2020 FX4 Salvage Rebuild

[XionUAV]

Not a bad plan, mostly. Would even go for a genuine trophy truck if I had a shop big enough to work on and park the thing. Two-up hooligan off-roading is currently relegated to a Yamaha YXZ1000R SS being setup for desert duty. The Ranger will have to remain a little more civilized.

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[Superdannyboy]

Not a bad plan. Would even go for a genuine trophy truck if I had a shop big enough to work on and park the thing. Two-up hooligan off-roading is currently relegated to a Yamaha YXZ1000R SS being setup for desert duty. The Ranger will remain a little more civilized.

Haha ok it was worth a shot. I took off so much stuff I should have started with a salvaged truck honestly. I have the fenders hanging in my garage as decorations ?

Good luck with your build ?

 

[XionUAV]

One more (pricey) piece for the Ranger puzzle. It's the support that goes behind the upper bumper cover

Looked at grills until my eyes bled. Finally chose the Ford Performance grill. Still debating on OEM or aftermarket bumper. Found a place with several full OEM bumper assemblies that had been removed to fit aftermarket bumpers. Waiting to see if they'll ship and if so how much.

Watched a video today from Stage 3 Motorsports, same place the grill is coming from, where they fit 285/70-17 tires on stock wheels with 1.5" spacers. That would put them at the equivalent of about a 17 mm offset. Pretty close to the Roush wheels at 25 mm.

That vehicle had a 2" front lift, which is what I'm looking at doing. To clear the tires they not only removed the front intrusion bars but ended up cutting an angle out of the mount. The rear bars were cut down about half way. Not sure if I'll cut mine or purchase a modified set. They also cut away some of the plastic and splash shield in front of the front tire. My Ranger currently has none of that, obviously.

Still waiting for at least a few days of decent weather so I can get serious working on it.

 

[Superdannyboy]

One more (pricey) piece for the Ranger puzzle. It's the support that goes behind the upper bumper cover

Looked at grills until my eyes bled. Finally chose the Ford Performance grill. Still debating on OEM or aftermarket bumper. Found a place with several full OEM bumper assemblies that had been removed to fit aftermarket bumpers. Waiting to see if they'll ship and if so how much.

Watched a video today from Stage 3 Motorsports, same place the grill is coming from, where they fit 285/70-17 tires on stock wheels with 1.5" spacers. That would put them at the equivalent of about a 17 mm offset. Pretty close to the Roush wheels at 25 mm.

That vehicle had a 2" front lift, which is what I'm looking at doing. To clear the tires they not only removed the front intrusion bars but ended up cutting an angle out of the mount. The rear bars were cut down about half way. Not sure if I'll cut mine or purchase a modified set. They also cut away some of the plastic and splash shield in front of the front tire. My Ranger currently has none of that, obviously.

Still waiting for at least a few days of decent weather so I can get serious working on it.

This takes me back to 2020. I ended up trying the aftermarket crash bars and they still rubbed, but with 0 offset wheels with 285/75r16.

I have fenders, valence, grill, OEM bumper, headlights, bedsides, sport wheels and tires, leaf springs, shocks, upper and lower control arms, sway bar, crash bars, inner wheel liners, muffler, downpipe, airbox, all stock that I took off. Should've started like you lol.

 

[XionUAV]

Well, the bumper question just got answered. Found a Rough Country bumper that was a customer return on their scratch and dent site. Ended up at half or less than what I would expect for a used OEM unit.

I'll likely still modify it a little for more lower air flow but it was too good a deal to pass up. Maybe I'll find a reasonably priced OEM unit later if I still think I have to have one. Last big ticket part item will be the hood.

Stole the picture from another forum member.

 

[12Bravo20]

Most with the FX4 package change out the shocks for better road handling. The Tremor has Fox 2.0 shocks.

I am one of the few that does not have any complaints on the factory FX4 shocks. I have driven mostly Ford trucks or Jeeps most of my life along with driving plenty of wheeled and tracked vehicles while in the Army.


PS; Add one more to the NO DAMPER CLUB

 

[veedubtuner]

Man I did those wheels! What are the specs? Also, You need headlights by chance?

