hmmmm...

[cody4359]

the mj has been down a while and now I'm getting tired of rust and unibodys. a new extended cab ranger has been going thru my head such as this 5.0 converted one for sale by me. the step side is in florida, but just sweet. unfortunatley did a bit of research and these supid things have rust issues, maybe worse than a comanche. such as rocker, cab corners, doors, and firewall to floor seam. found a 2001 that already had rocker and door rust.

 

 

 

 

so now a 98+ S10 is the new idea. havent found much for rust issues other than cab corners. would want to SAS it down the road , and i want a extended cab step side. probly just a pipe dream tho, would still have to finish the mj and sell it or my car. I'm just ready for a frame and more room :peek:

 

 

[Pete M]

steel rusts. fact o' life. the key is to buy your ride from a state where it happens the slowest and then take steps to delay for as long as possible the inevitable return to mother earth. :thumbsup:

[dasbulliwagen]

Another fun thing with Ranger rust is the rear springs front perch will rust off and set the truck on the axle!

[Paul Bruchal]

Jeep and Dodge is the only American Brand I would buy.

I hate Chevy, Ford, etc.

 

If I had to chose Between the Ranger and the S10..I would go with the S10 "ZR2"?, because my friend has one and it is a beast!

[88SGTSlaughter]

s10 bodies do rust bad, specially the bed. But I think its a better choice then the ranger. I do love the way rangers look tho. :)

[MJRemi]

In '08, GM gave the Colorado/Canyon a 5.3 Vortec and they come in extended or crew cab. Just a thought.

[cody4359]

In '08, GM gave the Colorado/Canyon a 5.3 Vortec and they come in extended or crew cab. Just a thought.

 

 

itll be a DD/toy, don't wanna blow that kinda money right off the bat lol test drove a 00 ZR2 today, smooth power yet got to 85 quick, smooth cushy ride, just not digging the eletronic activated 4wd. ive added $$ up everything ive put into the mj and :ack: :ack: going to have to find the right buyer lol

 

built 44's/ RK 3 link (verly large portion of cost)

custom rear driveshaft

banks torque tube

SYE and 2 low

masterpull superline

winch

winch bumper

tires

IPF lights

ARB compressor

red top optima

custom brown dog offroad motor brackets

 

and a few other things.

JEEP= Just Empty Every Pocket

[cody4359]

oh, and just looked at that ranger today. rear lift was completed by stacking 3" blocks ontop of 3" blocks with about another 3" body lol guy claimed he had no issues with it :doh:

[Incommando]

Usually when lifting the Ranger that far the front axle needs addressed as they are a funky design, too. They are based on the craptastic Dana 35 and are as much of an IFS design as a solid axle.

 

The 5.3 is available in the GMT355 twins, but are pretty rare. That platform has had numerous complaints about other issues such as prevalent ecm & electrical issues , and they are too new to modify cheaply. There are few lift kits available and, due to the IFS front design, you have to spend at least $1K to $2k to get one that doesn't cause more problems than not. Although they share the same platform as the H3, they get a slightly smaller front diff and they are known to blow pretty easily. The are known to dislike anything bigger than a 31-32" tire and also have problems breaking tie rods off-road.

 

Solid front axle swaps are cheaper for the S10 than the Ranger but they are the best way to go for either.

 

Here in the rust belt S10's have at least as big a rust issue as MJ's. My 225,000 mile '91 has less rust than most of the same era S10's and many of the ones about 10 years newer that I see. Unlike the Ranger at least most of the S10 rust is cosmetic where the Ranger rust issues can be deadly. By far the worst ruster around here in this segment are the Toys.

 

For a poser a lifted S10/Ranger/Colorado may be fine. If you actually want to use that lift and tires.... the MJ would be my choice all day long. I am certain to make an S10 or Ranger near to the same specs as the MJ parts you have cited above would cost you much, much more money. You never recover the cost of such modifications either. Rarely is the seller of the modified 4x4 able to get even their $$$ invested back. Spending $5K in modifying a truck does not mean you are going to get $5k more or even $5k total for it at selling time. This is one of the worst investments to ever make and to abandoned the MJ now or even finish it in hopes off recovering your investment is probably going to lead to a financial loss that you should add to the cost of the other truck to get a true idea of your expenditure.

[1990 Pioneer 4x4]

Let us know when/if you part-it-out.

 

In '08, GM gave the Colorado/Canyon a 5.3 Vortec and they come in extended or crew cab. Just a thought.

 

 

itll be a DD/toy, don't wanna blow that kinda money right off the bat lol test drove a 00 ZR2 today, smooth power yet got to 85 quick, smooth cushy ride, just not digging the eletronic activated 4wd. ive added $$ up everything ive put into the mj and :ack: :ack: going to have to find the right buyer lol

 

built 44's/ RK 3 link (verly large portion of cost)

custom rear driveshaft

banks torque tube

SYE and 2 low

masterpull superline

winch

winch bumper

tires

IPF lights

ARB compressor

red top optima

custom brown dog offroad motor brackets

 

and a few other things.

JEEP= Just Empty Every Pocket

[cody4359]

i have a mj 44 with 4.56, E-locker, brand new harness/switch thats has been tucked away for a few months, and the other mj that i started the HO swap on. i really want that gone, rebuilt AW4 about 10k before i totaled the xj i pulled it from, RE long arm to go with it along with 8.8 and the 30 with no slip and terra flex steering