Autocross Ranger: V8 Swap, SLA, IRS

Badass.  Purely badass.

Thanks all for the support.

Once the rear end was set I was able to start the new chassis rails.  I'm keeping with the same general design as the Mustang in allowing the whole IRS subframe to be unbolted from the main chassis for future servicing.  

Roughing in the frame rails

Starting to bend some tubing.

Also started looking at the fuel and battery placement.  I hoping to better the weight distribution with the winter changes.  I'd love to be at less than 2950 total weight but that may be a pipe dream just glancing at all the steel I'm using.

A couple outside shots...

JGRAHAM said:

In reply to NOHOME :

Pete,

You can only imagine what I was thinking when the saw-zall cut the last of the frame rail and the rear end slowly rolled away from the cab!

Your right and I honestly wish I had made this table last year when I was doing the front SLA.  

I seem to recall muttering the phrase "God hates a coward" as I sunk the sawzall into the bowels of the Volvo.

That said, it IS a liberating feeling once you commit and cut, because the option of going back, or down another path no longer exist.

Pete

And here I was thinking "Hold my beer!". LOL

Snow day calls for setting up the 8.8 with a new gear set.  Upgrading from 3.15 to 3.73.

 

The following could go for any update in this thread:

YOWZA!

 

Carry on.

In reply to wheelsmithy :

Well I’ll be honest with you, I abandoned the whole wheel widening by myself.  I ended up getting a professional shop, Weldcraft to do it.    You’ll see their beautiful work in the next update.  

Its not to say I probably could have widened the wheels myself, but it was really pushing my machinery and definitely my talent.  The lathe I use was pretty much maxed out to swing the 18” rim over the bed and still have room to put the carriage where I needed it.  It took a lot of creative parting cuts to get the wheels split.  

The whole welding process was also not for the faint of heart either.  I’m just an engineer that likes to cut and melt stuff together; not a skilled fabricator or welder. Maybe one day Ill get there.

All said it took roughly 8 hours for me to do just one wheel.  Repeating it three more times  started to look more like work and not hobby.

Like probably most in the GRM community I hate paying for something when I know(or at least think) I can do it, but sometimes I guess you just have to pony up the cash and get it done right and efficiently.

In reply to JGRAHAM : Still bad*ss to try. I have to believe you could have done it, but like Lao Tzu, choose your battles carefully.All of this is amazing. You make the lowly Ranger look like a valid option to a Mustang. 

Got a little more done this weekend.

Started off with more work on the back end.  Bent more tubing and adding brace work.  It's just about done as far as adding pieces.  Now I just have to weld it all in.

I'm excited to find out the new weight distribution.  A lot weight is being moved and shifted this winter.

I also started on the front brake conversion.  The new front brake setup is from the 2015+ Mustang.  They seem to be a great, economical setup.  As you can see they are huge compared to the ~2001 Mustang "PBR" brake upgrade. 

It's funny to think back when the Ranger was new it only had 10" rotors and 14" rims.  Now it has 14" ROTORS.

I was also able to mock up the wheels and check clearances.  It's going to be a real challenge getting everything to fit.  I've got frame, suspension, steering and rotor clearance issues.  As I write this NOW I realize that nothing is actually fitting with the wheels.  I've got spacers on it now and things somewhat clear, but I'd rather that not be a long term solution.

I can't wait to see this thing on the ground.  I'll definitely have to redo the flares this year.

The rear fitment is perfect.  I hate the bed will cover all this.

...and that's a weekends work!

 MAD BERKLEYING RESPECT FOR EVEN BEGINNING TO SELF-WIDEN THE WHEELS!!!

I do have a thought process question.

What made you decide to cut the ranger frame to add the IRS vs dropping the ranger body on an Explorer frame that already has IRS?

In reply to FlightService :

I hadn't really thought of that approach.  I bet it probably would have been a quicker way of getting IRS on the Ranger.  I will say though it has been nice to build the main frame from scratch per say.  I haven't been bound by any existing frame work to design to/from.

I've got some catchup to do. For some reason, I can't see any of the pics in the last 2 updates. I've tried multiple browsers on different devices, and nothing seems to work. Even tried to copy the photoberkit link, but I guess the site is blocked from work. Hopefully I'll get to see them eventually, because this part of the build really interests me.

