hi everybody I'm new here and Ive always had ideas of making a street truck ive searched and searched for the answer to my question but I can only find answers for offroading. Someday id like to at most get 700hp out of my truck. So my question is... How can I ditch my leafsprings for a 4link system with coilovers while keeping the ride height I received from a djm 4/5 lowering kit?
Also are there any 4 link kits for my truck if not what coilovers and ect do you recommend?
(BTW my truck is a manual and coming soon it should be getting a explorer rear end I never tow or anything I just want a street racing truck I guess you could say)

 

Hi and welcome.

Not knowing what year truck you have it is hard to answer your question.

There are many suppliers for the performance parts you want.

This is just one link of many websites that will be ready and willing to take your money.

https://www.cachassisworks.com/p-253...uspension.aspx

The ride height will be set with your coilovers

If your serious about the horse power numbers you will need to ditch the entire Ranger frame and build a tube chassis.

My guess is the explorer rear end, even one that has been heavy modified may not hold up to that amount of power depending on the tire size you go with and launch conditions.

My advice is enjoy your truck for what it is .

Save your money invest in tools and training.

It is like the old saying " speed is a question of money, how fast you want to go depends on how much you have to spend"

If you cannot afford to drop your truck off to a local speed shop and tell them to make it go from point a to b in x amount of time this means you will have to dig in and do the work yourself.

To do this work yourself, it will take time, money, tools and plenty of space most of all it will take knowledge.

The knowledge you will need you will not learn here, you will learn this type of knowledge at a trade school or collage that focuses on performance engineering.

I am not trying to bust your bubble, yet 700 horse power is a lot to ask out of any vehicle, this number changes everything including your budget.

With the power people are making with modern cars even at 700 horsepower it will be hard to compete.

With this in mind you can have your cake and eat it to.

Consider Bracket racing. You do not need a 700 horse power monster to win.

To win at bracket racing you need consistency and reliability , which in the end cost less and can be just as exciting.

BTW consistency and reliability you can learn here.

There is a Ford Ranger Forum that focuses on speed and modifications Turbos etc. Perhaps another member can point you in that direction if you need it.

 

Jpickett87

Welcome to the group. The HP you are asking for is twice the amount of the F- series trucks made by Ford. So even taking the F- series frames you still have lots of work to make it strong enough to get to 700. Then you also have more weight to compensate for. So you have a circle going.

Also then you still need a supercharger or a turbo or both. Plus a big bottle of NOS. Getting rid of all creature comforts in the cab. So you need to then loose weight to make up for frame and suspension improvements.

Lots of good you tube videos explain ride hieght and suspension travel.

Lots of stuff you need to consider. I brought up the F- series because that gets you half way there to 700. Still thats only half way. Oh I forgot. You also need a tuner shop to retune all shift points and other things.

I hope you find your way to the checker flag.
Jim

 

My truck is a 99 extended cab 2 door stepside (i thought the forum would show my specs off to the side or something).
But instead of building a whole tubular frame couldnt i just box my entire frame?
And also ive always been wanting to put in a twin tubo 408w with a t56 magnum... Just for further info price is not an issue, im not rich but hopefully someday itll get to my goal.

 

I am no engineer, I could not tell you boxing your frame would give the frame the strength it needs to handle the power you are talking about.

If I were you I would focus on how fast you want to go, and how quick you want to get there.

Things that are important for you to understand is what you will ultimately be doing with your truck.

A vehicle that is set up for a 1/8 mile drag race is different than one that is set up for a 1/4 mile race.

My point is when you start to modify your truck from stock one change will effect many other aspects of the vehicle.

What good is all the power in the world if you cannot get traction or if you get traction and your frame twist not allowing your truck to drive straight.

The more you change from stock the higher the horsepower you have the higher the torque you have the quicker and faster you want to go etc will turn your daily driver into a race only vehicle that has to be towed to the track.

At 700 Hp this may even mean taking the engine apart to rebuild it every few races. ( I am thinking this is not what you want )

I have never ever seen anyone with a competitive car or truck say I am building a x amount horsepower vehicle.

They all have used math to go from a to b in x amount of time to come up with the specifications they need to accomplish their goal.

Horsepower and torque is a byproduct not the goal.

It is my opinion that a Ford Ranger that is to be driven on the street and track reliably will have limitations and compromises.

With the little you have mentioned so far, I get that you want to piece together a fast truck over time. I admire this and wish you the best.

However to get what you want you have to be realistic, have a plan make a budget and stick to the plan.

