Project "Danger Ranger"

[livetoride21]

Long time lurker, seldom poster.

Let me give everyone a brief introduction;
My name is Kevin, I just spent half an hour writing a long in depth introduction, only to accidentally click on something and lose all my work, that SUCKED!

So the jist of it is, I love camping, and exploring. I have owned many vehicles, but many of them have been front wheel drive cars, not really suitable to more adventurous camping.
My girlfriend and I live near Montreal, Quebec and we have made our way around most of the eastern seaboard by car , exploring Maine, New Hampshire, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and most recently Nova Scotia. We had a great time in all these places, but when we were in Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, I really realized how awesome it would've been to have a 4wd truck or SUV.


There were so many places we could've driven up to and camped out of the back of our truck, not only saving the steep camping fees, but camping alongside amazing views. The other great thing would be not having to setup and tear down camp, being self contained you could wake up later, get to camp later, and overall just make your trip easier.
The more I thought about it, the more I wanted a truck again. My last truck was a 1993 ford ranger 4cylinder RWD, I owned about 5 years ago, was a great truck, but had to be let go.

But I had to think, did I really need a truck? I mean the fuel economy of a car was so good, and it was quiet and comfortable.
Well, In the fall, a friend and I decided to take a fishing trip up in northern Quebec. With my 16 foot aluminum in tow, behind my 5speed Nissan Altima, and all our gear loaded up, we set off for a 4 day adventure 700km away. We would travel 550km of paved roads, 150km of unpaved logging roads, and about 2kms of sand, yes I did say sand. Overall we had a great trip, but what finally sealed the deal of the need for a 4x4 truck. With almost getting stuck twice, just getting into our remote camping destination, and having to dismantle the boat in order to get it back up the sand “boat launch” in order to leave. It could've been disaster, stuck in the middle of nowhere with help only every few hours. With a 4x4 there wouldn't have been any problem. But hey, we made it work, and that's what adventure is all about no?



About 2 months later, my 2003 Nissan Altima was sold, and I had purchased a 2002 Ford Ranger with 105000km on the clock. Having been owned by an 84 year old man, it was in great shape. It is a fairly basic model, but with more or less all the things I wanted/needed. It is a 4x4 regular cab with factory A/C, 4.10:1 differential gears, limited slip rear differential, and factory 2” lift. It also has a very nice high camper top on it, with opening side windows. These trucks aren't the greatest on gas in the city, but on the highway they aren't too bad (12L/100km is what I have averaged in pure highway, calculated)
I figure once I modify it for my needs it will get a little worse mileage, but I can live with it for the convenience.




Anyways, onto the build, the plan is to make a reliable, comfortable, expedition vehicle. It needs to be suitable for mild trails, fire roads, and off the beaten trail camping.
The first stage of modifications will be as follows;

-Replace all front ball joints and tie rod ends with oversized professional grade (the truck is tight, but some of the boots are ripped, and in the long run these should prove invaluable)

-High performance Brake pads and rotors (for those hairy moments , had 2 on the way home from northern Quebec)

-CB radio (many truckers in rural areas call our their distances on CB, sometimes that is their only way to know you are there. It is also great for when you are in a group In trails)

-Build platform and storage for Bed ( Plan is to sleep in the back, with all our things stored underneath. Most likely going to keep It simple, no drawers, simple port holes that open in order to get to different areas of the bed.)

-Interior lighting for topper

-1 inch body lift

-1” shackle lift

-Rancho RS-5000 shocks all around

-Goodyear Wrangler Authority 265/75 R16 tires (A tire worth checking out, Walmart exclusive, very similar tread pattern to the duratrac, except with a harder compound. Has VERY positive reviews, and is very economically priced.)

-16x8” rims with 4”-4.5” backspacing (to avoid any rubbing with larger tires, and just because they look awesome)

-Rock sliders (2” square tube 3/16wall)

-Gas tank, front and transfercase skid plates

-Front heavy duty bumper with Nerf bar and 4 driving lamps, will be making out of 3/16” and 1/8” steel plate

-Rear bumper with integrated reverse lights, swingout tire carrier, hi-lift mount, flip down table, and jerry can mount. (once again, will be made out of 3/16” and 1/8” plate steel, and 2x2” 1/8” wall tubing)

-GPS

-Electric engine fan (replacing stock engine driven one)

I hope to have the first stage completed by mid April, as I will only really be able to start working on the truck again in March as I have no garage to work in the winter.

I hope to eventually install a dual battery system, and 9500lb winch, but that probably won't be for quite a while, as it adds quite a bit of weight. A hi-lift can get me out of most situations that might arise.
I hope I didn't bore you with this long introduction, I am very excited to finally be able to get things under-way, and can't wait to start building her up!

 

[Scott B.]

Nice truck and good plans.

One slight change I might suggest - build your sliders out of 1/8" instead of 3/16" to save weight. Yes, 3/16" is stronger, but at significant weight. As long as you don't plan on bashing the sliders into rocks all day long, I think you will be fine with the lighter weight material.

Also, instead of a shackle lift, you will be better off with replacement springs. Companies such as Deaver can build a springpack to your specification (weight of truck, lift, etc.) You will end up with a smoother ride and better articulation.

