Project "Danger Ranger"

L

livetoride21

Adventurer
Alright , update time.
1. Received my Radio and Speakers the other day :D
- Kenwood KDC-BT372U CD player with USB input, bluetooth etc.. Matched with Kenwood KFC-C6895PS 6"x8" 3-Way speakers all around.
Was able to get a great deal on the deck/install kit on Crutchfield.ca, and a great deal for the speakers on Ebay.


I don't plan on going crazy with audio, just wanted something a little cleaner sounding when turned up than stock and able to play music off a USB drive. Bluetooth connectivity was very much welcomed as well.

2. Cleaned up the junkyard seats that I picked up from an 05 ,the passenger side is like new, where as the driver side still has a few small stains.
I think I can still clean it up some more, but for now I at least don't feel like I'm getting dirty every time I touch it.




I will need to transplant the seat wiring harnesses from the 2007 seats as they are different, but it shouldn't be too big a deal. The main difference is the presence of a passenger load sensor for the passenger airbag.

3. Washed down the whole interior and started prepping it for the new speakers/radio and replacement seats.
The Stock radio is out,



Door panels are off



Front seats are out


I ran into an issue however that I didn't expect. When I removed the center console (which will not be going back in) I realised that there were two large square cutouts in the vinyl floor for the console mounting... I wasn't expecting this, I just expected a couple small bolt holes. I will have-to get a replacement vinyl floor from a non bucket model ford ranger to fix this issue. I also noticed the jump seats were starting to tear in some areas, so I'll be on the lookout for some replacements. I don't need the interior to be perfect, but I at least need it to be presentable with no rips/tears.

Next up, I will be removing the jump seats and vinyl floor in preparation for their replacement, and starting the body lift.
I hope to be able to get the body lift done this week so I can hopefully start driving the truck by the end of the month, then start the real modifications.
I also have-to remember to start taking pictures with an SLR instead of my small point and shoot, as I keep having blurry low light pictures!
 
Last edited:
0

02rangeredge

Adventurer
livetoride21 said:
Alright , update time.
1. Received my Radio and Speakers the other day :D
- Kenwood KDC-BT372U CD player with USB input, bluetooth etc.. Matched with Kenwood KFC-C6895PS 6"x8" 3-Way speakers all around.
Was able to get a great deal on the deck/install kit on Crutchfield.ca, and a great deal for the speakers on Ebay.


I don't plan on going crazy with audio, just wanted something a little cleaner sounding when turned up than stock and able to play music off a USB drive. Bluetooth connectivity was very much welcomed as well.

2. Cleaned up the junkyard seats that I picked up from an 05 ,the passenger side is like new, where as the driver side still has a few small stains.
I think I can still clean it up some more, but for now I at least don't feel like I'm getting dirty every time I touch it.




I will need to transplant the seat wiring harnesses from the 2007 seats as they are different, but it shouldn't be too big a deal. The main difference is the presence of a passenger load sensor for the passenger airbag.

3. Washed down the whole interior and started prepping it for the new speakers/radio and replacement seats.
The Stock radio is out,



Door panels are off



Front seats are out


I ran into an issue however that I didn't expect. When I removed the center console (which will not be going back in) I realised that there were two large square cutouts in the vinyl floor for the console mounting... I wasn't expecting this, I just expected a couple small bolt holes. I will have-to get a replacement vinyl floor from a non bucket model ford ranger to fix this issue. I also noticed the jump seats were starting to tear in some areas, so I'll be on the lookout for some replacements. I don't need the interior to be perfect, but I at least need it to be presentable with no rips/tears.

Next up, I will be removing the jump seats and vinyl floor in preparation for their replacement, and starting the body lift.
I hope to be able to get the body lift done this week so I can hopefully start driving the truck by the end of the month, then start the real modifications.
I also have-to remember to start taking pictures with an SLR instead of my small point and shoot, as I keep having blurry low light pictures!
Click to expand...

are you going new or used for a floor? I know most floor liners make you cut the bolt holes and the jump seat mounts, and I personally feel like in my 02 the jump seats are useless- I'd remove them to free up some space if I had to do the floor already
 
UltraHDGames

UltraHDGames

Adventurer
Looking good! Whats the gear ratio and does it have the rear lsd? That was one of the main reasons I was dead set on an fx4-4.10s and rear lsd :D
 
L

livetoride21

Adventurer
gotme1 said:
I like it. You swapping over fabbed bumper to new ranger?

