so i recently traded my '01 Mustang GT, for an 03 XLT 4x4 4.0L

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now i have a few questions, i tried to find them, and i learned alot..but not all of them

I plan on doing the 4" Superlift, 3" PA Bodylift, and 35" tires

now...am i going to need a re-gear? what's the stock gearing, and what axle?
how necessary is a new drive shaft with this setup? if very, where can i get one? my mechanic skills are..medicore at best, with my mustang I usually had people help with installs, or pay someone to do it (rarely) how hard are the lift installs, and what tools are necessary? is it expensive to have somone else do it? (if anyone in CO wants to help, your welcome to ) any other tips,tricks, and pointers for lifting my ranger are appreciated. thats all i can think of for now. Thanks much in advance

 

go under your truck and look there should be an axel tab and it will tell you wether you have the 8.8 or the 7.5(most likley you have the 8.8 b/c your 4wd and 4.0). and it will also tell you your stock gearing most likly you have 4.10s maybe 3.73 but i doubt it. and you will probably want to regear to 4.56s. but if you dont want to there are a few members here who are running 35s with 4.10s. and a new drive shaft is a must not right away but asap. lift installs are not that bad just a few tips you need for the body lift hopefully Zabeard,redneckstone, or 04lvl2 or some one else will chime in and help you out. both lift are time consuming so they will look good on your truck but i dont know if both of them can be done in a single day. and your truck will look good! look at some other members trucks ex.zabeard , 04lvl2 and many others they just look badass

 

I'd recommend 4.56 gears also for you. If you do not have an 8.8" axle with 4.10 gears right now, I'll be VERY suprised. I'd be pretty sure that's what you have got.

As far as the superlift goes... Air tools will make it MUCH easier! And you'll need a 2 arm gear puller, which can be rented from Autozone for free. If you aren't as familiar with your truck, pick up a Haynes manual. This will be a great source of information for you, particularly during the torsion bar removal, which can be dangerous if you aren't careful. It's pretty simple and straightforward though.

Someone else can chime in on the body lift, as I've not got much experience with them past watching a few people do one.

I did not find in the ~10-12k that I had my Superlift that I needed the new driveshaft, but other's mileage has varied. You can get the superlift driveshaft for under 400 shipped I believe from graniteguy. He's a member of the forum who has his own internet store. He's from Austin and a great guy to do business with.

Installation costs for a shop range in the 400-700 dollar range for EACH lift... it's much better to do it yourself! Take your time and read the directions. There are enough people on here who have done all of the lifts that we can help you out if you get snagged. It's certainly not going to be a 1-day thing for you (especially if you're not familiar with 4wd drivetrains and suspensions) but it can be done by someone with moderate wrenching ability.

 

thanks for the info fellas. that clears things up...right now my entire undercarrige is muddy as crap (went muddin in a construction zone the day i got it :)) so once it's clean ill check to see what it is

 

nice ride

 

spray this shi* outta them body mounts with pb blaster bed takes about 10mins to do i didnt even half to xtend my gas line and the cab took me around 10hours to do cause my body mounts woulnt come loose and watch on the steerin shaft that pice u gotta put in i had 3 buddies that it wasnt the right one

 

Hey, I'mn from the Springs. I'd be more than glad to come over and help turn a wrench when you need it. I'm up in Greeley for school, but that isn't a big deal. Welcome!

 

Body lift is a snap, you can do it with no problems provided you have a torch, if not, pick up a cheap torch at autozone and it will do the job on the cab bolts.

I have never suspension lifted a Ranger but about 6 years ago I did my Toyota 4x4 with a 4 inch suspension and it was pretty straight forward.

Don't take my word on this though I am a mechanic for a living BUT, it seems like it would be simple period. It's not like building a short block when you have to plastigauge and retq everything to exact measurements. Most of it is pre laid out for you and everything fits well.

 

i dont know how i missed this thread but, i just ran across it.