 

[4x4junkie]

Agreed on the 1/8" for your sliders.
On mine I added a "bash strip" (1" wide x 1/8" thick) along the bottom edge making that area 1/4" thick total. To this day I have yet to bend or dent them, even bashing them against big Rubicon and Dusy Trail rocks. On a light rig this seems plenty.

×2 Nice find. Reg cabs have always been a favorite of mine. 4.0L?

 

[livetoride21]

Thanks for the replies guys, I can't wait to get started!
As for the sliders, its funny I had debated if I wanted to use 1/8" or 3/16", I chose 3/16" because I figured if I ever ended up in a situation where I was to bump hard the 1/8" would deflect or dent, but I really like the idea of using 1/8" with a bash strip as 4x4junkie replied. I won't be doing much rock crawling, its just for insurance, and the stock step bars are way to snag happy. What do you guys think about bumper material? I Was thinking of using 3/16" across the main area and 1/8" for the top and wings or the bumpers, and having the tow points in line with the mounts to the frame. basically they would be pulling straight on the mounts. Do you think 3/16" is even necessary? I mainly want a tougher bumper so that I can use it as a lifting point, and push trees if need be.

 

[Scott B.]

My rear bumper is 6x2" 3/16" wall tube. Personally, I think anything thinner is too thin for a bumper. When that idiot texting behind me fails to stop, I'd rather the damage be on his/her car, not my truck!

 

[underdrive]

As for the sliders, its funny I had debated if I wanted to use 1/8" or 3/16", I chose 3/16" because I figured if I ever ended up in a situation where I was to bump hard the 1/8" would deflect or dent, but I really like the idea of using 1/8" with a bash strip as 4x4junkie replied.

Just remember the stronger you make the sliders the more force they will transmit into the frame in case of a hard side impact. Thus a softer slider may save your truck from being totaled by your insurance cartel. Holds truth for bumpers as well, a massive bumper may hold up to a heavy collision with whatever, but that doesn't do you much good when the frame rails behind it give out. I think 1/8" sliders of the 2x2 variety will be plenty strong for what you need, may not even need the bash strip if you don't plan on grinding on rocks too often.

As for bumpers, your idea sounds decent, again going from the school of thought that if someone nails you slightly offcenter you want the wing of that bumper to give instead of the entire bumper twisting around and damaging your frame rails. Well for the front you could make the wings transfer the force of impact into the frame in such a way that you can take on pretty much anything smaller than a medium-duty truck, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it. However, no less than 3/16" for the center sections (unless your rib the heck out if it on the back side of the bumper), and yes do your best to make the tow points line up with the frame rails. Basically the strength of a bumper comes most from its 3D shape and inside reinforcements, and not so much from the thickness of plate used to cover the framework.

 

[livetoride21]

Just remember the stronger you make the sliders the more force they will transmit into the frame in case of a hard side impact. Thus a softer slider may save your truck from being totaled by your insurance cartel. Holds truth for bumpers as well, a massive bumper may hold up to a heavy collision with whatever, but that doesn't do you much good when the frame rails behind it give out. I think 1/8" sliders of the 2x2 variety will be plenty strong for what you need, may not even need the bash strip if you don't plan on grinding on rocks too often.

As for bumpers, your idea sounds decent, again going from the school of thought that if someone nails you slightly offcenter you want the wing of that bumper to give instead of the entire bumper twisting around and damaging your frame rails. Well for the front you could make the wings transfer the force of impact into the frame in such a way that you can take on pretty much anything smaller than a medium-duty truck, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it. However, no less than 3/16" for the center sections (unless your rib the heck out if it on the back side of the bumper), and yes do your best to make the tow points line up with the frame rails. Basically the strength of a bumper comes most from its 3D shape and inside reinforcements, and not so much from the thickness of plate used to cover the framework.

You pretty much just said exactly what I was thinking for my bumpers ha. my Frame is only 1/8"-3/16" so thats what I figured the bumpers should be. and as long as 1/8" is braced in the right places it should be plenty strong. just a but more of a pain to weld because of warping. I'm working on a drawing for the front and rear bumpers but this is a preliminary drawing I did in solidworks (my least prefered modeling program) . More to come now that I have my prefered modeling program installed (autodesk inventor)

 

[RangeBrover]

Love me a good ranger, we like to build them for something a little different but these trucks last forever. Plus parts are so cheap they cost almost nothing to maintain.

 

[livetoride21]

Love me a good ranger, we like to build them for something a little different but these trucks last forever. Plus parts are so cheap they cost almost nothing to maintain.

haha love it! I wish this truck still had the coil sprung TTB front end. would cut and turn for a mild lift and tonnes of travel. Oh well. SAS will be sometime in the distant future I hope.

 

[AFBronco235]

Have you considered doing a tube bumper up front? You're already going to be nose heavy with that winch you want to put on, so adding a solid front bumper seems a tad overkill when a tube bumper would get the same results for less weight. Plus, it comes with a built in lift point for your hi-lift jack. Tow mounts should always be mounted in line, if not directly onto, the frame rails. You want to pull on the frame, not the bumper.

