Wanting to swap a 1997 ranger frame that's rusted to pieces for a 1990 ranger frame is this possible? Will cab and motor mounts line up? I'm not worried about the bed because I'm going to build a custom bed for it

 

Welcome to the forum

No, body mounts will be in the wrong places, but bed mounts would actually fit, lol
You will need a 1993-1997 frame for best match, but 1998-2011 would work

Also 2WD and 4x4 frames are different up front, and regular cab and extended cab are different of course

The frame width didn't change 1983-2011 but in 1993 body got wider so mounting points changed

1983 to 1988 was generation 1
1989-1992 was generation 1.5, body style changed but same as gen1 in everything else
1993-1997 was generation 2
1998-2011 was generation 3

 

how are the frames different from 2wds to 4x4 i have a 4x4 but it has been totaled and i have a 2wd i want to swap all my 4x4 stuff over to the 2wd thanks in advance

 

Both need to be Regular cab or both Super cab to do the swap

The front frame on 4x4 is "boxed" at certain places for more support of the heavier front axle and less twisting in off road use
And the mounting points are different for front axle

Regular frame rails are "c" shaped, [
Boxed frame is rectangle, []

People have converted 2WD to 4WD, so it can be done