Completed Project Kirby's 1991 Ranger Build Up

I haven't posted much here since I sold my 1993 Mazda Navajo around 2010 or 2011. It was 10 years in the making and finally to a solid, reliable state. I had some other priorities and decided to sell it and get something more versatile. I will include some pictures below of its developing states and final state when I sold it below. In the end, it had 37" MTRs, Arb front, detroit rear, 4.56 gears, D and D doubler and I built all the armor and the Dana 44 front Solid Axle Swap.

James duff 3.5" VR coil lift, 235" defender tires and a home made heavy ugly bumper (around 2000 when I bought it) :

2001 with 33x10.50s and James duff 4.5" lift with extended radius arms, manual hubs and new auto tranny:

Here it is just after the SAS with 34s and a swapped in manual tcase and tranny:

Winching out of Mikeys hot tub circa 2002 or so

Stuck on a tree just after 37s

37s, winch bumper rebuild etc

Final State Explorerforum moab trip 2010

Last Poser Shots

I hear it still gets around Colorado and Utah and I have had buddies call me with airings from time to time.

I have had a few rangers and one explorer since I sold my explorer.
Here are some pics of those:

Beat up 1994 Ranger 2.4l ($250)

Traded 1993 Ranger 4.0l and an abused auto tranny

1991 Manual Tcase and Tranny Explorer Sport

We have also had a ton of cool Jeeps. Here are a couple of pics, along with our current Jeep which we are hanging on to:

2005 unlimited Rubicon Sahara 5.7 L Hemi

2005 unlimited Rubicon 35s and 4" lift

Our Current 2005 Unlimited Rubicon 4" Lift 315 Kevlars

It does great grocery getter, family truckster, and occasional wekend wheeler, but I need a truck and I miss my exploder, so I decided to build a Ranger. However, I want to build it a little different this time.

I have always wanted to build a 1989-1992 ranger, so I spent a considerable amount of time looking for a low mile one with the right engine, tranny and tcase in good shape. 4.0l, m5od and 1354M stock. My explorer ended up with this combo, but started out as an auto tranny and tcase. This made for a ton of modifications and headaches with my explorer. Rangers can be had in many other undesirable configurations because they were available with 3 different v6s in 1989-92 and a 4cylinder. It proved to be a difficult task. Finally in the fall of 2012 I picked this one up. A 1991 4.0l manual tranny and transfer case 4x4 extended cab "mountain States Edition. It had 130k on it and ran great. The paint was toast, it had a rusty bed and (my biggest complaint) it had no factory air.

I drove it for a year until I was ready to have it painted. I fixed a bunch on it- thermostat, muffler, wheel bearings, brakes, had a new headliner installed, etc. When I got a quote for the paint (one solid color and fix the dings) it was 2k. So then I started thinking I better look for a different ranger to build! I settled on this one. It too is a 1991, it has air (huge plus after not having it in my other truck all summer), manual case and tranny and everything else and a 4.0. The body is really straight no rust and the interior is super nice. The odo read 83k and I believed it.

Since then I tracked down the original and only owner to find it has 183 k on it and they were all hwy miles. The only complaints I have is I wish it had the other mirrors and pop out extended cab windows. I can deal with those, though. This truck has been taken care of.

First order of business was a tune up, brakes and leaky valve cover gaskets.

The build plan is pretty simple: build it similar to how my explorer ended up, with out all the half builds in between. It took me a lot of work and money to get my explorer to preform well off-road and on the street and be reliable. On this one I want to skip all the poor performing, cheapskate half steps I took with the explorer.

My goal is to end up with a reliable, daily drive able, off-road capable ranger that will make a great driver, great work truck and great expo vehicle. I like the idea of a truck over a explorer sport because I need to haul dirt bikes and Sheetrock and plywood and all kinds of stuff all the time so I always needed a pickup when I had the explorer even though I wanted to drive the explorer all the time. Hopefully this will do both functions well.

