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Ford Ranger TTB build

85K views 268 replies 38 participants last post by  Josh40601 
#1 · (Edited)
Ford Ranger budget build

Thought I'd share my build with you folks. I understand it's not that "extreme" but it works beautifully for me.

Enjoy:



I originally bought this truck for $400. Mismatched body panels, cracked heads, no exhaust, broken front diff, etc.

Got it running, played with leveling coils and got bored quickly enough.

Swapped in an expo 8.8 with 4.56s and an Aussie locker. Front Dana 35 got the same minus the locker.

I noticed awhile back that there was not much information about adapting EB (Early Bronco) coils onto the TTB suspensions. I figured I would pass on my knowledge from my build.


I started my build by grabbing a set of stock Dana 35 TTB radius arms. I ordered up 6 feet of 2" O.D. square tubing 1/4" wall. I cleaned up my radius arms and cut measured where 2" would fit snugly inside them. I incorp. 4 degrees of caster into the beams when I welded them up. I also welded new shock tabs onto the arms to eliminate the stud design. Im sure most of you have replaced their fare share of them. It's a good idea to drill 2 or 3 holes in the arm and plug weld them back shut. I also ended up plating the bend in my arms with 1/8" plate. I used rod ends for the end of my arms. Ended up using Ballistic Fab rod ends with a 1.25" thread and 9/16" through bolt. Here's where I got creative. Everyone I talked to said they hated the tires rubbing on their arms. So, I got the bright Idea to put a bend in them. Doing some measuring, I came up with 18 degrees. That angle is perfect for eliminating any tire rub within reason and still keep proper suspension geometry throughout the suspension cycling.






Here are my mounts. Everything is 1/4" plate welded with a 220 Mig welder. I also welded washers to the rod end mounting point for extra strength.






With the amount of suspension travel I'm creating, I had to remake my transmission crossmember. I ran into trouble with clearance having an auto transmission. Here's my finished product.
 
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#34 ·
Update on the truck. It tracks great going down the road but the coils are far too soft for highway driving. I was wondering if I got a set of nitrogen charged shocks that maybe they would stiffen the suspension up? I'm running a standard hydraulic BDS shock. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Here's the shock I was looking at:

Rusty's RX200 Monotube Performance Shock: R-235
 
#36 ·
Better shocks will definitely tighten it up immensely if all you're running now is cheap generic single hydro shocks.
I've been running single Bilsteins on the front of mine and it's decent, but even at that I think it still could be somewhat stiffer. I've been looking into a set of Fox shocks for it.
Is that RX200 shock revalvable? (page doesn't mention anything about it) I'd look for something you can revalve it if needed.
 
#47 ·
I used to have regular 9000s, hated the things. I never did try the XLs though... (I wrote off Rancho some years ago, too much $$$ wasted)
Hopefully them being gas-charged is an improvement.

Stay with linear springs if you're doing much slow-speed work (trails, crawling, etc.). A progressive coil IMO would limit your "stuff" travel too much for that use. They're usually a lot better for high-speed stuff however.
 
#43 · (Edited)
Nice work!

TTB cuts spring rate at the wheel more than a solid axle does. Not much but a solid axle spring will be about 6% lighter on TTB.

I ran solid axle, 300lb, Superflex coils from Jeff's Bronco Graveyard on my F150 TTB and found them to be a bit soft. That was even with Rancho 9000's cranked to full dampening. The 9000's will help. I cut them down and they settled more than I had hoped as well. Being able to cut them down is an advantage to get the ride height you want, but don't cut them too short! I bet you'd like those springs on your rig.

I'd like to run about a 360lb spring but settled for a 400lb, BDS, TTB spring. After looking around, that was what was available. I checked into EB springs from Wild Horses and Duffs, progressive springs at about 240 over 375. They would be too soft for my rig. Everything else was 455lbs and higher.

I can see why coil-overs are used, tuneable!


I got out of rock crawlin' and back to a mild, better riding rig which TTB does well.
 
#51 ·
^ Lol Josh.

90% finished with the Crossmember. I need a plasma cutter. Cutting 1/4" with a cutoff wheel BLOWS.

I ended up putting it behind my radius arm mounts. It will bolt to the frame using 1/4" plate. I ran out of cutting wheels or it woulda been on the truck Lol. I feel confident I will NOT break this.



 
#61 ·
It looks like the heat shields are gone from your cats. You might want to find the one for the servos on an explorer, so you don't cook your trans.
 
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