Ok so I know I am not the only one running 35x12.5 around here, how do you guys stop from turning the tire into the frame ? At full lock my tires rub the frame, I thought there was a way to stop the wheel before it got to that point. I dam near ripped both front gap guards off this weekend.

 

who needs gap guards???

 

I know on full size trucks there is a bolt that you can back out, but I don't think there is one on the ranger....

You could take the front wheels off and when you turn them to lock, you should see the front knuckles come in contact with something on the lower A arm... You could just weld a bolt, or something simular on the A arm, or knuckle to give you the same effect...

Don (soon to be needing gap guards)

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If you're still running the factory front splash shields, you can gain quite a bit of clearance by reversing the push pins and moving the shields to the inside of the plastic inner fenders. You will probably need to repunch the rear two holes in the rubber to get everything to line up - easy.

This simple mod gives extra clearance and, just as importantly, hides the prominent top edge that the tires like to grab hold of.



Here are the remounted shields. In the photo, you can see the "witness mark" of where the shields used to be on the outside of the inner fenders.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As far as clearance for your 35's, a lot depends on the width and backspacing that you're running. What works for someone else with different wheel specs may not work for yours.

 

When i had them on the rock crawlers i didn't have ANY rubbing, those new wheels have different backspacing?

 

they are 3.25 I think.

 

when i turn them all the way they go all the way to the frame rail I think.

 

I am going to resurrect this old post. I have a habbit of fixing things only when they bother me. I only had rubbing on the drivers side when i turned the wheel full lock left, and it was only rubbing the the gap guard. The after market PA gap guards are like 3 times thicker then the stock splash shield so its no wonder i had some rubbing.

I did like rwenzing said and put the gap guards on the inside of the inner fender. At the moment i only have the driverside done(where all the rubbing was) and I took it out to do some U-turns and wow all the rubbing is gone. Once again Rwenzing you are the man.

One question for you rwenzing did you have to trim the inner fender any ? I noticed the inner frnder has an edge to it that goes in towards the engine bay. I trimmed some of that edge off to the gap guard would slide in better and hang more straight. I probally took out some of the ridgeity of the plastic inner fender but oh well.

 

Glad it worked for you.

I did not modify the inner fender at all. I did, however, have to repunch a couple of the rearmost holes in the OEM splash shields so the push pins would line up with the holes in the inner fenders. (Both splash shields on mine are 03 passenger side parts to eliminate the abbreviated driver side shield that comes on later Rangers.)

Your situation is probably a bit different because of the body lift and the thicker/taller gap guards.

 

I was just over pestering the parts counter guys at the local Ford dealer and got some more spash shield info.

As many of us have discovered, Ford shortened the DS shield around 2002 sometime. My theory is that it was done for engine heat management during rigorous desert testing at APG. At any rate, they pared it down to about 1/4 of its former size and the large opening lets mud POUR into the engine compartment from the DS tire. According to the parts books, the shortened shield was completely eliminated sometime in 2005 - smart move on Ford's part since it wasn't doing doodly squat anyway.

The good news is that Rangers still have the PS shield. So, anyone who isn't worried about desert underhood temps can perform an unauthorized mod to keep some of the goo under control.

The PS shield is exactly the same piece as the old DS part except the push pins are in backwards.

PS part number: F87Z-16102-AA
lists for $15.20






Swoop discovers the consequences of the shortened splash shield:

 

Ha ha! That was an early Centralia trip with Carl and all. We had older Rangers and were SHOCKED at how much mud was in his engine, when we'd all gone through the same junk!

Funny you remembered that pic, Bob, lol!

I did what you mentioned Bob and reinstalled (they had been off) the splash shields on the inside of my wheel wells. I have a 3.0 and over-capacity electric fan so I'm not worried so much about underhood temps.

I put them back on because I'm suspecting the premature death of my alternator was from not having them in place. It does make quite a difference between that and the wide skid plate I have.

 

Heat Management is a fairly extreme, "worst case scenario" test. High volatility, winter-blend fuel is used and the climatic conditions must be 100F+ with minimal wind and full sun load. The vehicle is driven in a stop and go driving cycle and then parked in an enclosure and either allowed to hot soak with the engine off or idle depending on what part of the test it is. During the idle portion, the engine must meet idle stability and AC performance criteria. Then it is accelerated at WOT out of the enclosure, and must demonstrate an acceptable level of driveabilty quality.

I'd be willing to bet that the shield was removed because of problems with that test. Failing the test is not an option for the vehicle development team - compliance is mandatory.

But I have no qualms about adding the shield to my personal vehicle if it keeps some of the primordial ooze out of the engine compartment. Our trucks don't have any heat management problems under more typical conditions.

 

Ha, yeah yeah.. This is on my list of your mods for me to mimic for certian.. Probably next spring.

I remember that photo too. Mine looked kinda like that a few weeks back, when my mechanic gave me a hard time for it. How'd he end up cleaning that engine after all? I'm finding it's pretty darned hard to do anything but knock the big chunks outta there!

 

I got both my PA gap guards in backwards now, I have not put many miles on it since but I notice no rub on the tires and no over heating issues.

 

i came up with the gap gaurd idea before i even hit the forums when my truck was brand new.... went puddle jumping with no front skid plate, no mods, nothing... popped the hood and HOLY CRAP!! heh thats what inspired me to get the front skid plate, when i installed it i made my own gap gaurd as well... its in the skid plate sticky. it was pretty easy, took about 20 minutes, and its held on with bolts and fender washers. havent had a problem since.