Ok I fucked up my truck today. I have a 93 extended cab ranger. today the rear end locked up and sent me skidding on down the road. I have had plans of ditching the dana 35 anyway for a full width 9". also my springs are shot all around so have ben wanting some more econo. coil overs ( I was thinking like some DOETSCH 13" travel, or does some one have a better sugestion?) another thing I want is a triangelated 4 link. My delema is now my daily driver is down so I have to cram this prodject so I can have my truck back to go to work. Now I know I can read all the threads on suspension again and spend two or three days trying to figure out what I read and design my own suspension, but I dont have the time. S what Im after is some specific sugestions on how I should build this 4 link. I would like to know how ling the links should be where to mount them in relation to each other. I do know I want the lower links on the outside of the housing and the upper links on the top of the pumpkin. I do intend on puting a rear mount gas tank in to make room for the links,and a sway bar to make it work godd on the road, but with quick disconects so I can go wheeling at the drop of a dime. What im after is some good articulation and travel plus a good working design for the road. I was thinking like 40 or 50" lower links with the shocks mounted on the links. oh another thing I am trying to acomplish is to keep the shocks out of the bed as much as possible cuz I stil have to use it as a truck sometimes. I plan on putting on some glassworks flared fenders with the bigger opening to clear 35's withe out much lift.
So please give me as many sugestiond as possible, thank you alll!!

I've only built one 4 link, but I will say this.... Take your time! I dont think you will be happy with the results if you do not study and take your time. Jumping head first on a project such as this for a Daily Driver is not a good idea IMHO.

Brook

just my opinion but no one can "teach" u to build a 4 link over the net, if u dont undurstand it now, then ur not gonna be ready to build one, good enuff to work on a daily driver, after a few hours of reading....

Is this John or John's brother? Because I know John knows enough about building suspension not to be asking these questions.



Sean

are you kidding me??? This is your suspension. Especially on a daily driver if you mess up it could be a serious safety risk for yourself and everyone around you. Modifications like this are not to be taken lightly. There is no one right way to build it, you're just going to have to take your time, learn everything there is to know on the subject and then have at it. OR you could take your truck to a shop that's done lots of custom suspension mods and have them do it. That would save time but could be $$$.

-Steve

OK, here's your big tip. You want the lower links to be about the same or equal to the driveshaft length so the driveshaft length doesn't change too much throughout the travel. Mockup a suspension using pvc pipe or whatever you can find. Build an ACCURATE SCALE MODEL. Try to find the length and position of the upper link that causes the least caster change throughout the anticipated travel.

Now for reality. If you expect to mockup and build this thing between the 8-5 forget it. You''ll kill yourself and possibly others in the crash. You can build most of the hardware off the truck IF you are an expert fabricator but you'll still need a week to install and test everything.

Expect this conversion to take at least 100 hours with development and fabrication (prolly need to double that figure).

since when did rangers come with rear dana 35s? :flipoff2:

never, maybe a d35 front. Prolly a 8.8 rear.

My suggestion would be to swap a 9" in the rear with the existing leafs and THEN take some time to think about a 4 link. For the front, use the KISS principle...do a solid axle swap with a 44 and stock radius arms like everyone else. Wrist an arm and be very happy with the flex.

Cheers
Dale

I agree... leaves are simple.. do that first so at least its driveable... then take your time and do your research for the 4link.

Ok maybe I was reaching for something that wasn't there, I was really hoping that some one out there could come out and say "I just did this last month or so and it works perfect here is the specs and dementions for the exact mounting points." I guess it was a little too much wishful thinking. I know baja concepts or it might haver ben camberg, has a kit out to instal a vertually bolt on four link for this truck, thought maybe some one has installed or coppied this kit.

I thought about this all day and I think what im going to dois get the housing I picked up today mounted on the exhisting leaves.(I found a HD 9" housing w/ 31 pline axels and a disk break conversion using front roaters and calipers off a f150 4x4 also good bearings and seals. for 50$ but Im short the center section.)I'll use the stock leaves to locate the axel so i can build the links. once the links are in I rig up the axle to float on the leaves since it will take a couple of weeks to get some coilovers( by the way is there any sugestions on which shocks to use? prety much I wondering if it is worth the cost of remote resivoirs?).
I have built other four links and seen tons of other home made set-ups, but of all the ones I've seen none of them came across as in depth as some of the threads make it sond, most of the people I talked to in person are perfictly happy and even brag about how well there setup works, when they threw it together concidering only clearances and how well it will hold up not how well it will works. So it made me start rethinking if I was as sure as I thought I was of the design aspect.
I know i can get the axle in to work freely up and down without bind, as well as be very stable in its position and flex adquitly for its purpose, also I'm sure I can get it to where the pinion maintains its self durring travel. i guess the only things that are really overwelming me yet are what squat I should have and how to obtain it, as well as preventing wheel hop and maintaining traction when roding on it.
Eb88; good eye I wasn't thinking right, geargrinder has it right!

Here are a couple of books that give you the engineering fundamentals and geometry for properly laying out 4-links.

Race Car Vehicle Dynamics. Author(s): Douglas L. Milliken and William F. Milliken, Publisher: Society of Automotive Engineers, ISBN Number: 1-56091-526-9, Date Published: December 1995

Fundamentals of Vehicle Dynamics, Author: Thomas D. Gillespie, Publisher: Society of Automotive Engineers, ISBN Number: 1-56091-199-9, Date Published: February 1992

From these books you can calculate everthing you want to know about dimensions and angles. There are also several other types of linkages presented in the books.

Newline is making some kind of "bolt-on" four link kit, for about 2 grand, but I'm not sure what all that includes, but Pretty sure that is not designed to be used with no bed...
however, if you want to get back on road anytime soon, your best bet may be to get a nine inch or (explorer 8.8 with discs) and buy a quality set of leafsprings...(IE deaver) and some quality shocks (fox, bilstien, king, sway-a-way) and you'll be good to go.
check out newline-products.com and deaver springs

whoops, i didn't read down far enough....
you already got a nine inch, and yes a re-valvable resavoir schock is worth the money if you wanna soak up the bumps, consider King shocks, pricey, but maybe the best. then fox, SAW, etc.

I wouldn't count out the leaf springs till you consider that with the proper set up, flipped hangers, longer shackles, and a race spring like deavers, you can get cycle 14-15" of travel....without losing as much of the bed.

deaver Spring MFG CO
902 East 2nd Street, Santa Ana, CA 92701
(714) 542-3703