So far, I have installed:

A blue tooth pioneer stereo (replacing the stock tape deck)

A optima yellow top

A Black grill and headlight bezels along with new headlights:

The only body work it needs is the topper it had on it was put on with a loose and poorly placed clamp that rubbed a hole in the bed cap. I will weld it up and hopefully add a LineX bedliner over the top

I purchased a Dana 44 out of a 76 f150 with no guts or outers for a $50 bill. I still have my spare warn premium hubs off my ex, and I plan to build this one stout before I put it in and leave it full width but move the c bushings in about 2" per side. I will likely then run stock style f150 wheels with stock backspacing and 35s or 37s as skinny as I can find. It will get a full rebuild and at least 4.88s, maybe 5.13s. I am not decided on radius arms yet. I suppose extended ones are on the bill instead of the stock wristed ones I had before, but I haven't sorted that out yet. The wrist traveled fine but it clunked and made a racket and it was also a pain to get out and pull the pin when it was time to wheel. Extended arms won't perform quite as well on the street as the stock length ones did with the pin in, but longer arms should stream line things.

For the rear I will rebuild a full width late model 31 spline 8.8 put of a bronco or f150 and install explorer disk brakes. I will likely need to have the axle flanges turned down and drill the rotors for the new bolt pattern.

I will extend the wheel base around 3" by moving the front axle forward and leave the rear axle centered in the wheel well. I plan to leave the bed size stock as I need the truck to haul stuff all the time. I will build bumpers and sliders before I beat it up this time.

Stay Tuned, I am picking up the front axle tomorrow.

 

[Kirby N.]

I have a nasty snarling throw out bearing. It has been making a racket for a few weeks.

So unfortunately I have to do a clutch.

I haven't had the time to get it done, but I hope to really soon.

My slave has a small leak and it would be a perfect time to fix the plastic plugs in the upper shifter rail.

Any opinions on parts?

The slave will be Motorcraft. I will use a new LUK flywheel.

So the question is:

Should I run the oversize SOHC style LUK 07-139 clutch kit?

Or should i get a center force?

I ran a center force on my Explorer and it was fine, but the CF is over twice as much ($420) so I am a little hesitant.

Any thoughts? I am ready to order because I think I will have some time to do work in the coming weeks.

 

[Kirby N.]

No opinions eh?

I made a rockauto order the other night. I am going to give the sohc clutch a try. I also picked up the motorcraft slave. It was $200 even with my discount! I also got a tranny to tcase gasket while I was at ford.

 

[josh40601]

no opinion here buddy because I didn't know they were different. And now that you have said they are different, I wasn't sure if they were interchangeable.

When the ranger still have the 4L in it, I ran a LUK clutch for a 94. I burnt the crap out of it everytime I went crawling until I put in the doubler. After that it was fine, but until that, I wore that sucker out.

 

[RockRanger]

I am just running a car quest house brand. Only reason I went with them was they were the closest with one in stock when I needed it. I have burned it a few times but after the doubler it has been fine.

 

[Kirby N.]

I pealed the truck apart.

It wasn't the throw out bearing. It was the pilot bearing. Same symptoms, but with the awful snarling the pilot bearing makes more sense- I think.

It was toast. Broken needles etc.

The new clutch, luk 07-139 is listed for like a 1999 explorer. It is very different, but it bolted right up to my the new Luk flywheel I bought that was a stock replacement for my 1991. I read on a thread here that My stocker has something like 1800 lbs of clamp and this one has 2200 or something. Not to mention a little larger plate

It looks a lot different. Like a more modern clutch.

Old:

New:

The most notable difference is the pedal effort though. It pushes in easily. Way easier than stock. My wife won't mind driving my truck nearly as much.

Other things I did this time:

1. I chased the oil leak. Changed the oil filter adapter o rings and the rear main. Neither of which helped at all. I am considering hacking out the crossmember to change the oil pan gasket as I think it is the big culprit of the oil leak. There seems to be one up high as well, but I just changed the lower intake gasket and I can't believe it is the cause. It might be.

2. I added new expansion plugs to the back of the tranny to fix that leak. I also did the front seal and the tcase input seal. However, after I got it up to hwy speeds today it leaked bad. Up near those plugs but not those plugs. Over filled maybe???

