Has anyone used a 83-97 Ranger frame under their 55 ranch wagon? Need as much info as I can gather...thanks Oldmusclecars1971@yahoo.com
I have seen similar chassis swaps before, but none on a a 55 ranch wagon. Sounds intriguing. Is the wheelbase the same?
So what are your plans for this car? Obviously you're trying to update things. Are you thinking about going 4WD?
If you do a Ranger chassis, make sure it's NOT the twin I-beam suspension. It's made for a much lighter body. A Crown Vic/Grand Marquis/Town car (especially with working air-ride rear suspension) would be a better bet, and is designed for a heavier body.
See if you can get in touch with this guy: http://www.stationwagonforums.com/forums/members/hotrodprimer.6995/ He has a '54 two door Ford wagon. He might have some insight. I doubt anybody is going to be able to specifically answer your question. It is going to be more of a try it and see type situation.
Bit of an older post by I am looking to swap my 55 Ranch Wagon on to a 2006 Mercury Mountaineer. Looking to find some reading on what this will take. Anyone have suggestions?
A fellow I know swapped his 1953 F-100 onto a V8 Explorer chassis. It turned out awesome. It looks great, has all of the modern conveniences that he wanted, including all wheel drive. And you'd never know it by looking at it. But that's a truck. I don't know what the wheelbase difference would be between that and a wagon.
You have to start off with comparing wheelbase and track width. Then, you'd need to make measurements of where the body mounts are in relation to the new frame, to see if you have to cut and reweld them, if the floorpan will fit correctly without mods.
It looks like 2002-2012 Explorer and Mountaineer have a 114" Wheelbase with a 71.1-73.7" vehicle width and the Ranch Wagon is 115.5" with a 75.9 vehicle width. I have see where there are a lot of the trucks swapped successfully like OrthmannJ shared above.