This is the only truck I've ever owned. Started as a bone stock 96 ranger, 3.0, m5od, bw1354, 7.5 rear, d35 front, 3.73's, etc. Daily driven since I was 16, I'm now 22. Sees 350+ miles per week.

I don't have any digi pics of what it was stock, so you'll have to use your imagination :flipoff2:.

edit: Took some pics of come pics :D

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs457.ash1/25160_542371373232_197102715_31816384_334401_n.jpg

This is after I installed a 5.5" superlift and 33x12.5 kuhmo m/t's
http://memimage.cardomain.com/ride_images/2/4147/2781/22866390007_large.jpg

Did some light wheelin (I was stuck here BTW :laughing:)
http://memimage.cardomain.com/ride_images/2/4147/2781/22866390006_large.jpg

Decided to build extended radius arms (first time fabbing, I know :barf:)
http://memimage.cardomain.com/ride_images/2/4147/2781/22866390014_large.jpg

Tested the flex
http://memimage.cardomain.com/ride_images/2/4147/2781/22866390021_large.jpg

Installed longer shackles
http://memimage.cardomain.com/ride_images/2/4147/2781/22866390026_large.jpg

Little more wheelin
http://memimage.cardomain.com/ride_images/2/4147/2781/22866390036_large.jpg
http://memimage.cardomain.com/ride_images/2/4147/2781/22866390038_large.jpg

Somewhere around this time I swapped in an Explorer 8.8 w/ 4.56's - no pics though

Then I locked the D35 with 4.56's, clearanced the yokes and installed 760x joints with full circle clips
http://memimage.cardomain.com/ride_images/2/4147/2781/22866390071_large.jpg
http://memimage.cardomain.com/ride_images/2/4147/2781/22866390074_large.jpg

Installed spacers w/ adjustable cams to get the front back up with the rear
http://memimage.cardomain.com/ride_images/2/4147/2781/22866390086_large.jpg
http://memimage.cardomain.com/ride_images/2/4147/2781/22866390087_large.jpg

After pic, and had to flex it out haha
http://memimage.cardomain.com/ride_images/2/4147/2781/22866390089_large.jpg
http://memimage.cardomain.com/ride_images/2/4147/2781/22866390093_large.jpg

Decided to cut my tires
http://memimage.cardomain.com/ride_images/2/4147/2781/22866390124_large.jpg
http://memimage.cardomain.com/ride_images/2/4147/2781/22866390126_large.jpg

Built some sliders
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Sliders%205-13-07/51307-18.jpg
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Sliders%205-13-07/DSCN0245.jpg
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Sliders%205-13-07/DSCN0250.jpg

And tube doors
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Tube%20Doors%207-15-07/tubedoors7-15-07-36.jpg
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Tube%20Doors%207-15-07/tubedoors7-15-07-44.jpg
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Tube%20Doors%207-15-07/tubedoors-09.jpg
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Badlands%206-15-08/DSCN1122.jpg

Started getting more into rocks and more technical wheeling so I got a built the 1350/1354 doubler
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Doubler%20Build%203-10-08/DSCN0915.jpg

Had to relocate the gas tank to behind the axle
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Doubler%20Build%203-10-08/DSCN0772.jpg
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Doubler%20Build%203-10-08/FSCN0871.jpg

I originally had this setup, with the fuel filler coming through my bed
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Doubler%20Build%203-10-08/DSCN0905.jpg

But it wouldn't take gas very quickly, so I relocated it to the outside of my bed with a jeep plastic bezel deal. No pics though

Doubler installed
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Doubler%20Build%203-10-08/DSCN0918.jpg

Built supporting crossmember for the rear case
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Doubler%20Build%203-10-08/DSCN1051.jpg
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Doubler%20Build%203-10-08/FSCN1064.jpg
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Doubler%20Build%203-10-08/FSCN1063.jpg

Modded stock tranny crossmember and lengthened front shaft
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Doubler%20Build%203-10-08/DSCN1082.jpg

Modded shifter
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Doubler%20Build%203-10-08/DSCN1090.jpg

Installed
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Doubler%20Build%203-10-08/DSCN1100.jpg

Decided to swap in 63" chevy springs to get rid of my lift blocks
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Chevy%20Spring%20Swap%209-14-08/DSCN1226.jpg
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Chevy%20Spring%20Swap%209-14-08/DSCN1229.jpg

Started building 79 Bronco HP D44 over this past winter break

Cleaned up
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Dana%2044%20Build/IMG_0033.jpg

Narrowed 6"
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Dana%2044%20Build/IMG_0053.jpg
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Dana%2044%20Build/IMG_0030.jpg

Installed 4.56's and Aussie locker
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Dana%2044%20Build/IMG_00034.jpg

Painted housing
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Dana%2044%20Build/IMG_0059.jpg

Axle complete - 4340 Yukons, 760x joints, falt tops, etc.
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Dana%2044%20Build/IMG_0109.jpg

Waited around till spring break to start on the swap, clocked my t-case in the meantime to make clearance for the RA crossmember that will come later.

Started with the rear.

before pic for reference
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Dana%2044%20Build/IMG_0089.jpg

pulled shafts/brake parts and replaced oil seals
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Dana%2044%20Build/IMG_0090.jpg

While I had it part I figured I'd replace the pinion seal, so out comes everything
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Dana%2044%20Build/IMG_0091.jpg

replaced seal, threw it together with a new crush sleeve, backlash was in spec so I checked the pattern just for shits
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Dana%2044%20Build/IMG_0092.jpg

I'm not 100% happy with it. I had someone else do it, and its obvious that the pinion is too shallow (even more noticable on the coast side). Oh well, no problems thus far, I'm sure it'll be fine.

new dutchman 1541 alloy shafts :smokin:
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Dana%2044%20Build/IMG_0093.jpg

buttonned it up and slung some paint
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Dana%2044%20Build/IMG_0095.jpg

redrilled and installed rotors
Bought new rotors and drilled to 5 on 5.5 pattern
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Dana%2044%20Build/IMG_0096.jpg

The damn template I had was off a bit, so I had to finesse the holes with a dremel. No big deal, they fit fine
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Dana%2044%20Build/IMG_0098.jpg

Front ready for the D44
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Dana%2044%20Build/IMG_0100.jpg

Built the crossmember that the radius arms will tie into, took me FOREVER to make sure it was square. I guess the frame rails aren't parallel at that spot :dunno:
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Dana%2044%20Build/IMG_0103.jpg
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Dana%2044%20Build/IMG_0104.jpg

Extended RA's, finished up the crossmember, and everything's mocked in
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Dana%2044%20Build/IMG_0132.jpg
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Dana%2044%20Build/IMG_0134.jpg
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Dana%2044%20Build/IMG_0135.jpg

Bought a reamer, reamed the pitman, and built the drag link (all steering is 1.5x.250 DOM)
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Dana%2044%20Build/IMG_0146.jpg

Clearanced the engine crossmember. I've got plenty of clearance before I get into the oil pan, the limiting factor now is the track bar hitting the top of the diff. A bent bar should take care of that if its not enough compression.
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Dana%2044%20Build/IMG_0200.jpg
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Dana%2044%20Build/IMG_0201.jpg

and the frame side track bar mount/bucket/etc
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Dana%2044%20Build/IMG_0203.jpg

Pics at full bump (~3.5" compression) with driveshaft installed. If I want more compression, I'll have to mod my exhaust and build a bent track bar.
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Dana%2044%20Build/IMG_0217.jpg
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Dana%2044%20Build/IMG_0215.jpg

Trimmed fenders, built bumpstops, and took it out for the first "shakedown" after the SAS
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Dana%2044%20Build/IMG_0223.jpg
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Dana%2044%20Build/IMG_0226.jpg
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Dana%2044%20Build/IMG_0224.jpg

and that's how I'm drivin it as of right now. Hopin to get out into the woods this weekend for a more aggressive "test n tune"

Nice build. What's next?


Sean :cool:

i like it. its good to some down to earth simmple but efective builds. keep up the good work

very nice truck

I have about the same build up with my ranger...

what coil springs are you using? I first used xj coils, and they were way too soft, then i put some ttb lift coils i had in it, and its super stiff
I also ran into the same problem with my track bar hittin the crossmemeber for the 3.0...my track bar is bent but still hits it, no issues with it hittin the axle tho, how did u cut yours up and reinforce it?

nice truck, i like that it is still very streetable, but good on the trail.. did you purchase the doubler in whole, or is there a kit you can buy??? like the adapter plate etc.

Wondering why you narrowed the front? Tire coverage laws or wanted to match the rear end?

i like it. its good to some down to earth simmple but efective builds. keep up the good work

X2

I remember when you dropped in the rear tank from an old school Ranger and I sent you some PMs over on TRS askin about it. I like the low stance of it. Looks really good.

And I also want to know what you ended up doing for your doubler....Is there a link to the TRS page where you did all that or anything????

Thanks for the replies guys. Its my first build, and I've been learning as i go. I guess the main objective is to make it as capable as possible off road while keeping it street legal. My dream would be to participate in Peterson's Ultimate Adventure one year.

The next "big" project, is to swap in a 4.0L. I've got a lifter tickin and its not worth putting any money into my 3.0. Not sure when that'll happen, but it will - eventually.

CUalum - I'm runnin Wildhorses4x4's 3.5" lift EB coils. Their dual rate, and seem just about right for what I do with it. Soft enough that it articulates well, but stiff enough that it's not a big hassle on the road.

As for the crossmember, I haven't done anything with it yet. I was thinking about building a straight, removable, bar to tie the left to the right side. That way I could remove it to make the engine swap easier. I'm not too concerned with it now, I've still got the massive crossmember just before my steering.

The doubler is a DD machine BW1350/1354 kit I bought from a member on here. Its got a 1 piece chromo shaft between the crawl box and t-case. I bought the crawl box from that guy, and the t-case is mine. There's not much to making one. Just split the case, cut off the front output, weld in a piece of alum to make the mounting surface flush, then the rest is all bolted together.

034x4 - I narrowed for both of those reasons. I could've gone full width and kept it streetable, but I'd have to have huge flares. I'd probably want to swap in a full width rear to match as well, just not enough cash at the time to do it. I try not to stand out as much as possible. To the untrained eye, its just a lifted ranger on big tires. Keeps the authorities happy.

If it ever graduates to "trail rig only" status, I may eventually swap in a FW 60 and FF14. Until then I'll stick with my narrow 1/2 ton stuff.

Nice looking truck...

One question, how much over stock are you with the 3.5" coils?? Also, whats the ppi??

While I was researching coils, people were sayin 3.5" EB coils would net ~ 6" of lift. Not sure how accurate that is or not.

For reference, I've got "un-bastardized" 63" chevy leaves in the rear (includes OL leaf), with the 6400 shackles and stock blocks. Front sits a tad lower than rear. This was before trimming.

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Dana%2044%20Build/IMG_0221.jpg

Not sure if these numbers will help you or not but my lowest frame height (not crossmember) is 23.5", and my tires measured 34.5" not on the truck. So call it 17" to the center of my hubs with the tires on.

Low rate is 204ppi, and high rate is 375ppi if my info is correct.

EDIT: I should probably add that I got the coils used, so any sagging that may occur has already happened

The next "big" project, is to swap in a 4.0L. I've got a lifter tickin and its not worth putting any money into my 3.0. Not sure when that'll happen, but it will - eventually.

IDK man....I'd say run the 3-oh. I know it's prolly not what you wana hear, but seriously, that motor will make all the power you'll ever need and still let you run the axles you have without too much chance of breakage.