The S197/550 brakes will be a challenge having such different offsets from the older design. Is there a way to incorporate an S550 hub without huge spindle modification? I can also guess that it might get tight between the caliper and the spokes of your wheels. If the FR500s won't work, some Weld RTS or Forgestars would be nice lightweight options in custom offsets/spoke profiles.

In reply to STM317 :

Let me know if you or anyone else can't see the photos.  I'm new to using photoberkit so I might not be doing something right?

Yeah the FR500 wheel spokes are definitely one of the interference points.  I'll do more looking this week.

FlightService said:

I do have a thought process question.

What made you decide to cut the ranger frame to add the IRS vs dropping the ranger body on an Explorer frame that already has IRS?

I'm not 100% on this, but I think that the explorer IRS has a couple weird things on it, like axles that pass through the frame.  Its my understanding that it was pretty compromised to make it fit on that frame.  I think that the new mustang IRS is probably the much better performing option. 

I've never owned an explorer, mustang OR ranger before, so take my opinion with a grain of salt, I'm just repeating what I've read on the internet.  

Remind me...what is the rear suspension? Mustang?

In reply to NOHOME :

It's a complete IRS setup from a 2015-2017 Mustang, S550.  A local guy that runs a factory five cobra led me onto the S550 IRS.  He mentioned that FFR has been incorporating the S550 IRS in new models and phasing out the once popular Thunderbird setup.

Coming along VERYYYY nice. I can't wait to get started on mine. I finally weighed my truck with a full tank of gas 302/4r70w and it came to 3340 kinda heavy. I plan on starting the front some time next month hopefully. The rear IRS are pretty cheap on eBay from what I seen. 

The auto sucks butt for fun driving but it allows for some fun BURNOUTS haha. I was planning on selling my ranger and buying a corvette but I like the look of a mini truck that can hang with the big dogs dog. Anyways keep up the great work bro. Not trying to jack your idea but I had been planning on something similarly to yours except I want to daily drive mine. Cheers Xavier

Man I'm pumped!!! I'm get on my build asap I have a Paxton novo 2200 my buddy gave me just needs a rebuild

Thanks.  You'll find that a lot of the Ranger's weight is in the front suspension.

That supercharger should make things fun!

JGRAHAM, It's no longer relevant to you, but AJE makes a Foxbody mustang front clip that fits  pre98 Rangers. You're right about the weight of the suspension. By eliminating the ibeams, radius arms and heavy frame rails they claim to take about 200lbs out of the nose, and it makes Mustang engine swaps and Mustang suspension/brake upgrades a bolt-in affair.

In reply to STM317 :

Actually last year I all but confirmed an order with AJE for that exact kit.  It no doubt would have been a quicker route to take.  I hear it’s pretty much bolt on and looks well put together.

I ended up acquiring someone’s abandoned custom SLA setup on craigslist at that same time.  Seeing what Matt Boshar had done with his ranger pushed me in this direction.

Didn't get as much done this weekend as I had hoped but progress is progress.

Pulled the rear sub frame for final welding and paint.

The back half was also welded up and painted too.  Started to run the hoses and battery cables.

Lastly, I was able to get the front wheels sitting where they need too.  The outer caliper to rim clearance is really tight with 18s but it'll work.  Track width had to grow but its now just about equal to the rear.

The beadwork from your wheelshop is georgeous. 

The rear end setup is coming together amazingly. 

Along with the others I would have been at full pucker as the original rear end rolled away...

JGRAHAM said:

In reply to STM317 :

Actually last year I all but confirmed an order with AJE for that exact kit.  It no doubt would have been a quicker route to take.  I hear it’s pretty much bolt on and looks well put together.

I ended up acquiring someone’s abandoned custom SLA setup on craigslist at that same time.  Seeing what Matt Boshar had done with his ranger pushed me in this direction.

It's hard to be upset about the route that you took. The SLA should offer higher capability than the AJE MacStrut configuration. I just mentioned the AJE setup to show how much weight can come out of the front of those trucks, and as an 'easy button' kind of option for anybody else considering following in your footsteps. Keep up the good work!