I would recommed 4.56s! that is what i have and it is great, accelerates like stock and is so much easier on the transmission.

btw you need to get ahold of Jared (rangerboy03lvl2) he has some good wrenching skilz, and could help with the gears

 

body lift is easy as hell people that think its hard usually dont listen to our advice after installing over 5+ you tend to realize how to save time....

first tip a torch just regualer old propain will work the cab bolts you dont need BP blaster if you do this. heat on the bottom of the bushing where you see the bolt sticking out in the center of the metal washer heat it nice and hot till you smell the rubber starting to metal then AIR IMPACT off the bolts. whne you disconnect the steering brake lines parking brake cable and ground strap the and the cab is ready to go, you can do both sides with bolts in about 20 min max if you heat the cab bolts. the rear bumpers can be a pain having a big wrench to bow them out a little cause they never usually fit on the outside of the frame horns like they are supposed to they need a little perswaytion. the only other complete PITA can be the filler neck extention. use a sharp *** utility knife or a tubing cutter if you have it.

also to do with the super lift. installing a ADD A LEAF and lift shackels in there rear is alot smarter then using the lift block superlift supplies. they want you to stack blocks thats a NO NO... so also order the AAL and shackel. should run you like $70 total. personally i would just buy the front driveshaft in the beginning and get it over with instead of having the old one go bad and start vibrating on you.

also i just notice you sayed you went mudding make sure you get the WHOLE under carrage cleaned you before you do any of this or you will be in hell with mud everywhere...

 

two different choices of AAL. I had the short version for 30 bucks but i think the longer ones would be better for ride and durability.

Short Version
http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku

Long Version
http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku

Or you could get these and do the chevy spring swap. Like mine and Marks. Which will allow you to run NO blocks.
http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku


And the chevy drop shackle which will lift a ranger.
http://store.summitracing.com/partde...0&autoview=sku

btw zach is you read he already bought a driveshaft

 

oh well thats good then i just kinda read the first few posts and thats about it in this thread

 

thanks for all the advice...would it be fine if i use the blocks for now, and order the new leafs + shackle later on?

 

some people are doin it. i wouldnt on my truck, ever.

 

You can run the stacked blocks for a little while before you get an AAL and Shackle. I personally would just get it and install the shackle + aal while you have all your tools out and handy.

If your going to run 35's, what size wheel are you going to be running? IMO a 10" wide wheel on 35's looks better than a 8" wide rim.

My truck -

4" Superlift (fullsize 1/2 to 1 ton Leafs), 3" BL, 15x10 wheels, 35x12.50 Mudders...

 

Oh, dont forget to add a programmer so you can correct your speedo after the tire size. If its not corrected, the stock speedo will say 65, and your really going 75..

(something i've neglected to buy still, lol)

 

hmmm. ok...

i like the chevy spring idea...but what exactly do i need here? just the chevy leafs and shackle?

any info on the whole chevy spring thing is appreciated

 

i got 15x10's...here they are sitting in my garage...kinda sucks i gotta wait another week to get the lift on..oh well

 

Yeah, with the chevy leafs you have to move the front hangers forward to accomodate for the longer leaf springs. The hangers are rivited in the frame, so you'll need to chisel out 2 rivets so you can use these existing holes for the new hanger location. For the other 2 holes, bolt the hanger to the frame and mark where your 2 other holes nees to be drilled. (very basic howto)

My leafs -

Zach and i both are running the procomp lift springs with the shackle.

 

You'll need new shorter u-bolts, and a custom made e-brake cable bracket too.

 

uhh..yeah...screw that, lol. what's my simplest solution here? the AAL?

 

AAL + Shackle on stock blocks and leafs....You'll most likely have to adjust the T-bar heigth so your not higher in the front than the back.

 

alright, thanks for the help

 

no problem

 

yo jon, i replied in another post, but im in pueblo, and Ide love to give you a hand. hit me up!