If you throw a 4.0 in there, you can pretty much kiss your ability to really get on the throttle off road good bye. As I'm sure you know, the 4.0 makes comparable numbers to a mild 302 v8.

In addition, the junk yards are LOADED to the gills with old 3.0s and parts still as well.

Just my $.02

BTW.....I like the height. Are those the stock flares or are they off something else?

IDK man....I'd say run the 3-oh. I know it's prolly not what you wana hear, but seriously, that motor will make all the power you'll ever need and still let you run the axles you have without too much chance of breakage.

If you throw a 4.0 in there, you can pretty much kiss your ability to really get on the throttle off road good bye. As I'm sure you know, the 4.0 makes comparable numbers to a mild 302 v8.

In addition, the junk yards are LOADED to the gills with old 3.0s and parts still as well.

Just my $.02

BTW.....I like the height. Are those the stock flares or are they off something else?


I agree with the reasoning behind keeping the 3.0, but I have a 3.0 5spd and it def is low on power, pretty much equal to todays 4 bangers, and if geared deep enough it does produce "enough" power, but its def weak, I call them 3.NO Power...I will to one day replace it with a 4.0L
but breaking drivetrain parts should be a rarity with the 3.0
and those are stock flares

You're right, it makes all the power I need. Unfortunately it makes it above 3k rpm. Though I can utilize that power on the street, its not very practical offroad. As far as axle strength, I think I'll be perfectly fine on 35's. The 4.0 that goes in it will be close if not completely stock - for reliability reasons.

The flares that were on it were stock, I repainted em but they were stock.

Ahhh CU beat me to it

Nice work, i like the look of built reg. cab/shortbed Rangers.
Are you still using the stock gas tank? If you are could you get me some measurements on it...i'm mostly interested in the overall length of it, thanks.
My buddy RockRanger on here has a 93 like yours but swapped in a BII tank and used the jeep filler bezel like you did and works great.

Only thing i'd suggest is to push the front axle forward a couple inches to keep the tires out of the firewall and a bed bob so you don't hang up on stuff. I'll be pushing my front axle forward soon but I did the bed bob a few years back and It helps a lot especially with the long wheelbase of the supercab.

Its obviouslynot my stock 96 tank, its an "auxillary" tank from an 85 ranger. 13 gallon, and fits like it was factory (cause it was). Can't bob the rear cause the tank is there. I will be building a new rear bumper though, which will help my clearance back there a lot over the setup I have now (stock bumper with receiver).

I couldn't help myself so I headed to the shop and got the loader out. 34" with the front lifted and 40" with the rear at street pressure (35psi). I was hoping for more, but looking at the pics I'd say its not too bad.

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Dana%2044%20Build/IMG_0229.jpg
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Dana%2044%20Build/IMG_0231.jpg
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Dana%2044%20Build/IMG_0233.jpg
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Dana%2044%20Build/IMG_0234.jpg
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Dana%2044%20Build/IMG_0232.jpg
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Dana%2044%20Build/IMG_0238.jpg

Damnit I'm a poser, I WANNA GO WHEELIN!!!

Congrats Bray for an AWESOME job!!! Its inspiring!
Pato

Hey thanks Pato! Good to see you're still around.

Hey dont know where you are located but i have a 3.O with 5k after a complete rebuild i will give you out of my 97 ranger. NOTHING wrong with it. I parted my ranger buggy out and an now running a full size bronco. My family out grew the ranger. All i have left is the motor and a jet chip for it. If you want it its yours.


Brandon

Wow, thanks for the offer but WA is a little drive from central IL. If you were closer I may have to take you up on that offer.

Awesome Ranger!

Can you get come closer shots of the modified RAs?

You want the jet chip. I will give it to you for the shipping.

I made it out to some trails over the weekend. I'm pleased overall with the performance. My trail time was cut short though, due to my doubler leaking at a pretty serious rate. Upon a quick inspection, it seems to be coming from where to plates are mated (rtv sealed). Now I just need to figure out what caused it. I've got 2 thoughts:

a) My front driveshaft is still too long, and upon hard compression, it stressed my front output, causing the 2 mated plates to lose their seal. I built the bumpstops with my driveshaft installed, maybe its short enough for the bumpstops to touch the axle, but not short enough if I come down so hard that the bumpstops compress?

b) I rigged up a quick t-case support for the trip, which mounts the rear of the t-case to a crossmember via a poly mount. Maybe my trans mount is so worn out (stock mount - 155k miles), and the t-case support is so stiff (poly mount) that it torqued the case enough to break seal.

I dunno, either way I'm pulling the doubler this weekend to reseal it, and pulling the boot off the driveshaft and pushing it up to full bump (no bumpstops) to see for sure if its short enough. I almost hope that its too long, that way I'll know what caused it. If not I'm back to playin the guessing game.


Can you get come closer shots of the modified RAs?

Sure. Here's some buildup pics. Not much to em. I've seen other guys on here build em the same way. Seem to hold up pretty good.

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Dana%2044%20Build/IMG_0106.jpg
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Dana%2044%20Build/IMG_0107.jpg
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Dana%2044%20Build/IMG_0108.jpg

This is after one pass around, I made 3 total
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Dana%2044%20Build/IMG_0112.jpg

Then the joints are attached via weld in bungs.

I kept destroying the stock trans mounts. I was to cheap to buy the the auto fab one so I made my own. Works good so far.


http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=217207&highlight=trans+mount

beautiful. I don't know if I mentioned it previously or not but my case definitely hits the floor. I can't remember if it did before or not, but after clocking, it does for sure. I've got a few "generic" rubber bushings laying around. I may have to build a mount like yours. Thanks for the link

Sweet build man, great work.

My case no longer hits the floor but i do not have mine clocked.

I assume you have a DD doubler as well? Are you running any type of support at the rear of the case? I originally had a poly mount, but am considering replacing my rubber motor mounts, building another rubber tranny mount (like yours), and making a new rubber mount for the rear of the case. Then I could run a skid from my RA crossmember to the t-case support crossmember.

Yes I have the d.d doubler. I have no rear support on the tcase. I would like to add one though. I think I may do one like I have seen for the atlas that clamps around the rear output. The mount I built seems to be keeping the tcase in place so I am not sure I need one to help keep the drivetrain from rotating. I am also running stock motor mounts that so far have held up. Eventually I will do some poly ones.

Thanks for the info. After I build a new tranny and t-case support mount, I should have no problems with drivetrain rotation. I'd like to have "tubular" joint motor mounts as well, but I'm not gonna fork over the $240 for the auto fab mounts and I'm not too excited about building a set. If I did have the tubular motor mounts, then I'd be able to swap to all poly if I wanted to, just have to swap out the material inside the joints. We'll see how the rubber mounts do first

Rebuilt the doubler over the weekend, didn't find any cracks in the case so that's good. I also checked my front driveshaft length with the boot off. It's got ~1" of spline showing when the weight of the truck is supported on the bumpstops, so its definitely not too long. I don't know what caused it to start leaking..

Anyways here she is, I'm about 200 miles short of having 15k on it. I don't plan to have it outta my truck again unless it starts to leak, again.

note - not all hardware is shown
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/IMG_0241.jpg

and all sealed up again
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/IMG_0246.jpg

Drove it ~30 miles today, no leaks, I'm happy.

I love this build up and have a similar rig but mines a explorer sport with the 4.0 autobox though
great work man I'm curious with 4.56s and 35s what kind mileage you getting? round town and highway?

i love those radius arms, after i get my truck done im gunna work on getting another set of arms to do the same. what size tubing did u use? and how long did u extended them? i know u have a ranger but i can adapt it for my F-150.

Sorry I missed your questions guys. I get ~ 17.5mpg which is mostly highway. I drive 80 miles round trip to work everyday and I pass through 2 towns along the way, so its partially mixed driving I guess.

I used 2"x.250" DOM for the RA's. We'll see how well they hold up. I don't know how much longer they are, but they measure 47" from the flat end of the arm to the eye of the joint.

Got some wheelin in at the Badlands in Attica, IN. Only got pics of early in the day. After lunch we tagged along with a couple members of Two Rivers Jeep Club and went blazing through the woods for the rest of the day - no pics of that. The gf was manning the camera, and here's what few pics we got.

Poser shots
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/badlands%206-13-09/IMG_0258.jpg
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/badlands%206-13-09/IMG_0259.jpg
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/badlands%206-13-09/IMG_0260.jpg

just a random shot
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/badlands%206-13-09/IMG_0254.jpg

She went a little crazy on the pink trail haha
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/badlands%206-13-09/IMG_0263.jpg
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/badlands%206-13-09/IMG_0264.jpg
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/badlands%206-13-09/IMG_0265.jpg
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/badlands%206-13-09/IMG_0266.jpg

and a vid of the 2nd half of the trail. I came up the ledge a bit sideways, but I didn't wanna back up for a better approach. Still crawled it like nothin :D
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/badlands%206-13-09/th_MVI_0267.jpg (http://s155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/badlands%206-13-09/?action=view&current=MVI_0267.flv)

wow thats one awesome ranger! wanna sas mine next? :) i'm double lifted on a superlift and bl as of now

Thanks for the info. After I build a new tranny and t-case support mount, I should have no problems with drivetrain rotation. I'd like to have "tubular" joint motor mounts as well, but I'm not gonna fork over the $240 for the auto fab mounts and I'm not too excited about building a set. If I did have the tubular motor mounts, then I'd be able to swap to all poly if I wanted to, just have to swap out the material inside the joints. We'll see how the rubber mounts do first

When you put that 4.0 in... get ya some ruff stuff motor mounts :D

http://www.ruffstuffspecialties.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=32&products_id=377

cool video - looks familiar :D

did you have to gas it at all on that ledge, or did it idle right up it? man i love doublers..... some day ill get one in.

danger ranger - 80 bucks is a little closer to my price range, and they look like nice pieces. I may look into it when the time comes.

ohiozj - nice pic! I can't remember if I needed any throttle or not, but after watching the vid again it looks like I gave it a little gas to get my frontend up, but pulled the rear up at idle. Hands down the doubler was the best mod I've done, with the SAS being a close second.

nice build! i need a set of thoe tube doors! :D wanna sell them?

Awesome working man's budget build. I'll be following this one.

nice build! i need a set of thoe tube doors! :D wanna sell them?

HA! I've got some serious time in those doors. Ever tried to weld sheet metal with a stick welder? Yeah, it blows :flipoff2:

Stainless - Thanks. I've been building it for a long time and its finally starting to become something. Hopefully I'll be posting up more wheeling in this thread as the summer progresses. Though I love to build, I like wheeling more :D

nice build man. i need to get down to the badlands sometime.

anyway i like how you extended those radius arms, I thought about doing that on one build I did on a 01 ranger, but i turned the whole arm down in the lathe then sleeved it for 20 some inches with the DOM and made it 10-12 inches longer.

Made it up to the Cliffs. Definitely a different type of wheelin. All wooded trails, lots of slick, steep hill climbs. It was pretty fun. Only got one action pic, the rest is the aftermath.

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Cliffs%206-18-09/IMG_0268.jpg
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Cliffs%206-18-09/IMG_0269.jpg
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Cliffs%206-18-09/IMG_0270.jpg

Cleaned it up and tried to get some better pics of the bed. The glare makes it hard to see, but its scuffed up pretty bad. I think I can take most of it out with a buffing wheel.

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Cliffs%206-18-09/IMG_0271.jpg
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Cliffs%206-18-09/IMG_0272.jpg
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/Cliffs%206-18-09/IMG_0273.jpg

OK, so I washed it twice (once right after leaving the park to get the crap off the wheels and windshield, then once the next day) and didn't notice this damage. After I get home from work today, I look and see this.

