93 Ford Ranger Travel

[327-rangerunner]

Hello, I am building a 93 Ranger and I am wondering how much tear travel can I get if I don’t cut the frame. My goal is to keep all the frame as I’m doing this on kind of a budget, but I want to get maximum wheel travel out of it. I will be 4 linking the rear and was hoping that I would be able to get somewhere around 25” travel, but I was wondering if that was max or if I could even get that. Do I have to notch the frame?

 

[BTFfabrication]

You can notch the frame and get that amount of wheel travel, without having a ridiculously tall ride height. Without notching the frame, you will need a taller ride Height to achieve the same effect.

 

[Bert is my name]

You can also kick or z the frame to get the same result. Basically you are just moving the frame out of the way.

 

[jon coleman]

is it just me or is 4 linking a truck & leaving frame rails is like ripping your whole eng. down just to replace one bad main bearing& not replace anything else to save some cash, just save a little more and be patient then do it one time right

 

[Bert is my name]

If you dont want to mess with the frame. Look into the giant motorsports link killer.

 

[EOR1488]

Notching the frame is super easy though so might as well. I have fram notched only think I wish as I would of just cut the frame rails at the cab instead of bothering with them at all. 28" of travel on a Giant 55" link is what were getting.

 

[327-rangerunner]

is it just me or is 4 linking a truck & leaving frame rails is like ripping your whole eng. down just to replace one bad main bearing& not replace anything else to save some cash, just save a little more and be patient then do it one time right

I get what you are saying, I’ve already thought about that. The thing is I am trying to preserve my frame rails as much as possible because I would like to keep classic look of the bed of the truck, rather than a full runner tube look.

 

[327-rangerunner]

You can also kick or z the frame to get the same result. Basically you are just moving the frame out of the way.

I thought about this as well, but like I said to jon, I would like to preserve the rails so I could keep the bed. Any more idea how I could accomplish this?

 

[327-rangerunner]

I was looking into a 55” link kit from Threat. I’ve heard Dave does really good work. Think I could accomplish a 26”+ travel with this kit and maybe minor alterations to be able to keep the bed? I was thinking of cutting a notch in the frame where the axle is, it is already indented as you can see in the picture. So cutting the indented part out, of course, beef it back up, then tie my cab cage down to above that spot so could have the extra strength.

 

[Bert is my name]

I thought about this as well, but like I said to jon, I would like to preserve the rails so I could keep the bed. Any more idea how I could accomplish this?

By the time you build a bed cage and mount shocks. You dont have much bed left. If keeping the bed is such a high priority I think you would be better off with leafs.

 

[Bert is my name]

S.i. motorsports sells a kit that is bolt on and would get you four link with wheel travel numbers close to your goal. This kit has been around for along time. It might be a better option for you.

 

[619offroad]

I understand wanting to keep the factory frame rails and not building a complete back half. Also would suggest notching the frame in the spot that you earlier stated. The main reason i say this is because of the approach angle at full bump. With the front suspension and rear suspension at full bump, you want to look at the whole chassis to see what angle the frame rails sit. Me personally i like to have somewhere between 7-10 degrees, so that the front of the chassis is higher than the rear. From my experience this helps with the vehicle not wanting to rotate forward in a hard g-out or bottoming out all the way. Now, yes shock tuning and spring rates are a big part of controlling the vehicle and how it acts. To get down to the nitty gritty the chassis and geometry are the root of how the vehicle works. Keep in mind your center of gravity, the instant center, squat/ anti-squat, and of coarse the approach angle. Hope this helps once again just my 2 cents trying to help out. I have learned over time that there is no incorrect why of setting up your 4 link, all depends what you plan to do with it and how you want the vehicle to act.

 

[327-rangerunner]

I understand wanting to keep the factory frame rails and not building a complete back half. Also would suggest notching the frame in the spot that you earlier stated. The main reason i say this is because of the approach angle at full bump. With the front suspension and rear suspension at full bump, you want to look at the whole chassis to see what angle the frame rails sit. Me personally i like to have somewhere between 7-10 degrees, so that the front of the chassis is higher than the rear. From my experience this helps with the vehicle not wanting to rotate forward in a hard g-out or bottoming out all the way. Now, yes shock tuning and spring rates are a big part of controlling the vehicle and how it acts. To get down to the nitty gritty the chassis and geometry are the root of how the vehicle works. Keep in mind your center of gravity, the instant center, squat/ anti-squat, and of coarse the approach angle. Hope this helps once again just my 2 cents trying to help out. I have learned over time that there is no incorrect why of setting up your 4 link, all depends what you plan to do with it and how you want the vehicle to act.

Thanks, that helps a bit. Do you have anything to show about notching the frame there? Wether you did it yourself or can find a thread or pictures (I’m a very visual learner). Thanks for everyone’s help!

 

[619offroad]

This is my shop truck nothing special but should help

 

[327-rangerunner]

This is my shop truck nothing special but should help

Thanks, helps a bit. How much travel are you pulling?

 

[619offroad]

The truck is limited because of the shock length and placement. It is a 16" c/o mounted on the axle pulling 18" of travel bumped and strapped. I made it so the truck had up travel wasn't to worried about how much drop out it had. Without the shocks being attached, I can swing about 28" with a lower link length of 56". I went with a simple shock mounting style and short course links mainly because of time and my business partner had never driven a linked truck. So wanted to get his toes wet before throwing him into something with 30" of travel and 500hp

 

[327-rangerunner]

The truck is limited because of the shock length and placement. It is a 16" c/o mounted on the axle pulling 18" of travel bumped and strapped. I made it so the truck had up travel wasn't to worried about how much drop out it had. Without the shocks being attached, I can swing about 28" with a lower link length of 56". I went with a simple shock mounting style and short course links mainly because of time and my business partner had never driven a linked truck. So wanted to get his toes wet before throwing him into something with 30" of travel and 500hp

Sounds good. I’m gonna try and play with it to see where I can get it set to without really chopping up the frame first. I’ll keep you guys posted.

 

[Bert is my name]

A short course style suspension can offer a ton of adjustment and predictability along with decent wheel travel. If space is at a premium it might make for easier packaging as well. The math becomes easier because the shock and springs act directly on the axle.