Ford Ranger hunting rig build up.
Posted: Sun Mar 21, 2021 1:49 am
I was looking into side by sides but they were just too damn expensive. I decided to build a small pickup. It’s cheaper, I’ll have A/C and heat.
I chose a Ranger because I’m familiar with them. I picked up a 89 super cab short bed with a 4” lift, that a guy had swapped a 4.0 v6 in place of the stock 2.9 v6. The 4.0 is the newer revamped 2.9 and bolts in place of the 2.9 but the electronics are different so you have to swap the wiring harness and computer with it. This is where the guy I bought it from got burned out and quit. I picked up the truck for $500 and got the 91 explorer that he pulled the 4.0 out of, with the deal.
So I finished the wiring and got it all running. The 80’s Rangers come stock with fairly weak axles (D-28 front and 7.5 rear). The explorer comes with stronger axles (D-35 front and 8.8 rear).
I swapped the Explorer axles into the Ranger. The swap is fairly simple, the D-35 bolts in place and you use the explorer front drive shaft because the D-35 is bigger and requires a shorter shaft.
The rear axle requires the spring perches to be cut off because the leaf springs on the explorer mount to the bottom of the axle. I welded new perches to the top and used the explorer leaf springs in the ranger because they’re heavier duty than the Ranger’s. I used a rear shaft from a 92 Ranger which bolted in place. That saved money because I didn’t have to have a shop shorten and balance it.
I just ordered gears and lockers for the axles. The explorer had 3.55’s. I bought 4.56’s and ratcheting lockers. I will be installing them in the next few weeks. For tires I’ll be running Goodyear Wrangler Authority AT’s.
So far the only cutting and welding was the spring pads for the rear axle. Everything else is just unbolting it from the Explorer and installing it in place on the Ranger. I chose this route because I’ll have a street legal hunting rig that will hold up to the abuse of huntin here in the Nevada high desert.
All said and done, I’m into the truck less than $2,000 while a side by side would be over $10k used. If anyone is interested in doing something similar, you can find all the info you’ll need on therangerstation.com. A mid 90’s Ranger can be found with the same axles that I’ve put into this one, stock minus the gears and lockers. They usually go for around $3,000-$5,000 depending on the condition. Then you’ll just have to put in the gears and lockers. I chose to part this one together because I shopped around for parts and I can do all the work my self. I thought about a toyota but they usually sell for the same price as a side by side but are usually beat to hell and wore out, making them unreliable. We all know how we treat our trucks out hunting! I’ll figure out how to post pictures and post a few of the truck. I’ll be building a custom over the bed rail dog box for it this summer too. I’ll post pictures of that too.
I chose a Ranger because I’m familiar with them. I picked up a 89 super cab short bed with a 4” lift, that a guy had swapped a 4.0 v6 in place of the stock 2.9 v6. The 4.0 is the newer revamped 2.9 and bolts in place of the 2.9 but the electronics are different so you have to swap the wiring harness and computer with it. This is where the guy I bought it from got burned out and quit. I picked up the truck for $500 and got the 91 explorer that he pulled the 4.0 out of, with the deal.
So I finished the wiring and got it all running. The 80’s Rangers come stock with fairly weak axles (D-28 front and 7.5 rear). The explorer comes with stronger axles (D-35 front and 8.8 rear).
I swapped the Explorer axles into the Ranger. The swap is fairly simple, the D-35 bolts in place and you use the explorer front drive shaft because the D-35 is bigger and requires a shorter shaft.
The rear axle requires the spring perches to be cut off because the leaf springs on the explorer mount to the bottom of the axle. I welded new perches to the top and used the explorer leaf springs in the ranger because they’re heavier duty than the Ranger’s. I used a rear shaft from a 92 Ranger which bolted in place. That saved money because I didn’t have to have a shop shorten and balance it.
I just ordered gears and lockers for the axles. The explorer had 3.55’s. I bought 4.56’s and ratcheting lockers. I will be installing them in the next few weeks. For tires I’ll be running Goodyear Wrangler Authority AT’s.
So far the only cutting and welding was the spring pads for the rear axle. Everything else is just unbolting it from the Explorer and installing it in place on the Ranger. I chose this route because I’ll have a street legal hunting rig that will hold up to the abuse of huntin here in the Nevada high desert.
All said and done, I’m into the truck less than $2,000 while a side by side would be over $10k used. If anyone is interested in doing something similar, you can find all the info you’ll need on therangerstation.com. A mid 90’s Ranger can be found with the same axles that I’ve put into this one, stock minus the gears and lockers. They usually go for around $3,000-$5,000 depending on the condition. Then you’ll just have to put in the gears and lockers. I chose to part this one together because I shopped around for parts and I can do all the work my self. I thought about a toyota but they usually sell for the same price as a side by side but are usually beat to hell and wore out, making them unreliable. We all know how we treat our trucks out hunting! I’ll figure out how to post pictures and post a few of the truck. I’ll be building a custom over the bed rail dog box for it this summer too. I’ll post pictures of that too.
