Ranger rear end into a Dart?

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73dartneedswork

73dartneedswork

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I’m interested in putting a Ford Ranger 8.8 rear into my Dart. From wheel mounting flange, to wheel mounting flange the width is about perfect. My concern is the pinion offset. The passenger side axle width is a lot shorter on the Ranger. Has anybody done this swap with out changing the axle width?
I know about using an 8.8 out of an Explorer, but I was hoping to save the cost of shortening an axle.
I got a couple of quotes to have Suregrip added to my 8.25. The prices ranged from $550 to $650 and that’s with keeping all the other internals that have 180 thousand miles on them, the same.
Thanks for any help or ideas.
 
I would spend the money to rebuild your rear w/ suregrip as that is the correct rear and will do all you need. Unless you got huge hp 8.25 is adequate. Why adapt some other rear when you spend money on what you got and it will be perfect...JMO
 
Don't know how many miles are on your ranger but i'm sure that you are looking for something close to free so,driveshaft?emergency brake hookup?brakelines?all these are things to consider.Go back and search the latest threads for this swap and you can get an Idea of what is needed.My honest opinion is fix your 8.25 it is a good rear,it fits,you already have the driveshaft and all needed parts.
 
Your right that they are real close to the same width. Remember that your Dart has the pinion offset 1-5/8" to the pass. side so that may be close also. That doesn't mean it'll be cheaper though. As D5667 said there are other things that will need to be modified for it to work so that $550-650 to get a SG installed in your 8.25 might actually be cheaper.

Have you looked around to see if you can find a 8.25 sure grip rear? I see them sell for $250-400 in good shape a lot.
 
If I could find an 8.25 Suregrip for a decent price I would definitely buy it. I haven’t had any luck finding one.

I think I can do a Ranger swap for fairly cheap. A complete rear end from Pick & Pull is $134. out the door. I would also need spring perches, u-joint and I think drive shaft shortening.
 
if you choose the explorer 8.8 don´t worry too much about the price for a shortened axle - just use a used short side axle from another donor, you should be able to get this for 50 bucks.

Michael
 
:angry7::angry7::angry7::angry7::angry7::angry7::angry7::angry7::angry7::angry7::angry7::angry7::angry7::angry7::angry7::angry7::angry7::angry7::angry7::angry7::angry7::angry7::angry7::angry7::butthead::butthead::butthead::butthead::butthead::butthead::wack::wack::wack: KIDS.....................Artie
 
Put an Explorer rear in my AMC project. Big axles, disk brakes, 3.73 gears, and posi for $150. Another short side axle $20. Cut out piece of longer tube, Mickey Mouse jig to get it accurate to within 15 kilofathoms, and you'r good. Junk yards are full of them. Gears from 3.55 to 4.11
 
Ditto to what Artie said. Unless you're going to hard core drag race with slicks and a stick car the 8.25 is superior to the ford. If it's rear wheel discs you're after junk yard a Jeep Grand Cherokee setup and bolt it on. Shop the swaps and find a sure grip and call Randy's for a rebuild kit. You might end up with $200 invested. Why try to hybridize? Keep it MOPAR! 75Sport
 
The Explorer rear is too wide. Easiest way to correct both overall width and chunk offset is replace the longer axle and tube on one assembly using the shorter tube and axle from another. How you would accomplish that with a Ranger rear is beyond me.
Drive line offset for conventional u joint is 7 to 9 degrees.
 
75Sport said:
Ditto to what Artie said. Unless you're going to hard core drag race with slicks and a stick car the 8.25 is superior to the ford. If it's rear wheel discs you're after junk yard a Jeep Grand Cherokee setup and bolt it on. Shop the swaps and find a sure grip and call Randy's for a rebuild kit. You might end up with $200 invested. Why try to hybridize? Keep it MOPAR! 75Sport
Click to expand...


I agree.
 
Right now I am in the middle of putting a Ford 8.8 from a 97 Explorer in my Duster.. Disc brakes, limited slip and 3.73 gears... Got it for $150... Then got the driver's side shortened to the same dimension as the passenger side... This week I picked up new Yukon axles and bearings... $400 and change, with shipping.. it'll get set up hopefully this week... i'm not done with the project yet, so i'm no expert, but you can pm me if you need info! :)
 
Old thread but he clearly stated he wanted to use the ranger 8.8 which won’t need narrowing like the explorer and you guys did nothing but mention the explorer axle here I am looking up info he asked for and see you guys ignored his original question
 
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