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Cheap Lifting Q's

1K views 9 replies 3 participants last post by  Obiwankanewbie 
#1 ·
Ok i have an 04 Ranger Edge 3.0 complete stock and it's my DD. I am looking to lift it to fit some bigger tires on it until i can come up with enough for upgrading my suspension.

I found some ideas for lifting on a budget here:
http://www.therangerstation.com/Magazine/Summer2003/LiftingOnABudget.htm

I was looking at a 1" from the front torsion, Lifting Shackles, 2" 4x4 blocks, and adding a leafspring. I'm a super newb so any advice would help. This is my first project and hopefully something i can one day call a prerunner.
 
#2 · (Edited)
...advice...
1. Keep searching and reading. Ranger Station and the Ford Truck Enthusiast forums are good places to start, so you're on the right track.
2. Don't upgrade a vehicle you still owe money on. It's not really yours until the title is in your name, and you never know what set of circumstances will take it from you.
3. Use whatever money you thought about putting into that Ranger into a different, older Ranger, or other Ford truck built as an off road only vehicle.
If you are just looking to put on a tire slightly larger than stock, this really isn't the place for you, because all the guys on here are into building hardcore offroad rigs, not Rangers with leveling kits and such. I know the budget and skill level isn't there for you yet, but my advice is figure out where you want to be SPECIFICALLY, not just "a pre-runner some day". Know what you want it to be, to do, and how you want it to be built, before you ever start. That means lots of research into parts, drivetrain and suspension setups, and most importantly, metal fabrication.
The best thing this forum has to offer is years of experience in building rigs, and you can RESEARCH what other people have done. Go through General 4x4 Tech and Ford Tech, and do your homework.
It Sunday, and I'm only a dick to my wife on Sunday, so I'll say this nicely to you. We get pissed because there is a shit ton of information about any 4x4 you can think of, right here at Pirate, but people are too god damn lazy to read what others have done. We won't help those who won't help themselves. That being said, if you have any questions, search first, and if you still have questions, come back and ask.
 
#3 ·
Thanks for the advice. I have been looking at forums for a couple of months and this one's my favorite. I read a lot about what people have done and didn't see very many budgeted vehicles unless i could fab my own parts, and being a newb i can't. Being said I guess that's where I'll start, before i touch my truck (clean title in my name) :) .

So for the next couple months at least i'll be learning to weld, saving my money, and reading threads like a mad man.

Bad idea to make my DD my off roader as well?

No worries man, you're not being mean. I know not to ask without research and I love all the info i can soak up on these forums. Sorry if i asked prematurely. Again if there's any other things i should learn before diving into a project i'd love the advice :)

Oh and no, not just another lifted random truck with big tires...
 
#4 ·
As far as wheeling your DD goes, I say don't do it because if you break on the trail, what are you going to drive to work Monday? Now, its no big deal to do a mild wheelable build, but you will not be DD'ing a prerunner. I built a budget pre-runner out of a 94 F-150 4x4 on 33s and it was good for 60mph jumps over old rail road crossings and such, but you'll find that the more off road capable a rig becomes, the less you will want to drive it on road for any extended period of time, with a few exceptions, and for several reasons.
Keep up the research, find what you need to know, learn how to do it, and go from there.
 
#5 ·
Thanks for your input! I read on this forum for hours every night at work. I decided to wait for a good deal on an old 4x4 ranger or something of similar size, i've been inspired :)
I took out my Ranger today just to see what it can do.... i wasn't very impressed lol but i didn't have any incidents. It was fun tho.

Thanks to all the members posting!
 
