should I build a long bed ranger or a full size short bed

Hey guys I am going to build a new mud truck this winter, most places I run are bog pits that usually are not real deep and sometimes turn into speed pits! I have only been to one actual "mud drag" in the two years I have ran my truck. I am in the planning and gathering parts stage of a (as cheap as I gan get) 466 build and so for its gonna be about 13.75:1 home ported dove heads (subscribed to scotts web page ) with a transbraked c-4 and a dana 20. I run my little BroncoII in the 33" and 35"(with 33's) class and want to stay in that class with the new truck. I want the truck to look as stock and complete as possible (not cut or hacked up). I have a 97 long bed ranger or a 87 f150 short bed,which one would be best?
Is ther such thing as being to light for mud bogging? Most of the time when I launch my BII with the t-brake it sit and spins momentarilly before moving and then it takes off like a bat out of hell untill I hit the deep mud or where the last truck stopped, then it usaully loses all momentum. I think a heavier,but not to heavy of a truck would launch harder and carry more momentum then the light truck. The Two times I ran pits this year that came down to time and not distance ,I was beat by full size trucks that really didnt seem to have all that much if any more motor then me.
There are not many rules that would affect the decision either way and keep in mind I am not talking about 1000hp open class mud drags.
Sorry so long but this should open some good disscusion which is why we come here right!
Bob

From my understanding the F150 frame is much easier to work with for a BBF.

depends on the rules in your area but for a big block I prefer a fullsize truck

I think a ranger would be a better choice for bogs. The full size trucks pack on mud and by the end of one run it will weight hundreds of pounds more. Use the ranger body if anything, narrow body with fulll size axles keeps the tires out where more mud will go in the air instead of under the truck. I don't know what it is about those 80's to 90's f150's but they can hold mud everywhere. My 94 f150 used to take me 3 hrs to wash off after racing and my cousins 79 ford would take about an hour, I noticed the older full size trucks just didn't hold the mud on like the newer trucks (80-90's). The ifs front end is a wall of metal when I got into anything deep it would pack so tight up front you couldn't even see a tie rod.

X2 on what Denny said, the 80-96 body styles are a PITA to clean, and pack a ton of mud everywhere. Do a Ranger body on the fullsize frame with a D44 straight axle in front. Pretty easy stuff to do really as the wheelbase is identical and the Ranger body is a lot lighter and narrower. Depending on the rules in your area this may or may not be legal to do. Denny has a Ranger that is called Rat Poison, that really boogies with his old SS small block Ford in it.

Well to be honest I do not understand the concept of using a full size frame and a ranger body. I know you guys say there is little difference in the weight between the two frames but if you are using a ranger for weight reasons, 50lbs is 50lbs. Adding fullsize axles to a ranger frame is no big deal and you can set your pinion angle however you need to, and I plan on using a front and mid plate on either so mount are no issue either. My brother in law but a 454 boat anchor in a ranger and the issue he had was engine set back, he had to cut the fire wall and move it back which leaves little room for the pedals.
But hey keep the ideas coming!

BBF into Rangers are real common, and the plates will make it a lot easier to do. The extra width of the frame lets you drop the engine a little lower and help center of gravity and driveshaft angles. I measured the engine compartment in my 89 Ranger and there is very little extra room for the BBF. Firewall modification will more than likely be necessary. I don't know if it's legal or not, but you could move the front axle forward to help weight distibution too.

schmitty wrote: I don't know if it's legal or not, but you could move the front axle forward to help weight distibution too.

Well, thats what I did to my BII because the wheel base was so short I could not move the motor back. Although no one has not let me run it at their event it has been subject of many conversations and rumors are flying about knew rules next year.

You have to be careful when doing something new like this, because if it works too well, they will figure out a way to put you in a higher class. I had one organization try that with me, and I just went and put some small cuts on the back and went and kicked their butts anyway.

Instead of a long wheel base ranger go with a ex cab short bed you can move the seat back and have all the leg room you need.That is the reason I was so set on a ex cab when I built my ranger so I could move the engine back and have leg room as I am 6'2''.The ex cab short bed is the same length as the long bed.


Jim

I say ranger.

I say

dfree383 wrote:From my understanding the F150 frame is much easier to work with for a BBF.

Yep. a 78-79 shortbed 150 frame fits a 89 ranger long bed body real nice.

My vote would be for a shortbed ranger!

Well, Here it is,It turned out to be a 98 not a 97! It looks like I am going to have to move the firewall back some so I can set the engine back. Anybody got pics of theirs that they did that wants to share?

Here is mine it is a drag truck with the engine is set back 12'' don't know if it will help you are not go down about half way down the page you will see the engine and firewall maybe it will give you a idea you can this is the build from start to 95% finished.

https://www.429-460.com/t85p240-jim-s-little-460-and-2000-ranger

Jim

mudtrucker wrote:....................a 454 boat anchor in a ranger and the issue he had was engine set back, he had to cut the fire wall and move it back which leaves little room for the pedals........

If the rules allow it you could shorten the front of the Ranger's bed "X" amount, then move the reg cab backward the same amount, & then strech the front fenders/hood (at the door/windshield line) the same amount to in effect gain more engine compartment length for more engine setback without loosing the reg cab's foot/pedal room.

mudtrucker wrote:Well to be honest I do not understand the concept of using a full size frame and a ranger body. I know you guys say there is little difference in the weight between the two frames but if you are using a ranger for weight reasons, 50lbs is 50lbs. Adding fullsize axles to a ranger frame is no big deal and you can set your pinion angle however you need to, and I plan on using a front and mid plate on either so mount are no issue either. My brother in law but a 454 boat anchor in a ranger and the issue he had was engine set back, he had to cut the fire wall and move it back which leaves little room for the pedals.
But hey keep the ideas coming!

My 79 body has been getting beat up pretty bad and parts are getting harder to find with the price of scrap these days.
As much as I like the 70's Fords, it wont be too long before a new body will be needed, I think i'll fix it up once more then thats it for the 79 body. I am trying to decide now if I want to keep a factory frame or build a straight frame out of box tubing.

Anyhow, I have looked around for quite a while for some tech info on doing this swap myself. I did find one guy that did it and took some excellent pics. This guy built a crawler/trail rig by swapping a Ranger body onto a 77 F150 frame, but the premise is the same. Here is some links for the pics, hope it gives you some ideas.

http://www.claycounty4x4.com/photos_legend.htm
http://www.claycounty4x4.com/joe_c_.htm

Dave S.

Putting a ranger body on a late 70's frame is fairly easy. Best way is to cut ALL off the cab mounts from the frame and make your own. I make mine with 4x4 angle welded to the frame where I wanted the cab to sit, then had to use 3" body lift pucks to kine the bed up. Here's a pic from the build process:




Feel free to ask any questions along the way.