New here. 1989 ford ranger 2.9L v6.

lilgear · Feb 19, 2009

Ok so im new to this site but i have a 1989 ford ranger that i am slowly going to turn into a prerunner not all out because i still have to use this as a daily driver but its going to get alot of time money and sweat into it i was wondering if any seasoned pre-runner owners have any advise i am only 16 but i have a love for cars trucks dirtbikes or just about anything else with a motor in it i have aslong as i can remember this is going to be a life long passion for me and i figured why not start out building my truck. Ill put up some pictures of it as soon as possible its not real good looken but it runs great and its a tank "something i really need to fix things too damn heavy for a prerunner" any and all advice is welcome.

RangerRocker · Feb 19, 2009

Find a mid travel kit for your truck, get some good a/ts...whatever you want. A good bumper to gaurd your ride. And if you really want, throw on some fiberglass. It's a lot for a 16 year old. But I'm only 18. I feel your pain. I just need the funds, haha.

lilgear · Feb 19, 2009

I know it hurts but my cousin owns woolworthmotorsports and i think he is going to sell me some parts and stuff at a good price. look the site up woolworthmotorsports.com its pretty cool

canyoncritter · Feb 20, 2009

thats the chepest plug i have ever heard for a company.

cheapest/bang for buck would be to watch for a used bent beam set up. like the autofab ecno kit. and apair of good springs out back. then work on shock mounts and shocks.

If you can wait for deals, you could proably get away for under 2 g's with shocks that way.

next, would be one of dave's kits from threat. for the front. good springs on the rear and shocks. could proably get away in the 3 g range

or tell your cousin you want to be the shop bitch in exchange for parts.Im pretty sure hes up to fabing some beams etc.

RangerRocker · Feb 20, 2009

Well, that will definitely help. haha. Ask him about one of those prerunner bumpers like the one on the prerunner bumpers page. I live in phoenix so the drive up to have it installed is no biggie. Hook it up man. Lol.

big ike · Feb 20, 2009

Hey there little bud. I am also a new member here. It is a pretty cool site. I also have a 1989 ranger extra cab. It all depends on how much do you want to spend. You can first start with fenders. Perrys fab & fiber has good prices. You can start by just buying the front fenders. For the rear you can just cut the inner panel and pull them out. It looks pretty cool. Thats how I started. In between the fender and the frame you can weld a 3.4in tube so they will stay out. Just put some pennylocks and you will be set. I will try to post some of my pics of my ranger to see what you think. 10/4 Later amigo.

fx2prerunner · Feb 20, 2009

hey real cheap upgrade for you, grind off the rivets that hold your rear spring hangers on and flip them so the shackle is "upside down" it will only cost you a grinding disk and some grade 8 hardware, it will give you a little better travel and lower the rear enough to give you that "prerunner stance" check out the tech library lots of cheap but effective mods to give a little more travel

84projectFORD · Feb 22, 2009

all of these are great suggestions. it will really come down to time and funds (or what you can swindle out of your cousin

).

If its your DD you might have a hard time in doin a coilover setup up front as it can be a little time consuming. If you get a few guys on it and you have the right tools you should be good in a weekend otherwise a kit like camburs 5.5" bent beam kit or auto fab would be perfect for you.

Put some well valved shocks on that with the bent beam kit and it will handle enough abuse, jsut dont go hammerin on it.

I would suggest doin fiberglass fenders after you put the suspension on. Id also jsut pull the rear bed sides to make it easy.

For the rear, look into flippin the shackel first! that is the base for alot of leaf spring kits. Next id look into some deaver prerunner spring packs as your rear end wont be as heavy as a race truck. You could also talk to Raceranger on here about his setup, seems to be workin pretty well and holdin up.

You will need a good set of shocks for the rear to really see the dramatic difference in the rear springs. A 14" or 16" smooth body shock w/ a simple bed cage would probably work well in your case, you may just have to revalve it a bit to make them work right.

Other than that, if your really gunna start goin all out i really suggest a full cage front to rear and look into a front end kit that uses bigger bearings like Daves equal lenght beam kit. Puttin an 8.8 under her wouldnt hurt either.

New here. 1989 ford ranger 2.9L v6.

lilgear

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RangerRocker

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lilgear

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canyoncritter

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RangerRocker

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big ike

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fx2prerunner

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84projectFORD

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