2001 Ford Ranger Build Thread

TheFutur

Adventurer
Looks like a well set up and capable little rig. The Ranger was the last of the true mini trucks and I think that alone makes it pretty awesome. Nice!

Thanks for the kind words! At this point its safe to say its set up for all my needs and with the new rack im more than comfortable putting the RTT up there unlike my old roof bars!
 

TheFutur

Adventurer
Truck looks much better with the new tires! Doesn't look stuffed either

Yeah im really happy with the appearance of the truck now. Definitely glad i went with the 265's over 285's because the 285's would have looked way to big and been harder on my truck. The nice thing about the ST Maxx's is that theu run large for their size so i get a bit more tire for the size without stepping up to 285's.

Been a fan of your build btw, glad to see youre pushing youre 2wd!
 
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UltraHDGames

Adventurer
Yeah im really happy with the appearance of the truck now. Definitely glad i went with the 265's over 285's because the 285's would have looked way to big and been harder on my truck. The nice thing about the ST Maxx's is that theu run large for their size so i get a bit more tire for the size without stepping up to 285's.

Been a fan of your build btw, glad to see youre pushing youre 2wd!

I agree 285's would have been to stuffed, I can't stand the sound of tires rubbing and the thought of crunching a flare while flexing

Thanks! It's not always easy staying positive with a 2wd next to all these 4x4's
 

TheFutur

Adventurer
I agree 285's would have been to stuffed, I can't stand the sound of tires rubbing and the thought of crunching a flare while flexing

Thanks! It's not always easy staying positive with a 2wd next to all these 4x4's

Honestly i hardly ever engage 4wd where i go, and the only times i do its usually because im towing 1,000 pounds while loaded up with camping gear. Ive nick named my trailer "the anchor", if it werent for the trailer id rarely ever engage 4wd.
 

TheFutur

Adventurer
Got to test out the new tires tonight!

4Y9Fw6L.jpg


Shot two videos! This is something my old Escape would not have been able to do so I'm extremely happy with how capable this new truck and the new tires are.


 

gwittman

Adventurer
Here is a shot of my 02 Ranger on 33x10.5-15 tires. My truck is t-bar cranked about 1.5" in the front and I can adjust the rear with assist air springs. I get no rub and I do a lot of extended off-road trip in some pretty rough areas. The wheel wells look a little stuffed but I don't care. I am only concerned about function and they work great. They are only used for off-road trips. I have 31x10.5 tires for pavement.
P1010009.JPG
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So you can see that 33" tires can work but you may not like the look. I did have to bend the front mud flap mounting brackets a little to get clearance at near full turn but that was an easy, unnoticeable adjustment. My prior off-road tires were 32x11.5 and they did slightly rub on rare occasion at extreme flexing. I disconnect my sway bar off-road also to get more front suspension travel.
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It looks like your Ranger is coming along very well. You should get many years of enjoyment out of it. I have and plan to enjoy many more years.
 

TheFutur

Adventurer
Here is a shot of my 02 Ranger on 33x10.5-15 tires. My truck is t-bar cranked about 1.5" in the front and I can adjust the rear with assist air springs. I get no rub and I do a lot of extended off-road trip in some pretty rough areas. The wheel wells look a little stuffed but I don't care. I am only concerned about function and they work great. They are only used for off-road trips. I have 31x10.5 tires for pavement.
View attachment 358620
.
So you can see that 33" tires can work but you may not like the look. I did have to bend the front mud flap mounting brackets a little to get clearance at near full turn but that was an easy, unnoticeable adjustment. My prior off-road tires were 32x11.5 and they did slightly rub on rare occasion at extreme flexing. I disconnect my sway bar off-road also to get more front suspension travel.
.
It looks like your Ranger is coming along very well. You should get many years of enjoyment out of it. I have and plan to enjoy many more years.

Looks great! Im very glad I went with these 265's over the 285's, just would have been too much tire for my DD.

I actually had to reposition my front passanger side mud flap as well because it rubbed while turning.

For proper tails i would probably disconnect my sway bar as well but i dont see too many of those in the near future while this is still my DD.

Your canopy looks quite unique with its riased roof, what are the details on it?
 

gwittman

Adventurer
That is a Wildernest shell. They were made from around the mid 80s to around the late 90s. I use it a lot and am in the process of refurbishing it with new paint, tent, seals, etc.
 

TheFutur

Adventurer
That is a Wildernest shell. They were made from around the mid 80s to around the late 90s. I use it a lot and am in the process of refurbishing it with new paint, tent, seals, etc.

I did a quick google search and all I can say is Im jealous! They look sweet! Have any pictures of it opened up?
 

gwittman

Adventurer
I don't have any good close ups but here are a couple of it in use. If you click on them you can zoom in to get a closer look.
A campsite.jpg
046 mid trip campsite.jpg
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You can still find used ones around but it is hard to find one in good condition.
 

TheFutur

Adventurer
Back with a couple new photo's... Nothing too crazy just a cosmetic mod.

Decided to fix my old faded grey grill with a bit of plastidip. We'll see how it holds up but it looks great!

Debating bedlining my fenders since I'm starting to see a few dings from rocks getting kicked up... Might be something I do in the fall.

IUeGMTz.jpg


uaqOSDj.jpg


^ Side by side comparison of bone stock vs. lift/tires/rack. It's come a long way in just a couple of months!
 

UltraHDGames

Adventurer
Truck definitely looks better with the lift and tires! Some blacked out headlights(the background reflector painted black, very common mod) and a pair of hellas behind your grill would really set the front end off
 

TheFutur

Adventurer
Truck definitely looks better with the lift and tires! Some blacked out headlights(the background reflector painted black, very common mod) and a pair of hellas behind your grill would really set the front end off

Wouldn't painting the reflectors black dim your lights? I dont personally like the sound of that haha

And I'm not sure ill have room for hellas once i install a second tranmission cooler, dont want to fry my tranny towing through the mountains...
 

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