Someone asked, and I've got time to kill over the next couple days, so I'm going to try to document the build of my Ranger. I've broken it down to 8 "iterations" of the build based on the pictures I took a long the way.
It starts in 2011, traded an 89 Ski Doo Skandic and $300 for this pile. I saw it as a blank canvas. 2.9v6 5 speed manual, manual transfer case, manual locking hubs, single cab short bed.
First order of business was pulling transmission, fixing the botched clutch job, and fixing the broken exhaust manifold. The PO broke every exhaust stud off trying to fix the manifold, and being a dumb cheap kid, I used c clamps to hold the new manifold on. It was ghetto but it worked.
Next I added a 3" body lift, I had enough blocks for the cab, bought bolts, and used PT 2x4s stacked for the bed. This allowed me to fit the PR78-16 Buckshots I picked up or cheap. I had to use Crown Vic wheels and 2" spacers, 16" Ranger wheels were non-existent.
I pillaged the local scrap yard for good structural steel and cobbled the first winch bumper together. I got an old Ox winch, wired it, and was ready to rock.
Easter I went out wheeling with a group of friends for the first time, had a blast, and managed to get launch it into this ravine on the hill climb, which broke both motor mounts. The engine was moving so much that in low it pulled the vacuum line off the brake booster. I capped the vacuum line and wheeled the rest of the day. Reconnected the vacuum hose and babied it home. Which lead to the next iteration...
It starts in 2011, traded an 89 Ski Doo Skandic and $300 for this pile. I saw it as a blank canvas. 2.9v6 5 speed manual, manual transfer case, manual locking hubs, single cab short bed.
First order of business was pulling transmission, fixing the botched clutch job, and fixing the broken exhaust manifold. The PO broke every exhaust stud off trying to fix the manifold, and being a dumb cheap kid, I used c clamps to hold the new manifold on. It was ghetto but it worked.
Next I added a 3" body lift, I had enough blocks for the cab, bought bolts, and used PT 2x4s stacked for the bed. This allowed me to fit the PR78-16 Buckshots I picked up or cheap. I had to use Crown Vic wheels and 2" spacers, 16" Ranger wheels were non-existent.
I pillaged the local scrap yard for good structural steel and cobbled the first winch bumper together. I got an old Ox winch, wired it, and was ready to rock.