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Thanks! I will be building a new front bumper for the new ranger very similar in design. The main difference is I would like to get the lights back down lower (in between the bumper and hoop) as they were originally without the winch, and try to hide the winch in the bumper.
The tricky part is hiding the winch without ending up with the "swollen lip" style of bumper that I am not fond of.
I'm also planning on building a new rear bumper with dual swing-outs. I would like to make these swing-outs removable for when I want to use the truck for normal truck duties (hauling 4x8 sheets etc is tricky with a tire carrier).
I also will not be incorporating a hitch into the bumper this time as I now have a larger boat (Around 4500lbs) that I tow, and if ever anything happens I do not want to be liable so I will be retaining the factory hitch at the cost of a little departure angle.
 
L

livetoride21

Adventurer
UltraHDGames said:
Looking good! Whats the gear ratio and does it have the rear lsd? That was one of the main reasons I was dead set on an fx4-4.10s and rear lsd :D
Click to expand...

Thanks UltraHD! I can't wait to start driving it, the little bit more room in the cab makes a big difference. Both my 2002 and 2007 have a rear LSD. However the 2002 has 4.10:1 gears where as the 2007 has 3.73:1 gearing. The truck would be much spunkier with 4.10 gearing but the 3.73s aren't so bad. I do however plan to regear to 4.10 as I plan to tow my boat quite a bit with this truck, and towing ~4500lbs with 3.73s and bigger tires is not ideal.
I will be swapping the 1995 CAD explorer axle from the 2002 Ranger to the 2007 (it already has 4.10 gears) and regearing the rear differential to 4.10:1 . I also plan to do some upgrades to the CAD explorer axle setup to eliminate some things that I don't like about the current setup.
Firstly, I intend to switch my cable disconnect for running the OEM vacuum actuator. This is not due to any unreliability, but due to ease of use. The cable due to having quite a round path underneath the truck has a fair bit of resistance so sometimes can be a little hard to return back into 3x4. The vacuum actuation will eliminate this issue and should introduce very little reliability concerns as all the lines/valves will be new.
I also plan to swap the welded spider gears for an drop in locker. This should eliminate most of the front end pull I feel when turning on less slippery surfaces in 3x4.
 
L

livetoride21

Adventurer
Well, got a lot of work done this past week! 3" body lift is complete, and I honestly can say I'm in love with the look, I couldn't be more satisfied.
For anyone doing a body lift on a ford ranger, the performance accessories kit is very good. Was only missing one extension for the gas tank vent hose (one in the kit didn't fit) and I think one nut was missing for the front bumper bracket.




As you can see, I also swapped over my winters from the silver ranger, as well as my wheel spacers. As I said before, loving the look and the lack of tire rub when reversing.
I just have-to modify my tow hitch so I can put it back on. otherwise it would be hanging down like crazy.

Interior is also complete, installed my Kenwood radio/speakers, vinyl floor from a non bucket 2009 ranger, new used (05) drivers seat, passenger seat, and rear jump seats.
Basically all the fabric interior has been replaced with pieces in better shape. Will get some pics once I've cleaned it up a second time.

For anyone swapping in pre 2007 (or 2006, not positive) seats into a newer vehicle, it's a little bit of work to make sure you don't end up with an airbag light.
2007 and newer vehicles have a balloon style weight sensor in the passenger seat for the airbag, as well as a bit different wiring in the drivers seat (there is a seat limit sensor for if the seat is too close to the dash in newer models)

To use older seats in these trucks, the guts of the passenger seat must be swapped over.
This requires the old passenger seat be dismantled, the seat belt latch taken off, and anything related to the weight balloon taken off.
You then need to take apart the older seat (removing three sides of the seat cover), drill two holes for the controller, mount everything up like the old seat, and insert the balloon.
You can then put things together and everything will work just fine. I've heard of some people simply taking the balloon , rolling it up and ziptieing it so there's always pressure on it, but I wasn't too keen on this idea.
For the drivers seat; there are two options, either switch the rails over from the current seat along with the seatbelt latch and related wiring, or leave the older rails, switch over the seat-belt latch/wiring, and just ziptie the limit sensor out of the way.
I chose this route as I didn't feel it was too much of a safety concern, and didn't feel like taking the seats apart at the time.
Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures along the way, but if anyone is planning to do this, the hardest part is removing the seat covers without damaging them.
 
L

livetoride21

Adventurer
UltraHDGames said:
Going up to 33s or 35s now?
Click to expand...

No Plans as of yet.

Dana 35 front axles are not exactly known for appreciating anything bigger than 33s, and still are not very appreciative of anything bigger than 32" tires, so I'll stick right there for now.
Also have basically brand new summers and winters , which being that non "extreme weather" rated tires are illegal in Quebec 4 months of the year, it would get expensive sizing up.
 
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