Editor's Note: If you want to say or ask something, email Unloaded at jerrod.jones@off-roadweb.com or write: Unloaded, OFF-ROAD Magazine, 2400 E. Katella Ave., Ste. 1100, Anaheim, CA 92806.
Remember, we're giving away swag every month to the author of our favorite letter. Be sure to include your address, so we know where to send your goods. And since we lost our copyeditor, please know that we are not going to be copyediting your letter if you are going to be hating on us, so you better check it over well before sending it our way! Thanks!
This month our Letter Of The Month is getting a pair of FOA hydraulic bumpstops. Their 2-inch Shortys are really cool because they measure only nine inches long for tight space applications, or you can get the more traditional 4-inch travel, 13-inch long bumps as well. Check out your own pair and see which would be best for you at www.f-o-a.com.
How Do You Pay For all That Stuff?!
Let me just start off by saying I love OFF-ROAD mag. It's great, and it helps me with all sorts of info that helps me a ton in building up my Ranger. The only problem this mag doesn't help me with is the expense of building a pretty capable prerunner!
I'm a 16-year-old attending Reese High School who loves all aspects of off-roading. By far, though, my favorite is the high-speed adrenaline-packed and usually airborne desert ventures. I was so excited when I bought my `97 Ford Ranger 4.0L extended cab. I was really stoked getting the truck for under $3,000 and getting around 25 mpg, thinking there can't be that much that goes into building these kinds of trucks. I was so wrong!
Originally I was working as a bag boy at a grocery store, but then I decided, "Why not get a second job on top of school?" so I started mowing lawns. I thought I would be set and I would be able to start upgrading. On top of that I got together with one of my friends and we started raking leaves and other odd jobs, usually senior citizen's homes.
I thought this would all be enough, but sadly it just doesn't seem like I'm making much headway. It just seems like my dream of long travel is so far away and isn't getting any closer. So my question would be, what is the best bang for my buck? I was looking at the Weldtec Designs Stage 2 kit for the `97 Ranger. It claims 12 inches of travel for under $1,400. Unfortunately that's just the front end and the rest of the truck still needs to get done too. So tell me, what more do I have to do to achieve my dream of one day having one of those ultra-cool cover trucks?
Tyler Haines, Caro, MI
Tyler, I totally understand about the price tag of prerunners, buddy. I don't really know how to help you get more cash (short of just working your ass off), but it sounds like you're on the right track looking for kits like the one you mentioned from Weldtec Designs. Since I can appreciate the pain of having three jobs at the same time, I'm making yours the Letter of the Month and you're getting hooked up with some sweet hydraulic bumpstops from the team at FOA to help you get closer to your goal.
I checked out Weldtec's kit (www.weldtecdesigns.com) and that does seem like a pretty good deal! And don't worry about the rear end. You don't need a full four-link in the rear to have a good prerunner. There are lots of guys out there who have made some pretty badass leaf spring-pack-and-shackle combos for the back of your Ranger. You can even find bolt-on bed cages for shocks. Check out Giant Motorsports' (www.giantmotorsports.com) long-travel 62- and 64-inch leaf spring kits that will net you 19-21 inches of travel from a leaf spring!
Good luck with the build, and send us some pics when you're done.
Knows What He Wants, But...
Hey Jerrod,
I have an issue: I've got a 2003 Ford F-150 4.6L 2WD. It has a 6-inch lift with 35-inch tires, and Flowmaster exhaust (that's what it had on it when I first bought it, used). Since then I've put on a K&N air intake, Airaid throttle body spacer, and an Edge Evolution programmer on it. I've been pretty pleased with the truck's performance and handling off-road. Being born and raised in Southern California, I have a deep respect for just about anything Baja-related, especially Trophy Trucks! Not being able to afford much these days, due to getting married January 2008, I wasn't too prepared for the monetary tolls that it would take (being a single soldier in the barracks I could afford just about anything!), so my real question is what is the easiest and cheapest way I can go about making my truck more prerunner worthy? I'm looking to add some sort of rollcage, race seats, a lot more suspension travel, upgrading the engine more (after I get better heads -- mine have the infamous shooting spark plug), and bolting on prerunner fenders. Then I'll get rid of the front bumper for a prerunner skid plate and light bar combo. You know, an almost complete prerunner, really. I know it won't be cheap by any means, but when I watch Dust to Glory, or go to YouTube for prerunner videos, or even pick up OFF-ROAD mag off the shelf I get all giddy and happy, and just daydream about about how nice it would be to make my truck the way I would love to see it. So maybe you have some advice on the easiest and cheapest ways to go about it all? Fabricating a lot of stuff would be great if I had the tools or even resources here to do it with. Hopefully I'll get promoted soon and that will be some extra money each month! And hopefully you understand where I'm coming from. I feel like I'm rambling, haha. Anyways, thanks for anything you can help me with!
Specialist Timothy Wampler, avid trophy truck enthusiast stationed at Fort Bliss, TX
P.S. Great magazine, and forget those guys who don't like mountain bikers! Darn guys should learn how to scout out the mountain bikers!
Haha, thanks for the support, Tim (referring to our December 2008 editorial)! Mountain bikers and off-roaders have to stick together to make sure lands stay open for us all to enjoy.
The cost issue is one that affects 90 percent of us, so don't feel alone on that one. And there are some cool, cheap ways to go about building your truck and keeping costs down.
First of all, I'd say check out the classified section on www.race-dezert.com to see what stuff you can pick up cheap. A few months ago, I saw a '97-'03 Ford cab and chassis with a full rollcage being sold for under $2,000. That type of deal might be perfect for you. When getting the seats, don't skimp on quality to save a few bucks. The same goes for safety harnesses -- this is your life we're talking about! You could probably find some good seats in the same classified section as well. As for your light bar-and-skidplate combo, see if you can swindle a friend who works in the machining department on your base to trade something for his time with a welder and bender. And for the skidplate, well, I'm guessing there are some old out-of-use aluminum street signs you could find sitting around your base.
And for the suspension, it sounds like you're already at a decent ride height, so how about just upgrading to a high-quality shock and leaving your existing coil instead of installing some fancy coilover that a goofy magazine guy told you that you needed?
Good luck, Tim. We can't wait to see what you finish.