02dangerranger
New member
Long time lurker on the other site and have been scouring archives over the last few days so figured I may as well start a build thread. Truck is an extra cab 4wd 02 ranger with the sohc. When I got it in highschool it was just a lift shackle deal with shocks and 33's aka epic to my pea brain lol. Started stashing cash and saved up for a killer deal for a dixon bros kit plus extra goodies for like 2k which sat in the garage for a couple years since I was planing on caging before putting any of the actual cool stuff on. By the time I was a senior I'd had the engine fail twice due to the damn timing chains but it was running strong and the cage started. Finished the cage after school and on weekends then started college and the truck began its life as a lawn ornament.
Winter break first year I came hope and finally started installing the "bolt on" kit that did not bolt on so well onto this tired salvage title so it sat in a repeating cycle for a few years of me barely working on it due to being 500+ miles away most of the year. At some point during college I drove it with the front kit but without any breaks since I didn't have the extended lines but it worked good enough that I started saving my pennies to redo the donkey ass stock rear suspension.
Flash forward again to march of 2023 I am sadly a real adult now post grad but have real adult money so dropped a chunk of change on deavers, bypasses, f150 8.8, and an unplanned set of new wheels to fit around the bigger rear brakes lol. Drove it around the coachella valley for the week I was at my parents after it was done where it now still sits waiting for some finish work to be done.
So now with the long backstory out of the way, current condition of the truck is: currently passed CA smog and is registered and legal for street driving, working ac and heat even with the dash tube, full interior retained, front is bumped and strapped at 15"-16" of useable 4wd with no binding on the CV's, a poorly mounted set of deavers (I didn't move the hanger back so there a huge amount of leaf seperation currently) with a set of fox 2.5 18" double bypasses, a set of 37's we had laying around that rub like hell. Also just got the axles dropped off from getting geared to 4.88's.
I'm currently buying straps and bumps for the rear as well as a gate shifter for the fiberwerx center console I have on a shelf and a lot of other odds and ends that need finish work. Planning a trip in September for two weeks to go down and thrash on it with some help from a buddy or two in hopes of getting it ready enough for some actual trips to ocotillo wells this season intsead of just dreaming about them all night.
Winter break first year I came hope and finally started installing the "bolt on" kit that did not bolt on so well onto this tired salvage title so it sat in a repeating cycle for a few years of me barely working on it due to being 500+ miles away most of the year. At some point during college I drove it with the front kit but without any breaks since I didn't have the extended lines but it worked good enough that I started saving my pennies to redo the donkey ass stock rear suspension.
Flash forward again to march of 2023 I am sadly a real adult now post grad but have real adult money so dropped a chunk of change on deavers, bypasses, f150 8.8, and an unplanned set of new wheels to fit around the bigger rear brakes lol. Drove it around the coachella valley for the week I was at my parents after it was done where it now still sits waiting for some finish work to be done.
So now with the long backstory out of the way, current condition of the truck is: currently passed CA smog and is registered and legal for street driving, working ac and heat even with the dash tube, full interior retained, front is bumped and strapped at 15"-16" of useable 4wd with no binding on the CV's, a poorly mounted set of deavers (I didn't move the hanger back so there a huge amount of leaf seperation currently) with a set of fox 2.5 18" double bypasses, a set of 37's we had laying around that rub like hell. Also just got the axles dropped off from getting geared to 4.88's.
I'm currently buying straps and bumps for the rear as well as a gate shifter for the fiberwerx center console I have on a shelf and a lot of other odds and ends that need finish work. Planning a trip in September for two weeks to go down and thrash on it with some help from a buddy or two in hopes of getting it ready enough for some actual trips to ocotillo wells this season intsead of just dreaming about them all night.
