Lift advise

jglimpse · Aug 10, 2007

OK so I had a 87 4x4 ranger with about a 4 inch lift and radius arms (sky jacker I think) I was happy with how it rode on the road but on dirt roads or wheeling it always seemed to stiff. So I just got a 91 ranger EXT cab 4.0. So now its time to lift the new truck I am thinking of using the jeep coils. So my first question is what size lift brackets should I order? The ones for a 6" 5.5" or 4" lift. Next question is what should I do for Rear leafs? Explorer leafs or Chevy leafs? Thanks any input advise and personal experience is greatly appreciated

JohnnyU · Aug 10, 2007

Jeep coils will be too soft for your truck, especially with the 4.0L. Look into a set of Early Bronco coils. Tom's are progressive rate, as are Wild Horses, but I think Toms also offers a linear rate coil, that's that you need (the 3.5" coil should get you around 5-6" of lift depending on your front end weight. The 5.5" coil will give you 7-8" of lift, and make the truck a rather scary road-truck.

Todd · Aug 10, 2007

I would also think that the jeep coils would be too soft for your larger ranger.

I run 4.5" XJ coils with 4" pivot drops and had to use as much spacer as I could under the coil to get a full 4" out if it. This is on a Ranger Cab BII witch I would imagine weighs much less than that of a Ext cab 4.0 Ranger.

jglimpse · Aug 11, 2007

Whats the difference between progressive rate and linear rate coil? So if I go with the 3.5" coils I should order 6" drop brackets from skyjacker is that correct? Also what should I do in the back? Thanks for all the help

dangeranger01 · Aug 11, 2007

jglimpse said:
Whats the difference between progressive rate and linear rate coil?

A progressive rate spring gets harder to compress the further it goes and a linearspring takes the same amount of force to compress throughout its travel.

jglimpse · Aug 11, 2007

Ok thanks

JohnnyU · Aug 11, 2007

jglimpse said:
Whats the difference between progressive rate and linear rate coil? So if I go with the 3.5" coils I should order 6" drop brackets from skyjacker is that correct? Also what should I do in the back? Thanks for all the help

The 3.5" coil should work with those brackets. Since you have the Ext cab, you may need to drop them to the 4" holes for better alignability, or add a few washers underneath the springs to shim it up a bit.

Before you order anything, call and talk to the company, make sure you are getting a linear rate coil. I thought the Tom's coils were linear, but when they came in the box, they were progressive....

jglimpse · Aug 11, 2007

The 3.5" coil should work with those brackets. Since you have the Ext cab, you may need to drop them to the 4" holes for better alignability, or add a few washers underneath the springs to shim it up a bit

Not sure if I am understanding this right but if I order brackets for a 6" lift do they also have holes for 4"? Just want to make sure I know what I need before I order the wrong stuff

JohnnyU · Aug 11, 2007

Yes, the Skyjacker brackets have holes for their 4" lift as well as a hole for the 6" kit. In many cases, the upper holes are used even with the 6" kit when installed on the 4.0L ext cab trucks.

jglimpse · Aug 16, 2007

Cool I think I found a set of bracket on here from another user and also toms Bronco parts is right here in medford were I live so Im going to pick up springs today Ill post pics tomorrow. Any advise on how to bring the back up? Still want a soft ride (lots of wash board roads where we hunt)

4x4junkie · Aug 16, 2007

Use 4" brackets (or holes) and keep your lift no taller than that.
Keeping the steering angles together is much easier at 3-4" lift than anything taller (improper linkage geometry can cause the suspension to jack and do all sorts of weird things. Read the Jeep springs post at the top here if you haven't already).

rickcdewitt · Aug 23, 2007

sofride

jglimpse said:
Cool I think I found a set of bracket on here from another user and also toms Bronco parts is right here in medford were I live so Im going to pick up springs today Ill post pics tomorrow. Any advise on how to bring the back up? Still want a soft ride (lots of wash board roads where we hunt)

well you might be getting sick of my advise but here it goes.lift blocks will retain a soft ride because the stock flat springs are retained but will make more wheel hop from the extra leverage on the spring.a longer shackle might work but im not sure where to get one,you wouldnt need as tall of a block then.if you dont mind cutting and drilling you can use longer leaves with more arch to keep a nicer ride and get more flex.companies like deaver make good lift springs to fit stock mounts that arent too harsh also.add a leaves will make your ride harsher and dont give a lot of lift,they also wear out pretty fast.if all else fails some wieght in the back of the truck will make the tires follow the ground better and it wont skip off the top of the washboards as much.when i was working in the woods up there my truck always rode better with a log or two between the wheel humps and tailgate.

jglimpse · Aug 27, 2007

I think Im just going to throw the blocks in for now then Ill get some new leafs later. Im going to start this project tonight so Ill take some pics and post pics of the progress as it comes a long, and grows, I think I have all my parts now less shocks and drive lines will need to have some length added I think not to sure about that. Only time will tell or maybe you guys

Lift advise

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