together a roof rack to hold the spare. The spare got taken off after a few months. The rack came off a few months ago, and i'm not sure if I'll put it back on or not.

Last year it got extended radius arms, and FOA shocks

They made for a bit more down travel

And, on the Busy Wild, how it sits right now.

The next thing will be a set of sliders similar to the ones below, but with a few tweaks. The ones below were more for steps, so mine will be built a bit stronger.



For the hell of it, I'll throw in a few of my ex's Ranger we started building

3" body lift, and leveling spacers.

I built some sliders by cutting the rockers out and replacing with 2x4 box (for her, being like 5'3, they were more steps than sliders)

The last thing I did before we split was a light bar (the lights still don't think are hooked up :haha: )

 

[greenie]

nicw work:beer: i like rangers. like the top rack but yeah, tires up top are :rb: would be handy for camping gear and smaller stuff though.
i have a 95 2wd 4 banger in about the same condition as your first pic up there id sell cheap if you need a little DD or want to start a parts collection:redneck:

 

[Dogboy]

nicw work:beer: i like rangers. like the top rack but yeah, tires up top are :rb: would be handy for camping gear and smaller stuff though.
i have a 95 2wd 4 banger in about the same condition as your first pic up there id sell cheap if you need a little DD or want to start a parts collection:redneck:

Yeah, I like the rack for camping, but it was originally for the tire, which in my opinion, was a bit more than I want up there everyday.

I have a Contour SVT For a daily driver, and I already have a Ranger parts collection, 3 of them right now, and I've had 10, :redneck: . But who doesn't need more parts??
But, would yours happen to be a reg cab long bed? If so, I may be interested. My latest project is a 4 door Ranger, and I'll need another frame, regular cab, title, and long bed. I don't NEED a title, but it'd be nice. If nothing else, I already have a nose to fix it.

 

[Fordzuki]

Bump... :corn::redneck:

 

[Dogboy]

Derek, were you bumping it so I'd post a pic of my new Ranger project?? :haha:

I haven't done anything to this Ranger other than put the tool box and Rack back on.

But my other Ranger...

4 door crew cab, with a 6 foot bed, no funky ass 4/5' bed! It'll be lifted a bit 33's or 35's, hopefully with a lightly worked over complete Explorer 5.0l running gear.
It's getting ranger front seats in the back and should comfortably fit four 6'+ people.

Started out

There's a bunch more pictures, I just don't feel like posting them at the moment.

 

[nick c]

sweet. you going to do plexi-windows, or have some glass cut?

Looking forward to seeing the progress on this. :corn:

 

[Dogboy]

I'll probably be doing plexiglass or lexan. I read one is stronger, but scratches, and one looks like real glass, but I don't remember which was which.
I've heard having curved glass cut is upwards of $1000 for 2 windows, but I don't know how true that is.

 

[Dogboy]

I spent half the day cleaning the garage, then got a little done on the 4 door.

It will have a filler panel similar to what a 90's fullsize Ford crew cab has.

The rear door will be extended to meet the front from about the bottom of the windows, down. Again, like a 90's ford.

The B-pillar is about ready for final trim, and sleeves. I didn't realize how different a 94 cab corner, and a 98 are in the inner structure.

 

[mudmaster]

I like it! :awesomework:

 

[WA-Wheeler]

what are your plans for the frame?

 

[Dogboy]

what are your plans for the frame?

I've seen people cut frames and shorten them by cutting a "step" in the rail, so it stays aligned. I plan to do that, but add a piece in the middle, and brace/sleeve the living hell out of it.

Or I might find another frame, and cut the front of mine long, and the rear of another long, that way I only have a splice, not an added piece.
Also, I'll probably see if my old boss will let me throw it on the frame rack with the measuring system to do, so I know it's perfectly aligned.

 

[Fordzuki]

Yeah, I kept seeing the pics on fb and figured I'd throw you under the bus.
You should do some measuring on some superduty rear glass, You can always sand it to fit if it's close. Course, building the doors to fit SD glass would have been the easiest, imho.
It's looking good though, keep up the good work and keep us updated. :awesomework:

 

[Dogboy]

Yeah, I kept seeing the pics on fb and figured I'd throw you under the bus.
You should do some measuring on some superduty rear glass, You can always sand it to fit if it's close. Course, building the doors to fit SD glass would have been the easiest, imho.
It's looking good though, keep up the good work and keep us updated. :awesomework:

I thought were a bus driver, I didn't know you actually threw people UNDER it! :fawkdancesmiley:
I was actually about to post pictures anyway.

I have to run to the wrecking yard on Monday anyway, I'll have to take a tape measure, because I think they did have a 4 door superduty a couple weeks ago.

 

[Dogboy]

Well, the next step is here, solid axle. The TTB has had a good career, and impressed me a lot, but it's reached retirement. I'm tired of wearing tires funny trying to keep it aligned, and only getting "ok" flex.
I still think I made the TTB work really well, and never broke a single thing, except bent housings.

I ordered up stuff for the links from Rusty's, it should be here tomorrow, along with the Lockright.
The front end came out, and the front axle is sitting about where I want it.

That's about where it should sit.
My only concern is it being to tall, so I might try and cut an inch or so off the body lift blocks, assuming it will still clear the doubler. If not I might move the floor a little with a sledge.

I'm getting an awesome deal on some 35x13.5x15 Toyo MT's, so I'm going to try them as snow tires. The 33's will go back on for summer.

 

[benw1]

Looks like a crapload of work. Why not just bob an explorer body?

 

[Totalled]

Got plans for those extended radius arms?

 

[Dogboy]

I didn't want to bob an Exploder, because then I'd have a longer Sport Trac, not a Ranger.

Got plans for those extended radius arms?

Not really, ill probably just throw them in the corner until i have a use for them, or sell them. I have 2 sets. The ones off my truck are built for about 5 degrees positive caster at 2-3" lift, and the other set off my buddy's truck are built for 4-5 degrees at 6" lift.

 

[Dogboy]

The solid axle, for the most part, is done.
I'm getting long shocks, I need to figure out a sway bar, clearance my tranny crossmember for the front shaft, and have a new front shaft made.

It clears the 33's awesome, but the 35x13.5's are a bit tight.

On its own weight. I'm actually happy with the height. It's not quite as high as I thought it'd be.

 

[Dogboy]

It got some new coils, now I think it needs limiting straps. There's no reason for so much droop that the coil starts to fall out.

 

[WA-Wheeler]

What did you end up the throwing in the front???