07 Ranger Build

[Plasmajab]

Hello again OB's,

I used to have a 2017 Ford F150 XL, but sadly she is no more. For my replacement: I bring to you..

My new (ish) 07 Ford Ranger Sport.

The truck has a 3.0 Vulcan engine, 5 speed manual. Sadly no 4wd or locker yet. But thats in the works.

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This is her after she got new shoes put on. Not the most agressive tread, but will do just fine for now.

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Surgery day. She was outfitted with rear air bags to help with the loads it used to haul... Which were blown out.

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Airbags, affagonbaibai!

But one of the best overland mods in my opinion is already built in.

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BEDSLIDE. Thats going to make loading gear much, much easier.

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Another problem.. after 237,000km, this seat is DONE.
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But thats not a problem for us, is it?

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Problem? Solved. Added in a console at the same time.
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Also fabbed up this roof bar setup. It's off the truck right now while I figure out what to do with it. I know I want to add a lightbar under the front bar, and probably a giant basket.

Thoughts?

On the to do list is a rear locker for sure.. But im going down fire roads and such.. This isnt going to be a hardcore rig.

 

[attacktheculdesac]

Such an underrated chassis, and for depending on what YOU NEED who knows if 4WD is even necessary.

I bought one of these new in 2004 and was an EXCELLENT TRUCK

 

[Plasmajab]

Such an underrated chassis, and for depending on what YOU NEED who knows if 4WD is even necessary.

I bought one of these new in 2004 and was an EXCELLENT TRUCK

Yep she is a good little truck. I know some parts are wearing out. But as they die I'll upgrade. But next up will be a trailer hitch for a rear recovery point and if I can swing it front hooks from a 4x4 model.

A manual winch is in the works as well along with some recovery boards.

 

[Plasmajab]

View attachment 123695After a ton of profanity it's installed. One trailer hitch. Bolted directly to the frame and really one of the first mods as it came with grade 6 bolts.

Nope. Upgraded those to grade 8 bolts. With four of them, that should provide a good amount of shear strength.

But I've also noticed a fair amount of rear end sag. With the cap on, the bed slide, even empty the little truck has some weight to deal with and they are the OE leaf springs. So the question is: should i buy the lift mounts or should I buy heavier duty leaf springs? I'm thinking heavier springs but I'm not sure.

 

[Plasmajab]

Today was the day of trials. Time to see where the wee 2wd ranger can take me in her current form.

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Put her up on an angle to see just how high the front end can go before the tail drags. Not bad.

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Then I found a little path. Time to do a shakeout. But honestly. More like. Hey! What's down here anyway.

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Honestly. I'm pretty happy so far. She didn't have any problems. Other then me forgetting how to do hill stars with a standard. Time to find something a little more challenging.

 

[Colindlny]

Nice build. Explorer center Console and leather seats? The Sport came with the 8.8 rear, correct? Are you going to up the gearing to 3.93 or 4.10 (or down depending on how you look at it?). What are some of the upcoming non-maintenance related upgrades? tires? Explorer Sport rear leafs have the same mounting dimensions as stock 4 leaf springs, but come with a bit more arch and a higher load capacity (by 100lbs or so I think). With the increased arch, it will offer about 2" over OE springs, but with how old your springs are, you will likely see more than that. My '04 Edge (2WD) is going to get a new set of Explorer Sport Trac springs when I'm back home. Check out SD Truck Springs if you want to buy a new set of rear leafs. Here is the link for the Explorer Sport, with the same mounting points as the ranger. You can also find 04-11 Ranger springs there as well if you want to stick with stock. The junk yard is a good place to get some things, but at this point, any Sport Trac is already going to have blown out springs, so saving the money may not be worth it in the long run.

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I'm looking forward to your updates. If you can, post more info about the console and those seats!