|
So I have this 86 Ranger.  I want to turn it into some cool offroading thing. Something like this:  Aaaand I have until July 24th to make it happen. I have some tools at my disposal: 12 ton harbor freight tubing bender Summit racing tubing notcher Plasma cutter Welder Chop saw A bunch of other hand tools and stuff I also Have some Fox shocks for the rear and some very heavy duty heim joints for the 4 link. Some 2" DOM is on the way for the 4 link. I also have a (almost done) rebuilt (by me) 5.0 with GT40P heads out of an '86 Mustang GT and a T5 world class transmission from a Cobra ('87 I think). What I don't have is know-how. I can throw about $3000 more at it. I need help from goons to get it all done. First questions: What transfer case do I use? The T5 is straight out of a mustang and I've heard that I might need to change the tailshaft(?). I've also read about doublers and being able to run just the front axle which would be cool if we can fit that into the budget. 4-link: I understand that the upper links and lower links should be mounted as close as possible to the same longitudinal points so that the rear diff yoke swings on an axis instead of getting more angular as the suspension travels. That is all I understand about the geometry of a 4-link. Would it be best to try to make the front mounts of all 4 links at the approximate location of the yoke coming out of the xfer case? Then the 4 links and driveshaft would all travel together. I really don't know. I also have this problem:  There's about a quarter sized hole in the front diff. I have a friend that swears he can weld it shut. I don't know how well that will work out. ChewedFood fucked around with this message at 19:34 on Jun 18, 2016 |
#
¿
Jun 17, 2016 06:09
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Apr 27, 2024 14:52 |
|
|
TWSS posted:Were you planning to learn how to use those tools to finish your project, or are you actually hoping a swarm of goons will descend and put $10,000 of labour into finishing it for you? I guess I should have been more clear. I know how to use the tools. I don't know how to make the truck work. Like the transmission tailpiece question. That's why I'm in a forum about cars not tools. Also, I have no expectations of this thing looking good. I expect it to take a good beating. There will be very little painting. I'm not making half doors. It needs to be drivable. ChewedFood fucked around with this message at 16:24 on Jun 17, 2016 |
|
#
¿
Jun 17, 2016 15:52
|
|
|
cursedshitbox posted:haha thats your budget for the cage right? I'll get pictures of all the parts that are standing by today. kastein posted:CSB is right, though his budget numbers may be a bit off, I'm not sure. EightBit is also right. 2" DOM with .120 walls for the 4 link. 7.5" rear end and multiple people have told me that it just won't handle off roading but I've taken it off roading before I took the whole truck apart and it didn't explode. I was going to use that diff and the current front suspension until I needed something more. I wish I would have known about the tubing bender thing before I got the harbor freight one. Is it so bad that I need to send it back and buy one from jdsquared? As for metal supply, a good friend of mine runs a fabrication shop out of his garage so I just add my metal orders onto his. Usually takes a week or two to get it but I get it at a huge discount. Maybe I have been too optimistic about how fast I can get this done. However, my budget for the whole thing was $6000 and I've got three left but not really a lot of parts left to buy. And since I plan on doing all the fab myself, I think it can be done. I think I posted a picture of a goal that was too nice. I'm not taking this to Moab, I'm taking this on the dirt trails around here that have some bumps and tree roots to drive over. I can't justify hacking the frame up other than it will look really cool. I'm not building my retirement dream crawler I'm just looking to go break this little ranger on some trees. It was mostly an excuse to use all these tools. What transmission goes from 5.0 to a transfer case? Maybe I can steal a bronco transmission and transfer case.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 18, 2016 19:27
|
|
|
Ozmiander posted:Basically buy a rotten solid axle ford fullsize, slap those axles/tcase/trans into it and tube the rear. Then if there's any money left, buy tires and break it all, lol. This is definitely how this project should have started. Maybe I'll still do this. If I can get a whole bronco, it would be easy enough but then maybe I should just use a bronco. CommieGIR posted:We are legion. I don't know but I plan on finding out today.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 18, 2016 19:30
|
|
|
iwentdoodie posted:Easiest transmission would be a C4 or C6. Aw but I really want it to be manual. I got an offer for my t5 for $500 today, makes it real easy to change that plan. I could get the tranny and xfer case from a 5.0 explorer or bronco if they made that. I think the explorers were all electronic xfer cases though. I don't know how to make that work with a computer. If I got the auto tranny and transfer case from an explorer, I could also just use its computer but it will be way less fun with no levers and pedals to play with.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 18, 2016 22:41
|
|
|
InitialDave posted:I've got to ask, what have you spent the other $3k on? $1000 on the truck, about $1500 rebuilding this 5.0, $500 on the t5, $200 on the shocks, $200 on the big rear end light bar, $440 on heim joints. Then I sold the old transmission and transfer case for $300 and the c4 from the mustang for $50. I'm not good at math. I also have come to the realization that i can not get this done in time. I shouldn't have started a thread yet. But if it helps me get it done then it will be worth it.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 19, 2016 03:22
|
|
|
kastein posted:This is a joke right? Should have been 300 for a junkyard 5.0, 0 on the lightbar, 100 on a 4x4 mantrans for that engine/tcase (what oz said or an m5od or whatever was native to the ranger/f150), and $2k on airshocks. Spend your money where it matters, on bulletproofing suspension and axles, tires, and shocks. I'm very leery of any $100ea shock that is allegedly fit for coilover+4link style suspension. $100ea whitebody monotubes for leaf/coil+link suspension? Sure, I'd believe that. The shocks are CL Fox 2.0 air shox  The heim joints are weld in bung 1.75"  I can get an 8.8 for about $300 here on CL it seems. I can definitely squeeze that in there. I honestly don't understand what the problem is with the 7.5 but I've been wrong too many times about this kind of thing to not take the advice. FWIW I took it off road on that 7.5 and drove it like I stole it and it held up fine (until the driveshaft died on the drive home).