What kind of engine/transmission combination do you have? I haven't owned a ranger in a while, but if you're gonna have that much weight added, it will need a transmission cooler added if it doesn't have one already.

You'll also want to incorporate a hitch onto your rear bumper for towing. You won't want to rely on an underbody mount hitch. Just more weight you don't need. Also, you should loose the beveling at the ends of the rear bumper you have designed. The reason is that you want that spare tire mount pivot rod to pass all the way through the bumper, top to bottom. Otherwise, you risk it tearing free.

 

[livetoride21]

Have you considered doing a tube bumper up front? You're already going to be nose heavy with that winch you want to put on, so adding a solid front bumper seems a tad overkill when a tube bumper would get the same results for less weight. Plus, it comes with a built in lift point for your hi-lift jack. Tow mounts should always be mounted in line, if not directly onto, the frame rails. You want to pull on the frame, not the bumper.

What kind of engine/transmission combination do you have? I haven't owned a ranger in a while, but if you're gonna have that much weight added, it will need a transmission cooler added if it doesn't have one already.

You'll also want to incorporate a hitch onto your rear bumper for towing. You won't want to rely on an underbody mount hitch. Just more weight you don't need. Also, you should loose the beveling at the ends of the rear bumper you have designed. The reason is that you want that spare tire mount pivot rod to pass all the way through the bumper, top to bottom. Otherwise, you risk it tearing free.

I had thought about a tube bumper, but honestly, I prefer the look of a solid plate bumper. And if I end up putting a winch it will most likely be between the rear frame rails as a get out solution. I don't really for see adding that much weight with just the bumpers and sliders, the stock bumpers are already pretty thick (around 1/16") so I figure If I add 100lbs overall that would be a stretch. As for engine tranny combo, currently it is a 5speed automatic with 4.0L SOHC, and has a stock transmission cooler, but I may add an extra to help reduce wear in long trips with the boat. As for the spare tire pivot, it will be welded all the way through either way, whether it is beveled or not, it would just be simpler if it were square. I don't really like the bulky look when it is square though, so hence the tapered ends. Figure, if I'm gonna do it, might as well do it how I'll like the look.

Thanks for the reply though!

 

[RangeBrover]

Sounds like a good plan to me, the extra weight over the rear end will probably help balance things out. I'm not a fan of tube bumpers for the same reason, just not crazy about the look.

 

[livetoride21]

Sounds like a good plan to me, the extra weight over the rear end will probably help balance things out. I'm not a fan of tube bumpers for the same reason, just not crazy about the look.

I like the look on a prerunner . I think they look awesome with widebody fenders and a pretty wide stance. but on a daily driver/ overlanding vehicle, I think they can look kinda funny lol

 

[4x4junkie]

The bumpers on my BII are all 1/8" box tubing (with reinforcements in key spots for strength). I actually dropped about 5-10 pounds up front over the stock bumper (not including the winch of course), the rear added maybe 30-40lbs mostly because of the tire carrier.
I'd take it a step further on the tire carrier hinge... Mount the hinge in double-shear. I've seen more than one report from people using beefy stuff like trailer spindles and still having it break off (vibrations over time can fatigue (crack) the hinge pin or spindle... Next thing you know, your tire/jerry can/Hi-Lift jack apparatus is bouncing down the road behind you No fun).


Yeah, do add an external auxiliary cooler on that for sure. If there's any one known issue on these rigs that actually has some merit, it's the automatic transmission. The factory cooler built into the radiator is next to worthless (allows the trans to run too hot, and is why the A4LD/4R55E/5R55E series transmissions have the rap sheet they do). Kept cool, they actually seem to be fairly decent transmissions.

 

[livetoride21]

The bumpers on my BII are all 1/8" box tubing (with reinforcements in key spots for strength). I actually dropped about 5-10 pounds up front over the stock bumper (not including the winch of course), the rear added maybe 30-40lbs mostly because of the tire carrier.
I'd take it a step further on the tire carrier hinge... Mount the hinge in double-shear. I've seen more than one report from people using beefy stuff like trailer spindles and still having it break off (vibrations over time can fatigue (crack) the hinge pin or spindle... Next thing you know, your tire/jerry can/Hi-Lift jack apparatus is bouncing down the road behind you No fun).


Yeah, do add an external auxiliary cooler on that for sure. If there's any one known issue on these rigs that actually has some merit, it's the automatic transmission. The factory cooler built into the radiator is next to worthless (allows the trans to run too hot, and is why the A4LD/4R55E/5R55E series transmissions have the rap sheet they do). Kept cool, they actually seem to be fairly decent transmissions.

Yep, so I've read about the auto trannys on these trucks. I'm more of a manual guy, first automatic I've ever owned, but tranny coolers are so cheap now that I'm going to try and find the time to mount one up in the spring. or at least get a temp gauge for the tranny aha. As for mounting the tire carrier in double shear, I'm still debating on the way I want to do it. I found a website comp 4x4 that seems to sell some quality stuff, as well as a kit to mount in double shear with a 1 3/4" spindle, and a welded in sleeve. that's what I will probably end up doing, overkill rather than underkill lol.