Otherwise you will end up with a overpowered, unsafe under engineered waste of time and money.

Wouldn't it suck for you to focus on the Horsepower and not the entire project only to have a near stock vehicle beat you at a race because your truck couldn't drive in a straight line or get traction ,brake at launch or worse crash at high speed.

I think what you really want yet you just do not know it yet is a street and track bracket truck.

You can have nearly everything you want but the starting point is to decide
what type of race you will gear up for 1/8 -1/4 mile etc.

Then decide what times you want to run.

After you know this information check with the race track of your choice to see what your truck will need to pass inspection to even race that those times.

The faster and quicker you want to go will dictate what modifications has to happen to the truck.

I am not sure if you have seen this yet, Trucks TV show did a bunch of episodes on Project rolling thunder, which is a heavily, modified Ford Ranger.

You can sign up for free and watch all the episodes, it can be a pain to watch them all because from episode to episode they
will feature other vehicles and skip working on the Ranger.

It takes some time to search through each episode to find which show features the guys working on the Ranger.

On this project they do box and modify the stock frame and suspension.

This show can be informative and give you ideas for your own build.

https://www.powernationtv.com/episod...9-at-the-track

 

You raise good points and project rolling thunder is a truck that i have been looking at only thing id do differently is leave the truck with a rear axle not irs and i dont know what to call it but i want my truck to still hold its interior and get a really tight fitting roll cage and be really fun and fast on the street maybe occasional track or strip
Also i doubt i will ever tow anything but id like for the truck to be able to if needed
So i guess i want my truck to do it all thats why i was asking if there was any really good coilovers and 4 link kits, but now that u raise the point of my frame is too weak do you know by chance what the average cost would be at a speed shop for a full custom frame
Maybe add in the roll cage to (connect roll cage to frame below cab floor)
I know im asking for alot out of the truck but if possible would it be able to be used as a daily driver (remember 700 is the MAX Hp rating that i want more than that would be too much)

 

Personally I think you want way too much out of your daily driver.

You should consider enjoying the Ranger for what it is and buy a second vehicle to modify to use as a street strip vehicle.

Or use the Ranger as the street strip vehicle and buy another daily driver.

There are many inexpensive cars that are easier and cheaper to make go fast.

Not to mention the work you will need to do to your current Ranger will leave you without a vehicle to drive for a very long time.

I would start with a project vehicle that someone has started and spent a lot of time and money on or finished vehicle.

Let someone else loose a crap load of money and do the bulk of the work that you would have to pay to have done anyways.

Here is a just a few examples of what you could have purchased for cheap compared to what was spent on them to build.

https://www.barrett-jackson.com/Even...TOM-SUV-198572

https://www.barrett-jackson.com/Even...ERTIBLE-207826

https://www.barrett-jackson.com/Even...-PICKUP-208942

https://www.barrett-jackson.com/Even...-PICKUP-197478

Here are some links that may be helpful.

Drag Racing Introductions - Build First Street Strip Car - Hot Rod - Hot Rod Network


http://www.racingjunk.com/

 

What failure issues/locations did you experience with your Ranger frame and at what hp? I'm looking to push 800whp in a first stage build and the push >1200whp in stage 2.

 

There is a few problems I see:
1) There would also be an issue planting that much HP to the ground so you are going to need much wider tires. Look at tubbing your bed to fit a tire that is much wider that will currently fit.
2) A custom 9" 3rd member would be necessary as the Explorer rear is only good to about 400 lbs of tq without serious mods. Then you are looking at a ladder bar 4 link
3) fitting a 700hp engine with the forced induction and the inter-cooler with all of the plumbing difficult if not impossible

I think it would be more realistic for a 400ish hp Windsor based engine as a Ranger will still have problems planting that much power to the road. It would be normally aspirated. A worked Mustang GT auto transmission to a custom 9" posi rear (sorry the Explorer rear is a weak link). An auto trans can shift quicker than you can and you can add a Hurst lightening rod kit if needed. If the money is not an issue the independent rear suspension in the current Hi-Po Mustang would be a better choice. You are looking at a 3500lb vehicle unless you start sheading some weight. My rough guesstimate with a 3.55 rear it would be in a low 13 sec quarter mile time. The budget of what I just laid out would be about $12,000 if you have the skillset and tools to do this (solid axle - add another $4k for the independent rear). Horsepower is expensive.

The other alternative is contact Pioneer Ford in Breman GA and get on the list for their "Tribute" F-150 Lightning (just shy of $50k). It is only 650hp but they have worked out the kinks to plant most of the HP that truck produces.