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/IMG_0274.jpg
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/IMG_0275.jpg
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/IMG_0276.jpg
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/IMG_0277.jpg

Yeah, ripped through my frame. My dumbass didn't put regular washers behind the frame, just lock washers. I don't know when it happened, or how, all I know is I need to fix it.

So what should I do here? Remove the tower, flatten frame, weld up cracks, plate? weld tower to frame? I've always heard not to weld to C-frames due to the amount of frame flex (will crack the weld).

I'd fish plate and weld the tower to the new plate.

Not sure about the C channel frame in the front. My explorer was boxed, but plenty of guys weld their sliders on the C channel and you don't hear a whole lot from them afaik.

How did you do your coil towers? Maybe consider a plate accross the whole area. Thats what I did as well.

I mounted my shocks just lie you did and had the same thing happen. I welded up the frame and mounted them back the same way. Then I welded a tab to the shock mount that bolted to the top of the frame. I also added limit straps and bump stops and had no more problems.

I was thinking of adding a tab to the top of the frame, but how the heck did you get a drill in there to make the hole?

How complex was the 63" chevy swap? Did you have to relocate your spring hanger forward?

does the front driveshaft give you any vibration? i'm almost done with my ranger and i am tryin to figure out how i want to modify my driveshafts to fit my 44 and 9".


Dudeus the chevy spring swap is very simple all you do is move the front spring hangers forward 6", if you have a pre 97 ranger 2 holes are already there all u have to do is drill the other 2.

funinthemud's got it with the spring swap, except there's only one hole there, which locates the bracket, and you have to drill the other 3.

I've got some vibrations, but I think its because I rewelded it 180* out of phase. So all the balancing weights are on the same side. Doesn't matter with the front shaft though, as it doesn't see highway speeds.

I was thinking of adding a tab to the top of the frame, but how the heck did you get a drill in there to make the hole?

I did it with a combo of step bit, right angle drill, and a long drill bit. Took some time but I was able to get a 3/8" hole in there. My truck doesn't have A/C so that could have made it easier.

What's limiting your travel in the front? Almost looks like the shock was maxed out and then pulled down further. Maybe a limit strap is needed.

What's limiting your travel in the front? Almost looks like the shock was maxed out and then pulled down further. Maybe a limit strap is needed.

Longer shock and taller tower :) Those EB coils love to flex. Very nice swap man - love how it is street capable and off road capable.

Thanks for the replies guys. I'll plate it then weld it up. I have a hard time believing my shock was maxed, I lifted the rear tire till the OTHER rear tire came off the ground, and I still had an inch left in the front shock. Who knows though, I did beat on it pretty hard last weekend.

Whether that's what happened or not, limit straps are next on the list.

I wouldn't max my shocks when I would ramp it. But when wheeling I could flex it much farther then I was getting on the ramp. I bet that is what it is doing.

Well I ended up pounding the frame flat, stitching it up, then remounting the tower as it was before. I added an upper tab like RockRanger suggested as well as added a verticle gusset that runs the length of the tower to the top tab. The washer for the backside is now a 4"x6" plate. We'll see if that pulls through.

RockRanger - Where'd you mount your limit straps? I think I can integrate a mount into my shock towers, then the lower mount will be on my radius arm.

Been wheelin a couple times since the last update. Ran a local bog that was put on in remembrance of our wheelin buddies that past away a few years back. Always a great event, and there's another coming up in late Sept. Pics from that:

http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs269.snc1/9619_530347319532_197102715_31450528_197811_n.jpg
http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs249.snc1/9619_530347369432_197102715_31450538_241625_n.jpg
http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs249.snc1/9619_530347334502_197102715_31450531_5852389_n.jpg
http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs249.snc1/9619_530347339492_197102715_31450532_8174002_n.jpg
http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs249.snc1/9619_530347344482_197102715_31450533_4733963_n.jpg

earthresin4x4.com for more info/pics

And just went to the Badlands last weekend for Chubfest.

http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs134.snc1/5731_530113782542_197101284_31443801_2319345_n.jpg
http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs134.snc1/5731_530113637832_197101284_31443772_8181810_n.jpg
http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs134.snc1/5731_530113642822_197101284_31443773_3329907_n.jpg
http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs131.snc1/5611_530106107922_197102715_31443475_4999709_n.jpg
http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs151.snc1/5611_530105983172_197102715_31443450_5868234_n.jpg
http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs151.snc1/5611_530105963212_197102715_31443446_7637370_n.jpg
http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs160.snc1/5976_530105055032_197100678_31443431_5355795_n.jpg

and a little vid just for kicks

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2046489&id=197102715#/video/video.php?v=530191182432

I was running leafsprings with the limit straps. The frame side was bolted through one of the bolts holding the shock mounts to the frame. The other I welded a tab to the spring plate and bolted it there. I do not see why putting it on the radius arm would be any different. I didn't want to mount the top off the upper shock mount though. Seemed to me if you do that the leverage is the same as having the shocks max out. On the frame the pressure seemed to be less. It stopped me from having that problem.

Yeah the mount on the shock tower was going to be off the bottom of it, there'd be no torque on the frame. Is there any "standard" for how you mount the straps? With the tab of the strap flat against the frame or perpendicular to the frame?

Here is how I did my F250 shock towers in my Ranger.
http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w271/zjrog/Warthog%20Rising/F250Towers008.jpg
A went back and added another gusset between the spring and shock towers.

Nice truck, great job on your first build. Keep up the good work.

You could probably replace your stock trans mount with a poly mount for a 5.0 mustang...

Love this build man it's perfect!

zjrog - that's similar to what I did with the upper tab, except I only used one gusset (1/4" plate) and it runs ~3/4 to the top of the tower. I wish I could've integrated the tower into the spring bucket, but with the shocks I'm using I had to locate the tower further away from the spring to get "more travel" out of the shock. Yours definitely looks stout, nice work.

Totalled - I've been pondering building a new trans x-member. I'm still not sure which route I'll go with the mount, I'll look into he mustang mounts.

everyone else - Thanks!

Lets see, where did I leave off...


Ran in the local bog on the 26th and popped my short side inner shaft. Don't have too many good pics of the bog but here's a couple. Yes, it rained.

http://i476.photobucket.com/albums/rr129/wirscjd/Fall%20Brawl%202009/047_47.jpg
http://i476.photobucket.com/albums/rr129/wirscjd/Fall%20Brawl%202009/044_44.jpg
http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs249.snc1/9619_531525428592_197102715_31492221_5290774_n.jpg
http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs249.snc1/9619_531525433582_197102715_31492222_4001781_n.jpg
http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs269.snc1/9619_531525413622_197102715_31492218_7981202_n.jpg
http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs249.snc1/9619_531525393662_197102715_31492214_2930566_n.jpg

earthresin4x4.com if you wanna check out all the bog pics.

Yukon sent me a replacement, which came in today. Machining seems better, we'll see how it holds up.
http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs238.snc1/8521_532345959242_197102715_31520138_6630837_n.jpg
http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs218.snc1/8521_532345969222_197102715_31520140_6775653_n.jpg
http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs238.snc1/8521_532345994172_197102715_31520145_3852950_n.jpg

We plan to go back to the Badlands over Halloween weekend, that'll be its test :D

very nice truck man, u gonna build bumpers soon?... add a winch?

Thanks man. Everyone's been givin me a hard time about my bumpers lately haha. I've got a winch sitting in my room (Warn M8000), I just need to build bumpers.

I'll probably need taller springs after the winch install, I've only got 3.5 - 4" of compression as it is. I don't want the front any lower than it is now (added weight of winch). So I need to look into that. Before I run a taller spring I need to address the slight coil bow issue I've got going on. It seems the full size (f150 and bronco) spring buckets try to kick the spring outward a little bit.

I think I'll rework the buckets, get a 1 or 2" taller spring, then look into buying a bender to build bumpers. If I don't get to it over the winter, it'll be an early spring project. Definitely before next year's wheelin season hits.

Very nice, I built a custom front bumper for my truck with a $25 push bumper off craigslist and a used receiver hitch off my old s10 blazer. I plan on going with the removal winch solely for the sake of what you are talking about, I ordered a 12000lb Tuff Stuff winch yesterday. Especially with IFS a winch even with synthetic cable is going to be pretty hefty, it will be fine for leaving on occasionally but not all the time. This is my DD tho and is no rockcrawler, just a work/hunting truck. I would really be up in the air for a multi mount winch on a truck that crawls, but never the less something to think about.

This is my DD too, sees 300+ miles a week :D. I've thought about doing the whole front and rear receiver with the hitch mounted winch. I've heard its a lot of fun trying to get a 100lb hitch to slide into a 2" receiver in 3ft of mud. Kills approach/departure angles if you leave it in, etc.

We'll see how bad it is. I plan to get syn line before it goes on and build tube bumpers so they won't add too much weight. I'd like another inch of compression or so anyways, so I was thinkin of getting 2" taller springs, then the winch n bumper would make it sag ~.5-1" which would put me in that range.

haha sounds like you got it figured out. thats the great thing about my truck, no rocks or trails so no need to worry about approach/departure angles. good luck with ur build tho, i will be interested in the finsihed product.

i will be interested in the finsihed product.

This will never exist haha

Ha i feel ya

Did some wheelin over Halloween.

http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs025.snc3/11232_533203186352_197102715_31552299_7401185_n.jp g
http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs005.snc3/11232_533203236252_197102715_31552304_3054568_n.jp g
http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs005.snc3/11232_533345491172_197102715_31559320_8059642_n.jp g
http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs005.snc3/11232_533345501152_197102715_31559322_7362383_n.jp g
http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs025.snc3/11232_533345546062_197102715_31559331_2698148_n.jp g
http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs005.snc3/11232_533345566022_197102715_31559334_6897812_n.jp g
http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs025.snc3/11232_533345590972_197102715_31559339_2074046_n.jp g
http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs005.snc3/11232_533345605942_197102715_31559342_195807_n.jpg
http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs005.snc3/11232_533345610932_197102715_31559343_5943749_n.jp g

Nice man!

We need to get together and wheel at the Badlands! I am in the middle of some things on my Ranger but I want to run with some other Rangers. I have only made it there once but want to go back bad.

Maybe early spring?

I've officially made this my last trip for the year. Got some stuff to rework/bumpers to build/ etc. I'm sure I'll be ready to rock by spring time. We hit the Badlands a decent amount. I was there 3 times this year. Definitely a fun park.

Yeah I cant go either until spring. Let me know when you are going next.

This is a VERY nice rig! As far as shifting the tcases goes, it looks by the pics you posted up that your doubler box is manually shifted and your tcase is electronically shifted with the dial on the dash. Is that correct?

Scott

Thanks Ten Bucks. You're 100% correct. The crawl box is manual and the t-case is the stock electric shift BW 1354.

Thanks Ten Bucks. You're 100% correct. The crawl box is manual and the t-case is the stock electric shift BW 1354.

Thanks for the info.

Scott

No problem. Sorry for the late reply too. The board moves so fast here on Pirate that I lose the thread and forget to check it haha.

No problem. Sorry for the late reply too. The board moves so fast here on Pirate that I lose the thread and forget to check it haha.

Yeah, that is true. I think when I found it the thread was already at the bottom of page 2 or something.

Scott

wow man. I am impressed! I see builds on here that are so shop built I just scan for pics as a result. I have read and really like your build. You build kinda like I do, (with what you have ) and as you go. If I ever get mine back put back together and on the trail and get a trip planned up north, I'll send you a PM and see if you can make it.