3. The motorcraft slave cylinder would not accept my stock master cylinder hydronic hose. I fought and fought it. Finally, I bought a new master and hose from the parts store (ford was on back order) and discovered nothing would fit. Suddenly I realized maybe it was built at low altitude and they bled them and it got too high pressure to connect here. So I bled some off and it worked. But I had the parts so I bench bled the master and them installed it and the hose.

 

[Kirby N.]

THE RANGERS FIRST TRAIL!

I did some work on the ranger in prep for a wheeling trip.

It's been leaking a lot of atf and I was pretty sure it was the shift rail plugs. But when I swapped clutches I changed the plugs and it didn't help. I thought it had to be the gasket on top for the case where the top load thing bolts on. I ordered one for $30, and it turns out the only way to change it is to pull the tranny again. I tried pulling the interior, taking out the inspection plate and dropping the tranny enough to unbolt the top of the case. It didn't work. There was not enough space.

So I was pretty upset. Then I cleaned it up really good and drove it down the hey and looked for the leak, and cleaned it up, and then repeated about 4 times, I decided it was leaking where the tail housing bolts to the tranny. So I took it apart again and took the tcase off and the tail housing and glued it together with right stuff.

It worked! So I have a ford tranny gasket for the top of the tranny. If anyone needs it.

To the wheeling:

My buddy Phil's Bronc with new 37s

The ranger:

We took a buddy in a stock fj. And this is as far as it went! We parked it here and left it.

It doesn't seem to travel quite as freely in the front as the explorer with the wristed arm. I am not sure if it is the lack of weight in the rear or that it doesn't travel as easily.

One thing is for sure, it needs deeper gearing. Overall, I am really happy with it.

I had It put on an alignment rack. I need to get my camber in better shape. Caster was perfect. I am looking for the camber shims that go under the spindles. They have been really hard to find, but I located a 7/8 degree. I just need a 1 3/8 degree for the other side.

 

[Kirby N.]

I also purchased a 4" lift for our 2006 LJ rubicon because we are going to jeep the rubicon in a month! I have never been, so we are really looking forward to it. We will be leaving the ranger at home though. And it looks like we will be running it solo.

 

[RockRanger]

THE RANGERS FIRST TRAIL!


It doesn't seem to travel quite as freely in the front as the explorer with the wristed arm. I am not sure if it is the lack of weight in the rear or that it doesn't travel as easily.

One thing is for sure, it needs deeper gearing. Overall, I am really happy with it.

I think the flex is both. Radius arms have bind built into them so they can only go so far. The wristed arm took the bind out. The lack of weight in the back isn't helping. Install a Bronco II tank to get more weight in the back and make room for a doubler...... Hopefully North West Fab comes out with their doubler soon.

 

[RockRanger]

I also purchased a 4" lift for our 2006 LJ rubicon because we are going to jeep the rubicon in a month! I have never been, so we are really looking forward to it. We will be leaving the ranger at home though. And it looks like we will be running it solo.

What dates? It is 240 miles from my front door to Loon Lake. Not that I haven't mapped it a few times.......

 

[Kirby N.]

I think the flex is both. Radius arms have bind built into them so they can only go so far. The wristed arm took the bind out. The lack of weight in the back isn't helping. Install a Bronco II tank to get more weight in the back and make room for a doubler...... Hopefully North West Fab comes out with their doubler soon.

Now that I got my gas tank skid clearance I kinda like the tank where it is... Its a driveshaft guard

I haven't heard anything about NWF's doubler. I decided I wasn't doing a doubler again and next time I would do a Atlas. But alas they are a lot of money.

 

[Kirby N.]

What dates? It is 240 miles from my front door to Loon Lake. Not that I haven't mapped it a few times.......

It looks like we will be wheeling September 30 and October 1. Maybe October 1 and 2. We would love some company. I am a little nervous doing a new trail alone. I do think my jeep is equipped well, it just those unknowns.

 

[RockRanger]

I understand the cost of an Atlas for sure. I also understand the tank helping to sve the drive shaft. I went the other way and built my shaft out of .134 material so it can take some abuse. Mine is also 12 inches shorter so that helps. You could swap a standard cab tank in. Shoukd get you the clearance for a doubler and stay in tbe similar space.

