Just because MT is chock-full of 'bagged and body-dropped mini-trucks doesn't mean that we've forgotten our roots. Before any truck becomes a laid out custom-mini, it is usually outfitted with a basic bolt-on drop kit that accomplishes two things. First, the kit will alter the ride height of the vehicle so that the gap between the tires and the wheelwheels is diminished, thus making the truck look better. Second, the right kit will raise the scrub line of the truck by relocating obtrusive items that hang below the framerails, such as the transmission crossmember. In the case of the '93-'97 Ford Ranger, a mini-truck that uses I-beams and radius arms as the front suspension rather than the standard A-arms, there are two crossmembers that can be redesigned for the better. We wanted to see the bottom end of a Ranger and how these two dangling pavement eaters are replaced, so we visited the professionals at Suspension Dimension (SD) in San Bernardino, California. There we watched as Suspension Dimension lowered a Ranger using a set of dropped I-Beams from Chassis Tech and a pair of radius arm and transmission mount crossmembers from Alter Images. The whole process took about six hours, and when it was done, the little Ford looked great and no longer had any parts hanging below the bottom of the frame. For more information on the parts used in this tech article, contact the companies listed in the source box.
 1. Here is the (pardon the...  1. Here is the (pardon the pun) lowly, stock Ford Ranger. It's sitting entirely too far off the groundand needs to get closer to Mother Earth. |  2. This comparison photo of...  2. This comparison photo of the stock I-beams and the new ones from Chassis Tech show how the end of the beam will raise the spindles up a full 3 inches versus stock. |  3. The Alter Images transmission...  3. The Alter Images transmission crossmember (rear of photo) will bolt to the bottom of the frame and to the transmission in the stock location, but it doesn't hang below the framerails. |
 4. The new radius arm mount...  4. The new radius arm mount crossmember from Alter Images works much like the transmission crossmember. It will work just like the stock piece, but without protruding below the framerails. |  5. SD began by unbolting the...  5. SD began by unbolting the bottom mounts of the front shocks. Then the lower spring cups were unbolted from the front I-beams. This allowed the front suspension to be extended and the coil springs to be pulled out. |  6. There are two bolts that...  6. There are two bolts that hold the front sway bar end links to the I-beams. One is unbolted from the front of the I-beams and the other will be unbolted when the I-beams are removed from the chassis. |
 7. The steering tie rods were...  7. The steering tie rods were the last items to be removed from the spindles. The spindles and rotors were then removed as a single piece and hung from the framerails using wire. |  8. Next, the cotter pins and...  8. Next, the cotter pins and castle nuts are removed from the spindles and ball joints. The spindles were then removed from the I-beams by prying the sleeves out of the tops of the spindles. |  9. Remember the second bolt...  9. Remember the second bolt that holds the sway bar end links in place? It's now time to remove them, thereby disassembling the I-beams from the radius arms. |
 10. The I-beams can now be...  10. The I-beams can now be unbolted from the framerails and removed from the truck. These will be replaced with the new dropped beams from Chassis Tech. |  11. With the I-beams out of...  11. With the I-beams out of the way, the radius arms are unbolted from the crossmember using an impact wrench. |  12. Simone then removed both...  12. Simone then removed both radius arms from the truck, setting them aside because they will be reused. |
 13. Moving to the rear of...  13. Moving to the rear of the truck, the rear of the transmission is unbolted from the offending crossmember. This crossmember runs directly underneath the framerails and is the first item to contact the ground on a lowered Ranger. |  14. The crossmember is then...  14. The crossmember is then unbolted from the mounts on the outside of the framerails. |  15. The new Alter Images crossmember...  15. The new Alter Images crossmember is lined up underneath the framerails and loosely bolted to the transmission. Once in place, the appropriate mounting holes are drilled into the framerails. |
 16. The crossmember is then...  16. The crossmember is then removed and remounted to the transmission, but this time with the ends of the crossmember sitting inside of the framerails. Grade 8 bolts are then used to fasten the new crossmember to the framerails. |  17. The old crossmember's...  17. The old crossmember's mounting points aren't used anymore, so they are torched off of the framerails. |  18. The radius arm crossmember...  18. The radius arm crossmember is the next one to be replaced. It too hangs below the framerails, so it is unbolted from the framerails and... |
 19. The rivets on the sides...  19. The rivets on the sides are removed with an air chisel. |  20. The crossmember is then...  20. The crossmember is then removed and thrown into the scrap pile. |  21. In order for the new crossmember...  21. In order for the new crossmember to fit correctly, a section of the lower firewall must be trimmed on each side of the truck. |
 22. Alter Images makes a bitchin'...  22. Alter Images makes a bitchin' replacement crossmember that bolts into the front mounting hole for the factory crossmember. The rear hole must be drilled through the framerails and then a Grade 8 bolt is used to secure the crossmember. |  23. Under normal circumstances,...  23. Under normal circumstances, simply bolting in the crossmembers is sufficient. But the guys at Suspension Dimension are not normal fabricators, so they chose to grind the paint off the framerails, that way they could weld the crossmember in place. |  24. C-clamps are used to squeeze...  24. C-clamps are used to squeeze the side plates to the framerails and the crossember is mig-welded to the frame. Well, the new crossmembers are in place, making the framerails the lowest point of this truck. Check back with us next month as we wrap up this article with the installation of the new I-beams and an axle flip kit. |
Sources
Alter Images
Dept. MT
2870 Feather River Blvd.
Oroville, CA 95965
(866) 258-7464
www.alter-images.com
Aim Industries Inc.
Dept. MT
260 S. Hibbert
Mesa, AZ 85210
(800) 862-8789
www.truckin.com
Suspension Dimension
Dept. MT
1364 Camino Real, Ste 135
San Bernardino, CA 92408
(909) 381-5014
www.suspensiondimension.com