starting a prerunner project
 

ok, i just got a 96 ranger and iwant to turn it into a prerunner. does anybody haveany suggestions on what i should do first??? and as far as roll cages and the be cage, is there anybody out there that sells them pre made??
thanks alot

no there are not any premade cages, get one made from a well known company. Alliance fab, camburg, dixon brothers, just to name a few. i suggest going to www.dezertrangers.com and just read as much as you can. look at all the pictures and threads on suspension and cages etc etc. There is alot of information there you can get about shops and safety andanythign else you will really need.

if you have any other questions just let me know

yeah dezertrangers will help you out a bunch. There are lots of good knowlegable people on here also. Hopefully they will chime in soon.

Don't you dare post something like that on dezertrangers. They will eat you alive.
You have an ibeam setup. Look into Mcneil's setup as well as camburgs. As well as Giant Motorsports. Giant Puts out some absolutely phenominal Ibeam ranger stuff including extended beams, radius arms, All the stuff you need to get that thing mobbin.

sorry to jump in this thread, but Cass, is that your's in your avatar?? it looks like a beast!

It is a beast, Negatory on the mine part. Lets call it the Model for mine ;)

as in i am not a knowledgeable person?

and cass, i didnt say to go on dezert rangers and start posting beginner questions, just for him to read

the BEST thing to do is just read all the threads in there about fabrication and building a safe, reliable truck

as far as premade bedcages try www.camburg.com they also have the beam kits available and can do a custom cage as well

Lol no sorry Alon I didn't mean it like that! I meant chime in with more than a 'look here' like Cass did. I know you know your stuff!

so approxamatly how much would it cost to turn a stock ranger into a pretty decent off road prerunner????

first some questions.

why do you need/want a prerunner?
what are you going to be using it for?
where are you planning on driving?
are you ever going to want to race with it or is it just for fun?


http://www.camburg.com/fords1P.html

there are setups from $1500 to $6500
bed cage ~1500 from camburg, can get it cheaper elsewhere
deaver long travel leaf pack ~ 650
shackles ~120
fiberglass front fenders ~ 300-350
rear shocks ~ 600 ish
front and rear bumpers ~800 depending on where you get it made
tires and rims

how much do you have to spend, how much performance are you looking to get.

also, where is phelan?

its out in the iddle of know where, about 5 miles from victorville or san bernadino, im interested in a prerunner cause where i live is in the desert so i can drive it pretty much anywhere. im not really interested in racing but i want a truck that could take a pretty good bettin. ii am selling my suburban for 4,000 bucks to put towards this truck and possibly my dirtbike. but lets just say my bugets at about 4,000 for the time being. i just didnt know where you would start on a project like this? i would asume the front suspension, fenders, and tires?

i live (when not in school) in west covina and my gf (bailey) is in rancho cucamonga. we go out to lytle creek and barstow all the time, so we definately need to meet up sometime.

just look around at all your options, here are some shops that are well known and put out great products. best bet is just to read around on dezert rangers and then call up one of these shops. tell them what you want and how much you have to spend.

http://www.giantmotorsports.com/
http://www.hnmmotorsports.com/
http://www.blitzkriegoffroad.com/

ok thanks alot for all your help. im like 15 minutes fromm barstow, its a blast up there. im up there for all there poker runs and other random occasions

I would start first on the front suspension and wheels and tires.
Then you can worry about the rear suspension, and glass.
Then bumpers.
Then bed cage when you do the rear.

will 33 or 32" tires fit if i only have the front suspension though???? or would i have to get the fengers first? but even then will the fit on the back if it is only stock hieght with the fenders??

Remember that 98 and up has a different suspension than 97 and before. The first link to Camburg was the 97 and before (I-beam). Big differences in price and options and such.

If you are only going to be spending around 4,000, I would stay away from the burg. I mean Scott and Jerry and boys but out amazing work (Just look at all the trucks out there rocking their stuff). But they are super super expensive. They charge top dollar! If I was you, since you have the beams, go with Giant. Geoff will help you out. Just call them up and ask for him. They make great beams and radium arms (like mentioned above) and they are super friendly. Also, check out Nate at Blitz. He might be able to help you out. He does great work and for a decent price too.

also, the burg isnt really doing many cages anymore. They are kinda shying away from that. At least thats what jerry said.

The order I would do it in:
Giant Front End
Wheels and Tires
Glass Flairs (Front and rear)
Rear End (leafs and a bed cage)
Fuel Cell
Bumpers
Cage and Seats
Dash

You could rock that set-up for awhile and have a blast with it. Eventually if money permits you could also link the rear with a 9" and throw in a 347 stroker!!! But thats a lot of money. The list I just wrote out will prolly cost around 10 grand give or take a little. Hope that helps. Good Luck

Chris

how about the fabtech front suspention kit. i just saw one installedon trucks and it looked prettydurible??