Very nice build :smokin:

Joe

That means a lot bigford. This is literally my lifes work, and I'm happy to see that people have appreciation for us "little guys."

Its taken me almost 10 years to get mine where its at. And I built mine just like you are. You could almost call mine my lifes work as well. I was standing in the seat when my dad drove it off the lot back in '77 ( it was an F-150 then ). I remember helping him work on gears in the rear end and then he passed it on to me in high school. It was my first vehicle as well, that ole single cab usually had 3 chicks in every day. Marcy, Lori, and Betty. The only part left of that truck is most of the frame now.

On a side note:
I remember telling my second ex wife " My truck comes first, then my job, then you " I never liked that woman.

I'm serious, I will contact you when I get up that way.

I remember telling my second ex wife " My truck comes first, then my job, then you " I never liked that woman.

bwahaha :laughing:


I'm serious, I will contact you when I get up that way.

Sounds good, I'm sure I'll be around.

this truck is just so.......badass......im just so jelous...its about everything i want in my ranger.....especially the doubler...god

Great job! We need to wheel sometime. I wana see this rig flex!

You'll have to give me a guided run at that mudhole you call an offroad park :flipoff2:

You'll have to give me a guided run at that mudhole you call an offroad park :flipoff2:

Piss on that place! I hate mud!

I ment the Badlands or somethin. I'm there almost every other weekend.

Hell yeah man. I've officially said I'm done wheelin for this season. Got a few things I need to get done over the winter, and if I spend all my money/time wheelin it'll never happen. If you're there that much I'm sure I'll run into ya next season.

Wow what a killer build! So you have had some time since your last update....wheres the new stuff??:D

I've had the doubler out 3 or 4 times trying to figure out why I was losing fluid out of the vent. I think I finally got it figured out. I ended up welding a plate to keep fluid from being slung into the vent line. I was still losing fluid after that, so I put a catch on it. After watching that, I found that I finally stopped losing fluid (lost ~ 1/2 quart). I think the general consensus was that I was over filling the case, and it was aerating to the point that it completely filled the case and pushed the fluid out.

Since it stopped leaking, I took the catch off, and found that I was losing fluid again (oil spots started forming on my tailgate again, etc). Put that catch back on to find that when the catch was installed, I wouldn't lose any fluid. What I'm thinking now is that without the catch, the air passing across the vent line creates a drop in pressure that sucks the fluid out. I've just been driving it with the catch, but I'll re-route the vent to a location that's out of the wind and that should solve my problem.

What's next on the list (hope to start this coming week) is to modify the upper coil buckets to cure the slight coil bow issue that I have now. After that I'll finally build limit strap mounts and get those installed. THEN I'll be looking into bumper design so I can get this winch off my bedroom floor.

Sooo, things will start happening again. Not sure if these mods are really pic worthy, but I'll see what I can do. I've just been enjoying driving it for the most part. Oh and we finally got a little snow, that's fun too :D

I've seen guys take their vent lines and ziptie them to the shift up in the boot. This way their outta harms way for the most part, and you can check on them fairly easily.

I never caught it anywhere, but what ratio's did you end up goin in the diffs? I'm very strongly considering chopping down an extra fullwidth diff I have to waggy width and goin 5.13's....

I've still got 4.56's in the axles. My speedo is dead on but the additional rotating mass makes it a turd still. I've thought about going 5.13's. I may do it if I ever swap in a 4.0 since their m5od has a higher 1st gear ratio than my 3.0 m5od.

My buddy uses these breather tanks from All Star on his race car and I also plan on using one for my trans and t-case and one for my two diffs. They can be had with dual bungs.
http://www.allstar-performance.com/product.htm?prod=25

Hey Bray D, this thing still alive? Made those bumpers yet?

Of course its alive, its my DD :flipoff2:

No bumpers yet. I finally got my tax returns and I'm ordering a bender this week. After wheelin this weekend, a cage is starting to move its way up the priority list as well...


I got the leaking doubler case squared away. Talked with Duffy and he suggested drilling/tapping a hole in the actual block off plate. So I tore it down, put the vent in the blockoff plate, and rebuilt the doubler with a lower mileage case from a 94 ranger (mine had 177k on it, the 94 case has ~111 IIRC). I also found the amount of fluid to fill to Duffy's fill hole is right around 3/4 of a quart. I was putting right around 2 quarts in it before. Ignorantly overfilling the case.

No problems anymore with the new vent location and lower fluid level (I still run 1/2 quart over Duffy's fluid level shhhh :D).

A buddy hooked me up with some Rancho adjustable damping shocks so I threw them in the rear (already have em in the front).

Other than that, just driving it waiting for the wheeling season - which began this weekend for me!

Made a weekend trip to the Badlands again. Met up with the CheapThrills crew from Michigan, and had a BLAST following the big tire guys around.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs442.ash1/24410_541620068852_197102715_31795320_3420848_n.jp g
http://hphotos-sjc1.fbcdn.net/hs402.snc3/24410_541620073842_197102715_31795321_520034_n.jpg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs442.ash1/24410_541620043902_197102715_31795315_6039360_n.jp g

I hardly took any pics. These are the ones the club got. I'll update as more come in.

Thats awesome dude, keep us posted.

that truck looks like it rips it up pretty good

I saw ya out there rippn it up! I was in a shortbed Chevy and my woman was in her big ass Dodge.

Hers is a daily driver too! :smokin:

The ranger was lookn good out there!

That little ranger gets it done PERIOD. Bray you've done a great job putting together a very capable wheeler and even dd'ing it to and from the park is even more badass.

NT2HLBLY - Why didn't you stop me and say hi!?!? It was a great weekend, knew a lot of people at the park, and met a lot of awesome people on the trail.

John - Thanks for the compliments. I feel like you guys are on a whole 'nother level than my truck. That being said, I'm pretty happy where I'm at, and plan to stay like this for a while. At least until I need some new rubber :D

Thanks for lettin me tag along Sunday. You guys have a great crew - killer rigs and awesome guys. I'm lookin forward to the next time.

It didnt click till we were past ya. Didnt see ya again to stop. :homer:

It didnt click till we were past ya. Didnt see ya again to stop. :homer:

White Dodge and Burgandy Chevy?

If so I passed you around the way back corner of the park, about where it looked like the white dodge was gettnig hung up in a climb near some trees. Looked like you had it under control so we didn't wanna bother you.

Yup! She had the Dodge burryd in the sand. Only issue she had, not bad for her first time out! I was tryn to kill that Chevy but it still runs n drives.

We all should put a trip together in a month or two. I still need to finish my jeep.

Wow... I have been trolling forums for good ideas for my first build, and because i'm a newb and need to learn lots before i do anything to my ranger, and i got to say... I have been reading every post on your thread and I'm loving your truck man. Sweet truck on an average budget, that's what i'm talkin bout :) Keep us posted! I'll definately keep reading
Ryan

Thanks Obi! It means a lot to be the "little guy" and know people like my build.

The talk about the average budget, well, that just got bumped up a little bit today :D

I see tools as an investment, so I decided to invest a decent chunk of change on this guy:

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/IMG_0609.jpg
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/IMG_0612.jpg

I opted for the Pro Tools 105, complete with 1.75" x 6" CLR 240* die, degree ring, stand, and extended handle. It was expensive, but not NEARLY as costly as some high end hydro setups. This is a manual one. I could probably afford to build some muscle anyways haha

Sweet, get to work!

The gears are turnin in my head. I gotta put the dang thing together first haha.

I have the same bender. You will love it! Do yourself a favor and buy the bend tech software. Very user frendly, worth every penny.

BTW love your build! gives me a few ideas for my dakota.

Thanks!

I've been eyeballin Bend Tech Pro pretty hard. I work with Solidworks everyday. I'd have no problem modeling parts and pulling dimensions from that, but its awesome how Bend Tech lays everything out for you. I'm sure I'll have a copy before I start doing any serious work.

Thats fucking awesome. Get to work son....wait...I should say that to myself.

haha yeah, I've still gotta make it over to take a look at your shit.

Here's what you get when you DD your rig:

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/IMG_0636.jpg

Bumpers measured to the bottom of my hitch and bottom of my front valence were 1" under. He measured to the steel part of my bumpers and said I was 2" too high front and rear.

I looked up the laws when I got home, its complicated. Long story short, if you mod your bumpers to comply, the cop will just measure to the lowest point of the forwardmost and rearmost points of your frame, so its not bumper height at all - its frame.

Other than that, no mudflaps, no fender flares, bumpers didn't cover track width, blah blah. Threw the book at me.

So some changes need to be made, he wouldn't let me drive away, and said if he sees me again he'll have me towed.

So I picked up some of these:

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/IMG_0634.jpg

It should wuss up my truck quite a bit and hopefully be less attractive to the PoPo. I'm gonna remove my OL leaf which will drop my rearend a little bit, then build a new rear bumper (I know what I said above, but maybe it'll deter some of the 'slower' cops).

Still dunno what I'm gonna do to get the front down - if anything. FTP.

Got some other work done too, I'm ready to air it out now (yeah right :flipoff2:)

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s312/foxridersco05/GetAttachmentaspx.jpg

Leavin for the Badlands tomorrow :D

Crap!! I would have been arested. :shaking:

What a douche bag 2 inches really? I was pulled over by the California Highway Patrol for a DUI. really it was after a hard couple days of wheeling and the combo of worn wheel bearings and bushings. So after he determined I wasn't drunk he left me with a ticket for mud flaps and flares. :rolleyes:

Thats gay...started those bumpers yet?

Dang that sucks Bray. Were you out visiting Broncho while on pfiefer? Truck looks good as always.

dude that sucks.....but i guess time to build ur truck lower??? i love low cog builds...

That sucks about the cops Bray, fuzz have been real bad around here nailing guys in pickups with gooseneck trailers on I-39 for DOT and CDL crap. Its all cause the state is broke so they are going to start nailing guys like you with lifted trucks and shit they never used to bother with, just to get revenue so they don't loose their jobs.

Otherwise, I'm going to have my 79 up and running for some mild trails this summer, hope we can meet up and go wheeling again!

Not trying to pimp Ballistic but this might solve your problem, just lower it down for the street.


http://www.ballisticfabrication.com/Adjustable-coil-buckets_p_1183.html

Thats gay...started those bumpers yet?

Negative. Haven't even put the bender together yet. Too busy gettin ready for the wheelin trip.

Dang that sucks Bray. Were you out visiting Broncho while on pfiefer? Truck looks good as always.

Who are you? 'splain yoself fool :mr-t:

Nope, I was on my way to Bradley. The whole incident made me miss my whole first class.

dude that sucks.....but i guess time to build ur truck lower??? i love low cog builds...

I tried to keep it fairly low. As it sits right now, I've got ~4" of compression before my diff takes out my oil pan. That gives me 3-3.5" of usable compression. Unless I push my front end out, I don't think there's much I can do.

That sucks about the cops Bray, fuzz have been real bad around here nailing guys in pickups with gooseneck trailers on I-39 for DOT and CDL crap. Its all cause the state is broke so they are going to start nailing guys like you with lifted trucks and shit they never used to bother with, just to get revenue so they don't loose their jobs.

Otherwise, I'm going to have my 79 up and running for some mild trails this summer, hope we can meet up and go wheeling again!

I hear ya about getting money for the state. What a ripoff. I'm not even a "trouble maker" but I fawkin hate cops.

Let me know when that bad boys ready and we'll plan a day trip somewhere. I dunno how you feel about the Cliffs but I haven't been there yet this year, and usually makes for a good day trip for me. Keep in touch man.

