alright...i want a leaf spring setup. may do terra flex but i dont want to go that big. i only want to fit 34s and it will not be for looks, i want an offroader that also functions as a daily driver. No lockers for me and if my front diff has 4.10s then thats wut ill be using. when i get to the swap ill have ALLLLLL summer long to work on it (bout 2-3 months) but if it takes that long then hell...sumthins wrong.

ive been to pirate4x4 and the elplorer one. this doesnt seem all that intimidating to me i know my front suspension very well with the indepth cleaning(mudding and such) and looking for ways to lift the SOB.

so with this new information...what can you tell me? wrangler good for me? pricing? is this a good alternative (bit to the extreme) for the RCD coil lift?

 

well heres the thing, I dont really care how much youve cleaned youre stock suspension off when it was full of mud because All youre gonna do is lop it off at the subframe. If you think its not that intimidating then youre a little mistaken. think of all the lines in the subframe that you will have to relocate. new driveshaft new stering column maybe, new steering box, leaf springs, hangers, tie rods that are the right length, and on and on. If youre not gonna lock it and go take it offroading a ton then whats the point?? when you can do an RCD for cheaper and at least youre truck will retain some value because when you total your truck a week after you do the SAS youre SOL you will get **** for it.



and dont buy a wrangler either.

 

i didnt say i was buying a wrangler...i meant the front end of one. maybe id like the feel of a straight axle under me. i think id be happier offroad with one then with a coil suspension. and ive done my research, maybe it doesnt seem that intimidating because i have a big idea about wut has to be done i just need a little help on getting the materials. and who said ill total my truck after a week of driving it? i havent even been in as much as a fender bender with my truck. its babied too much(on road).

any more opinions on this subject?

 

My bad i thought thats what you were sayin!






so youre gonna go on a "feeling". I mean if youre gonna do it, do it because you want to start gettin serious offroad.




You can do all the research you want but you are going to get there, find a million things you never thought about and have tons of trouble. Not to mention you PROBABLY wont get it right your first time, or maybe even second time, or third time ect.





I didnt say you would, but im saying if you do for some reason youll lose your *** on value. your truck will be worth nil to nothing to the insurance. And **** happens but one accident is all it takes and your f*cked.



Im not trying to crush your dreams but seriously if youre not gonna take it to its limits off road, I dont see any reason for a SAS. I mean dont get me wrong a SAS would be BADASS, but Im trying to help you out here. I wanted to do a SAS on my truck for a long time and I still do, but one of my local offroad shops told me about the wreck idea and I dont know about you but I dont have money to buy a new vehicle if I only get 1g off of my accident claim.


Just trying to help you out in the right direction brother. just think about it.

 

the other thing you need to consider that if youre insurance company finds out youve done it to your truck, and you still owe money it, youre insurance many drop you, or your loan agency!! they are going on an assumed value for your vehicle, as an asset, that they can hold against you as long as you owe money on it.

for what youre looking to do, the RCD lift is the way to go definately. If you wanted to get a feeling of a solid axle, you should have bought a truck that already had it. IMO an SAS swap on a new ranger should be done by:

people with too much time
people with too much money
people who NEED it for offroading
people who ALREADY KNOW --EVERYTHING-- that would have to be done
people who have another vehicle to drive
people whose ranger is PAID OFF

from what ive read youre none of the above, so i wouldnt recommend it. nobody here is trying to be mean, its just a reality check. if youre on of the above, then please correct me and ill apologize.

i used to drive my torino every day, it was my only car. so i didnt do much to it. when i got my 99 ranger i let loose on the torino. it was paid off, i knew what to do and how to do it, and i had the ranger to drive in case the torino was left undriveable for a few days (or months it turned out). even then, i paid professionals to do the rotating assembly because thats something i have never done and didnt want to RISK doing it wrong. thats because i didnt "have too much moeny" to waste on rebuilding the engine again.

 

personally i would pick up a tired 93-97 ranger with a TTB front and SAS that *****. SO much easier since 70% of everything is there already and who cares if u hack it up, its an older truck and u can beat the **** out of it.

 

alright...supergildo and bob, yall are starting to talk some sense in me. Ive been doing my research and most of the prices that come up are maybe 300$ over an RCD but I dont know. it sounds like a lot of work and lots of room for error, so ill go with the RCD when the time comes (dont have my summer job anymore, now in fast food) so i wont be able to pay for it in 2 months like i used to be able to.(no bills for me and was pulling in 600 every 2 weeks)

 

good choice!

 

im glad you see what Im sayin cause if you didnt youde think of me as an ***.


good choice, and later on down the line when you abuse your RCD you can justify a SAS.


have fun

 

thanks again cuz i now feel i was about to make a big mistake. now on that RCD, does anybody know wut all goes on in the installation process of this one?

 

its all bolt on except the gussets for the upper shock mount. From what ive heard this is one of the nicest, most well made kits in production. everything fits prefect no pounding, no wiggling.

 

very nice...just wut i need. i heard something about, i think it was cv, having to be constantly replaced unless you put a limiting strap on but RCD fixed it by doing sumthing. anybody heard anything about this?

 

im pretty sure that the problem is fixed now, but im not 100% on that one. i think they did just add a limiting strap

 

That is my roomates truck. I took those pics.

I put a dana 44 out of a 77' Ford Bronco under my ranger. Also a Ford 9" out of the same year bronco, had to cut off the spring pearches and turn the rear axle. I put 7" Bronco coils under it and I can clear 38's. used the ranger steering box, had to cut the bronco drag link down to size, custom make the track bar, radius arm mounts frame side, and extended drivelines.
The reason for using the 77 bronco, is it is the smaller version, and it uses a disc brake front end. The rear end from that Bronco is a nine inch, and so I used it also so I had the same bolt pattern front and rear.

As for the 03' edge, It is a Dana 30 high pinion out of a 91' jeep cherokee. It is revers cut, the jeep axle has the same bolt pattern as a stock 8.8 rear from a ranger.

Good Luck with the project, pm me with Q's

 

in fact, if you look close in the first picture you can even see the of the cab of my Ranger, I got stuck in a bog and he was pulling me out in that pic.

 

so, ya'll are roommates? ya'll act like you don't know eachother on here... lol

 

I can post pics of the two truck parked behind our house. but I'm sure you all will believe me

 

naw. i believe you...

it always baffled me how you are always like "i saw this truck" or "some guy pulled up behind me" etc...

i thought "how can these guys be in the same town, have offroading pics together, but not know eachother"...

and i had private messages with your roommate, becasuse you both have the same ip address and he said:

"i'm not certain why we have the same ip address but there is another straight axle ranger in Corvallis, Or. He was running tsl's for awhile, not sure whats on it now."

not like it matters... just odd...

 

maybe they were yankin on your funny bone?

 

its probably just one guy with two SAS rangers....

maybe thas what he's tryin to do?

multiple personalities?

 

thatd take a lot of talent to drive two trucks at one time and park them right behind each other (picture in a previous post)

 

this is kind of late submission but a VERY valid point made by a future member here (034x4, waiting on confirmation):

 

http://www.kjellpinter.com/ranger/ theres the adress to his website.. hope it helps

 

so yall are now directing me to perform the SAS? i had really been leaning (and actually started working) towards the RCD lift. wutever allows me to go 35s cuz im havin a ***** of a time findin some reasonable 34s. who thinks 35s can be put under a 5.5" lifted Ranger? im not goin 33s cuz thats only an inch taller then wut i have on now. buyin new tires when my current tires are only a few months old would be a bad waste of money.

 

im not directing you tword anything...i just thought if anyone was interested also, and if it was still in your mind to check it out..