Ranger V8 Chassis swap

kolot · Nov 4, 2018

Have many or any of you dropped a Ranger on a full size Chassis to obtain A V8 Ranger, I know the wheel base is wider but how much and does it work out all and all ?

JOLENE_THE_RANGER · Nov 6, 2018

i think you should be the first!!!!

fastpakr · Nov 6, 2018

What are you trying to gain by doing it that way vs other methods?

Dirtman · Nov 6, 2018

Why are you trying to put a ranger body on a different frame instead of just putting a v8 in your ranger the way it is? :icon_confused:

bobbywalter · Nov 6, 2018

kolot said:
Have many or any of you dropped a Ranger on a full size Chassis to obtain A V8 Ranger, I know the wheel base is wider but how much and does it work out all and all ?

yeah...it gets done quite a bit.

various other bodies get swapped to ranger chassis and ranger bodies get swapped to other chassis.

this is a specific and custom issue. a k5 chassis and k10 chassis is different then a dodge or ford fullsize.

the process is the same... match up wheel base and build mounts.

hook up the steering, brakes, and power/throttle/fuel

for heavy use it may be a better way to go. the weakest part of my truck is the frame. but mine was built via incrementalism.

85_Ranger4x4 · Nov 6, 2018

I have seen a BII on a EB frame. Somehow and for some reason the guy had it titled as the EB. Still had the old 302 in it yet, I have pics of it somewhere.

fastpakr · Nov 6, 2018

My guess? If it was titled as a Bronco II, the older V8 could have been an emissions liability during an inspection.

85_Ranger4x4 · Nov 6, 2018

fastpakr said:
My guess? If it was titled as a Bronco II, the older V8 could have been an emissions liability during an inspection.

Nobody inspects anything in Iowa.

I would think switching VIN's between models would be difficult to do and draw more attention though. :dntknw:

kolot · Nov 13, 2018

just seems to me, if you were to get a roller from say a F150 or other, all the work is done driveline wise. Welding and fabbing is what I do, so body mounts no problem or if a frame stretch or shrink again, no big deal. Rather that try and cram all that in the Ranger frame.
Seems to me a body lift would help with clearance, the 150 suspension, tranny and transfer case would be heavier , especially if you used say a mid 70's F150. As far as the DMV, my Ranger is 95, already registered and we have no state inspection, only emissions, which I only have to go to one more time and then it is old enough where they won't test it anymore.
It would also give me bigger brakes, and a manual transfer case with a lever.
The question I was getting at was the width of the wheel base, would the tires be way outside the body or just a little. Not worried about all the DMV stuff, or numbers matching, wondering if anyone has done it or is driving one of these. Don't matter to me K10 K20 F150 250 Bronco, just wondering how far the tires hang out.

snoranger · Nov 14, 2018

You mean track width. Wheel base is axle to axle centerline.

Your question can't really be answered easily. There are too many variables that have to be figured out first.
What axles are you using? They aren't all the same width between wheel mounting surfaces.
What rims? Width and backspacing will change the overall amount the wheels stick out.
What tires? The tires width will change overall width.

Figure out what chassis/axles you can get your hands on first.
Then figure out what tires and wheels you want, along with what backspacing is available or will fit.
Then you can figure out the overall width and how much they will stick out.

bobbywalter · Nov 14, 2018

kolot said:
just seems to me, if you were to get a roller from say a F150 or other, all the work is done driveline wise. Welding and fabbing is what I do, so body mounts no problem or if a frame stretch or shrink again, no big deal. Rather that try and cram all that in the Ranger frame.
Seems to me a body lift would help with clearance, the 150 suspension, tranny and transfer case would be heavier , especially if you used say a mid 70's F150. As far as the DMV, my Ranger is 95, already registered and we have no state inspection, only emissions, which I only have to go to one more time and then it is old enough where they won't test it anymore.
It would also give me bigger brakes, and a manual transfer case with a lever.
The question I was getting at was the width of the wheel base, would the tires be way outside the body or just a little. Not worried about all the DMV stuff, or numbers matching, wondering if anyone has done it or is driving one of these. Don't matter to me K10 K20 F150 250 Bronco, just wondering how far the tires hang out.

they posted this bronco 2 on a fullsize bronco chassis.

seems like it answers all of your questions.

note the fender flares.

my truck is a bit wider. it has 1 ton axles. so with 42 inch tires and 5 in backspacing in 10 in wheels its much wider.

even with stock tires and wheels its still a cop magnet.

snoranger · Nov 14, 2018

bobbywalter said:
they posted this bronco 2 on a fullsize bronco chassis.

seems like it answers all of your questions.

That's a '76 Bronco... not a fullsize.

bobbywalter · Nov 14, 2018

yeah...2 inches more per side.

i thought it was easy to visualize..

yeah...calling an eb fullsize over a 150 based unit is inaccurate.

my truck is a fat girl for sure.

snoranger · Nov 14, 2018

bobbywalter said:
i thought it was easy to visualize..

You do realize you're saying this on a thread that could have been answered with a tape measure.

85_Ranger4x4 · Nov 14, 2018

snoranger said:
You do realize you're saying this on a thread that could have been answered with a tape measure.

It is never a bad idea to ask for input, a tape measure won't tell you this frame fits better than that frame. There is more to it than track width.

The one pictured has later model fullsize truck wheels that are wider and probably have a different offset than factory '76 Bronco wheels so it might not be as far off as you think.

Ranger V8 Chassis swap

New Member

Active Member

Forum Staff Member

Former Middleweight Moss Fighting Champion

TRS Technical Staff

Forum Staff Member

Forum Staff Member

Forum Staff Member

Attachments

New Member

Professional money waster

TRS Technical Staff

Professional money waster

TRS Technical Staff

Professional money waster

Forum Staff Member

Sponsored Ad

Sponsored Ad

Member & Vendor Upgrades

Truck of The Month

Recently Featured

Follow TRS On Instagram

TRS Events

25th Anniversary Sponsors

Check Out The TRS Store

Sponsored Ad

Sponsored Ad

Sponsored Ad

Amazon Deals