Not trying to pimp Ballistic but this might solve your problem, just lower it down for the street.


I bought those when I was collecting parts for the original build. Couldn't come up with a solution I liked that would make them work around the 'frame hump' and I wasn't too hot on welding to my frame. Sold em to a buddy and modded the full size buckets to work.

I could run a weight jacker style bucket. A couple of my buddies do on their rigs and it seems to work well. But then I'm back to the compression problem; if I lower it any more I'm losing valuable upward travel. 1-2" of compression is pushing it, even on the street.






Other than all that, the trip went good this weekend. I have no pics of my truck, but maybe some of the guys I wheeled with will send em my way and I'll post em up.

I broke a Warn premium lockout. After comparing with the stock lockout I replaced it with, it looked anything but premium. Pics of carnage to come.

I was in double low first gear hoggin on a ledge, I could tell my driver front was biting pretty hard but it just wasn't enough to pull me up. Tossed it in double low 2nd and went at it again. Same situation, biting hard then click click click click click click.

Either my front locker or my lockout. Unlock the hub and the click stops. Pull the lockout off and find this:

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs311.ash1/27702_543682500722_197102715_31849062_459702_n.jpg

That made me happy. I'd be super pissed if I toasted my locker.

Went to the shop, they didn't have any new ones in stock so they let me pull a used one from their axle graveyard out back. Threw the used one on and wheeled the rest of the weekend with no problems.

I did put a nice dent in my gas tank which pisses me off a bit. Add a gas tank skid to the 'to do' list.

Here's a nice 'exploded' view of the lockout. Broke every cog in the damn thing.

http://hphotos-sjc1.fbcdn.net/hs261.snc3/27702_543682510702_197102715_31849063_1629836_n.jp g

thats impressive.

Built a hi-lift mount over the last couple days. Turned out pretty good. Does the job.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs533.ash1/31252_544023921512_197102715_31859017_6451427_n.jp g
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs573.snc3/31252_544023926502_197102715_31859018_5144723_n.jp g
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs533.ash1/31252_544023931492_197102715_31859019_5870601_n.jp g

Sits a tad crooked. fawk it :flipoff2:

hey man love the build. im not too much of a trail guy myself (lack of funds for anything besides complaining about lack of funds) but i love what you have done to your ranger so far, i really like this body style, it looks good with what you have done to it.

awesome build man. you should look into finding some CHEAP suck down winches for when the fuzz gets ya.

didnt know youhad a thread over here too bray, truck looks damn good

Thanks guys. I've really been enjoying the truck. Its nice to just drive and wheel it. The mods are still happening, but they're turning into less of a 'necessity'.

Its reached the point where its plenty capable, and I can't really think of any single mod that would take it a step further - without completely reworking the drivetrain/suspension.

Maybe that's a good thing, maybe not. Who knows.

awesome build man. you should look into finding some CHEAP suck down winches for when the fuzz gets ya.

That is GENIUS. I've got one I've yet to install in the front. It'd be easy enough to just run the cable to the front diff. For the rear I could slap a cheapy in my bed and run the cable through the bed to my rear diff.

The truck has been on the road lifted for ~5 years, and I've only been measured twice. If it starts happening more regularly, this may be something to look into.

Built a hi-lift mount over the last couple days. Turned out pretty good. Does the job.

Sits a tad crooked. fawk it :flipoff2:

Yeah, well...the bed side looks a little crooked, too:flipoff2:

Just Fix-it tickets...or fines regardless of if you "fix-it" $$$$?

It's a cool li'l Ranger. :grinpimp:

No fines this time. He said it'll be a different story if he sees me again though.

I got my bender put together yesterday. Now I just need to splurge on Bendtech and start bendin up some tube.

To hell with buildin, I went wheelin :flipoff2:

Just a couple pics of my truck on the same obstacles as probably 20% of the pics in this thread. I need to get away from the Badlands.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs314.snc3/28352_545051706822_197102715_31899239_1670397_n.jp g
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs294.snc3/28352_545051716802_197102715_31899240_3979319_n.jp g

No serious damage. Ripped a valve stem and there happened to be a guy right there with OBA. Aired me up, made it back to camp, pulled the tire off and the Badlands shop hooked me up with another valve stem. $3.50 and 20 minutes later I was rollin again. Hard to beat that.

Picked up some more dents and scratches. My red truck is slowly turning white haha. I think I broke a needle in my axle side rear u-joint. Clickin and squealin. I greased it up good and I've been driving it. It made it 160 miles back from the park, it'll make it until I get around to replacing it :D.

Stock lockout is still holding up. I've got 2 other stockers to break before I start lookin at drive flanges.

been there done that with the locker breakin all to shit.

arent your warn premiums under warranty? i got mine at the local parts store and figured i could talk them into a new set if i ever broke mine.

I got mine from Ebay for like just under 100 bucks shipped. I read up on Warns site about their warranty, and it wasn't looking like I was going to get anywhere going through them. Its alright, like I said, I've got a couple spares to go through before I have to spend any more money.

i got mine from the local parts store for around 80 i think. i was surprised they carried them, i also carry some stock ones for spares too.

so far ive had good luck, fingers crossed

80 bucks locally? Damn I got ripped off haha. I thought I got a pretty good deal.

Leaving now to pull the rear joint.

Just as I had suspected, fawker was toasted. Needles crushed to shit.

New joint installed, truck is back to normal. Changed my oil too :D

I bought my 93 2wd ranger 3.0l of my grandpa year 2years ago it had 03000 on it now i got it up to 70
i threw a k&n filer on it
msd ignition coil with the plugs

but its still gutless on the hills i was thinking of getting a chip for the auto and the engine but i dont know still trying to decide

now i got it up to 70

MPH!?!? Shit that's fast!

MPH!?!? Shit that's fast!



miles on the engine.

Open mouth, insert bleach.

Bray, if you have a local 4WP try taking the butsed hubs to them... I took a pair back to them (I didn't buy them) and they said, "OK, here ya go" worth a shot

No 4WP that close, that I know of anyways. There's a whole lot of nothin around here haha. Good thought though, thanks for the suggestion.

I'm not too worried about it. The stock replacement I put in it is still holding strong, and I've got a couple more to go through if I break any more.

Well its time for a bump I guess. Been wheeling a decent amount, but no good pics. Here's one just to hold your interest.

Bog I ran a couple weekends ago
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs603.snc4/58349_551554560052_197102715_32108363_2151814_n.jp g

I was coming home from school Friday and lost oil pressure. Trailered it to the shop on Saturday, changed the oil, and still no pressure. Lifters are ticking like mad. I haven't done any tests to confirm that the pump is dead, but after changing the oil and letting it run for a while, there's still a definite line on the dipstick indicating the oil level. This tells me that oil isn't flowin.

According to my Haynes, you've gotta pull the engine to get the pan off to replace the oil pump. I think its time for a 4.0L swap :D

I've got a line on a 94 Explorer with an OHV 4.0L in it. I've started doing a bit of research to see how the swap will go/if its possible. What I've read is my current 3.0 is an OBD II engine, and the '94 4.0L is an OBD I engine. Some guys think I'll have complications with the electrical side of the swap.

I'll have the entire donor vehicle, what issues will I run into, if any?

I think its time for a 5.0L swap :D ?

Fixed!!!

I like being the small engine, small axle, small tire rig that goes places the big engine, big axle, big tire rigs go.

That's one of the many reasons for I chose a 4.0 over a 5.0.

Anyways, any thoughts on the OBD I vs II?

I'd say its time to turn this sucker into a strict crawler and get something relibale for DD duties. Just me, and where the fawk are those bumpers???!!! Haha

Don't lose hope! The 3.0 has 187k miles on it. The oil pump went out. It could happen on a "reliable" DD as well. With a relatively fresh engine, it will just make my truck that much more reliable. The engine and trans are the only things I haven't touched. After I replace those, the truck will be like brand new :D

The bumpers were coming! At that bog that I posted a pic of, I damn near ripped my front crossmember off that I used as a tow point. That was the last straw. I was going to build a bumper with decent tow points.

Looks like that's getting pushed back...yet again :shaking:

[QUOTE=Bray D;11903823]
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs603.snc4/58349_551554560052_197102715_32108363_2151814_n.jp g

More pics of rig number 26:D

Don't lose hope! The 3.0 has 187k miles on it. The oil pump went out. It could happen on a "reliable" DD as well. With a relatively fresh engine, it will just make my truck that much more reliable. The engine and trans are the only things I haven't touched. After I replace those, the truck will be like brand new :D

The bumpers were coming! At that bog that I posted a pic of, I damn near ripped my front crossmember off that I used as a tow point. That was the last straw. I was going to build a bumper with decent tow points.

Looks like that's getting pushed back...yet again :shaking:
hope to see some progress soon, i love your truck...i may have to make the trip up to badlands sometime to hit the trails with yall

My thoughts are that you get a pcm for a 4.0 out of your year...id be willing to put money down that the donor obd1 vehicle will use majority of the same plugs as what you have right now. Install the new motor and pcm with your old harness and call it a day.

Thats just how i would go at it and change accordingly as i went along...I also have other vehicles so it being down for any length of time prolly wouldnt affect me like it would you.

My dad's got a jeep he keeps on the farm that he's letting me drive, so I'm covered in that area. Even so, I'd like to get it back to him ASAP. Between school/work/sourcing parts I hope to have it swapped in the next month.

OK, I'm going to show a little of my retardedness. Just for clarity, the engine is the big thing that makes noise, the PCM tells it what to do, and the harness connects the PCM to the engine?

So the PCM doesn't care if its an OHV 4.0 or a SOHC 4.0? That's how I could use an OBD II PCM (my year for a 4.0 - would be for a SOHC 4.0) with an OHV 4.0? Then my harness would work since I would have an OBD II PCM?

edit: Just did some more looking and it looks like the 4.0 of my year would still be OHV. So the only difference is it'd be and OBD II PCM rather than an OBD I PCM.

Why can't I just swap the OBD I engine, PCM, and harness?

slo-vo - Thanks man. I hope to have some progress soon as well. This whole jeep driving thing is having some seriously negative effects psychologically lol. I'd love to wheel with you at the Badlands! We actually have a trip planned for Oct 1-3, so I'm pretty bummed I can't make that. We'll have to get together sometime and I'll show you around the park. Oh and your truck is coming along nicely as well. I've been following the build, I just don't post haha. Keep it up!

My dad's got a jeep he keeps on the farm that he's letting me drive, so I'm covered in that area. Even so, I'd like to get it back to him ASAP. Between school/work/sourcing parts I hope to have it swapped in the next month.

OK, I'm going to show a little of my retardedness. Just for clarity, the engine is the big thing that makes noise, the PCM tells it what to do, and the harness connects the PCM to the engine?

So the PCM doesn't care if its an OHV 4.0 or a SOHC 4.0? That's how I could use an OBD II PCM (my year for a 4.0 - would be for a SOHC 4.0) with an OHV 4.0? Then my harness would work since I would have an OBD II PCM?

edit: Just did some more looking and it looks like the 4.0 of my year would still be OHV. So the only difference is it'd be and OBD II PCM rather than an OBD I PCM.

Why can't I just swap the OBD I engine, PCM, and harness?

slo-vo - Thanks man. I hope to have some progress soon as well. This whole jeep driving thing is having some seriously negative effects psychologically lol. I'd love to wheel with you at the Badlands! We actually have a trip planned for Oct 1-3, so I'm pretty bummed I can't make that. We'll have to get together sometime and I'll show you around the park. Oh and your truck is coming along nicely as well. I've been following the build, I just don't post haha. Keep it up!

