Hello everyone. I am about to buy a 2wd 1987 ranger with the 2.9 v6. what I want to know is how hard is it to convert a 2wd of that year to 4wd?

 

if you really want a 4x4 then i'd hold out and save some more money and shop around for one. it would be cheaper to buy a 4x4 than to convert one over. unless you had alot of free parts and more time than most of us do.

 

its not worth doing unless your trying to build it a certain way you want it. if all you want is 4x4 then getting a different truck is the best option. i wanted to do the same thing but at this point i've seen alot of trucks and learned alot and i see buying a 4x4 would be better than making one for the kind of stuff i do. but hey that doesnt stop me from lifting my truck and playing off road a little bit.

 

what kind of stuff do you do with your 2WD when off road?

 

i say get it and sas it. it would be an easy swap

 

ill do anything except deep water/ruts/mud. ill climb hils, trails, ride in wash outs, creeks. i know my limits on what can break stuff or make me bottom out real bad. i just use a little common sense and bring friends when theres something new to try. honestly a 2wd doesnt do bad off road but its not for deep mud or rock climbing and all that stuff which is obvious.

4x4 would be nice but i dont have to have it. i still have fun.

 

true. IF you can get all the parts and install them yourself.

 

How so?

You still have to get a trans, t case, drive shafts, bezel, switch, and thats all I can remember.

OR

Get a 4wd.

 

why would u need the bezel or a switch? itd be going in to a 80's model truck.. no need for all that crap.. just get your self a manual t-case and be done with it. Big2003viper, go have a look through the build threads, theres tons of info in there on how to convert over to 4wd, maybe not for ur specific truck..but it may help out a lot.


prolly could find a used 80's 4wd drive train for pretty cheap. along with the drive shafts. can find them at a junk yard.

 

If you go with the TTB Axle setup then you need to replace the cross member, it can be done, I have a friend that did it but as said above the D44 SAS is the way to go in your case.

The cross member in a 2 WD is not as deep as on a 4x4 and doesn't interfere with the D44 Housing as a 4x4 with moderate lift.
The SAS on a 2WD chassis can stick to 6" and not worry about hitting the cross member.

Go D44 straight axle with Coil and shock or the Coil-Over shock, get some of the Duff Radius Arms with the bends in them and away you go.

Of course you still all of the go stuff mentioned above.

Luck,