Ford Ranger rear end fit '71 Dart?

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LivewireBlanco

LivewireBlanco

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I've read all about the Exploder 8.8 swap, but what about the Ranger 8.8 from say '99? It appears to be almost the exact width as the stock A body rear and would only require spring perches to be relocated. I am not a fabricator nor do I have any of the equipment but I know someone that is and it seems like an easy swap. Has anybody done this? I'm only talking about 300 hp at the most and my 7 1/4 with 2.76 gears is pretty lame.
 
If the offset and width is correct, spring pads is all it needs. Maybe an adapter u-joint. If you really weren't savy to wend the perches you could assemble it yourself and let someone weld it for you.
 
roccodart440 said:
If the offset and width is correct, spring pads is all it needs. Maybe an adapter u-joint. If you really weren't savy to wend the perches you could assemble it yourself and let someone weld it for you.
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That's what I'd do. Basically just takes it to him and make sure the pinion angle is set right.
 
It was common in the 86-93 Mustang world to use Ranger drums and axles for a 5 lug swap. The kicker was you had to use two of the same side for it to work because the ranger Diff is off center. Not sure if it ever changed or if 2wd and 4wd is different. There was an option in later years on ranger with the Fx4 Package to have a Torsen helical limited slip in them.
 
dano said:
It was common in the 86-93 Mustang world to use Ranger drums and axles for a 5 lug swap. The kicker was you had to use two of the same side for it to work because the ranger Diff is off center. Not sure if it ever changed or if 2wd and 4wd is different. There was an option in later years on ranger with the Fx4 Package to have a Torsen helical limited slip in them.
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It's 2 inches off center to the passenger side I believe, but I don't know if that's enough to cause issues. That's why hopefully someone will chime in that's done it. I'm trying not to have to cut anything except perches.
 
I thought the 99 was 2" wider than the original Dart. The pre-93 is about the same width I do believe. But on the 99, you might try some measurements and decide to put the short side on the left and get a pre 93 right for the right. That would give you about 1.5" offset to the right. I'M PRETTY SURE. Lmk if you want more accurate measurements.
 
Some of those rangers had wide brakes that interfere with the spring when you narrow them, but you can use the narrower 7.5 brakes.
 
I’m going through the exact dilemma right now. No way i need the 31 spline axles and I’d really rather not cut down the axle. Some guys on here say they’ve run the explorer rear without cutting it down, so the pinion offset, which I believe is the same for the rangers, shouldn’t matter. Plus I wanted a drum rear.

LivewireBlanco said:
1983-1992 1993-2011

56-1/2 inches 58-1/2 inches
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Yes 90-92 was 1” narrower than the 8 3/5 (57 5/8” I think?) and the later models were 1 inch wider. The explorer is a full 2 inches wider. I went looking for an earlier model but couldn’t find one in my junkyards so i took a chance and bought a 3.55 traclok out of a 94 mazda actually. I can verify it is 58 1/2”. Haven’t installed it yet but I’m hopeful it will work for me.

CudaFactHackJob said:
Some of those rangers had wide brakes that interfere with the spring when you narrow them, but you can use the narrower 7.5 brakes.
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Interesting, I’ll keep that in mind. I won’t lie, those 7.5 brakes look pretty puny.
 
If you take apart the brakes on a little old lady's car, the fronts and rears are worn evenly. But a high performance car that experiences extremely hard braking will wear out three sets of fronts to every one set of rears because the front dives and weight is transferred from the back to the front. My Fiat 124 had a link from the rear axle to a brake proportioning valve that reduced pressure to the rear brakes depending on the distance from the axle to the frame.
 
My father-in-law bought a restomoded 64 Rambler that someone put a 92 Ranger 8.8 in and it measures almost identical to my 68 A-body rear. If I'm not mistaken all you'll need to do is cut the ranger mounts off and weld on Mopar spring perches. Come to think of it, it has a 4 on 4.5 bolt pattern so you may need different wheels if yours are 4 on 4
 
I see "how to" weld spring perches; and an angle level is always used to get the perches at the exact angle. But I NEVER see anybody use a straightedge with a bend in the middle to make sure that the perches are parallel to each other side to side. If the perch is cocked sideways, the rear end will move sideways as the spring deflects.
 
CudaFactHackJob said:
I see "how to" weld spring perches; and an angle level is always used to get the perches at the exact angle. But I NEVER see anybody use a straightedge with a bend in the middle to make sure that the perches are parallel to each other side to side. If the perch is cocked sideways, the rear end will move sideways as the spring deflects.
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I understand a straight edge would be the most accurate but a straight edge to do that task isn't easy to come by. In fact I haven't seen one. Can't you do basically the same thing by turning the angle gauge sideways to verify the perches are parallel
 
I made it out of 4x4s; stacked up enough to clear the pumpkin. Then I use toothpicks if the perches need spaced up on either side. I also check to make sure the perches are centered front to back. I measure from the centering hole to the edge of the perch to make sure they're the same; then to the edge of the tube. I'll grind the edge of the perch if they're different. By using the 4x4s, I can put them in place and know they won't move on me when my wire hits. I reuse the perches because new ones aren't accurate anyway on an old housing. The 4x4s also help to verify that the perch heights are the same.
 
Check the axle code on the white tag on the drivers side door jam. Make sure it is not a 7.5 Ford rear, instead of the 8.8 rear. The 7.5" is more narrow and may be close to the same size an A-body, but the upgrade in strength over the 7 1/4 is minimal. The 8.8 is very strong. If there is no door tag, check the diff cover. An 8.8 cover looks like a square with rounded corners, the 7.5 is more or an oval shaped cover.
diffgas1.jpg
 
jrlegacy23 said:
Check the axle code on the white tag on the drivers side door jam. Make sure it is not a 7.5 Ford rear, instead of the 8.8 rear. The 7.5" is more narrow and may be close to the same size an A-body, but the upgrade in strength over the 7 1/4 is minimal. The 8.8 is very strong. If there is no door tag, check the diff cover. An 8.8 cover looks like a square with rounded corners, the 7.5 is more or an oval shaped cover.
View attachment 1715455404
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Usually the 7.5 also has the small brakes. Very obvious difference once you've seen a few in the yard.
 
Finished up my swap, and just thought I’d let ya know how it went. I did not narrow the rear, and while the driveshaft did move slightly from its original position, there’s still plenty of clearance. Furthermore, the rubber brake hose bolted right in and the emergency brake cables from the old 7 1/4 plugged right into the 8.8 drums. I plan on using the speedo gear to run an electronic dash unit, as mine wasn’t working, and would no longer be accurate with the new gear anyway.

A word of warning; my rear narrowed towards the drums, and the spring perches I bought to fit 3” tubes were too big. 7 1/4 perches would probably fit better.

My wheels ended up fitting perfectly with the springs moved in half an inch. If i had to do it again I’d probably just go with an uncut explorer rear, as higher offset modern wheels are way easier to find.

Right about ride height:
AEE63AE2-FD82-4B9D-879F-F70938E7015D.jpeg
0F610FC9-0DD0-4CB7-8F01-00C34EA2B076.jpeg
 
There is only one way to find out try it. If you dont plan on having a ton of horsepower I think the 28 spline would hold up fine. The benefits of the 31 spline out of an explorer are
1) you can get a limited slip differential
2) extra strength in the axles
3) disc brakes
I'm not sure if rangers offer rear disc or limited slip.
If your ok with drum brakes and an open diff for for it.
 
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