Lol those jeeps will get to ya, I would deffinantly go the ohv route, I think you'll be alot happier with where your torque is over the sohc


I've heard some good things about badlands and sone of your pictures look pretty rowdy, I think it's about 4 hours from me which sucks because it's the most boring drive straight up through Indiana, I've made that drive many times heading for Urbana, so if I don't make it this year I'll plan a trip and get a few guys to roll up there in the spring

Thanks for the compliments man

My dad's got a jeep he keeps on the farm that he's letting me drive, so I'm covered in that area. Even so, I'd like to get it back to him ASAP. Between school/work/sourcing parts I hope to have it swapped in the next month.

OK, I'm going to show a little of my retardedness. Just for clarity, the engine is the big thing that makes noise, the PCM tells it what to do, and the harness connects the PCM to the engine?

So the PCM doesn't care if its an OHV 4.0 or a SOHC 4.0? That's how I could use an OBD II PCM (my year for a 4.0 - would be for a SOHC 4.0) with an OHV 4.0? Then my harness would work since I would have an OBD II PCM?

edit: Just did some more looking and it looks like the 4.0 of my year would still be OHV. So the only difference is it'd be and OBD II PCM rather than an OBD I PCM.

Why can't I just swap the OBD I engine, PCM, and harness?

slo-vo - Thanks man. I hope to have some progress soon as well. This whole jeep driving thing is having some seriously negative effects psychologically lol. I'd love to wheel with you at the Badlands! We actually have a trip planned for Oct 1-3, so I'm pretty bummed I can't make that. We'll have to get together sometime and I'll show you around the park. Oh and your truck is coming along nicely as well. I've been following the build, I just don't post haha. Keep it up!

SOHC wasnt untill 2001 so find your self an OBD2 4.0L and take the ECU, motor and Wiring. Id be willing to bet the wiring will be alot different, doubt ford would make it that easy on you. Other option is to grab the wiring diagrams from the two motors and compare them. If they are close enough and some connectors didnt match you could always make a hybrid harness from the two.

That all makes sense, but again, why can't I use all the OBD I stuff (engine, PCM, and harness)?

That all makes sense, but again, why can't I use all the OBD I stuff (engine, PCM, and harness)?

i would think that none of it would match up with your old wireing like the stuff goin into the dash and all that....there's alot of differences between the obd 1 and obd 2 rangers

id say scour the yards for a 95-97 ranger with a 4.0 and steal the harness and it should all drop in

Ahh I see. Call the pcm the parting line; and OBD I pcm would work with everything on the engine side of the pcm, but wouldn't work with all the existing electronics on the cab side (gauge cluster,etc.) right?

I'm not sure I'm too worried about that. I wouldn't have a problem running aftermarket gauges. That being said I'd have to look into the cost difference between getting aftermarket gauges and just getting a OBD II pcm (and harness? need to look up schematics) from a yard.

Ahh I see. Call the pcm the parting line; and OBD I pcm would work with everything on the engine side of the pcm, but wouldn't work with all the existing electronics on the cab side (gauge cluster,etc.) right?

I'm not sure I'm too worried about that. I wouldn't have a problem running aftermarket gauges. That being said I'd have to look into the cost difference between getting aftermarket gauges and just getting a OBD II pcm (and harness? need to look up schematics) from a yard.

yea the aftermarket gauges would be cool but like you said, by the time you do all the work its really not worth all the extra work

yours should be obd2 now, not much need to go back to obd1

Yeah, I think it'll be cheaper just to get the OBD II pcm. Casually browsing ebay - looks like they're going for a little over 100 bucks.

Yeah, I think it'll be cheaper just to get the OBD II pcm. Casually browsing ebay - looks like they're going for a little over 100 bucks.

is there not any yards to pick from? ill check around here for ya computers are only about $20 around here and i might just know where a 5 speed computer is

Yeah there's a couple. Finding time to scrounge through them is another issue. If one falls in your lap by all means let me know, but don't go out of your way to get me one. I don't want you wasting your time for me lol. I'll see what I can come up with around here.

Yeah there's a couple. Finding time to scrounge through them is another issue. If one falls in your lap by all means let me know, but don't go out of your way to get me one. I don't want you wasting your time for me lol. I'll see what I can come up with around here.

i always look for reasons to go scour the yards :D been wanting to go check out the goodies on a 97 that came in last week at a local yard

and ill be in evensville IN on monday or tuesday to pick up some tubeing from 97trailrigDD on trs and there are some HUGE yards there so ill check there if the 97 is a no go...

I've gotta make sure I can make the OBD II PCM work with the OBD I engine first. I really need some schematics. I hate searching for crap like that. I wish they were posted in the TRS tech library somewhere.

I've gotta make sure I can make the OBD II PCM work with the OBD I engine first. I really need some schematics. I hate searching for crap like that. I wish they were posted in the TRS tech library somewhere.
with it being a 96 it should already be obd2? i think the change over was in 95...or as far as i know

does yours have the black plug under the driver side of the dash?

It is obdII - but I have a 3.0L in it at the moment. I just assumed the 3.0L obd2 pcm was different than the 4.0L obd2 pcm.

I assume it controls the engine parameters, so they'd be different. I honestly don't know though. I know my way around a chassis pretty well, but I don't know dick about engines. This whole process will be a good learning experience for me.

It is obdII - but I have a 3.0L in it at the moment. I just assumed the 3.0L obd2 pcm was different than the 4.0L obd2 pcm.

I assume it controls the engine parameters, so they'd be different. I honestly don't know though. I know my way around a chassis pretty well, but I don't know dick about engines. This whole process will be a good learning experience for me.

yea, might be able to get away with just swapping the computers if the harness is the same but i really have no clue if they are...but at most all i think you would have to do is swap the engine harness and the ecm...

dont quote me on that though, i guess some searching is in order

OK, we need standardization of terms or you're gonna lose me real quick haha.

Computer = ?

pcm = powertrain control module

ecm = engine control module

pcm = ecm?

Do they both exist for one engine or are they one in the same?

OK, we need standardization of terms or you're gonna lose me real quick haha.

Computer = ?

pcm = powertrain control module

ecm = engine control module

pcm = ecm?

Do they both exist for one engine or are they one in the same?

ECM - engine control module... controls only the engine... so it is also accompanied by a TCM - transmission control module, to control tranny settings... GM went to this separate setup starting around 2005 in certain vehicles, then more widely used in 2006 vehicles, and now is the norm on all new vehicles...

PCM - powertrain control module - a single control module that contains all the settings/programming for BOTH the engine and the transmission...

ECU - engine control unit - just a term that can be used to describe either an ECM or a PCM...
^this.

I don't have a GM. But either way, it adds a bit of clarity, thanks.

I don't have a GM. But either way, it adds a bit of clarity, thanks.
lol they are all the same...just different terms for the same thing

Save yourself the trouble. (My heads spinning from reading the last few post!)

Get the Engine, harness, and computer (ecm, pcm, ecu,...) and install together. conect a few powers and grounds. Get a scematic of your dash gauges and re conect them to the engines sensors.

This way you will be sure it runs and works fine upon install. The you can worry about them gauges.

I'v swapped many engines into places they were never even ment to fit. :smokin:

lol they are all the same...just different terms for the same thing

The whole automotive industry switched from just a PCM to an ECM/TCM in 2005?

NT2HLBLY - I know it would definitely be easier to find a donor with everything I need (obd2 crap) and just swap it all over. I have access to this obdI explorer, and the price is right, so I'd like to make it work if I can.


The research continues...

No what I mean is in 95 manufacturers switched from obd1 to obd2

Oh, yeah - I get that. I guess what I was trying to establish is whether I have just a PCM or an ECM and TCM. I think its safe to say I've just got a PCM.

Oh, yeah - I get that. I guess what I was trying to establish is whether I have just a PCM or an ECM and TCM. I think its safe to say I've just got a PCM.

yea just the pcm...should be on the fire wall towards the passenger side

Got my truck stripped down. Got the low down on the 94 explorer and I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with the uncertainties. Supposedly he lady he got it from swears it runs, but there's no starter on it, so to get it to run I'd have to buy a starter for an auto, then when I swapped it I'd have to buy a starter for my m5od, plus I'll have to deal with the obd1 vs obd2 blah blah blah.

I think I'm gonna wait a week or two and see if I can find a 95+ 4.0L. We'll see how it goes.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs321.ash2/60131_552043809592_197102715_32120727_4728860_n.jp g
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs333.ash2/61335_552043824562_197102715_32120728_5284019_n.jp g

If only you were closer you could have/pull mine so I don't have to for my engine swap.....

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y255/wahlstrom1/lsx.jpg

You do know that you're going to need a different M5OD right? The 3.0 Vulcan has a very different bellhousing pattern from a 4.0 Cologne... But, you could bolt a SHO V6 in there, maybe even the V8... LOL

I must've really made myself sound like an idiot when I started the discussion on the obd1 vs obd2 garbage haha. Yes, I know the 4.0L trans is different from the 3.0 trans; not only the bellhousing, but the gear ratios as well.

I think the OHV m5od's are different from the SOHC m5od's of the 4.0L flavor too. Haven't looked into it that much since I'm pretty set on the OHV engine.

The SOHCs were available with the HD version of the M5OD, it had better 2nd gear synchros. The SOHC/OHV 4.0L tranny's are compatible but the SOHC version has 1 extra hole thats not used on the OHV engine.

If I were building an M50D, it's be the SOHC's HD version with the small engine gearset.

The organ donor has been admitted to the hospital :D



Picked up the OBD1 explorer today. Long story short, the guy had to remove the remote start that was installed on it to give to the original owner, so I'm not going to mess with trying to get it to run. That'll save me some money too.

Plan is to strip it down to just the motor by early next week. Hope to start pullin engines next weekend.

I need to start researching 4.0 mods since I'll have it opened up for inspection anyways.

Heard back from the guy with a 4.0 m5od case as well. Hopefully I'll have that in the next couple weeks so I can swap my 3.0 internals into it.

There's a long ways to go, but things are starting to come together - parts wise.

A question from page 1 who does the 1350 / 1354 doubler ?
& what is a 1350 out of ? I have a 1354 from a f350.

Jeff

I put a '94 4.0L in what used to be a bronco 2. It wasn't that hard, I changed out the engine on a teusday, buttoned up everything and mapped out the wiring harness on the floor on wednsday, wired it all up on thursday, drove it on friday and ironed out bugs, than raced it on saturday in a mud drag.


Your truck should have the round plug under the brake master cylender in the fire wall, it is about 5" or so diameter, round plug. that is for all the powers and grounds and the dash components. Get a good wiring diagram and make sure all the pins from the explorer and your ranger match on that plug, and it is pretty much plug and play from there.

All you will have to do if the pinups are the same is take the entire wiring harness from the explorer including the relay box and swap it all into your ranger along with the computer which routs through the firewall on the pass side. there is no plug on the fire wall for the computer, you have to pull the grommet that is part of the wiring harness out and fish the plug through the hole and opposite to get the other one in. Your truck likely wont care if it is OBD 1 or 2, just run the 4.0 computer.



as for upgrades on the engine....
http://www.compperformancegroupstores.com/store/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=CC&Product_Code=49-422-8&Category_Code=FORD466Cams40

you'll need some of these to go with the cam...
http://www.pushrods.net/

gasket match the heads and intake while it is appart with a carbide bur on a die grinder, than go over the exhaust runners with a pink sphearical stone on the die grinder, than again with a white stone.

