Ok so my Civic has been having something go wrong (basically a lot of small things) with it every week. So I am really thinking I could really use a backup vehicle. Also I am getting pretty tired of having to borrow people's pickups to haul stuff. I would also like something to autocross until the Yugo is done. Are there any trucks that would be a good choice to autocross (without major modifications)? And by cheap I mean challenge budget. I was thinking a G-body Elky.
318-powered Dakota??
just the nicest example of anything you can find.
If you could keep non-rusted out body panels on it, 82-93 S10/S15/Sonoma.
Most people will poo-poo this, but an I-beam Ranger, I prefer 95-97 vintage, can be made to handle just as good as the S10 for LESS money. You might have shorter tire life, but it won't eat tires every 5k miles either.
EDIT- The Ranger is also 1000% better built then the comparable GM product on fit and finish. The Ranger just suffered from being anemic with EVERY powerplant Ford put up front. And the auto trans in them SUCK.
Ranger50 wrote: Most people will poo-poo this, but an I-beam Ranger, I prefer 95-97 vintage, can be made to handle just as good as the S10 for LESS money. You might have shorter tire life, but it won't eat tires every 5k miles either.
What does it take to make a Ranger handle? I only want to do shocks and bushings (if they are needed) and go.
On a Ranger I've found that you need to be running the optional wheels, be they 15 or 16 inch diameter, both are 7 inches wide. For tires you can run 255s with slight rubbing in the front of the truck.
Lowering is a key to better handling, either through shorter tires or via a lowering kit. I always went with shorter tires rather than a lowering kit, as a cost savings.
I had good luck with 245x60/15s for normal driving. I played with a set of 245x50s/15s off my Capri when I was goofing around with the truck and wanted to see it slammed.
Getting some beefier sway bars under the Ranger helps as well. I ran '93 Explorer sway bars on my '90 Ranger to help its handling manners. It was just a 2.3 with a 5-speed and was very underpowered, but it could go around a corner pretty well.
I think a newer 2WD Ranger with a V-6 could be made to handle very well. With an SLA front suspension and rack and pinion steering I know my current 4WD Ranger handles nicely.
The 2WD should be even better, with better weight distribution from no heavy 4WD setup up front.
93EXCivic wrote: What does it take to make a Ranger handle? I only want to do shocks and bushings (if they are needed) and go.
For me, it was tires, alignment, and adding a rear swaybar from a 4x4. The swaybar got rid of all the stupid understeer. Still ran the stock 14x6 steelies with 215/70R14's(?). You can make a big move up with either Stang wheels minus the center cap or some Exploder 16's or even some Splash 15's.
So now I am intrigued. A ranger can out handle an s10 for less money? I would love to get further feedback. Its not that I dont believe you it is just that I don't know about that funky i beam.
In reply to singleslammer:
I am saying for all the parts you will buy to make your GM lower and handle better, I can and will spend less on my Ranger.
Ranger50 wrote: The Ranger just suffered from being anemic with EVERY powerplant Ford put up front.
The SOHC 4.0 v-6 wasn't quite anemic
Dream beams? I know the twin I-beams don't like being lowered a whole lot...
I made a whole dream list for my old '91 2.3l Ranger...
I don't know much about the ranger suspension but I know a bit about the s10 and I know you can get them to handle fairly well inexpensively... and it's a very GRM method
sway bars is the big first... hit the JY and find the largest ones you can off of a RWD 4dr blazer (any year)... they are the same size as the zq8 optional suspension package
if you can find a zq8 truck you can also snatch the front and rear springs for a bit of a drop... while your looking at that truck get the bilstein shocks...
drop blocks are cheap no matter how you look at it,...
drop spindles relatively inexpensively used (or new they are cheaper then the factory replacement from autozone)
preformance wheel/tire combo = tons of used options from GM fbods, G bods etc
if you want to get into custom tubular control arms, tall ball joints, solid or poly bushings etc there are TONS of options out there because it's the same stuff as used in GM "metric" chassis which have been running around roundy-round tracks for decades...
I'd be looking for a 2WD toyota with a 22RE and a 5 speed.
Secretariata wrote:Ranger50 wrote: The Ranger just suffered from being anemic with EVERY powerplant Ford put up front.The SOHC 4.0 v-6 wasn't quite anemic
I can say, I have never seen this unicorn. Maybe in an Explorer, but never a Ranger. Plus have you ever worked on one of them? UGH doesn't even begin to explain the horror.
Ranger50 wrote: In reply to singleslammer: I am saying for all the parts you will buy to make your GM lower and handle better, I can and will spend less on my Ranger.
And I will be fabbing/adapting other stuff to work on my Dakota.
In reply to 93EXCivic:
Now, let me get this straight. You're looking for a cheap truck and then you want to autocross it? Seems kind of silly unless you plan on dropping a good chunk of change into it. Nothing against that if its the plan, but a good cheap truck says "tow your car to autocross," not "drive me to autocross."
In reply to N Sperlo:
Problem is no where to put a trailer and extra car at my place. Also I don't really have the money to get all three.
stanger_missle wrote: Dream beams? I know the twin I-beams don't like being lowered a whole lot...
You can go 5" in front and still not have extreme tire wear, provided the truck hasn't been wrecked. And if you wanted to do the math and had the equipment, you could go another inch, for 6" total, and end up with a stock setting alignment.
moparman76_69 wrote: And I will be fabbing/adapting other stuff to work on my Dakota.
Just like the article I found in an old Mopar Action mag, circa 1997? I should scan it in and post it up, but it was mostly take the suspension apart, install poly bushings and reassemble.
I keep going back and forth in my head about this. I can't help but think I would probably end up selling the truck once the Yugo was gone and getting something cooler and with more towing capacity. So maybe a wagon of some sort makes more sense?
On a Ranger I've found that you need to be running the optional wheels, be they 15 or 16 inch diameter, both are 7 inches wide. For tires you can run 255s with slight rubbing in the front of the truck.
I wouldnt recommend running 245s or 255s on 7 inch wide wheels if you care about handling.
I agree that rangers are WAY better put together than s10s in the mid-90s era.
Ranger50 wrote:moparman76_69 wrote: And I will be fabbing/adapting other stuff to work on my Dakota.Just like the article I found in an old Mopar Action mag, circa 1997? I should scan it in and post it up, but it was mostly take the suspension apart, install poly bushings and reassemble.
Well, technically there are drop springs and spindles for the front and hangers for the rear, but they are quite a bit more expensive than S10 stuff. Add in the fact that they have an integrated hub/rotor and E36 M3 gets expensive fast.
93EXCivic wrote: In reply to N Sperlo: Problem is no where to put a trailer and extra car at my place. Also I don't really have the money to get all three.
I understand, but am blessed with a long driveway, a landlord who will rent me a spot if the car isn't street legal, and a friend has a trailer I can use.
93EXCivic wrote: . Also I am getting pretty tired of having to borrow people's pickups to haul stuff. I would also like something to autocross until the Yugo is done.
how big is the stuff you haul?...
this could be the answer... i'm amazed at how much stuff it'll haul
example... lay down the back seats and slide in another drivetrain...
In reply to moparman76_69:
I did a 2/2 drop, spindles and blocks, on my 95 for less than $300. I don't quite follow how that is "expensive", especially when a Dakota is about dead last on the most frequently lowered truck list? I can do hangers for $70, IIRC, and if I want lower still, I can have the leafs dearched.
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