Giant Motorsports Ranger 64"
Leaf Spring Install
by Michael Flores
Are you disappointed with your current leaf spring set up that only
gets 14" of travel and feels harsh? Can't afford the cost and/or
downtime to link the rear of your daily driver? Want a bolt on suspension
that's affordable, streetable, feels plush on and off the pavement,
and gets up to 22 inches of travel? Then you are in luck, thanks to
Giant Motorsports
of San Clemente, CA.
Geoff Falzone, owner and chief fabricator at Giant,
set out to develop the ultimate leaf spring suspension for the rear
of the Ford Ranger. Inspired by the proven performance of the longer
than stock 62" springs for the Toyota, Geoff decided to work
with Deaver and develop a custom leaf pack that would both increase
the amount of travel and improve the ride of the truck. This new spring
measures in at 64", and converts the rear suspension to a spring
under set up. Aside from being the only way to mount such a long spring
to the ranger with out lifting it sky high, a by product of the spring
under mounting configuration is that it reduces axle wrap- a condition
that results in an extremely harsh feeling rear suspension. This kit
also includes ultra beefy fabricated spring hangers, extended length
shackles, new spring perches, and all the required hardware. When
all is said and done, you've got yourself an incredibly plush ride
that's ready to tackle deserts near and far, for only about $1,600
(not including shocks or shock hoops).
The kit is available both direct from Giant
Motorsports, and from Kartek
Off-Road. For more information, contact:
Giant Motorsports
949.369.7223
www.giantmotorsports.com
Kartek Off-Road
951.737.2999
www.kartek.com
This installation took a little over 12 hours to complete, with three
knowledgeable people working almost non-stop. You'll need to recruit
at least one friend to help, and you'll probably want to devote a
weekend to complete the install. Keep in mind that this time allotment
doesn't include the design and fabrication of shock hoops, which will
be necessary if you don't already have a bedcage. If you would like
to build your own bedcage, this
article will help you out; or you could simply purchase Giant's
bolt on rear shock hoops.
Required/Recommended Tools:
• Heavy duty jack and at least (2) jackstands
• Pnuematic cutting wheel
• Angle Grinder or grinding discs
• Assortment of hand tools, sockets and wrenches
• Impact gun
• Welder (MIG or TIG)
• Torch or Plasma cutter
• Drill with assortment of bits
Required/Recommended Parts:
• 16-18" stroke shocks
• Giant 64" spring kit
Difficulty Level: Advanced
Step 1 : Removing the stock leaf spring set up
| 1) Chock the front wheels with a large heavy block.
Loosen the rear wheel lugs and jack the rear of the truck up from
underneath the pumpkin. Place jackstands securely beneath the framerails
and remove the wheels. |
| 2) While the jack is still placed underneath the pumpkin,
keeping the suspension from drooping out, loosen and remove the
u-bolts holding the leaf springs to the rear end housing. Once these
are removed, go ahead and gently lower the rear end (you will probably
need to loosen the brakeline bracket on the rear end and on the
frame rail to let the rear end droop down enough so that it's out
of the way). |
| 3) Remove the bolts holding the leaf springs to the
shackles, the bolts holding the shackles to the rear hangers, and
the bolts holding the leaf springs to the front hangers. All that
should be left are the stock leaf spring hangers, and the rivets
that hold them in place. |
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4) This next part is the most time consuming part of the project-
grinding away the rivets that attach the leaf spring hangers to
the frame. There are many ways to accomplish this task, so feel
free to use whatever method is easiest for you. We decided to use
an air powered rotary cutting wheel to place two cuts into each
rivet, one running vertical and the other horizontal. This sectioned
the rivet into four equal parts. Using a pnuematic chisel, each
section of the rivet was chiseled away one piece at a time. Once
all four rivets have had their heads removed, the spring hanger
should pull right off. If necessary, use a pry bar to help remove
the spring hanger. Repeat these steps until all spring hangers are
removed (Note: the rear leaf spring hanger assembly on this truck
was already flipped and secured with bolts, if this is the case
with your vehicle, simply unbolt the rear hanger assembly). |
Step 2 : Installing the new Frame Cross-member (98+ rangers
only)
If you have a late model Ranger with a one piece driveshaft, the stock
cross-member underneath the fuel tank limits rear suspension travel
by not allowing the driveshaft clearance at full droop. To eliminate
this problem, Giant has designed a bolt on replacement cross-member.
| 1) Grind off the rivets holding the stock cross-member
in place. |
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2) Remove the cross-member. This can
be accomplished most easily by hitting the cross-member with a hammer
in a way that forces it to rotate and fall out. |
| 3) Drill out the holes where the rivets were so that
they can accept the bolt for the new cross-member. Drill these holes
to 1/2". |
| 4) Bolt the new cross-member onto the frame. |
Step 3 : Preparation Before Install
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Take a few moments and organize all the parts that
came with the kit. Familiarize yourself with the components and
organize them in a way that will eliminate confusion and lost parts
during install. |
Step 4 : Installing the new Giant leafspring hangers
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1) Drill out the remaining portions of
the rivets in the frame. On the newer rangers (98 and up) the giant
front hangers will need new holes drilled for the upper mounts.