This...
http://www.bbkperformance.com/products/throttle-bodies/ford-throttle-bodies/truck-and-suv-throttle-bodies/89-02-ranger-and-explorer-40l-66mm-throttle-body.html

and a good intake system with a mass airflow outta a Crown Vic with a 4.6L.

this will make over 300 RWHP with the right gearing.

A little long winded reply but I hope this helps!:D

A question from page 1 who does the 1350 / 1354 doubler ?
& what is a 1350 out of ? I have a 1354 from a f350.

Jeff


I'm pretty sure it is a 1356 in a F350, Huge pig of a case too.

A question from page 1 who does the 1350 / 1354 doubler ?
& what is a 1350 out of ? I have a 1354 from a f350.

Jeff

snh is right, you didn't get a 1354 from an f350. They're found in ranger based vehicles (rangers, bii, explorer, etc).

Doubler came from D.D. Machine. Search him. Good luck getting ahold of him, though I hear he's been getting better with answering calls, replying to emails, etc.

snh - good stuff. I'll look into it. I've got a guy that's been hooking me up with schematics from Mitchell. They're pretty detailed. I should be able to figure it out.

I got a little work done on the explorer today. Got it into the shop, on jackstands, pulled the driveshaft, and stripped the auto trans of its electronics/shifters. I'm hoping to pull the trans Tuesday. That'll put me on schedule to start pulling engines this weekend.

Here's a few pics for fun:

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs004.snc4/33561_553081884282_197102715_32146006_6607224_n.jp g
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs004.ash2/33561_553081889272_197102715_32146007_4957938_n.jp g
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs004.ash2/33561_553081894262_197102715_32146008_1723477_n.jp g

Got a decent amount done this weekend. Got the 4.0 outta the explorer. Wasn't as bad as I had expected. The engine itself is, however. It's pretty rusty/nasty. If it was a super clean engine I'd almost consider just throwing it in my truck as is. Unfortunately its gonna need some attention.

Looking to tear the engine down this coming weekend so I can take everything into the machine shop to get checked out.

Lift wasn't high enough
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs749.snc4/64939_553614307302_197102715_32157959_6175949_n.jp g

That'll do
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs810.snc4/68995_553614332252_197102715_32157960_1167712_n.jp g

Safely on the ground
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs276.snc4/40138_553614357202_197102715_32157962_988237_n.jpg

Lookin good!

How long till your done? Its been like 3 weeks already....

haha I know. I've never been so busy in my life. I can only work on it on weekends, I'm doing it all by myself, and have never pulled an engine before. This whole thing is a new experience, as will the engine rebuild haha.

I'm drivin the "farm jeep" so I've got reliable transportation. I've been tellin people I hope to have it on the road before the snow starts flying.

Gonna get the engine torn apart this weekend and get the parts off to the machine shop. Probably have to order parts and wait for them to come in, etc.

It'll be a while.

It pains me to say, but I think the next catastrophic failure I have I'm buying another DD. That being said, after its got a fresh engine, I should be good to go for a while.

haha I know. I've never been so busy in my life. I can only work on it on weekends, I'm doing it all by myself, and have never pulled an engine before. This whole thing is a new experience, as will the engine rebuild haha.

I'm drivin the "farm jeep" so I've got reliable transportation. I've been tellin people I hope to have it on the road before the snow starts flying.

Gonna get the engine torn apart this weekend and get the parts off to the machine shop. Probably have to order parts and wait for them to come in, etc.

It'll be a while.

It pains me to say, but I think the next catastrophic failure I have I'm buying another DD. That being said, after its got a fresh engine, I should be good to go for a while.

Then it wouldn't be the DD build lol.... Trust me I know the feeling, I bought another DD when mine was still on 31's because I could see its dd duties were going to quickly disappear...

It looks good man keep the work up, sucks when ya don't even have the time to take it easy a time or 2 a week but you'll come out on top

I got the engine torn down today (for the most part). It'll be a miracle if I get this thing put together and it actually runs.

Anyways, yanked the heads off and wasn't 100% happy with what I saw. I dunno, maybe this is normal, but there seemed to be a decent amount of buildup on the pistons themselves. Cylinder walls seemed good though.

The center cylinder on both sides look a bit worse off than the others.

Spark plugs look fairly consistent between the cylinders, and none were bad enough to cause concern (IMO).

On to the pics:

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs454.ash2/72756_554109639652_197102715_32167074_4604634_n.jp g
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs886.snc4/71936_554109649632_197102715_32167075_1563320_n.jp g

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs779.snc4/65895_554109604722_197102715_32167072_2789154_n.jp g
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs394.ash2/67263_554109629672_197102715_32167073_6962191_n.jp g

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs903.snc4/71633_554109659612_197102715_32167076_6302668_n.jp g
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs885.snc4/71878_554109669592_197102715_32167077_1903635_n.jp g

Yep, its a pretty grungy block.

I was hoping to get the 3.0 pulled from my truck tomorrow, but I've got a birthday party to go to at 11a, then I've got senior design at school from 1-7p. There goes my weekend. Only one day a week to work on this is killing me.

Still progress is progress

True.

I always said if I ever put another engine in this thing, I'm just gonna pull it from the donor and toss it in. Black box mentality.

The deeper I get into this thing the more I want to build it. I think I'm gonna strip the botton end as well and get the block cleaned up. I plan to get a rebuild kit and rebuild it correctly. I want this thing to last me a long time. A fresh rebuild with some porting and a cam should make decent power and be pretty reliable - hopefully.

Might as well do it up right, do it once. You have had plenty of wheelin, the season is almost over anyway, no need to hurry. Lookin good, keep up the progress!

The progress will keep coming, one week at a time haha.

I'm more concerned with getting it done before it gets super cold out. Then wrenchin starts to get expensive (heating the shop). I don't need to tell you anything about cold temps though lol.

The way things are looking, I'll be lookin to get the 4.0 at least in the ranger engine bay the first weekend in Nov. Hopefully I can have it wrapped up before December hits. Even after all this mechanical goodness is done, I've gotta work through the electrical BS. Who knows how long it'll take to get that squared away.

truck is one of my favorite build Bray. Seems like me and Andrew have similar tastes when it comes to powerplants. I can't wait to see this thing up and going again

The cold around here is a good time to do all the welding. Thats when I'm doin it anyway :D

i wish i had the space and tools to do this stuff man. I know I can do it, I just dont have a welder, I dont have a bender, I dont have a garage big enough to fit anything other than parts and my hog, and I dont have a driveway. Sucks BAWLS.

truck is one of my favorite build Bray. Seems like me and Andrew have similar tastes when it comes to powerplants. I can't wait to see this thing up and going again

Thanks man. It means a lot to hear that guys appreciate my work.

Its a love hate relationship with my truck haha. I'm hoping after I get the new powerplant in I'll love it again. After the new engine is in, I will have had my hand in, and modified, every major component of this truck. I guess that's pretty cool to think about too.

The cold around here is a good time to do all the welding. Thats when I'm doin it anyway :D

I hear ya on that man. Its all the time pullin/preppin parts that's no fun. Unfortunately that accounts for ~90% of the time. :laughing:

i wish i had the space and tools to do this stuff man. I know I can do it, I just dont have a welder, I dont have a bender, I dont have a garage big enough to fit anything other than parts and my hog, and I dont have a driveway. Sucks BAWLS.

I know what you're saying. I'm EXTREMELY lucky to have a place to work on my rig. Our shop isn't the greatest (not insulated, everything runs off of extension cords, etc), but it's got a concrete floor, electricity, and plenty of room. Other than that, this truck was built with an angle grinder, hand drill, and an old lincoln 225 that's older than I am.

A lack of shop space may be an issue, but don't let a lack of tooling prevent you from building something. You'll be amazed at how good you get operating basic hand tools.

Hi Bray, Great Build. Reminds of the same days.

So about 6 years ago i decided to swap a 4.0L into my 2.9 ranger. put in a 94 explorer 4.0l ohv. better motors than the sohc but a little less power. I decided to rebuild mine and up the power a little. motor did not last a weekend and neither did the next 3. I am now on 4.0L #5 which was free and high mileage but bone stock and runs strong. I have a custom snorkel, chipped and headers only. I dont recomend to many performance upgrades to this motor for our type of use, i might turbo mine to blow up so i can do a 5.0L but thats not important.

With my swap the explorer harness under the hood worked with some slight mods but i also had to change every interior harness to keep everything working. This is where the explorer was useless, found a early 90's ranger interior harness and stripped the whole inside - WOW, big job. I wont do it again. I will strip dash and build my own with aftermarket gauges.

Now doesnt your 3.0L have everything mounted opposite of the 4.0L - eg. computer wrong side, fuse relay box, battery etc. i think you will have a little extra work with the inside wiring if you have to. The TRS should be able to help you out somewhat. OBDI & OBDII should not be a big deal but you do have to run the 4.0L ohv computer (PCM, ECM).

Hope this helps some and if you have any questions or need to bounce ideas around, feel free to contact me. I was a 12 volt installer for 10 years and built everything on my truck.

Good to know, thanks for the info.

What was the deal with the series of 4.0's you went through? What work did you do to them? What's your driving style (high rev?)?

I'm looking to do a complete rebuild, complete with a cam ground for more torque and some mild porting on the heads. Stock bottom end, stock heads (valves, springs, rockers, etc).

The first 4.0L was port polished heads & intake. Stock bottom end just freshened up. Now these motors had problems with losing oil pressure, overheating, headgaskets. I drive trails, obstacles, mud etc. It does require some high revving but not very often. The latest 4.0L has seen the worst and lived the longest with lots of high revving bouncing off rev limiter - Maybe cause i'm waiting to blow this one up before i go 5.0L. Theses motors don't handle alot of performance mods very well - hopefully yours will last but once you have the swap done and working, finding and changing 4.0L is a breeze.

Theses motors don't handle alot of performance mods very well

I will second that statement....

The oil pressure may be a concern. Any aftermarket oil pumps that have solved that problem? I'm not worried about overheating - that's easily fixed. Headgaskets - I'm not increasing compression ratio so that sholdn't be too big a concern. I'll make sure to use a high quality rebuild/gasket kit when I put it back together.

I'm trying to be optimistic. I'm already balls deep in this swap. I took the heads in this morning - no turning back now lol.

im not saying don't do it, as the 4.slo is better than the 3L (IMO). I am just saying I wouldn't worry about trying to make it a super performance machine. Just make sure its good, replace all the bearing and seals, new oil pump, set of headers, and call it a day. You wont win a NASCAR race, but it will still have plenty of torque

subscribed. as a fellow ranger enthusiast, im diggin it!

I've never had a problem with my 4.0 and i've beat the shit out of it, it just keeps on trucking. As far as power? I've never had a problem even when i was running 39's and 4.10s. its done everything i've wanted to.

Now given that, its no V8 but i don't think you'll have an gripes once its up and running

I've never had a problem with my 4.0 and i've beat the shit out of it, it just keeps on trucking. As far as power? I've never had a problem even when i was running 39's and 4.10s. its done everything i've wanted to.

Now given that, its no V8 but i don't think you'll have an gripes once its up and running

I can vouche for that too. All 3 of my rangers are stock other than intake, complete exhaust, and electric fans, and two of them take one hell of a beating. Both of those are 4.0 manuals, the 3.0 auto is just a highway queen. I have hit the rev limiter on my 4.0's MULTIPLE times. Not to mention my 4by has 170K on the ticker. burns about a quart every oil change, nothing more. Granted, neither truck will do over 75, but hey, no need to go that fast anyway. The swap is well worth it, trying to build a 4.0, i personally think is a waste. Just keep it mostly stock, and beat the living piss out of it.

