Vehicle
1993 Ranger XLT SuperCab
4.0L, automatic
BW 1354 manual shift transfer case
ARE Z Series Camper Shell
Ekhart Class III trailer hitch
Custom built front skid plate, 1/4" aluminum

Suspension
Rancho lift front, pushed to 4+ inches
National Spring leafs rear, 3 inches, inverted spring hangers
RS 9000XLs
American Racing Outlaw II, 15x7
BF Goodrich All Terrain KO 32x11.50-15
4.10 gears
Explorer 8.8 rear end, Zexel Torsen limited slip, Disc brakes
Dana 35 TTB, TruTrac front

Engine Modifications
K&N FilterCharger, modified air intake system (from a '95 Explorer)
Flowmaster muffler, 2 1/2" dual exhaust
Jacobs wires
Autolite Platinum plugs, 0.060" gap
Superchip
Optima Red Top
160 amp alternator

Interior Mods
ARB air compressor (mounted in the cab)
Alpine CD player
Infinity Kappa speakers
MTX Amp
Midland CB (mounted in ash tray hole)
Oil Pressure Gauge mod
Taurus dome light
Autometer dual gauge pod
Explorer 2001 Sport bucket seats w/headrests

Exterior Mods
K40 antenna
Hella 181 driving lights
Front C***y tow hooks on custom mounts
Clear front corner lights
Rhino Lining

Custom mounts in truck bed
- full-size spare
- 60" Hi-Lift jack
- shovel, axe, pick holder

To Do
Rebuild or replace rear leaf springs

Rebuild engine
Rebuild transmission

Change interior to black
New carpet

Redo suspension - Camburg, Autofab, Deaver

...:eek:...What...:shifty_ey ...No pics???...:popcorn:

...:eek:...What...:shifty_ey ...No pics???...:popcorn:

Yeah:ttiwwp:

Here are 2, from several years back, taken in Colorado. More to follow...

Here are some shots of the bed with my spare tire mount. You can also see my shovel/axe mount. The Hi-Lift mount is on the right side of the bed.

...Clean setup...:thumbsup:

...Do I spy an 8.8 in the garage and someone is a Mark Martin Fan??

Sharp eye!

Yes, that is an 8.8 - it is the original one for my '93. 28 spline, 3.73 gears, Traction Lock. I guess I should sell it, or donate it....

And yes, I am a Mark Martin fan! Too bad he's back to driving chevys. :(

where on earth do you see an 8.8?!

where on earth do you see an 8.8?!

...I wish had I seen it sitting in my garage...it's in the first pic, left of left tail light..;)

Ohhh, ok, I was thinking "HE'S MAKING THIS UP!" OL

Can you post up some more pics on how you did the tow hooks on the front? Nice truck!

I will take some photos this weekend for you.

awesome, thanks man... I need recovery points bad :D

Each mount is made from a piece of 1/4" steel, 10" x 5". The 90 degree bend is at 4 1/2", and there are 2 triangular gussets welded in.

There are a total of 3 mounting bolts per side. The 2 lower bolts (grade 8) go through the triangular holes in the frame (backing plate on inside of frame.) The upper bolt (grade 5) goes through only the outer side of the frame. The nut is slipped through a slot in the bottom of the frame, and wrestled onto the bolt. (The top bolt does carry any/much load, only serving to keep the bracket tight against the frame.)

The tow hooks are from a 90's vintage full-size Chevy (don't hate me!) The are bolted to the bottom of the brackets with grade 5 bolts.

As they sit, you can put a Hi-Lift jack under a hook, and lift the truck (yes, I know from experience!)

Doing them again, I would probably shorten the horizontal part a bit, and place the hook closer to the frame. You have to watch the bolt heads, though, to allow each one to be tightened without interfering with the others. Also, I might re-design the front gusset (or add a third), welding it as far forward as possible. My first version only had the rear gusset, and lifting the truck by the hook bent the bracket (slightly.)

CB radio, mounted in the ash-tray opening. Underneath the dash is a Motorola external speaker (sounds a lot better than the CB-radio mounted speaker.)

wow, thanks for the detailed write up on that. I took off my lower plastic air dam thing like yours today and was checking out down there. I thought I figured out a decent way but yours looks better, seeing that you can lift it with a high lift! Thats extremely helpful

...I like the hooks and the cb turned out sweet...:biggthump

...Once I turn my Ranger into an offroader I'll need to do these myself...:D

Here's a picture of the gauge pod...

