Hey guys, I recently bought a 1988 Ford Ranger XLT 4WD 2.9L Auto. I have a lot of ideas but need to take it one piece at a time. Right now she is stock on 31's, please don't give me shit saying that it won't clear 31's because it does and it actually gets around pretty good. BUT, I need a lot more suspension travel and realistically should be running 33-35" tires to do the type of wheeling I want to in the high Sierra's.

I saw the SuperLift 5.5" lift kit and fell in love with the price, but can't seem to find any info on reviews or max tire size, can anyone tell me more about this lift?

Also, what is everyone else out there running to get true SUSPENSION lift to clear 33" tires with plenty of travel. I am not opposed to making my own stuff, but for now I would like to keep things simple and just install a lift and be done.

Oh, and I'm balling on a budget, so whatcha got for me? Any feedback is greatly appreciated, thanks guys.

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Building a '88 extended cab 4WD
2007 extended cab commuter/work
1974 F250 Highboy ranch truck
2000 TJ stock on 31" KM2's

You sure it clears 31's?

A budget and 35's don't get along.

What kind of wheeling and what kind of budget would be helpful

Why not just wheel your tj, it will out wheel all our lifted jeep, after all.

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97 xlt stepside
2.3 m5od
210,000
6/6 drop

^^^

35s are big boy tires. Haha. You're gonna have to regear. The TTB is pretty stout, but regearing it can be a pain.

I'm a little shaky on the 1st gens, but I believe you're gonna need at least 9" of lift to clear 35s. (Example, 6" suspension + 3" body) A lot of companies make a 6" suspension lift. They're all pretty similar; taller coils and drop brackets for the beams and radius arms. Rear is easy; lift springs

I'm all for wheeling a ranger. I wheel mine and love it. Sure, the aftermarket support that keeps have would be nice, but I like a challenge. Haha. Glad to see someone else that wants to wheel in a ranger.

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Just do fiberglass! I have about 3.5" of lift from my long travel and f31s and a hangar flip in the rear. I have 35s and I have room for days.

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2003 v6 4.0 4x4 xlt extended cab
manual transmission 135000 miles
29x12x16 tires bilstein 5100 shocks

Yes, it has 31" Cooper Discoverer's, they ride fine for all the mall crawling I've done so far. But, I'm afraid when I try to go over any decent sized obstacles they are definitely going to max out the stock (and blown out) suspension.

Yeah, I am doing some research and finding that 35's are going to be a pain in the ass. Have a feeling I'll need to go lower ring and pinion gears just for 33's. Any advice on that by the way? 4.10's vs 4.56?

As for my wheeling, most of the roads around here are run down logging trails, some beginner like rock crawling up in the higher Sierra's but I want to start getting into some more intermediate crawling trails.

And as for the jeep... it's gonna cost me 2-3 times as much to build it up as compared to a ranger.

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Yeah, I know I'm gonna have to regear. I probably should have already done it for the 31's honestly. I am pretty sure I'm gonna stick to 33's and go lower ring and pinion (numerically higher).

9" lift is WAY to much for the trails I go on, honestly I'm almost worried about 6" being too much. Out here we have mountains haha so it's all about getting as big a tire as you can while keeping your chassis as low as possible. I like the idea of lift springs for the rear.

Thanks man

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Now that's a good idea haha but I'm not making a prerunner, I'm making a light duty rock crawler type truck. Thinking of just cutting the stock fenders for more clearance.

Yes I said the forbidden words "cut the fenders" and my dad is gonna shit the bed for it but I don't care about looks, this rig is gonna be 100% functionality and 0% style

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Building a '88 extended cab 4WD
2007 extended cab commuter/work
1974 F250 Highboy ranch truck
2000 TJ stock on 31" KM2's

I was being a smartass about the 31's, and the jeep.

For what your doing, on a budget, run the 31's and a small lift. Bob it and run a small flatbed.


Save up for a sas, 35's, and obviously gears. You'll want a straight axle for crawling, assuming intermediate to you is the same as intermediate is to me.

To do a ranger right, it'll cost alot more than a tj build. Id rather have a built ranger but it isn't usually easy or cheap, especially if you don't have good fabrication skills. I don't know anything about you, so you need to be honest with yourself on your skill level. Learning to weld on suspension isn't a good idea.

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97 xlt stepside
2.3 m5od
210,000
6/6 drop

X2, to all of this.

Also agree with Mike about the straight axle. The TTB can be pretty capable off-road, but ittle never have the articulation that a solid axle will.

In the mean time, the fiberglass fenders suggested earlier might be a good option for you, if you want to run a bigger tire with not a lot of lift. I know you're not building a prerunner, but the glass will give you a ton more room in the fenders for tires, while keeping your COG low. Member tbarr used to run a similar setup on his 5th gen. That is until he SASed it and lifted it to the sky.

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Hahaha it's all good, I am definitely a smart ass myself so I can take it!

I already have a full sized d44 front and d60 rear (although a dana 60 seems a bit much for the little 2.9l v6) that I want to swap in... just don't have the money to rebuild those axles and redo driveshafts, etc. nor the time to sit down and do the right fabrication to fit them underneath the Ranger.

The SAS is a MUST I know this for sure and have already determined it to be one of the first things I need to do as soon as I can afford it, but I'm just trying to get by for now without it.

I like to think I'm a pretty good welder/fabricator but I'm definitely not confident in putting in suspension systems yet haha. But trust me, a flat bed is already in the works.

BTW I am already loving the great insight this forum is giving me, I think the best thing I could have done for that truck is join this group.

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Building a '88 extended cab 4WD
2007 extended cab commuter/work
1974 F250 Highboy ranch truck
2000 TJ stock on 31" KM2's