#6 ·
Other good vehicles to check out are Explorers (2 door or 4), Bronco IIs, which can usually be found cheap, and are as capable as a Jeep when set up properly. Come to think of it, Mopar sells front and rear Jeep Rubicon Dana 44 crate axles that have E-lockers and 4.10:1 gears in them for a decent price. The idea is that they could be used in a Jeep, but they could be used in other vehicles easily. If you want to build a pre-runner on a budget, I'd say go for something 97 or older on the Rangers and Explorers. BIIs ended in like 93. Don't overlook a full size truck though.
Just keep reading. I had to leave tech school for 3 months due to vehicle problems (I commuted 140 miles round trip every day), and took a job on a hog farm so I could afford to fix my truck. I had already been a member on another site like this one for a while, and had a pretty good knowledge of 4x4 stuff by that time. Then I found Pirate. I read everything I could lay my eyes on, sometimes for 6 hours a day! I jokingly say that I learned more from the internet than from tech school, but sometimes I wonder if thats not actually true.
I already touched on "knowing what you want before you start". That also means money. You need to know how much each part is going to cost you, and shop around as much as possible. Its ok to buy the vehicle before you accumulate the parts, but its smart to know what vehicle parts are most available for, and then choose accordingly. The reality is, nowadays if you can turn a wrench and spend $5000 on suspension, drivetrain, wheels, tires, and engine upgrades, you will have a great, capable rig. For most of us, we'd rather build our own long arm kits, and tinker with coil-over spring rates than let somebody else do it.
Also, don't hesitate to call manufacturers to find out if something is going to work the way you hope it will. They have people there who's only job is to answer any question a customer may have, and in this industry you will rarely get bull shit answers for the sake of selling a product.
 
#7 · (Edited)
That sux man, i ran into the same situation with transportaion to school and just got myself back in to some classes. Good luck with getting a new vehicle, higher learning is always good :D. Makes sense to try calling the manufacturers when i buy parts, i'll spunge them for info. And yeah i plan on spending about that much and making this at least a year long project before it's even close to where i want it. I got some more newb questions if you don't mind :)

1. Since the only experience i have with fab work is cutting, threading, and reaming pipe, i was wondering how much experience i should get welding before i expect to fab my own parts safely.

2. Got any especially good forums or net vids i should check out for good newbie info?

3. Any other skills i should be practicing/learning?

4. Got any tips on commonly over looked problems when buying your first project vehicle?

Thanks for the help Redpitbull

P.s. I'm not digging full sized trucks but there's a Silverado SS 90's ish that's got my eye someone's selling up the street from me
 
#8 ·
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=869210 is a good example of what not to do. See my response on page 2 for basics of how to get a feel for welding. Also, local community colleges usually have a welding class that will usually net you a certificate of some sort, and they are typically inexpensive and reasonable hours. Good affordable Mig welders for intermediate use such as working on vehicles are the Hobart Handler 210 and Iron Man 230, they can weld all steels, but if you ever plan to weld aluminum, they have an add on kit called a spool gun welder that allows for Aluminum welding as well. Another is the Hobart Handler 187 if you don't need to weld aluminum (most of us never do). Also, don't get confused when you see Weld Thickness: x" on these welders, as thats single pass penetration ability. For example, if it will do 1/4" single pass, you'd just end up doing 4 or more passes to bond 2 pieces of 1" plate. There are two different types of welding wire also, flux core and solid wire. Flux core doesn't need shielding gas, but produces a lesser quality weld, whereas solid wire uses a shielding gas to allow for optimum weld effectiveness.
Things to look for on a 4x4...
Mud where it shouldnt be, like on the inside back wall of the driver side of the cab, on the under side of the hood, in between the leaf springs, on the firewall, in between the cab and bed, inside the box part of the front of the frame, down in the crevices of the core support, etc.
broken springs, anything welded onto the frame, wiring that has turned green or been spliced, rust holes, worn or broken steering parts, you name it.
basically, imagine the truck when it was new, not as a complete vehicle, but as a group of systems and their components,then picture what you want it to be, and determine how many of the issues the new vehicle has that will cause you problems in your build. I don't even see a car as a car or a truck as a truck anymore, all I see are the systems and components that make up that vehicle, and I choose (or compile) the combination that suits me the best.
This is one skill that is important to become a good mechanic/ fabricator. Another is being able to look at something and figure out what tools you need to do a job, and what tool will work the best. Also, being able to look at, say, a front axle and know what it will take to get that out from under the truck, and a new one in its place, right down to torches for heating up the nuts and the steps you need to take to get that axle out.
 
#10 ·
Awesome thanks Richard n Red. That should help me out to a good start. I don't have a welder but my grandpa will most likely help me out since he lives close. I'll be reading up on all the basic fab techniques and get in some practice before i even start looking for my project rig. I'm going to rely on P4x4 and all of the members to help me with my project for a long time to come so I'm sure you'll see more of my posts in the future. Thanks again for the tips, they'll definately help.
 
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