Looking over the truck, I have come up with a long list of things I want to do in preparation for the upcoming trek to Colorado. I thought I would document them here, both to keep track of things for myself, and for anyone else who might be interested.

The list is broken down into several sections - have to and would like to. Most of the have to items are general maintenance tasks, and some are due to the high mileage on the truck.



To Do

Replace 1" block with factory 2" block - done
New u-bolts - done

Add spacer to front coils - done
Check/tighten entire front end suspension - done
Lube front end - done

Alignment - done

Replace u-joints, carrier bearing - done

Change fluids
Oil & filter - done
Transmission & filter - add drain plug - done
Transfer case - done
Rear axle - check level - done
Front differential - check level - done
Coolant & thermostat - done
Power steering & filter - done
Brake fluid - done

Tighten/adjust steering box - done

Clean PCV valve - done
Look at rear axle "oil out of the breather hose" problem

Clean air filter - clean

Repair A/C leak?

Install Explorer seats - done

Tint door windows - done

Gas can mount - done
Water jug mount - done

Clean/oil Hi-Lift jack - done

Replace rear shock bushings (Rancho bushings don't last very long)

Build air cleaner heat shield


To Do if Time Allows

Upholster seats - done

Replace headliner

Paint interior

Camera bag mount - done

Move cruise control buttons

New steering wheel

Paint
Grille - done
Front bumper pad - done
Rear bumper pad
Fender flairs

How is it having the compressor in the cab?

How is it having the compressor in the cab?


The only time I run it I am airing up my tires, so the noise isn't a problem!

It is a hassle to hook up the air hose, though.

Along with the serious preparations I am making for the upcoming trip to Colorado, I took some time for a cosmetic improvement.

I painted the grille and bumper trim strip - the fender flares are next.

Here are the before shots:

And the result:

Looks great! Still one of my favourite rangers on the web :)

Thanks -

Stay tuned - more to come!

Looking good!

First person I have seen with a spare axle mounted !! Cool!

Looking forward to seeing it first hand in CO.

very nice Ranger Scott!

Keep the pictures coming

...It's amazing what a little paint can do to the looks...:biggthump

...I'm now squinting to find the spare axle that is mounted...:dunno:

...It's amazing what a little paint can do to the looks...

Hmmmm... I got the idea from you!

...I'm now squinting to find the spare axle that is mounted...:dunno:

I think Gregg mistook my shovel mount for an axle (next to the spare tire.)

He'll get a closer look in Colorado.

...Awww, got ya...

...:scratch:...But that might not be a bad idea...Spare ttb axle shafts mounted somewhere...

Whoops!

Think i still had sleepy's in my eye's when I read this:

Custom mounts in truck bed
- full-size spare
- 60" Hi-Lift jack
- shovel, axe, pick holder

Short 1 letter! Lol..!!

As part of my preparation for the upcoming expedition to Colorado, I wanted to make some changes in the suspension to compensate for the sagging, aging springs. The truck was almost an inch low in the rear - empty! I also needed an alignment - either toe or spring sag (or both) has caused excess wear on the insides of the front tires.

The Plan

Raise the rear. Originally, there were 1" blocks under the spring (which were put in to account for spring sag several years ago.) These will be replaced with the factory 2" blocks.

Raise the front. I have 1/4" coil spacers (with the hex opening) that were used years ago with different front springs. Currently, there are 2 spacers under the coil - I will add the third, and hopefully get the truck sitting close to level.

The Process

Raise the rear. The u-bolts took some work, and finally broke free. (I soaked them with Kroil for several days before this - ended up using PB Blaster, too.) An alignment pin from one of the blocks got stuck in the spring perches on the axle. One came out easily, the other had to be cut/ground (see picture.) After all that, everything went back together, the new u-bolts from Michigan Truck Spring (http://www.truckspring.com/round-u-bolts-grade-8_925.html) fit perfectly. Torqued to 100 ft-lbs, then 120 ft-lbs, all is well.

Raise the front. I have pulled the front end of this truck apart so many times I could do it in my sleep. Needless to say, everything came right apart, and went right back together.

Pictures of the rear work:

Pictures of the front work:

Here is a picture after all the work. As you can see, the rear is slightly higher than the front. This should allow the truck to sit level once it is loaded with all my junk.

