Hello Danger Ranger connoisseurs. New member from San Diego. Recently decided to build my 2001 4.0SOHC 4x4 to be more "off-road worthy" instead of buying a newer F150. She's been through a lot, trying to make this a cheap....er build!

-Jeep bumpers front and rear in the process of being modified/installed...
-Superlift kit is en route with skyjacker springs.
-Interested in ME00Stepside's product with the coil-over conversion. The plan is to fab my own brackets/gussets from some blueprints I found.
-If my headgasket is blown...., I'll tear the heads off and port and polish them myself, replacing the gaskets and check the heads for warp.

Thanks for all the great info here! Happy to join.

 

That's a great photo !
All that's missing is Julie Andrews coming over the hill top !

Sorry, couldn't help myself...

 

...or Steve McQueen jumping a fence to get away from the *****

Nice to hear you're looking to do a lift with the suspension rather than the body.

Post about progress, Please?

Welcome to the group

 

Very nice Ranger

Blown head gaskets were not an issue with the 4.0l SOHC engines, they were on the 4.0l OHV engines, 1990-2000 Rangers

The 4.0l SOHC from 1997 to 2004 did have timing chain issues, which did require engine to be pulled out to replace rear timing chain and guides

 

I'll keep y'all posted for sure, I'm going to start a new build thread...

Ran into a problem. TORSION BARS ARE STUCK, and boy do I mean stuck. Heat, hammer, broke Mr Sledgehammer, broke my "no swear challenge." I think the coil-over conversion might happen sooner than I anticipated.

RonD: For the head gasket piece- it's losing fluid slowly, and sometimes climbing a hill in a lower gear it'll jump a heartbeat. Exhaust smells sweet too. I bought the truck with a misfire in cylinder 3, turned out to be a small chip in the bearing of a rocker arm. I was in a hurry to put it all back together as it's my daily so I didn't mess with the heads at all.

Moving this to a build thread... With new pics.

 

Maybe a silly question, but did you depress the keys so the tension is off the fasteners?

Using a 2-jaw puller (or well-installed C-clamp) can help with the truck off the ground.

A gallon of Aerokroil penetrant won't hurt either

Or get that crazy friend with his acetylene torch to torch it all off. Half kidding on that one

 

 

Build thread link:

https://www.ranger-forums.com/projec...6/#post2147674

 

OK. You meant the bar out of the A-arm.

That's a marriage that's gonna last, but yeah.

Would a friend with an air hammer help? Jack hammer?