Drill the holes to 1/2". Go ahead and drill out the bottom
two rivets, and bolt up the new hanger with just the lower two bolts.
The bolt heads and nuts are both 3/4". |
 |
 2)
Use a paint marker or similar device and mark the locations for
the upper holes. Unbolt the hanger, and drill out the upper two
holes. You'll notice that the front most upper hole is located where
one section of the frame overlaps the other, and that a portion
of the hanger does not sit flush against the frame (see the outlined
part in the second photo). Giant includes a shim that is to be placed
underneath the hanger that eliminates the gap between the hanger
and the frame. |
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3) This step is optional, but recommended.
Weld the shim to the frame around the outside of the shim plate.
After the weld cools, use a grinding wheel to grind away the welds
that are raised above the flat surface of the frame. Mounting the
hanger to the frame flush is extremely important. It is also a good
idea to paint this to help prevent rust from forming on your frame. |
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4) The rear hangers will bolt to the
frame in the same locations as the stock rivets. Drill out the rivets
(the holes are 7/16"), and bolt the rear hangers to the frame.
The bolt heads are 5/8", and the nuts are 11/16". |
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5) You should notice two additional holes
pre-drilled on the bottom side of the Giant rear hangers. Once the
hanger is bolted to the frame from the side and tightened, go ahead
and use the drill to make two new holes on the bottom of the frame.
Once the holes are drilled, run the bolts through and tighten them
down. |
Step 4 : Installing the new Giant shackles and springs
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1) Before you start bolting up the new
leaf springs, jack the rear end up again and secure it up with tie-downs.
This will make the installation process much easier. |
| 2) Locate the two sets of
shackle bushings, and insert them into the shackles. You will need
to use a dead blow hammer to fit the bushings in the shackles. |
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3) Once the bushings are installed in
the shackles, bolt them to the spring hangers using the supplied
grade 8 bolt. The bolt heads are 13/16" and the nuts are 7/8". |
| 4) Insert the leaf spring bushings into the leaf springs
in the same fashion as the shackles. |
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5) Bolt on the leaf springs with the remaining grade
8 bolts. Notice that the front side of the leaf springs have the
multiple wraps around the eyelet, as well as the labels. Be sure
that the springs are oriented properly. |
| The next few steps are tricky, and require at least
an entry level knowledge of fabrication. You will need a welder,
a torch or plasma cutter, and a grinder of some kind. |
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6) Cut off the existing spring perches from the rear
end, being careful not to cut into the axle tubes. Once the perches
are removed, grind the remaining slag off leaving the surface of
the housing smooth. This is a process that will take a while, and
it is important not to rush this step. |
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7) Set the new spring perches onto the leaf springs,
using the bolt that holds the springpack together to locate with
the hole in the center of the perch. Go ahead and slowly lower the
rear end down onto the spring perches. |
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8) Take the new U-bolts and lower spring plates,
and snug the rear end to the springs. The U-bolt nuts are 7/8".
There's no need to tighten the bolts all the way yet, because the
rear end still needs to be centered, as well as having the pinion
angle set. |
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 9)
Take a tape measure, and measure the distance from the inside of
the drum to the center of the U-bolts on each side of the rear end.
Make sure the U-bolts are arranged exactly vertical, so as not to
skew the measurement. Adjust the rear end from side to side until
both measurements are the same. Also measure the distance from outside
edge of spring to outside edge of opposite spring, up near where
it bolts to the shackle. Make sure the measurement is the same at
the rearend as it is near the shackle. This step is to ensure that
the rear end is centered between the leaf springs. This number will
vary depending on the width of your rear end; on this truck, the
measurement was 6 5/8" from inside of the drum to the center
of the U-bolts, and just under 42" outside edge of spring to
outside edge of spring. |
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10) The next step is to rotate the rear
end in order to set the proper pinion angle. This is the angle between
the pinion yoke and the driveshaft, as illustrated in the photo
to the left. The photo shows the proper 3° pinion angle that
you want to set. |
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11) Once the rear end has been centered
and the pinion angle set, tack weld the spring perches to the rear
end housing. Be sure that the tack welds are strong enough to withstand
the disassembly of the rear suspension. |
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12) Remove the U-bolts, and jack up the
rear end, securing it up with the tie downs. With the rear end lifted
up off of the springs, you can go ahead and finish welding the spring
perches onto the rear end. |
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13) Once the welds have cooled enough
to touch them, paint the spring perches and re-assemble the rear
suspension (painting is going to help prevent rust from forming).
Go ahead and tighten the U-bolts this time. |
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14) If you are going to install limit
straps, now would be a good time to do so. You will need to cycle
your rear suspension to determine the appropriate point at which
to limit your travel. You will also be able to find your ideal lower
shock mounting point when you cycle your suspension. |
| 15) Fabricate lower shock mounts, and weld them to
the rear end axle tubes. These can be made however you see fit.
We chose to make simple shock mounts using two tabs welded onto
the rear end. |
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16) To hook up your parking brake again,
weld a tube onto the front spring hanger on the driver's side. This
will serve as a boss, and allow the parking brake to be bolted to
it. |
If you have any further questions, feel free to inquire at our forum
This material may not be reproduced in any way
for commercial use without the express written consent of its authors,
and is protected by all applicable copyright laws. © desertrides.com,
2003
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