58027: Ford F150 Ranger XLT from Blacque Jacque showroom, Ranger Reincarnation

Model: (Click to see more) 58027: Ford F150 Ranger XLT
Status: Project
Date: 30-Aug-2007
Comments: 5
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Ford Ranger F150 Special Racing Buggy

I fell in love with the Ranger when it was first released
but all the SRB’s were out of my (parents’) price range at that time.

So here it is, the buggy I always wanted. This is not a
restoration so much as a reincarnation. Many of the parts are non original,
some are hop-ups, some are modified & others are my own custom made designs.

Chassis: I deliberately avoided an aluminium chassis as I
prefer the slightly more forgiving nature of fibreglass, I plan to upgrade it
to carbon fibre at a later date. A 3mm aftermarket part was chosen to increase
stiffness over stock without the excess weight of aluminium. I could have
doubled up on standard chassis plates but I felt that option, while perfectly
functional, would just look cheap.

Gearbox: Modified to accept a Sport Tuned motor, as per my how-to elsewhere in my showroom &
sprayed flat black with Plastikote Metal Protekt.

Rear Suspension: Adjustable bump stops are fitted to correct
the rear camber & the swingarm pivots are bolted to avoid bending them in a
heavy crash. GPM Mini-T shocks were fitted on custom top yokes to correct the
suspension geometry & as an upgrade over the torsion bar system. Shock
travel is just enough at 11mm with the bump stops fitted.
Standard SRB rear
shocks are angled back as well as inwards; this imposes a side load on the
shock when the suspension moves. By moving the top mount to the roll bar, the
shocks’ axis is then at 90° to the rear swingarm’s, giving better shock
performance & less shock wear. I’m currently experimenting with spring
rates to optimise the rear end handling. The rear cage had to be relocated to
accommodate the shock mounts so an aluminium unit was fabricated & mounted
higher on the roll bar.

Front Suspension: A set of CherryBomb’s stainless pins &
tubes are the basis of a sturdy front end. Once again, GPM Mini-T shocks
replace the stock setup offering much better adjustment as well as great looks,
they’ve been extended with M2 ball joints with the brass ball pushed out &
replaced by 4mm brass tube. A CRP shock tower brace stops things getting bent,
and direct steering & a high torque servo complete the front. With no deck
mounted servo saver a new body post was fabricated from Delrin, the length
adjusted slightly to give a nose down stance & compensate for the slightly
lower rear end caused by the camber correction.

The body looked quite sorry when it arrived, but for a
tenner including postage from Ebay I didn’t expect much better. All the usual
damage was evident, busted front fenders, broken rear support tabs, cracked
hood, & broken rear lights. No glass, no driver, no sunroof or chrome
parts. The front fenders were reconstructed from scratch using styrene sheet & solvent
welding then sanded to shape, filled & smoothed.

All comments welcome, hope you like it.

A nice tidy chassis, clean & uncluttered.

GPM Mini-T shocks & extension parts.

A solid front end.

Fully adjustable rear suspension.

Alloy rear cage.

Closeup of the top yoke for the rear shock.

Plastic surgery!!

Starting to look vaguely like a fender again.

Reinforced rear body supports.

Final reshaping before filler & primer.

Comments

Crash Cramer

31-Aug-2007

That is looking nice. I too am entertaining the thought of using a thicker piece of FRP I have in the garage since I don't have any part of the radio box for my Ranger. Wish I could send my body to you for plastic surgery, but afraid the posties would break it after you fix it. I really like the 'KIT FORM' rear cage. I would like to know if you can make any more and how much they might be. Thanks for sharing your ideas.