Welcome Visitor! Please take a few seconds and Macneil87
Member
- Joined
- Nov 18, 2018
- Messages
- 56
- Reaction score
- 5
- Points
- 8
- Location
- Sudbury, ON. Canada
- Vehicle Year
- 1998
- Make / Model
- Ford Ranger
- Engine Size
- 4.0
- Transmission
- Manual
I am posting to share my little project truck that I’ve been working on for a couple of years. I thought I’d made a post on the forums awhile back but I hadn’t. I was reminded when I read about the return of truck of the month.
Here's a couple of pics and a short description of what has been done.
I’ve owned the truck for 5-6 years now. I bought it from my old man when the 4L started puking coolant out of the intake manifold gasket. I bought the truck with the intention of eventually doing a solid axle swap. Fixed the coolant leak and other small stuff and I drove it around in stock form for 2 years and used it as my daily driver. It only ever left me stranded once before I chopped it apart so I figured it was a good candidate and it proved itself to me. I’m a Heavy Duty mechanic by trade up here in Canada. With that being said, I am good with tools and a welder and full of ideas. Purpose of the build originally was to put it on one tons and 40s, and then covid hit and every thing went sky high in price. I eventually settled for a set of 1/2 ton diffs from a 97 Ram 1500 that I snagged from a buddy for a good price that had already been re geared. I went on Kijiji (Our snow land version of Craigslist) and started picking up more junk to make things work. As usual, a budget was the biggest thing to work within, I tried to keep it under $10,000 Canuck funds, including what I paid for the truck. Here’s a hodge podge Ranger that came out of the garage after a couple of years of slowly building and buying more parts/tools to do the work.
-1998 Ranger Short box (stepside/splash), regular cab 4x4 with a 5 speed manual and 4L engine.
-97 Ram 1500 diffs (Dana 44 front with CAD, Chrysler 9.25) geared to 4.56 and limited slip rear. I’d like to lock the front up eventually.
-Stock Transfer Case with a Neapco adapter to use a double cardan front driveshaft out of a grand Cherokee.
-Stock trans and engine with 236,000 KM.
-Steering box from a Toyota IFS truck, drilled and tapped for hydro assist later on. Steering column is a pile of parts thrown at each other and have a heim joint to support
-Steering is all 7/8” and 3/4” Heims with 1.5”x1/4” wall DOM tube and grade 8 hardware.
-Front coils are progressive 4-6” lift coils for a Jeep JK.
This is where things get a little unconventional with the front suspension
It’s a custom Radius Arm/Leading arm that a buddy who owns an off-road fab shop and I came up with by using a CNC table to cut the steel. We measured for coil buckets and got the steel cut and I went to town working on the front end department.
Links are built with 1 1/4 Heim, Uniball and 7/8” heim from TMR customs, DOM tube/Mild steel and several feet of MIG wire.
it’s currently sitting on bald 35x12.5 on a 17” wheel. I’d like to pick up some 36/37s in the spring.
It’s certainly not done by any means. I’d like to get the HP Dana 44 I have for it slung under and find a 9” and maybe re gear to a 5.13. For now, I’ll enjoy it how it is and replace as things break.
Here's a couple of pics and a short description of what has been done.
I’ve owned the truck for 5-6 years now. I bought it from my old man when the 4L started puking coolant out of the intake manifold gasket. I bought the truck with the intention of eventually doing a solid axle swap. Fixed the coolant leak and other small stuff and I drove it around in stock form for 2 years and used it as my daily driver. It only ever left me stranded once before I chopped it apart so I figured it was a good candidate and it proved itself to me. I’m a Heavy Duty mechanic by trade up here in Canada. With that being said, I am good with tools and a welder and full of ideas. Purpose of the build originally was to put it on one tons and 40s, and then covid hit and every thing went sky high in price. I eventually settled for a set of 1/2 ton diffs from a 97 Ram 1500 that I snagged from a buddy for a good price that had already been re geared. I went on Kijiji (Our snow land version of Craigslist) and started picking up more junk to make things work. As usual, a budget was the biggest thing to work within, I tried to keep it under $10,000 Canuck funds, including what I paid for the truck. Here’s a hodge podge Ranger that came out of the garage after a couple of years of slowly building and buying more parts/tools to do the work.
-1998 Ranger Short box (stepside/splash), regular cab 4x4 with a 5 speed manual and 4L engine.
-97 Ram 1500 diffs (Dana 44 front with CAD, Chrysler 9.25) geared to 4.56 and limited slip rear. I’d like to lock the front up eventually.
-Stock Transfer Case with a Neapco adapter to use a double cardan front driveshaft out of a grand Cherokee.
-Stock trans and engine with 236,000 KM.
-Steering box from a Toyota IFS truck, drilled and tapped for hydro assist later on. Steering column is a pile of parts thrown at each other and have a heim joint to support
-Steering is all 7/8” and 3/4” Heims with 1.5”x1/4” wall DOM tube and grade 8 hardware.
-Front coils are progressive 4-6” lift coils for a Jeep JK.
This is where things get a little unconventional with the front suspension
It’s a custom Radius Arm/Leading arm that a buddy who owns an off-road fab shop and I came up with by using a CNC table to cut the steel. We measured for coil buckets and got the steel cut and I went to town working on the front end department.
Links are built with 1 1/4 Heim, Uniball and 7/8” heim from TMR customs, DOM tube/Mild steel and several feet of MIG wire.
it’s currently sitting on bald 35x12.5 on a 17” wheel. I’d like to pick up some 36/37s in the spring.
It’s certainly not done by any means. I’d like to get the HP Dana 44 I have for it slung under and find a 9” and maybe re gear to a 5.13. For now, I’ll enjoy it how it is and replace as things break.
