Zimmerman Mod!

[J91FORD]

WEll i have been looking to do this for some time and I have a couple questions.

1. What year Ranger do i need the leaf out of?

2. Do I get it from a junk yard?

I talked to some guy from delerware valey springs and he said the way that i told him (the zimmerman mod) he said i wouldnt gain much (which im not looking to gain much wheel travel but some) He said it would cost $320 WOW! he said he could do it a better way and it would be cheeper. He said that he would arch my springs more. I hope you guys can straighten me out here! I know that you dont re band the springs that the u-bolt will keep them together. Any help would be great Thanks

 

[rpenner54]

All you do is find any ranger steal the springs as long as they look good and stick the main leaf from the Ranger on top of the main leaf of the Explorer's. To do that you have to cut off the eye of the Explorer's leafs. You can get these at a junk yard. I think I got my leafs which I have not yet put on for about $20 a side. So where ever he was pulling this $300 number from, you can tell him thats way out there.

 

[J91FORD]

ANY Ranger?? Late/ early .... or just Any ?

 

[rpenner54]

Any... Even Bronco II's may work. Just make sure that the main leaf is thinner then your Explorer main leaf.

 

[J91FORD]

cool thanks

 

[tiessen]

The only problem with the Zim mod is that afterward your leaf will have 3 spring rates. A stock spring has 2, 1 for the main and next 2 leafs and then 1 for the overload. By adding another thinner leaf on top, your ride will not be as progressive. I don't know what those who have done the mod say...this is just my 2 cents. I chose to completely swap my leafs with a full set from a 2wd Ranger. I have rearched them slightly and added a 1 in block. This has given me about 5.5" in. I may add another leaf after I fab a bumper and tire carrier for the rear. But the flex is awesome!

Cheers

Dale

 

[rpenner54]

Thats the idea though. Your old Explorer leafs are there to "hold up" the weight of the vehicle then the new leafs just rest on top of those and give you more flex. Then depending on what other leafs you throw in or take out you can change your ride quality and height.

 

[tiessen]

Just my Physics head working. Ideally in a leaf pack you want all the leafs to be the same thickness. Prerunners always remove the overload because it ruins the progressive rate of the leaf pack and gives a real "kick". I know a guy who makes leafs and he told me that the Zim mod would best be done backwards. Keep your thicker main and use the thinner other leafs...I don't know what the answer is. In an ideal situation, you would want 6-8 ultra thin leafs that ride as flat as possible. Thinner leafs allow more articulation and flat spring packs allow the greatest degree of both uptravel and droop. Just my 2 cents....

Cheers

Dale

 

[rpenner54]

Accually if I ever do this mod thats my plan. Use the Explorers main leaf as the main leaf and then use the rest of the Rangers pack for the rest. That way I still have a leaf thats big enough and strong enough to support the truck but then the thinner leafs will allow more flex off-road. Plus after seeing what Matt Adams did to his Ranger leaf I don't know that I would go that route on this heavy of a vehicle. Its all S'ed out.

 

[mattadams]

yeah, if I had to do it again I probably wouldn't... it just didn't seem to increase the capabilities too much, may have even lessened them. Now I just need to S out the left side of my rear springs and they'll be even! .

 

[J91FORD]

so what u guys are recomending is that i use the explorer main leaf and use the rest of the ranger springs. should i cut the eyes off of the main leaf ranger spring? And not re band them right?

 

[mattadams]

that's the way I would od it if I could do it over again... but yeah you wold want to cut the eye off, the advantage to doing it that way is of course if you decided you needed some more support, etc. just pop in another leaf (sounds easier then it actually is of course but you get the idea)

 

[ld50]

okay I`m confused,

First of all, Matt Adams, do I understand that your ranger main leaf "S"ed on you from axle wrap, since it is thinner than the Stock ex one?


[ Bonus question -- If you have a lot of droop and the springs are separating, they will be doing so on the front-most part of the leafs, thereby increasing the angle that the driveshaft has to enter your axle. Right? seems to me that this would put more strain on the drivetrain. Is it feasable to have the rear of the springs separate rather than the front? I visualize that this would keep the diff more in line. whadd`ya think, am I spending to much time under there or has this been tried/discussed? I`ve read that people who cut the binders also have the leafs twisting into the gas tank skidplate. i don`t know, thought I`d ask]

AND, putting the ranger springs under your Ex main leaf is not selling me. Would this really get more droop, or is it to get more stuff??

I want to play with my droop a little and The Zimmerman seemed like something to try. And then I hear about springs getting essed and I get uneasy. once I cut those eyes off, I`m pretty well stuck with it.

 

[Byrd91]

This is a question for anyone with any mix of ranger and explorer leafs. My biggest problem right now is the fact that I have an add-a-leaf in my stock explorer pack and it rides like crap and gets squirelly really easy (washboards, potholes, the back end comes off the ground and wants to kick out). Now I've heard great things about the OME springs fixing all of those ride quality/loss of control issues. Would the ranger springs help this. Obviously better than with the add-a-leaf, but my stock Explorer leafs didn't ride great either, would the ranger springs be an improvement in this area also?

 

[becker69]

Are Sport Trac springs a possibility?

Sorry to totally jump in on this, however; Has anyone looked at the feasibility of using Sport Trac springs? I am new to the spring rate/height perspective, but I know my truck weighs a ton more than a Regular 4 door Ex or Ranger, and with the addition of the payload (ok guys give me a break here ... of the bed, it seems that the springs in the rear of my truck would be significantly more stiff (hence, wouldn't this negate 'essing' of the packs) than a Ranger or Ex spring pack? This may not be able to work, I just figured I would ask if it has an application here.

 

[ld50]

_ I`m obviously not a Zimmerman expert, but I believe the whole idea on getting more flex is the thinner Ranger main leaf. If the sport track leaf is thicker, or less flexy, I don`t think it would help.