D-Ranged

This is my Ranger. There are many like it, but this one is mine. I'm updating the beginning of the thread with how it progressed. To follow along, you can see some of it here, the rest is on The Ranger Station and Pirate. Just search D-Ranged. This thread isn't much different than what you would see on those forums, but a couple people asked me to post up about it on here too, so here you go. Also, I'm in the process of fixing all the bad links to pictures.


It started life simple. A 1 owner, ultra clean 94 4.0/5speed/4x4. I immediately removed the dear hoof wheels and installed some cheap aluminum ones.

Then a few months later, I put on a small lift, but not the tires... hey, the 31s still had tread and I was a lance corporal that lived in the barracks... cut me slack

tires finally wore out, bought some used 33s and a stupid roll bar thing

then i got a free drivetrain out of a FSB, and put it in (god this thing was SCARY to drive)

then i went to Loftis Motorsports in El Cajon, CA to get a SAS done

then I put an 06+ front clip on it

then i put a big ass bumper on it, a winch, added some lockers, and met up the Explorer Forum guys in Truckhaven in 2011.

oh yea, and painted it Screamin' Yellow.

I ran the 35s for a while, even took it to Moab,

and when they wore out, I stepped up to a set of 37s

added a doubler,

and took it to the rubicon. Alone. Don't EVER do that, especially on a trail that 600 miles from home and you drove your rig there

Then I moved to Kentucky for school and things went drastically south.

 

[Keeper0311]

how well does the bumper protect the radiator underneath?

Hahaha, radiators...

 

[josh40601]

ohhhh youre the guy who did the d44 ttb swap. I always saw random pictures but never managed to find info about your rig. it looks like you finally got everything figured out! looks great and it looks like it works even greater

PS that's the color scheme I am going to do on my Ex when it gets a paint job. Glad to see another person who likes yellow and black together.

Thanks man! Yea, the 44TTb was a waste of time, but its right where i want it now

how well does the bumper protect the radiator underneath?

fine, as long as you dont get the fan stuck on the shroud and overheat the truck making the radiator explode....

Hahaha, radiators...

they dont have a middle finger.... lol

 

[josh40601]

wow, its been a hot minute since posting on this site....

Since January, the truck has been to Moab and back, gone up to 37's, crushed the bed up some, and a doubler build is starting.

here are some pics to try and bring it up to date...

When the truck pooped out on me

I was stuck in a notch at Truckhaven, and everything overheated. Clutch, power-steering, and the motor. took 2 hours, a winch up front, and a tow strap out back to get me out. This is where i demolished the tail light and the bed corner.

Then i tore it down, rebuilt the top end of the motor, the suspension, and got the air system installed.

Then we went to Moab

cliffhanger

Golden Crack

Poison Spider

Playing around on Hell's Revenge

I have a bunch more pictures here

 

[josh40601]

After Moab, the truck pretty much didn't change. Mainly just did what i could to keep it running and driving....

Then i had a blow out at 70mph going up the 15 freeway...

So i put new wheels and 37's on it

Then i installed a 13 Gal tank in the back between the framerails to allow room for the dual transfer cases

I also installed new springs for the coilovers and tried to see if i have any better flex... Not much

Rear still flexes great though!

 

[josh40601]

This brings me up to last weekend, where i took the truck to a car show in Riverside, and the fuel pump **** out on me.

Then i got some new parts in

Right now, the truck is sitting on Miramar waiting on the new fuel sending unit to arrive. i do have ha bunch of new parts to go on the ol gal though.

 

[RangerX]

Where in the Hell did you find 37" MTRs? I thought they stopped making them! Did you find a used set?

So what's keeping the front front flexing more? Soild axle, coilovers, ya should have more, it seems...

 

[Keeper0311]

Dude you Ranger has moved along awesomely! Wish my Explorer could progress nearly as quickly as Ranger has.

 

[josh40601]

Dude you Ranger has moved along awesomely! Wish my Explorer could progress nearly as quickly as Ranger has.

Thanks buddy. Just give it time. You will get it there.

Bill, I'm not sure. I am thinking the spring rates are still a little off and the arms are too short. I am going to put longer primary coils in and adjust the slider stops, and may redo the arms, but that is still up in the air.

I;m doing the doubler build right now, and i will have to build a new crossmember, so i may do that at the same time. I'll definitely keep you guys posted though.

As far as the 37 MTRs, they are used. They were 95 on 2, and like 65 on the other 2. They are on a 17" wheel. If you go to a 16.5 wheel, you will be able to get 37's all day long from the surplus places

 

[Tbars4]

...No drive shaft failure so that's good news...

...Where did you get the doubler parts from, D and D?

 

[DB_1]

Good to see you're making the most of your stay out west, I can't wait to get back out on the trails.

 

[josh40601]

yea i am trying to! We are leaving September 19th, so the Labor Day Weekend Rubicon run is the last rock crawling trip for ol D here. After that, she goes back to KY and i am removing all the "Rock Crawling" parts. I'm leaving the coil overs, OBA, and SAS, but the lockers, doubler, and hydro assist will all be coming off and most likely going on the new crawler. I am working a deal with the owner right now, so we will see how it pans out.