|
|
#
¿
Jun 19, 2016 06:48
|
|
|
I found two donor 5 speed broncos that I am pursuing on craigslist. Both have bad engines but supposedly good transmissions and transfer cases. So maybe soon the axles, transmission, and transfer case problem will be mostly solved? Are those fox air shocks not going to work for the rear end?
|
|
#
¿
Jun 20, 2016 18:25
|
|
|
SNiPER_Magnum posted:Broncos use a TTB front end, so you'll still be shopping for a steer axle. Is there a preferred setup I should be looking for? I don't really understand the different steering options. It's not that I'm not willing to look it up myself, I don't really know where to start
|
|
#
¿
Jun 23, 2016 00:27
|
|
|
Great now goons know where I live.... I know that's going on some weird spreadsheet somewhere. I got a bronco! M5od r2 and bw 1356 and I think an 8.8 rear end. Pictures later. It's a 91 xlt I have given up on the time line. I'll get done over time I guess.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 24, 2016 04:57
|
|
|
Got the transmission and transfer case out today.  Not a bad looking truck IMO  Nubile Hillock posted:Mad respect on the idea, but apart from the timeframe being absolutely insane why not build a regular truggy? If you're not going over crazy rocks there's no point on going balls out on suspension/exo cage. Honestly, I saw some dudes absolutely tearing up the 4x4 trails next to the dirtbike trails I've been riding with similar rigs and thought I could build one myself. They were going way faster than the Jeep dweebs that just putt around out there and I watched one of them use the exo cage to ram a tree to turn his truck and it just looked really fun. I've got nothing better to do with my time or money. Also, Mad Max made me want to play with cars/trucks.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 26, 2016 06:30
|
|
|
Hey guys I'm pulling the axles from the bronco right now and just a few quick measurements tell me I either need to buy or fab new radius arms. Or maybe someone makes a kit. So how does this work? Please remember that I said i don't know the truck side of things here.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 28, 2016 02:26
|
|
|
Yeah I guess I just need to fab new mounts angled farther out because there's about a ten inch difference in frame rail distance
|
|
#
¿
Jun 29, 2016 03:23
|
|
|
The problem is the mounts from the bronco and the mounts from the ranger that are attached to the frame are probably the same angle. The axle, however, is about ten inches longer. Which means the radius arms will be attached to the axle farther from the wheels. Is that okay? That will end up with more articulation. What will that do to the steering bars?
|
|
#
¿
Jun 29, 2016 06:30
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Apr 27, 2024 14:52 |
|
|
Astonishing Wang posted:Let's see some photos of what you've been up to! Does it look like you'll be able to make the radius arms work? The Ranger came with a lift kit from Rough Country. I will be using the parts from that as a stencil for my axle mounts. Here is the Bronco axle mounted so I can make measurements:  I had a falling out with the guy that was supplying my metal and now I'm reduced to using scrap to make parts. This square will become 5.0 mounts:  I plan on using the Bronco's radius arm mounts with home made shims to keep the same angle as they were at on the Bronco. Been drawing up mount locations on the Ranger but can't set anything in stone until I finish fabricating new TTB mounts.  Work really jumped up and bit me in the rear end lately. Once I can get to the metal supplier and place an order I'll be rolling again but my work hours encompass their hours of operation. Luckily I have next week off. I haven't had much time to put into the Ranger. Kastein got me really reading up on suspensions and I've got 4-links half figured out now. I don't think I will have any struggle once it gets to that point. The guy that was supplying me with metal tried to give me pipe and we got into an argument. I don't understand how you can make things out of metal all day for a living and not understand that the way it's measured is not the only difference between tubing and pipe.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 17, 2016 05:12
|
|