for those who havent read my thread on the death of the danger ranger, i had an unfortunate accident involving a 3ft or so deep mud hole and my ranger. i pulled the motor apart and saw the damage today. the trusty little 3.0 is dead, and instaed of spending the money to put a 3.0 back in it, im going another way. i already have a 5.8 ford motor, and the matching 5 speed tranny and transfer case from a early 90s ish ford f-150. naturaly, the motor would eat my current axles alive, plus i really hate ifs. so the plans are for fullsize truck axles front and rear. heres where i need help. i have built some custom offroad vehicles in my backyard before, but never anything like this. i need sugestions, and to draw from the vast amount of knowlege that other much more experianced wheelers have. so let me know what u think or if there is anyway you would like to help, or if any of you have any spare axles layn around that you would like to get rid of.
Trail Rig or Street Rig, choose now.
Dana 60's ROCK!!!
Leaves are easy, cheap & sturdy
Chevy parts are cheaper (14 bolt & easy to lock)
Tall Rigs tumble
Rubber makes great fenders, cut the metal out to make room
No project is as easy at the end as it seemed at the beginning
Quality time/money spent on project = Quality product (DONT RUSH)
Steering and brakes are MORE important than power and traction
Build it as big/solid as you can afford now and it will cost you less later
Put a cage in it and hope you never use it! (see avitar)
Use common parts, easier to find and fund!
Buy your shocks after everything else to get proper lengths
A specialized vehicle isn't good at everything but an all around performer isn't that special...
mostly trail, just street to get there. i have my stock blazer for a trail vehicle. i have located dana 60 rear, now i need the front. i was planing on leaves for now, four links after iraq. whould the motor swap kill me? i heard the 5.0 into a ranger is pretty easy except for the headers, and isnt a 5.8 the same block kinda as a a 5.0? and are there any swap kits for this or anyone with experiance doing this?
Do it the way you want the first time so you don't have to rebuild it later like you want.
Quality always is the way!
What side drop is the F150 transfer case???
I'd gut the innards, pull the front axle and crossmember out and use the F150 drivetrain itself to fab up a new front and mid crossmember.
Build new motor and tranny mounts itot the design.
Keep the engine as far back as possible for weight distribution and radiator clearance.
There are always 2 clearance issues, cooling and exhaust, adjust as best you can.
This WILL be a money pit, so save up before jumping in.
Oh yea, a snorkel is a must!!! (exhaust tubing works great)
What year is your ranger? You may be suprised at what you already have as far as strength. Everyone says bigger axles, bigger this and that. If you have a ford 8.8 in the rear it will hold up to your new engine combo just fine. I run a SB 400 in the jeep and a d-30 in the front and d-44 in the rear and yhe 400 has nore nuts that the ford engine your putting in and have never broken it yet , and im not shy about putting my foot to it. If you do have the 8.8 that axle stock is right in line with a ford 9" as far as strength goes, the 9" inch if im right from memory is a 27 spline axles same as the 8.8 only diff. is bigger axle and pinion bearings. As far as front end all youd have to do is get a stonger spline axle and a quality locker(detroit) and you shouldnt need to use your foot. Been down this road so many times and unless your running 400hp+ and 35"+ tires you will be pleasantly suprised what your gonna get and so will you pocket and patience
turboL Wrote:mostly trail, just street to get there. i have my stock blazer for a trail vehicle. i have located dana 60 rear, now i need the front. i was planing on leaves for now, four links after iraq. whould the motor swap kill me? i heard the 5.0 into a ranger is pretty easy except for the headers, and isnt a 5.8 the same block kinda as a a 5.0? and are there any swap kits for this or anyone with experiance doing this?
351 windsor and 5.0 ho are both windsor small blocks same width but 5.8 is alot taller i have to cut my hood to fit it .. but the bolt patterns on the block is the same ..
hahaah well i was planing on 35s..... and once the motor is rebuilt it should make around 290 or so ish im not sure could be over or under estimate. but since i got the dana 60 for free, i figure i migth as well use them. the pepe who saw the ranger know ive rolled it once, so wider axles will help to offest the heigth differnce. also, depending on how they do, i want to sometimes run my bobcat tires on it in the mud, and those are gonna need some beefy components to stay alive
Ah ha, I didnt know you had the 60's. Ill take your ranger axles then! he he.
its a 99 ranger, if u help me find the dana 60 front end ill give em to you as a finders fee
It won't be I/M legal, so it could only be driven in the summer, that is until the I/M program is removed anyways (likely End of Dec 09)
I know where a dana 60 front is at - but it comes with a 14 bolt rear - $1000 for the set. Pass side drop on the pumpkin - and no, it's not at my place... but I do know the wherabouts.
make a solid plan then start gathering parts, figure out how much it is gonna cost to build the project then save double that amount, then figure how long it is gonna take to build it and then triple that amount and you should be on the right track
Being a ranger, is it pass or driver's drop? If it's driver's drop, Ole has some D60's for sale.