Recent content by stmitch

To be clear, I was suggesting relocating the battery and fuel to a location under the bed floor, behind the rear axle so utility wouldn't be impacted, and the only change in weight would be from the added length of wiring/lines to each component. And again, a little more weight farther back...

Sandbags are cheap and easy to use as experimentation. Once you know if you like the way it rides with weight all the way in the back, then you can do something more permanent and discreet like a battery relocation, fuel cell, etc. Those would add little overall weight, and would just move it...

One other thing that is likely contributing to your situation is F/R weight balance. These trucks (especially regular cab/short bed) tend to ride a bit softer with some weight in the back. You could experiment by throwing a few sandbags or something similar in the back of the bed and see what...

Sideways hopping over bumps is inherent to solid axle, leaf spring suspensions. Assuming your suspension is currently healthy, that's not really going to change much unless you radically change something about the design (converting to a 4 link, IRS, etc). A rear swaybar is a great upgrade to a...

Just FYI, the James Duff bars won't work (without modification) if you're still planning an axle flip to lower the rear. The brackets won't work: For spring under axle setups, Caltracs would be the best off the shelf option:

You'd for sure have to cut and weld the fronts of the fenders, and use the Explorer header panel to get the headlights/grille to fit. I think the core support might need to be changed out too, but it's been a long time since I read up on the swap. Oh, hoods are different too.

It's fine if you want to pursue this just because it interests you, but before I spent hundreds on an attempt to improve an ignition system that's generally pretty good, I'd buy an underdrive pulley for similar or less money. They'll net better performance and improve efficiency more than hotter...

Not many see the need to pursue this. The threads that I've read over the years from people that have tried alternatives have made me a believer in the factory Motorcraft coilpack/basic Autolite plug combo.

Rusty also said it was a 76 in his post, so I'm guessing the owner is calling it a 76 for some reason.

Woah nelly! Lancia made the 037 mid-engine car to compete in the wild Group B rally class. They're highly sought after cars with a reputation for being stupid fast and pretty unsafe: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lancia_Rally_037 Now, there's a company named Kimera that's doing restomods of...

18X9 front and 18X10 rear. I don't remember wheel offsets since it's been well over a decade. They're just aftermarket SN95/New Edge Mustang wheels. I don't have any spacers, but I have a bit of a unique setup in front with the Cobra brakes. They use a turned down version of the stock Ranger...

The wheel/tire specs and drop should end up pretty close to mine. This is the DJM 4/5 kit with stock Ranger rear axle. I'm running 245/35/18s in front and 295/35/18s in the rear. I'll need new tires soon, and will probably try something with a bit more sidewall in front like you're planning...

Not sure about the VIN situation, but as far as I know, the Dual Sports all had fender flares (kind of like the Edge model Rangers did. Here's a DS:

Spacers on the front are typically used when the centerbore of the wheel is too small for the hub to penetrate. They also make it more likely to clear the dustcap on the hub and use a centercap on the wheel. It just depends on the wheel. I'd hold off on spacers of any kind until you can test fit...

The 5.0 swap is popular into Rangers because they came from the factory in Explorers, so it's more or less a bolt in affair with the right year donor/recipient. A Barra swap would be the complete opposite. Tons of custom work. Transmission, PCM, mounts, cooling system, exhaust, etc all custom...