I agree. If I were going to seriously build an engine it would be a SBF. I just have a REALLY hard time leaving things as they are. :)

As for my driving style, I've never hit the rev limiter - ever. Don't get me wrong, it gets beat on when necessary, but I try to pay attention to where I'm at in the rpm range. I also don't drink when I'm wheelin. :D

If its reliable enough for Ford to put it in RBV's for that long, I'm sure I can make it live.

Quick update:

I got the 3.0 yanked from the Ranger yesterday. I brought my camera, but left my memory card in my computer.

Anyways, the 3.0 came out much easier than the 4.0 did. Mostly due to the majority of the electrical running to a couple master plugs at the firewall. While this was awesome for removal, I think it'll prove to be a pain when I get the engine in there and try to make the wiring work.

I'm still unsure how I'm gonna go about the electrical side of things. I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

Still waiting on the heads to get back from the machine shop. I need to pick up the rest of the parts so I can get this thing put back together.

dud really enjoying this thread, im just researching for a buddy with a ranger, came across this thread and got hooked. looking good, keep it up ready to read/see more!

Right on man, glad you enjoy it!

I got a call from the machine shop. The heads don't have any cracks, but need rebuilt pretty bad. I told em to make em like new. Still waiting for then to get em done.

Went to the shop yesterday to get the rest of the block torn down. I got stuck trying to get the harmonic balancer off. My bro has a puller but the bolts weren't long enough (the balancer IS the pulley, so its pretty deep). Ran into town to get longer bolts. Got back to the shop to find that after the bolts were through the non-threaded holes, there's not enough room to get a nut on the back side. FML.

I'll go to the parts store and see if I can rent one that will work. Once that's off I'm gonna strip the block down and take it in to get cleaned up just like the heads.

I thought when I tore into this thing it may spark my interest in engines. I still fawkin hate em. I don't ever think I'll be a power hungry gear head. We'll see.

I thought when I tore into this thing it may spark my interest in engines. I still fawkin hate em. I don't ever think I'll be a power hungry gear head. We'll see.

Haha I know what you mean man, I can wheel, weld, fab all day! I dont even eat anything! But it comes to engines, I get bored stiff! Its really cool, just not my thing.

Haha I know what you mean man, I can wheel, weld, fab all day! I dont even eat anything! But it comes to engines, I get bored stiff! Its really cool, just not my thing.

I really appreciate high power rigs, but it just doesn't get my rocks off like a well built/creative chassis/suspension. An engine serves one purpose to me, make enough power that I can run down the road at 70mph. Any additional power is welcomed, but not necessary.

That being said, I could've found another 3.0 and dropped that in and saved myself a lot of hassle, but it just makes sense to replace it with a 4.0, and while that's out, it just makes sense to do some work to the 4.0 before it goes in. I guess the additional power will be welcomed. :D

The first 4.0L was port polished heads & intake. Stock bottom end just freshened up. Now these motors had problems with losing oil pressure, overheating, headgaskets. I drive trails, obstacles, mud etc. It does require some high revving but not very often. The latest 4.0L has seen the worst and lived the longest with lots of high revving bouncing off rev limiter - Maybe cause i'm waiting to blow this one up before i go 5.0L. Theses motors don't handle alot of performance mods very well - hopefully yours will last but once you have the swap done and working, finding and changing 4.0L is a breeze.

I dunno what your doing to those 4.0L's Brad but I've given mine a 5000rpm beating nearly every day I've driven it since I got mine 6 years ago and I just rolled over 300k yesterday with NO major repairs or issues. Trevor (TEE REV) in calgary has over 200 1/4mile pass's with a '75 shot on his built 4.0L and it's goin strong with the aftermarket computer rev limiter set at 6200rpm.

Bray, I'd strongly suggest the 422 cam/headers while your doing your engine, there's no sense in taking it all apart twice.

-andrew

Bray, I'd strongly suggest the 422 cam/headers while your doing your engine, there's no sense in taking it all apart twice.

They're on the rebuild list. :D

I was going to bring up Trev's 4.0...but you beat me to it. It's survived everything he's thrown at it (except for the 75 shot of N20 at 1500rpm and a bad tune...LOL). It's propelled his truck to run a 13.3 at over 100mph in the quarter mile.

I know when I get the chance, I'll pull the heads & intake and do a port/polish, the 422 cam swap, a set of headers, and a good exhaust. One day....whenever I get the SAS done...

It's propelled his truck to run a 13.3 at over 100mph in the quarter mile.

I know when I get the chance, I'll pull the heads & intake and do a port/polish, the 422 cam swap, a set of headers, and a good exhaust. One day....whenever I get the SAS done...

All that work to run 13's? To each their own.

Full street trim, all steel bodied, no cage, 5800' effective altitude, all stock suspension....actually it's been lowered and basically setup for autocross. Trust me....he doesn't baby that engine either, he drives it like any vehicle was meant to be driven on a track!

Full street trim, all steel bodied, no cage, 5800' effective altitude, all stock suspension....actually it's been lowered and basically setup for autocross. Trust me....he doesn't baby that engine either, he drives it like any vehicle was meant to be driven on a track!

again, To each their own. The 4.Slo will be great for your rig Bray. Plenty of torque. Mine has 170K and turns my 35's like its no problem, and I am getting about 16-18 MPG combined

i got a buddy that had a 4.0 in an explorer a few years back, his oil pump went out too

Got the heads back from the machine shop. 422 cam is supposed to be here today (haven't been home yet). Got ahold of the guy that's gonna help me swap the 3.0 m5od internals into the 4.0 case. Running over there this coming Sunday.

Gotta get the engine block in to the machine shop then things will start coming together.

OH, ruff stuff poly engine mounts came in too. Need to get those welded up.

OH, ruff stuff poly engine mounts came in too. Need to get those welded up.

I'd like to get some myself. Post up some pics when you do them if you dont mind;)

Will do. They're bent into shape rather than being a bunch of keyed plates. It'll make welding em up a breeze. One thing I will say, is the steel tube that the poly bushing itself goes in doesn't quite fit into the holes in the "support plates." Nothing a little love from the die grinder can't fix. :D

is this thing done yet?


I havn't checked in on this build in a while and was ecpecting to see some videos of it doing wheelies or something by now......



Sam

Hey man.your truck is so sick im new to four wheelin and new to pirate 4x4. I was wondering where u got those longer shackels for the rear or did u fab them dback when you had the ttb setup

Hey man.your truck is so sick im new to four wheelin and new to pirate 4x4. I was wondering where u got those longer shackels for the rear or did u fab them dback when you had the ttb setup

Belltech 6400 lowering shackles for a 88-98 Chevy truck. They lower the chevy's, and lift the Rangers. Welcome to the site.

Nice truck, I've been catching up on your thread. Seems you've had trouble with the law, may have a solution. Go buy 2 atv winches and hook them up in a configuration like a comp buggy, to suck in the f&r axles. It'd be a win-win for you on hill climbs, plus when you see blue lights in the rear view, just grab remotes and start pulling in, BEFORE you come to a complete stop. Works, I promise!:D

Thanks for the compliments guys. I'm still waiting on the damn machine shop to get my block done :mad3:

They've had it for over a month.

5bros - I think that solution has already been proposed :D

Alright guys, I've been thinking.

I haven't driven my truck in a LONG time, and I need my mojo back. I still haven't heard from the machine shop, and once I do, I still need to buy a rebuild kit, rings, gaskets, pushrods, headers, etc. Depending on what they tell me, I may need new pistons as well.

I'm guessing all of that to be damn near a grand by the time all is said and done. Plus probably months before it all comes together.

It look like 2 hours to pull the 3.0L. Stupid easy. I'm sure putting one back in would be the same.

I'm thinking of buying a junkyard 3.0L (~500 bucks), bolt it in, and be driving it again in a weekend. Then take my time building the 4.0L and swap it in at a more convenient time, like after graduation, after I get another DD, whenever.

Another option would be to buy an oil pump, fix the 3.0L I've got, and toss it back in there. I don't really trust a 183k motor that has been run dry for a while though. I'd call the 500 bucks for a <100k motor insurance that it won't crap out on me in a week.

I know what I was thinking when I dove into the 4.0 swap, but I may have been a bit ambitious. All this shit is taking WAY too long.

What do you guys think? It'll still be gutless, but will probably run better than the 3.0L that was in it, and it'll get it back on the road.

do it bud. Whats a JY 3.0 now days? 300 bucks? I would

I would do that too Bray, you might even be able to get a wheelin' trip or two in before you start the swap again. In my mind that is completely worth it.

The more I think about it, the more I like the idea. Even if I did get this 4.0 built, I need to figure out the wiring, and once all that is done, I'm sure there would be bugs to be worked out.

With another 3.0, it'll be strictly plug and play. Easy to install, no electrical issues, no bugs to work out. Just put it back together and drive it.

I'll probably start checking around the local yards pretty soon to get an idea on price.

Well hurry the fawk up!:flipoff2:

And build some sweet ass bumpers to go with this bad boy:mr-t:

where did you get that transfer case shifter>?
tell me plz rite meow

Well hurry the fawk up!:flipoff2:

And build some sweet ass bumpers to go with this bad boy:mr-t:

I gotta say, this post put a smile on my face haha. Bumpers, faaawwwkkkk!













:D


edit: surrey - The t-case shifter is a bastard unit. Its the pivot from a stock manual t-case shifter, but it was for a longer tailhousing or some shit. I had to extend the shift fork so it would reach the shift lever on the t-case, then I removed the portion that comes through the floor and welded on my own slightly bent 1/2" rod. Welded a 1/2"-13unc stud on the end of it, smoothed it, and spun the shift knob on - which came from ebay :D

I went to the local yard. They said they had a couple 3.0's and they could yank me one. I put $150 down, and I'll pay another $150 when I pick it up. Said all of their engines run good, have 100k - 120k miles, and are sold complete (all accessories on them, wire harness, etc.). I'll call em this coming week to see if they've got one pulled for me yet.

Ran to the farm and did a little work today. Put a slight bend in my trac bar to give me some more clearance for compression. Now the engine crossmember is the limiting factor. Its already shaved, and I'm sure the oil pan will be very close as well. I'm thinking of chopping the crossmember and massaging the oil pan a bit to get some more bump out of this baby. I need to mock the engine in to see though. I've got ~3.5" of compression now. I think I'd be happy with 5".

man i am glad you are finally getting this thing going again!

man i am glad you are finally getting this thing going again!

Me too man. I'm finally getting my motivation back. The past few months have been a trip...

Me too man. I'm finally getting my motivation back. The past few months have been a trip...

Bring that junker to turkey bay!! Spring is coming quick hoss

I plan to sometime this season. It looks like its usually pretty slimey, so unless you convince me otherwise, I may have to wait till it dries up a bit.

You know you wanna do THIS (http://s7.photobucket.com/albums/y255/wahlstrom1/?action=view&current=00046.mp4) with your truck.... Lol.

I plan to sometime this season. It looks like its usually pretty slimey, so unless you convince me otherwise, I may have to wait till it dries up a bit.
it if hasnt rained in a few days turkey bay is mostly dry, except for 4 which usually all summer long has a little mud

and really even with a small rain tb is perfet because it knocks out the dust pretty much the whole place is rocky so it dries up quick and all the holes are mainly just water.

let me know when your planning to go
You know you wanna do THIS (http://s7.photobucket.com/albums/y255/wahlstrom1/?action=view&current=00046.mp4) with your truck.... Lol.

holy shit i cant believe you made it out of that lol