Where do I stop?

My ranger (what’s left of it) is getting revamped. I’ve decided I would like to run some Cal Rocs events so I’ll be modifiying it accordingly. Since it’s technically a SAS I can’t run stock mod and I really can’t afford rear steer which leaves unlimted out of the question. So pro mod is what it will fit into. I’ve already got my 60/70 and I’ll have to settle for 39.5’s to keep the pigs off the rocks. This week :rolleyes: the front suspension will be tubed ford radius arm concept probably using a trac bar, the rear a triangulated 4 link with the triangulated links as the bottom links. Coils frt and rear, coil overs are out of the budget at this point.

Basically my Conundrum is this: I want to make the ranger into a Truggy. Lots of tubing with two fenders a hood and some chopped up bedsides. Original intentions are to wack the frame at the back of cab or possibly the middle of the cab. Loose the roof and back of cab. Tube out the back/bed etc and attach two bed sides back on. Pretty much the same idea for the front… remove the under hood sheetmetal structure tube it out and put the fenders and hood back on. This is where the conundrum really starts, I’m looking at the front half of the frame I didn’t remove and I wonder WTF? why don’t I just get rid of this too? Make a complete new tube frame… blah blah. Then questions come back up, how do I mate what’s left of the cab (basically floor board and firewall) to this tubing? Is it worth it? Am I wasting my time? Then I get mad and think fawk it, I’ll just slap two new sets of leafs under it, throw away my enormous bumpers, make a adequate cage for the cab and leave the rest as is and fawkin beat it! But then I stop and think again (maybe I do too much?) I’ve already used the sheetmetal up pretty much… I know I could do more damage :nuke: But at some point I’ll have to do something right?

I don’t know what I’m really looking for here, maybe just some reasons or ideas why any of you turned your trail rig into a serious mofo.

Every one is getting rid of the classic beat to shit sheetmetal look and is going full on tube.

I say stay retro :flipoff2:

Don't be a sheeple :D

If you go tube do something completely different.
I'm not sure but the standard Avalanche buggy lookalike and the single seater look is getting way too common.

Your from a logging type community make it look like a skidder

Truggy Idea is a good one. Try to retain the look of a reg truck if possible. cut and hang the body panels from tube, that's what we're doing the the son's rig.

Rich

Truggies do not resemble trucks at all they are more or less protrucks with a skin and shape that resembles a desert racing buggy in an obscure way.

I'm thinking of All Pro's Jon Bundraunt's rig, it still resemble's a toyota.

so for the lose of a better word I used or assoicated truggy.

Rich

When I hear Truggy this is what comes to mind.
http://www.terribleherbst.com/images/racing-pics/8-lg.jpg

Nope. That's a desert racer in my mind. If you've ever seen Dustin's Taco, now THAT'S a Truggy. and a SWEET Truggy at that. Mabe a Tacotruggy? :D

I dig the Truggy look DR. I say go for it with exo on hood, fenders and cab and tube the bobbed flatbed. Someone have a pic of Dustin's?

Loppy has spoken. :flipoff2:

Well FWIW, if I were to do it all over again, I would have gone with a full tube frame and not a half and half. Simply because there's things on my original frame that I don't like, so I could have started fresh with a new tube frame.

I had a similar problem last week. I decided to keep the basic shape of the body(roof, hood, firewall, floor). the front fenders will be body panels, basically OEM fenders attached to tube a frame. I'm not a real big fan of the exo cage, so i'm going with an internal cage that passes through the firewall. The three things I keep in mind when making a decision are safety, weight, and visibility.

Oh yeah this is for '84 toy p/u

Mine's not a truck(Cruiser), but, I turned mine mostly tube(not as *mostly* as some though) because I rolled it HARD and the whole rear half was just flappin' in the wind, not to mention the windshield frame was toast and the fenders were impeding engine cooling, and I wanted to protect my radiator(hoop), which has led me to where I am now. The (4) main reasons why I haven't gone full tube frame are:

1) $$$$$$$$$$$$$
2) time
3) have to have a stock frame to stay in Legend class(UROC)
4) $$$$$$$$$$$$$

If you're starting from scratch, I would imagine the firewall/dash would be the most time/$$$ consuming, which I guess is the 5th reason why I haven't gone full tube yet. It seems like it would be a whoooole lot easier to start with an existing firewall, which you could still do and go full tube as well. I guess that's where the 'truggy' design would come in. Anyway, I just found that the wheelin' I was doing was beating the crap out of my vehicle, so I started adding more tube, radiator hoop, etc., which kinda sucks now, because it wouldn't take much to go full tube, but if I DID go full tube, I'd do it different than it is now, follow me??!?!? LOL. I go around in circles a lot too, can you tell?

Can't really see the front tubes much, but here's a few pics.

http://www.off-road.com/rock/2002supercrawl/uroc/cedarcity/day2gallery/DSC_1919.jpg.html


http://www.off-road.com/rock/2002supercrawl/uroc/cedarcity/day2gallery/DSC_1920.jpg.html


http://www.off-road.com/rock/2002supercrawl/uroc/cedarcity/day2gallery/DSC_2060.jpg.html

Originally posted by Lance
Well FWIW, if I were to do it all over again, I would have gone with a full tube frame and not a half and half. Simply because there's things on my original frame that I don't like, so I could have started fresh with a new tube frame.

Ok, that's what i'm looking for :D almost seems easier to just make what you want/need from the start instead of trying to modify the crap outta the frame to make it work.