I'm not going to lie, dude...


It looks badass. What are the plans for the steering? Are they going above the leaf springs with the steering?
I don't like the A/Ts much either but they are probably fine for where you are. I was just telling Zach though, I love my KM2s, but... If I were wheeling much, airing down and playing around rocks I might get something else. The sidewalls seem exposed a bit, and there is not much protecting the bead of the wheels (compared to other mud tires I've had). Awesome tire all around but I think for your purpose the MTRs with Kevlar reinforced sidewalls would probably be safer.

 

It has the basic cross over steering. Drag link above springs and tie rod below (as seen in the pictures).

 

im unsure about the steering shaft though, i would believe that a single piece shaft would be much stronger and reduce any extra force placed on an angle created from another joint. i believe if the angles on the ends are not too severe, you would get plenty of direct force to the box, but then again i cant completely make out the positioning of the shaft in this case. with the 3 joints you would effeciently create less pressure on each joint by reducing the pitch/angle of each joint, multiplying the usable force.. with the box mounted on the outside of the frame, i can imagine the angle isnt very good. im arguing mounting the box on the inside somehow to possibly relieve some pressure and then maybe angle the box to a usable degree to relieve some vertical pressures. but ill see when i get there lol..

 

Facepalm

As soon as I scrolled up and looked at the pictures (that I have already seen) I rolled my eyes at myself. haha

Also, looking at the pictures again, I bet you have enough compression from ride height up front to get a decent ride as long as the springs don't settle much.

 

Good luck mounting a steering box on the inside of the frame rails.

The only problem i see with the steering shaft he's using is that it looks like its retained part of the factory ranger shaft.

 

Love it man!

 

Sure does look nice! The shop you chose does great work.

 

truck looks badass. love the wheels

 

god that looks good strong and functional and practical!

 

Well the truck drove itself home with my assistance! It is drivable, but not yet wheelable. I will drive it around for a few weeks then bring it back in for some finishing touches. It drives decently for what it is. I've never driven a solid axle vehicle so I didn't know what to expect. The guys at the shop said it drives fine and it is right in line with how it should feel.

As far as the steering the fab guy at "the mechanics shop" noticed my unsupported steering shaft and put a heim on there to hold the shaft in place. So that is no longer an issue. The 5.13 seem like a great match for the Ranger. Going down the highway at 60-70 the RPMs aren't that high maybe 2,300-2,500. I will have to check again but nowhere near 3k. The ride is surprisingly smooth for leafs. No new pictures as everybody knows what it looks like.

 

what "finishing touches" do you need to do.

 

Bump Stops
Notch Passenger side frame for draglink/TRE (for more flex/clearance)
Plate frame in a few spots
Engine crossmember (I want more frame strength)
Tranny Crossmember for front DS

I think that is about it

 

Bryan, this thing is gorgeous. That guy did some awesome work and you chose wisely! Can't wait to see some action shots of it!

 

awsome...

do you have sort of a price breakdown on how things went?

im searching for axles right now.....just kinda curious how yours went....if you dont mind me asking (pm me if you prefer), but im very curious

 

As far as price it was pretty up there. For labor alone it was 3k, axle was about 2k (rebuilt, geared, locker, new everything but shafts and tubes), then there are all the misc. parts like rear gears, brakes, steering box, shocks, TREs, leafs packs, tires, wheels etc. If you can do it yourself you can cut the price way down to half or less. This truck will be my hearse for my funeral to help cover expenses . Although most of the bill wasn't money I worked for it is still money and still expensive.

 

I mounted a older ranger style steering box on the inside of my frame when I did my SAS.

BTW truck looks great!

 

PICS or GTFO lol

 

I believe badkarma did his the same way, but its not exactly ideal. There's just so little room in there.

 

he used one from an Isuzu or something around that..

cant wait to see pictures man..glad its on the road again.

Driving a SAS truck is scary at first its so different but you will get used to it

 

 

Hmm... Any more than that? Cuz that's pretty sick..

 

I went with outdoorsman to pick it up. Looks freakin sweet!

 

hm. sounds about right...thanks

 

cmack is my Tacoma driving cousin. 4x4, rear locker, with some pretty sweet mods.

 

i thought ive seen it done like that before, mounting the box within a box on the inside of the frame, or some similar method. the pic makes it look slightly tipped up also which makes sense to me. did it work out well for you? what tires did you have on it with the stock ranger box?


Clifford looks like a stellar piece of work. sounds like a sob with all the little extra mods needed at the end though haha. atleast it will be done right when its done. and you wont be looking at it later wishing you had done the little extra before you find yourself stuck on the trail.

one more question though,

where abouts does your rear static hangar sit on the frame? is it anywhere near the tranny crossmember? i figure if the rear hangar sits near that support, it should make a fairly stable crossmember to build off of with minimal bracing of the frame in that area.