A quick peak at what is in the works...

I usually carry a camera and pair of binoculars when I am out in my truck. They are usually stored behind the seat - in amongst jackets, hats and all the other "important items" that end up behind the seat (aren't Xtra cabs wonderful?!)

One small problem - no matter where I put the camera (or binocs) it ends up at the bottom of the pile, in a hard to find place. Never fails.

One day I got this idea - mount them in an accessible yet out of the way place.

In the Gen II Rangers (not sure about Gen I, definitely not in the Gen IIIs) the panel under the rear window is steel (vs. plastic.) Thinking the steel would make a strong enough mounting point, I decided to mount the camera there.

I laid out the binoculars and camera bag, and got a piece of stiff webbing long enough to pass behind both. I mounted the binocular case to the webbing with snaps, used the belt loop of the camera bag, and, using more snaps, attached the strap to the truck panel. (Sounds confusing - see the pictures.)

The pictures show the snaps on the interior panel, the empty strap, the full strap.

It works great! Easy to grab the camera, quick to put away, and I don't really have to worry about it getting banged up.

One suggestion if anyone does this - put a dab of silicone sealer under the snap half mounted to the interior panel. This will keep them from rattling.

I replaced my u-joints and carrier bearing this weekend. I also cleaned the underside of the truck.

The joints I replaced were greaseable ones - they worked fine, but tended to sling grease. I replaced them with the newest, latest and greatest from Spicer. I sourced a Timken carrier bearing from RockAuto.

I rigged up temporary mounts for both a 20L (5 gallon) gas can and 3 gallon water jug. I say temporary, because I have plans on redoing the truckbed interior next year sometime.

These mounts are nothing fancy - they aren't even attached to the truck. All they do is support the cans (keep them from rocking and shifting.) I used fairly heavy bungee cord, so I think they will be fine for this trip.

I also added a drain plug to my transmission pan (as can be seen from the before picture.) I need to get an after picture. I installed the plug where the black dot is in the lower left corner of the pan.

This project has been a long time coming. I finally got my Explorer seats re-upholstered and installed.

I have a lot of pictures of the process, and will do a write-up when I get the chance.

In the meantime, here is a picture of the completed seats installed in the truck. What a difference!

That looks way to clean! I mean the door jambs are spotless! Very nice!

I have been thinking of a way to transport fuel safely, but i haven't yet. I also have a 3 gal water can, need to strap it down inside, not worried about it like a jerry can in the back of the EX.

How much for the spicer joints? I am getting a spare set b4 we meet in Ouray.

How much for the spicer joints? I am getting a spare set b4 we meet in Ouray.

They were less than $20.00 each, delivered (I found them on eBay - Ventures Truck Parts in Ogden, UT.)

Hey Scott, can you take a look at the part numbers on your lift brackets for me? I just picked up what looks to be a 4" lift off craigslist for 60 bucks! The kid didn't know what manufacturer it was, but the coils were red and painted black. The two brackets had part numbers "01 1170" and "02 1100". Thanks for taken a look and sharing all your mods with us!

N/M. Found the brackets online. Looks like they are superlift brackets. Back to your regularly scheduled build up, sorry to interrupt :)

The Rancho lift brackets are only 2 1/2" - if yours are 4", they are most likely Superlift. Skyjacker made 4" brackets for a while also, but I don't think they were as plentiful as the Superlift ones.

Yeah, they are definitely superlift brackets. The part that is puzzling me now is the coils. Trying to figure out what brand they are and what size, since the brackets have both 4 and 6 inch holes. They are about 19" free length and red. I'm sure google will come up with something soon :)

Ran around in the mountains today - beautiful day, good weather.

Here's a shot before we got too dirty...

The Colorado trip (http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2283571&postcount=90) was last week - I can't believe it's over. :(

A few things to fix, then start planning for next year!

Yeah, they are definitely superlift brackets. The part that is puzzling me now is the coils. Trying to figure out what brand they are and what size, since the brackets have both 4 and 6 inch holes. They are about 19" free length and red. I'm sure google will come up with something soon :)

My 4" springs and my 6" skyjacker's were 18 (I think) and the Superlift hard 6" were 19 1/2

Also it is past time for a new set of cab mounts judging by the pass front rad mount!!

I need to change my body mounts, too - they haven't failed yet, but are all cracked from dry rot.