I am in the process of looking for an '83-85 Ranger 4x4. What are the largest tires I can put on the stock axles. I am kind of wanting 33's. What would the gear ratio have to be? Also, while i sit here at school, i am pondering swaping in a 302, so I will be putting on a 2" body lift. What size suspension lift will i have to get to clear these tires. It will be mainly a play toy(mud/clay bogger), and not a daily driver. Thanks for your time.

 

Largest recommended is 31's due to the Dana 28's that came under the front until around '90, then they switched to the Dana 35. Both of these are IFS, the 28 unit itself is plenty strong with a reverse cut pinion and gear, the limiting factor is the small U-joints (spicer 546x?), no upgrades are available for these. Swapping to the 35 is pretty much a bolt in affair and is almost equal in strength to a standard rotation 44-they use the same outer U-joints (spicer 297x series) as the 44 IFS. Have known some to run 33's on 'em (Dana 28's), but, don't think the U-joints would last very long doing anything more than mild off-roading. Gearing for 31's and an auto would be around the 4.10 range, maybe 4.56 with a manual tranny. The 7.5" rear is up to 33's in mild conditions, but 35's would really be pushing it about the same as 33's on the 28 unit. For the rear, an 8.8 with 28 spline shafts are stronger than the 7.5", although 35's will be pushing these pretty hard also. I think they started using these in the rear around '90 also, but it may have been a little earlier than that.