hello

[lordbronn]

hi everyone.. new to the forums here and new to 4x4, but am really interested and willing to learn. anyways, i have a 1984 ford ranger xlt 2.9 v6 4x4. that i was thinking about building for trails, but nothing extrme just wanna have some fun. was woundering if this truck would do the job or not with the right gear.. also any ideas on what i should start on first? will post pics tomorrow if i get off work in time. Thanks!

 

[509lifted]

sorry but i don't think u have the 2.9 unless the previous owner swapped the 2.8 out.

 

[twitch615]

Welcome to the forum bud! And your truck is plenty capable, but before you start making build plans I suggest you take your truck out for some trail riding around your local trails and take a look at what kind of terrain you'll mainly want to be wheeling. Then from there you can determine what exactly you'll want to upgrade on it.

 

[BrucesBlack]

Welcome to the Site ! , That Rig should be plenty Capable enough with the Right Modifications and Bolt on Parts out there , All depends on How Mild Or Wild you Want your Build ! .

 

[whissiswheelin]

Welcome. if your planning on building on hopes and dreams and cant afford a kit check out the suspensions and fab sections in the forum there are a lot of how to's and how not to's.

 

[jhammel85]

Welcome!

 

[lordbronn]

ok so i was talking to a buddy of mine.. he said i should weld the back end up.. iduno if i hurd him wrong but not sure what that means.. also said to get a 4 in lift. and 31 or 32 in tires. and i should be good. said to leave the stock suspenssion ... also it might be a 2.8 XD not sure if its even a stock motor

 

[upnsmoke]

31s or 32s should be a good fit for a 4 inch lift. You'll probably want to regear once you get bigger tires though. I researched running a permanently locked/welded rear, and gathered that it can be a pain on the street along with wearing rear tires out fast. I never tried it, so someone else may have a more informed opinion based on their experiences and your needs. I can say I am happy with my trac lok posi. You should look at lockers as well. There are some pretty cheap ones available and you may even find one used.

 

[lordbronn]

 

[lordbronn]

ok so. this is going to sound really dumb.. so dont be to cruel haha.. is that stock height with tires making it look bigger? or is it liftd alil

 

[lordbronn]

 

[Twister]

That is a 2.8

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 2

 

[upnsmoke]

This is 31s with a 4" lift in front and 3" lift in rear:

The 4x4s set a little higher stock, right? If they do, yours would be a little higher than mine stock. Either way, yours looks lifted a little. Are those tires 31s? They look like it. You'll have to have a look at the suspension to determine if it's lifted, or get pictures and have someone on here have a look at it.

 

[lordbronn]

first of all thanks for all the input everyone.. been really helpfull.. ill take a look. will most likey have to take a pic.. dont really know about this kinda stuff XD. ok yeah either way id like to lift mine alil more.. i feel like my tires will hit body. if i hit anything to big.. pretty sure i need new shocks.. ride feels really ruff .... and i take it if i weld rear end.. that makes it posi correct? if so.. do i need to do it to front also? or replace to get posi

 

[upnsmoke]

I think of a welded rear as locked. A locker will let left and right wheels turn independently of one another in some situations and effectively lock the wheels at the same speed in other situations. A limited slip resists the left and right wheels from turning at different speeds. It is well mannered on the street, but sometimes inadequate off road. A welded rear will never allow the left and right tires to turn at different speeds from one another, resulting in potentially excellent performance off road, but possibly giving you trouble on the street. You'll want to be especially discerning about the front as that is your steer axle as well as a drive axle. I have not done much research on front diffs as I own a 2wd and have no immediate plans of buying a 4x4, but I do know that you will not want to weld your front diff if you ever plan to drive on the street or at speed.

As far as tire clearance goes, you may get away with just fender trimming and pulling bedsides. Just be sure to search around and figure out what you want before you go welding and changing things. It's important to figure out what you want from the truck. Is it a daily driver, an off road only rig, or will it do both? There is a lot of good information on the forum and in the tech library if you search around.