1st Gen on Bags???

[Burns]

I want to bag a first gen this summer. I have my lifted truck but i need someting that is ok on gas and is more street freindly. I have decided to scrap my 2 1/2 ton rockwell project because it is going to be more than i can handle...

I want to bag a 2wd 4dr.

give me some info...i have a friend with a bagged ranger with the same twin ibeam setup as the explorer and it looks really easy to do...

 

[Burns]

anyone have any info....come on....share with me...

 

[FROADER]

Search member slammedxonair. I'd say he knows how to do it.

Or...rlfknlorangers. He could probably help at least with the front.

What about your friend that has the bagged ranger?

 

[Spdrcer34]

I am in the process of planning the next step in the build of my First Gen shown here:



I am going to add a 4-link in the rear, and bag it.

In the front, I already have the Drop I-beams, and it's just a matter of getting the airbag brackets for the fronts..

From my estimates....$1200-1500 and I'll have a full FBSS Airbag set-up on my Explorer.

Ryan

 

[rlfknlorangers]

it looks easy. but there is nothing easy about laying out the front end of a ranger/expo with i beams-lol.. the only way to it so the stay totally stagiht throughout there entire travel is to set up a true cantilever in the front and unless your almsot gutting your engine bay and making a lot of room those are very hard to get to fit with a full engine bay.....im not saying it cant be done to our trucks..but its much more difficult then say control arm trucks...next time i do anyhting with beams its getting a mustang II clip or a taco or s-10 clip suspension-lol...the rear on anything is really easy except just more tubbing and modifing crossmemebrs in a expo then there is in a ranger. but it can be done and i found the best way is to get djm dream beams( belltech casue alot of clearence issues and ofther problems wiht bagged trucks from what ive heard), and go to sucidedoors.com...they make what ive found the best set of bag brackets for i beam front ends.

 

[rlfknlorangers]

ohhh and i dont want to hate on anyone with price quotes for systems of air bag kits beacuase it is the easiest way to buy everytihng you need to bag...just be carefull when choosing all your parts beacsue every part of that system is keeping your truck from dragging down the street when you dont want it to,, and u want to have good stuff at every step of the system.. so you'll have way less problme in the future and much more roadworthy ride.good luck with the expo those body styles look awesome layd out

 

[rlfknlorangers]

one more and im done...i could talk for days on baggin theory and parts and installition and wall that so stop me or i wont-lol hers a pic of my front setup this is the best way i found to keep the bag almost totally straight thorughout its entire path of travel

my mounts are angled so that instead of being straight over the ibeams, which pull the bottom of the bag rearward when inflated.. my mounts are angeld to the rear so that when aired out the bag lays perfectly flat. and when aired up the lower plate and upper plates are not parralell but they v towards each other but angling the mounts splits the difference of that angle...i ahve to find a bettaer way to explian that maybe ill open paint-lol and then ill stop rambling-lol

 

[rlfknlorangers]

ohh and the black circle next the shock is the intake for my compressor which is mounted in the bed..when im layd out there not alot of air getting under my truck.... i have no bed floor at all, i run a vinyl cover, the exhaust dumps out before the axle in the middle of the bed, and my compressor is monted back there...so to keep the compresoor from sucking and compressing exhaust gases i routed its intake to the engine bay..so that explains that odd circle by the shock-lol

 

[Burns]

rlfknlorangers can you get me a few pic of you front...I know how to do the rear with a notch and tub the rear out...but what about the front...any cutting on the body??? Did you use stock arms or did you build some arms???

keep talking this is good info...

could i build custom arms on the front so it will lay down more....

 

[Burns]

What about your friend that has the bagged ranger?

i have not got to look at it just yet....he just got it and there is a prob with his setup... his front tire rubbed a hole in the clutch mastercylinder...so i cant look at his till he gets it running again..

 

[rlfknlorangers]

ill get more pics and more info for ya tommorow when i can get outside and snap some...and i have the djm dream beams which give me three inches of drop right up front, ive heard guys laying 20's on those with no problem, and ive still got the stock radius arms....i did have to notch the frame for the tie rod end clearence though but ill snap pics of some stuff and descirbe somemore..it is easy and hard all at the same time bag an ibeam setup-lol

 

[rlfknlorangers]

ohh and i only have 17's which didnt require any cutting of the fire wall i did have to remove good amount of fender well though ill take some pics of it..my suspension aint detailed pretty but it is functional

 

[Burns]

i dont need detailed..lol

I only plan on running a 17 or 18 so thats no prob...

I really want to make custom radius arms...

 

[Burns]

Here is my buddies ranger

 

[rlfknlorangers]

thats a pretty clean ranger...cutom radius arms are good way to go to help positioning the i beams but arent realy nessecary. i have the suicidedoors.com radius arm and tranny srossmemebres in mine and the radius arm cross memeber allows you a lill bit of movement when mounitng it if you make new holes to position your ibeams more centralized in the wheel wells after the drastic drop...but custom radius arms would do the same thing and you could prolly even im sure design them to function better then stock...and maybe incorporate the bag mounts to them instead of the ibeams...only thing with that is you have to watch for tire rubbing them when turned full lock..but im going out in a lil bit to mess iwht the rang so ill snap some pics of some different stuff on it