Those days wont work for me. Have fun it has been 10 plus years sense I have been to the rubicon.

 

[Kirby N.]

Time for an update!

The Rubicon was rad! Thanks Matt for the locals info on it. It was really cool. The jeep stayed together all the way out there, on the trail and all the way back. I will say, it was a lot rougher than expected. We only ran into 3 guys the first day and they were all buggied out with 40+ tires. They all thought I was nuts to have my jeep there and expect tor drive it home. Honestly with no other rigs and my wife (who never spots for me) as a spotter, I was a little nervous. I don't think I would ever do it alone again. It was one obstacle after another. Really dusty conditions. Incredible scenery. The rocks were different. They were polished and slippery. If you got on the throttle, you would slide off. Definitely not moab traction! Here is a few shots:

We had to stop at the Bonneville Salt Flats not he way in western Utah:

On to the rubicon:

Then we had to make a stop for a loop in Capital Reef in Southern Utah on the way home:

After a trip to CA and back, with the rubicon in between I was really impressed with the jeep. So we decided to drive it to Phoenix for Thanksgiving. About the middle of nowhere New Mexico, we almost lost a wheel. 4 of the 5 lugs holding on the wheel spacer broke. I am thankful to God that it didn't come off at 80 mph! A fellow jeeper stopped and gave me a ride to the closest auto parts store and I got it fixed in a gas station parking lot.

Enough of the Jeep. Want some updates on the ranger?



The alignment seems great. Unfortunately, it will probably need a couple new tires. The jacked up camber took its toll.

Also, at the recomendation of @FROADER I made a big order with Glassworks Unlimited this afternoon

 

[FROADER]

Glad you guys made it safely with the spacer problems. :yikes:

I really want to get back to the Rubicon. It's been ~14 years for me!

 

[Kirby N.]

So I have been driving the crap out of my ranger.
I was driving in my dads pasture and fell through the ice into a creek.

You can see my kid pulling winch line.

Then In January I Winched 3 buses full of 56 people and luggage. That was fun. One guy thought I was a moron and it would never work. I tied it off to a tree and it pulled it up on the road no problem.

I hauled my moms sxs on two trips. That was fun

So after the creek incident, I installed the shims I purchased and regreased the wheel bearings.

The front passenger still looked off to me, so I took it back to the alignment shop for another reading.

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I think the rear reading must not be correct. I talked in circles with the guy of what could have cause it and he really hadn't a clue. He said my axle was in crooked. I can't find a reason for it or the change. The drivers side camber is perfect. The passenger side is off by 1/4 degree still. I am going to see if I can find another shim. I bought 5 bfg all terrains in 35s for it this week. I think ats will be fine. I bought a house out of town and will be doing much more hwy miles.

 

[BKennedy]

The only way for the rear axle to be negative camber on both sides would be if it was bowed. Take a bunch of measurements from the ground to the axle tubes and see if its off. I don't think that little of a camber would matter as far as tire wear. If it was actually bowed, I would think you would be going through axle seals.

My driver side front is negative. Its less than a degree and the tires are showing no abnormal wear, so I didn't mess with it. We have about the same amount of caster. Helps with a tighter turning radius, but steering on the highway is sensitive.

 

[Kirby N.]

I agree. It could have pulled when I welded the tubes too, but nothing really changed between the 2 alignments so I don't really get it. The measurement that worries me is the rear toe measurements. One side is toe'd one way and the other is the opposite. Like the rear is crooked. I asked if a trackbar that is off on the front could cause the rear to read like that and the tech said no way. That's not true though, so I am not real confident in them. Again the biggest thing I am looking for is front camber.

 

[Kirby N.]

I am shooting for really close to heads up camber like the drivers side. Like you said Brian, it's all about tire wear. She drives like a caddy anyway already.

 

[BKennedy]

You could measure the thrust angle with a measuring tape and a friend. Measure distance between front and rear axles on both sides. If they are the same, then its straight.

 

[Kirby N.]

I am looking at the front axle and the trackbar looks a little off. I set it measuring off the top of the tires. They both changed a lot when camber changed, but now one is straight up and one is still off. Makes sense it would track weird now.