New Ranger. Lift idea help.

[C_7777]

Hi. I just bought a 96 ranger stx 4.0L that is going to be a somewhat daily driver. It is 4wd automatic with 3.76 locking gears. it has a 2 inch block under the rear suspention that i guess is factory? anyway im thinking about lifting the truck alot and puting 33'S to 35"s . O and i only paid 650 for it and it had a new motor put in 30k ago. : )

 

[Sams01XplrSprt]

welcome

 

[C_7777]

new ranger and lift questions

Hi. I just bought a 96 ranger stx 4.0L that is going to be a somewhat daily driver. It is 4wd automatic with 3.76 locking gears. it has a 2 inch block under the rear suspention that i guess is factory? anyway im thinking about lifting the truck alot and puting 33'S to 35"s . i want to keep the truck drivable. im thinknig about a 4" suspention lift(450 on ebay) , a 3inch body lift(150 on ebay) , puting the factory spacers in the front to level the truck out and keeping the block in the back. Now the truck has 31" tires but i have a set of 33x15.5x15 superswampers on 5x 5 bolt pattern i was thinknig about using when the truck is high enough. Any way my real question is how will this look or will i need bigger tires, how will the truck drive, how will the gears be? im not trying to do serious offroading just trails and light mudding maby. im guessing that will give me about 9" of lift? plus tire lift. i was also considering gonig to 35" tires at most.

 

[Tbars4]

...Where is kingsville???

...Here is a thread full of Rangers with links to their trucks so you can get some more ideas...
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=221238

...Most of the guys progressively build there Rangers for what they want and what they need...Going w/9" of lift right away tells me you are concerned mainly about deep water crossings or mud puddles...
...I have only about 4" of lift on my truck and I can go just about anywhere..I don't usually have to worry about tipping over or low branches on trees..

 

[Four0Sport]

i agree with TBars, 4" of suspension lift and larger tires alone should be more than enough for what you want to use the truck for and it will still be a smooth dependable dd. then again, to each their own, how you build 'your truck' is what makes it 'your truck'. deffinetly keep us updated as to what you decide to do to the truck and post pictures!

 

[C_7777]

thanks for the posts. I was looking through and saw redreanger4.0 's truck and thats about how i want mine to be. Its almot at the bottom on page 1. I think i was going for 9 becasue it was just big lol.. and no more 33x15.5's that i would use a adapter for. i just sold them for 450. That basicly paid for my truck lol. How much lift does red rangers truck have?

 

[C_7777]

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=45310&l=267a7&id=569208570
here is my truck now. it ha a blown trans so i need to fix that this week and get inspected. but it isnt to bad for 650. o and kingsville is about a half hour north of baltimore, Mayland.

 

[Four0Sport]

since you have a STX ranger you alreayd have an advantage over every other stock ranger and explorer. The STX's are factory raised about an inch or so arent they TBars? arent the axle drop brackets larger than the regular ranger/explorer?

 

[Tbars4]

...If you look at Redreanger4.0's post it says he has a 5" RCD kit...Plus he has a lot of money in other upgrades on that truck...

...I think it is setup like mine, 2" stock lift from the factory..But your truck sits low like a 2wd.....I don't think he has the stx but rather the xlt package...:scratch:

...Just remember, once you start modding your truck, it never ends..

 

[Four0Sport]

it never ends, it just slows down when you dont have money lol thats the case with me anyways. gas is back down and im being transferred 4 miles from my house instead of working 20 miles away so my 93 will be driven more and the money i save will prbly be dumped into it.

 

[Dopler174]

Welcome to Explorer Forum!

 

[Tbars4]

...These 2 threads are kinda the same...
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=229627

 

[C_7777]

ha ha yea. i had put the other post here and then realised that this isnt the place for tech. info so i just edited this one and reposted the tech questions.

 

[Tbars4]

...No problem...If you post in the wrong section, the moderators will move them to where they belong...They just hate multiple threads...

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! I've merged both posts together.

 

[4x4junkie]

since you have a STX ranger you alreayd have an advantage over every other stock ranger and explorer. The STX's are factory raised about an inch or so arent they TBars? arent the axle drop brackets larger than the regular ranger/explorer?

The STX suspension is the same on a '96, that option ended around '89.

I would agree with the others, keep the lift on the lower side. Things like the steering linkage geometry become much more difficult to deal with the higher up you go. A bodylift can gain some additional height while avoiding some of the lift hassles if needed.

4" suspension lift + 2" bodylift should fit the wide 33s or a set of 35x12.50s no problem. For gears, 4.56 for 33s, 4.88 for 35s on the 4.0L is best.

 

[Tbars4]

...I'm not sure if you were talking about the STX drop brackets or the STX model option ending in '89..

...I know there has been some debate over the STX so I thought I would add these as they can be found in "The History Of The Ford Ranger" here...
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=229456

...From edmunds.com...

1993-1997

After a 10-year run with the same basic body style, the Ranger was substantially redesigned in and out for 1993. The new Ranger sported a slightly rounded nose, flush glass and new light clusters front and rear. A revamped interior greeted the driver and passengers and featured new seats, door trim and instrument panel. Upgraded sound systems added enjoyment to the new cabin. Nuts and bolts changes included the dropping of the 2.9-liter V6, a slight drop in output for the 2.3-liter engine (from 100 horsepower to 98), improved on-center steering feel and the addition of a high-mounted third brake light. Trim levels were revised and now consisted of base XL, XL Sport, XLT and STX. Halfway through the year, the perky Splash model (regular cab) debuted, featuring a stepside style (Flareside, in Ford lingo) bed and colorful graphics.

....and from TRS....
"The 1992 Ford Ranger's STX package came with side graphics, as shown on this SuperCab 4x4. "

 

[C_7777]

I decided. im geting the 4" suspention lift and either a 3 or 2 body lift and im not decided between the33"or 35" tires. money is a issue so i think im gonig to get the suspention lift and then tires. i have 31" tires now but will that look like crap till i get new tires? and do you happen to have any pictures or know who on the forums has their truck lifted like that. i really want to see 4" suspention with 3" body and 35" tires. O and and snother question. will a lift kit level out the truck or would it be nice to use the factory lift that was posted somewhere else on here

 

[Four0Sport]

if you want to see what a 4" suspension lift and 31s look like look at my registry in my signature. im too poor to re-gear and buy the 33s i want so im rockin the 31s.

 

[r37ribution]

Red Ranger is no longer running the RCD lift. He is converting to SAS. I have his lift now and its installed on my '96 X w/ 35s. See my sig for the RCD install. inh also made an FAQ for the RCD lift here. I wouldn't go 35s unless your CERTAIN you're ready to do some modding, lots of cutting is needed too. I had all kinds of trouble with my rack n' pinion. They simply are not designed for 35s. I just finished my gear box install last night.

4" suspension lift + 2" bodylift should fit the wide 33s or a set of 35x12.50s no problem. For gears, 4.56 for 33s, 4.88 for 35s on the 4.0L is best.

The X comes w/ 29" tyres stock. My X came with 3.73s. The gear calculator says that the perfect gearing for 35" tyres would be 4.50, so I went with 4.56 and it made my speedo almost exactly on. 4.88s is pretty damn big IMHO for 35s. The gear calc says that 4.26 would be the exact gearing for 33s. You could go either way at that point, 4.10s might be a better option if you don't plan on ever running 35s. I would figure out the gearing of your truck and punch it in the gear calc and figure out what would be best for you.