 

[XionUAV]

Right now I'm looking at a 2" or so lift for the front in preparation for the larger tires. I don't need a grand worth of high-end shocks but would still like them to have decent damping and rebound. Keeping the stock UCA's would be preferable as well. I've read several posts where 2" did not require longer UCA's and there were no issues with alignment (camber). Also don't want to overdo the CV angle.

Speaking of that, the BDS 2" kit baffles me. They claim that using the preload under the spring somehow lessens the angle on the axle. Whaaa??? It doesn't matter what method is used to lengthen the strut. Increasing strut length to increase lift increases axle angle, period.

Having not driven the vehicle yet, of course, I have no idea if the stock shocks will be "good enough" for me for mild off-roading, So a spacer kit will probably be the first step to at least get the clearance and new tires/wheels situated.

Rough Country makes a 2.5" fully assembled strut solution for about $350, which is appealing as long as the cartridges are actually good quality. Not going there yet, though.

 

[XionUAV]

Man I did those wheels! What are the specs? Also, You need headlights by chance?

17x8.5 25mm offset. That was pretty much the exact specs I was looking for regarding offset and width. The 285/70-17 Duratrac tires are just slightly over 9" wide at the shoulder edge so that means with an 8.5" wheel width (measured at the bead), the edge of the tire shoulder should be almost even with the outside of the wheel rim, with the tread maybe just a hair wider.

A 9" wheel would put the outside of the rim just past the edge of the tire shoulder, which I did not want. 8" would be fine with the tire sucked into the wheel a little more but I'm not a fan of wheel spacers even though I think the stock wheels look really good. So when I found these Roush wheels there was no hesitation.

Yes, that's much more complicated than most people care to think about their wheels/tires, but I'm "that guy" who believes that the wheel/tire/color/offset can make or break the look of a vehicle.

And unfortunately I ordered a set of headlights a few days ago. They won't have the cute little "Ford" logo on the end of the bulb cover but hopefully they'll be good enough.

 

[veedubtuner]

Yes, that's much more complicated than most people care to think about their wheels/tires, but I'm "that guy" who believes that the wheel/tire/color/offset can make or break the look of a vehicle.

Couldn't agree more.

 

[XionUAV]

And just like that, changed my mind. Always been a fan of Bilstein and like the idea of the adjustable front strut cartridge. After reading reviews and talking to Frank at Stage 3, and since a fair amount was saved by getting the customer returned RC bumper, new shocks have been ordered. May add 1" of lift in the back but we'll see. I've found that still having a small amount of rake makes seeing things out the front a little better for us shorter folk.

Some recommend longer UCA's even with a 2" lift but others say the stock one is fine at 2". I'll wait and see what the geometry looks like after the lift.

 

[XionUAV]

Slight work delay.

 

[JohnnyO]

Right now I'm looking at a 2" or so lift for the front in preparation for the larger tires. I don't need a grand worth of high-end shocks but would still like them to have decent damping and rebound. Keeping the stock UCA's would be preferable as well. I've read several posts where 2" did not require longer UCA's and there were no issues with alignment (camber). Also don't want to overdo the CV angle.

Speaking of that, the BDS 2" kit baffles me. They claim that using the preload under the spring somehow lessens the angle on the axle. Whaaa??? It doesn't matter what method is used to lengthen the strut. Increasing strut length to increase lift increases axle angle, period.

Having not driven the vehicle yet, of course, I have no idea if the stock shocks will be "good enough" for me for mild off-roading, So a spacer kit will probably be the first step to at least get the clearance and new tires/wheels situated.

Rough Country makes a 2.5" fully assembled strut solution for about $350, which is appealing as long as the cartridges are actually good quality. Not going there yet, though.

I got 1.5” spacers from Truxxx.com. They were on sale, not sure if that’s still the case. All heights were the same price. I had their front and rear spacers on my old Sport Trac, well-built quality product. Not installed yet, it’s not as easy as YouTube makes it look. Saving up to pay a shop to do it. Ranger coils will bend a Harbor Freight Chinesium spring compressor.

 

[Brett Fields]

This is my first Ranger, except for the one we owned in the early '90's, so you'll need to elaborate on what the damper is.

Don't let them suck you in to the damper war! Ignore all reference to it.
Except mine.

 

[XionUAV]

Saving up to pay a shop to do it. Ranger coils will bend a Harbor Freight Chinesium spring compressor.

The compressors I use are heavy duty. Have done a few jobs with no issues.

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