Build may take a little time but I want it right, any input would be helpful.

2004 Ranger Supercab 4x4 Edge
47,400 miles
4.0l V6 Auto
stock suspension
16x7 wheels

First mod i'm interested in is a Suspension and or body lift and 33's. what's the best and less expensive way? What about T-Keys I;m hearing of?

 

do not even think of torsion bar keys. spend some time searching on here and you will learn why really quick. if you dont do any off roading or very moderate off roading then go for a bodylift, you will not gain any frame to ground clearance but you will gain clearance for larger tires which will create a gain for diff clearance. a super lift will basically do the same thing although it is really debatable whether you gain much over a bodylift unless you do a coilover conversion. even though the superlift is a true suspension lift all your front suspension components stay the same height as stock so there is no ground clearance gained, only frame.

 

Kyle,
Would love to see some pics of your truck if available, thanks for the info.

 

Looks like a good solid starting point. Always been a fan of white too!

 

this is my truck the day i got my new tires. no lift at all, i could barely drive the damn thing with those tires on because everything would rub.


if i recall correctly this is what it looked like with t-bars cranked and belltech shackles. as you can see the tires look very stuffed and scrubbed like crazy when turning. went off road once for less than ten minutes and chewed the **** out of my rear tires and bedsides



this is bodylifted



both of these trucks are bodylift, t-bar crank and shackles


and just for reference in case you were wondering what a 33 looks like next to the factory tires lol. this is with cranked t-bars and shackles as well



i have since turned up the t-bars a little more and installed an add-a-leak kit from procomp on the rear. brought the front up almost another inch and the rear another two so it is no longer level. has a forward rake like it did from factory

 

Very nice Kyle, like the look of the wheels. What make of Bodylift did you use?

 

i bought it used but i believe there really is only one make for these trucks. performance accessories makes a bodylift but summit and some other companies repackage it as their own

 

I'm looking at the 3" lift from Summit, will probably dive into that next week. Just finished maxing out the T-bars and doesn't look to bad. You mentioned shakles?

 

belltech 6400 drop shackles for a chevy 1500 will lift a ranger rear end. i think it is 1-2.5". they have multiple adjustment holes for hieght

 

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This was taken after cranking the T-bars out.she sits alot more level now.

 

Looking at putting these 32x11.50 MT's with the 15x8 ION Alloy SIm Bead rims, also found some Pro Comp Shocks all around and shackles for her rearend.

 

Wait until you get the wheels and tires to get your alignment, it will save if the shop does the alignment, mounting, balancing

 

that will look great, If you do a body lift you will have room to fit a 33x12.50 if you are interested. I have the 15x8 Ion alloys on my truck with a 3 inch bl and tbar crank and my 33's fit great. no rubbing at all. i just trimmed a super small piece off my front valence but you could never tell.

Here's my truck with the 3 inch body lift, 1 inch tbar crank, and 33x12.50 r15's on the ion alloy you were looking at

 

I have to disagree with your clearance comment Kyle. You gain no clearance at the axles by cranking you bars, you will still get clearance for every thing else since your raising the truck. Which the OP did. He still won't fit 33's but at least he can fit a 31" tire if he wants to, as its a good start. The only way to get axle clearance is manning up coin for unimog axles.

OP, I didn't mean to confuse you about my post, I agree with the BL as being your cheapest option. The SL is a lot more.

 

your wrong. by cranking the torsion bars you are changing the angle on the control arms. that is the reason a camber kit is needed for a proper alignment. this change in control arm angle lifts the over all height of the front differential because of the downward angle of the lower control arms


the first pic is my truck stock. you can see the lower control arms lay pretty flat because the torsion bars are stock height


the truck has t-bars cranked here but you can clearly see the downward angle on the control arms. this has a direct affect on ground clearance at the diff

 

sorry morris, didnt mean to come across sounding like a dick. just trying to show what i was talking about

 

I agree but I don't. Axle height is limited by tire size. To fit larger tires, you need to crank or adust your suspension somehow or add a BL. When you adjust that suspension it is giving frame to ground clearance, your pic shows it. Stock the LCA is parralel with the ground (or slightly at an angle) cranked like said increases that angle.

There is a thread on here about measurements from stock to cranked. I noticed mine increased, I might not have measured my frame clearance but my wheelwell height went up. That is affected by the truck going up or "leveling out" which has raised the frame.

 

your right, an axle is limited to tire height, like the rear axle. but the front suspension because it is basically three main components is only limited to how far you want to crank them. this is why everyone stays away from the aftermarket keys. they allow too much adjustment to be safe for the front end components

 

I'll agree to that. To return this thread back on track cus I derailed it (sorry OP) a BL will work, there is a number of guys on here that have them and a larger tire. It's a cheap combo that works.

 

i think this is all relevant to the thread morris, the op wants to know what will work best and now he can make a more informed decision. that is what this forum is all about.







as long as we didnt confuse him lol

 

I too noticed a significant change in ground to fender height when cranking the t-bar adjusters. Thanks for the pic greg of the Ion Alloy's , they look great on red, can't wait to see them on white.

 

All of you that have installed 3" BL's,, what was the major difficulty in doing so?

 

rusted siezed bolts make the project become quite time consuming. If you have the right tools at the start (hydraulic jack, torch, impact gun, a bunch of sockets, breaker bar, and channel locks to name a few) you will be fine. also having a buddy or two to help makes a huge difference.

 

when i did mine my dad decided to show up about halfway through to help. i had all the bolts out of the driver side of the cab and thought i had the passenger ones just loosened. nope. pops found the loose bolts and wheeled them all out. we jacked up the driver side of the cab and the whole thing slid over to the passenger side. it was a real pain in the *** to adjust and line up the cab and bed after that