Actually that DS is sitting in the garage, lol. It is going to be used as the front doubler shaft.

The kit did come from Duffy. It took almost a month, a paypal claim, and NUMEROUS phone calls to get it.

 

[Tbars4]

...I've noticed he hadn't been around Pirate much either...I've pm'd him a few times to see about ordering one but no reply either...

..:scratch:...You know, you might be better off leaving that doubler with me...I'll take good care of it..:

 

[josh40601]

He is building a house, so he never answers his phone. If you want the kit, text his cell phone. That is the fastest way to get a response from him. Just make sure you text him EXACTLY what you are wanting, not just, "Hey Duffy, can i get a quote on something" or something like that. PM me if you need his cell number, or check on TRS in the RBV Doubler thread. Andrew posted his number in the very last post before he closed the thread.

I am working with Kyle and Dan from NWF and Ruff Stuff to try and get one of them to build the kit. We will see where that goes

...I've noticed he hadn't been around Pirate much either...I've pm'd him a few times to see about ordering one but no reply either...

..:scratch:...You know, you might be better off leaving that doubler with me...I'll take good care of it..:

 

[Tbars4]

...That would be cool if someone else starts making them too..Ballistic was going to and a couple weeks ago they replied that it's not in their plans now..

...Anyway's, Hope to see you again before you leave...:wavey:

 

[FROADER]

I'm liking the new wheels and 37s better. It's looking good!

I need a job so I can start my Ranger...

 

[josh40601]

...That would be cool if someone else starts making them too..Ballistic was going to and a couple weeks ago they replied that it's not in their plans now..

...Anyway's, Hope to see you again before you leave...:wavey:

Yea, that annoyed me and actually turned me away from Ballistic that they ignored us for almost 2 years before replying with that "Very much still in business, just do not want to take on this project".

Because we know it would SOOO hard to copy DD's kit, (Which is a damn nice kit BTW ) then add their little Ballistic Skull in the center of the doubler plate, and call it a day.

Hopefully Kyle at NWF will come through. He said he was looking for new products, and i sent him the thread showing there is plenty of interest, and i offered to get any measurements he may need.

 

[josh40601]

I'm liking the new wheels and 37s better. It's looking good!

I need a job so I can start my Ranger...

How the F can you afford to live in HB without a J-O-B??

I thought you had an explorer? and an F150?

 

[josh40601]

1350 Crawlbox build

To do this, you will need 2 main components...

Borg-Warner 1350M transfer Case

DD Machine Doubler Kit

(disreguard the Compressor and Jeep filler neck)

First thing to do is break open the 1350. Best thing to do is take the front yoke off and put the case in 2wd or neutral. To get the yoke off the front, I used an impact and a big pair of channel locks to hold the yoke while i spun the nut off.

Once it is off, just simply remove all the bolts from the outside (15mm) and pull the top off.

^Note: The picture above shows the chain removed already. To do this, you will have to take off the snap ring from the gear that drives the front shaft. Its a PIA, but once it is off, the chain, shift rail, and the large shaft come right out.

Once you have these out of the way, open up your DD kit, and grab the smaller shift fork.

Put it in the hole where the old one came out.

Next you will have to address the pressed in stub on the side of the case.

You can try and pull it out or whatever, I just took a 4 1/2" cut off wheel to it. Then i took the grinder with a well used 36 grit flap wheel around the lip to clean up any crap, but not staying on any spot so i wouldn't eat into the metal.

Our next step is to lay the doubler plate on the case half you will be using and use 3 of the grade 5 bolts included in the kit to hold the plate.

Break out your handy dandy marker and mark where you want to cut. I gave a little slack that i cleaned up with the grinder, but we will get there.

Then i used my grinder with the cut off wheel to cut most of the case. There are ribs that go farther than my wheel did, so I simply broke out the sawzall and finished the cut.

Next is to "clean up" the cut until you are satisfied.

^Note: I again used my well worn 36 grit flap wheel to handle all my grinding needs. Although it took a little while, the end result is great.

As you can see, there is a rather large hole that i highly doubt will keep fluid in the case. To address this hole, there are 2 alluminum blocks included in the kit. Just an FYI, they don't fit. At all. You have to cut down about 3/8" and do some finish grinding to get them to fit.

Here is where a decision needs to be made. With me running this in my truck for a couple months then pulling it and installing in the new crawler, I don't want it to leak, so i opted to take the crawlbox to a weld shop here in town and have them weld the blocks into the cut down case. You can also follow my other buddy's lead and just use Form-A-Gasket

Once i get the CB back from the shop, I will edit this post to show the rest of the process.

 

[josh40601]

delete

 

[FROADER]

How the F can you afford to live in HB without a J-O-B??

I thought you had an explorer? and an F150?

It's tough, but I had a bunch saved up. I sold the explorer to another member at Truckhaven in Oct of '09. I got the F-150 a few months before that. The ranger is stuck in the garage until I get a job and can afford to build it with the D60 and Sterling 10.5 sitting in the backyard.

Click My Ranger in my sig for the thread.


Doubler is looking good. That's definitely in the plans for mine.