Possible to use a Ford Ranger rear end

I was sitting down with fellow HAMBER Andy and we were talking about the 9" I was going to use and how it was too wide. I can not find a early bronco rear end this area or one that I can afford. So he was saying that a Ford Ranger rear end is the perfect fit. Now I think Andy mostly runs flatties and I am wanting to use a mild 302. Has anyone used a ranger rear end say from 90's to present?

 

I'm using a 92 ranger 8.8 with 10 in. drum brakes in my 62 Falcon build.
When I road raced the A/S Mustangs never broke rear ends and with the abuse built 302's would give the drive train in a road race car, they should have no problems lasting in a hot rod. Come to think of it I've never seen a Fox bodied mustang blow a rear ens in PINKS either.

92 and older big V6 2wd have the narrowest 8.8 made, the 4wd have 10" brakes and are a little wider.


jim h

 

so...what is the width?

 

Good question, anyone know?

 

what car are you planning to use this ranger rear end in?

reason for all the questions, is ..Im trying to find a good rear diff. for a 28 model A running fenders..told that a rear end that measures 56" wide is the key..maveric-8"
maybe an early T bird?
and the ol A body chryslers 8.75" rear end was supposed to be 55.70"

 

Running this in a fenderless A pick up. I have a 9" that measures like 64 inches from outer surface to outer surface. I did find a rear 9" that measures 61

 

From what I have gathered over the years - First there are 28 and 31 Spline axles. Generally the 31's will be in Explorers, 4X4, and some 4.0 liter Rangers. 90-92 Rangers are the narrowest at about 56 1/2" drum to drum. Later Rangers are around 58 1/2. Explores, Navajos, Mountaineers will be 59 1/2 or 59 3/4 depending on year. Traction Lok's were in some of these also. Bolt pattern is 5 on 4 1/2, standard ford stuff. Earlier Rangers had the 7.5" and should be avoided
No guaranty, just what I have collected for info.

 

Just wandering, the ranger rear is 4.5 x5 lug pattern, but I think the center hub area on the rear is smaller than the standard ford car rear. Will that be a problem with wheel selection?

 

Fenderless A PU, eh???
Toyota, toyota, toyota.....perfect width and plenty strong.....

 

8.8 Ford rear ends are super strong, becareful thought the 7.5 looks almost indentical and as said above avoid the 7.5.

 

I had not heard that 8.8's used two different splined axles. Sure you're not thinking 9"?

You can get disk brakes, LSD, and 5 lugs all in one factory package. Same bolt pattern fits several Ford cars and trucks so plenty of selection. Lot's of after market support too.

I know there were some 3:73 ratios available (87-88 Tbird Tcoupe with AT)

 

Ive got what i believe to be a ranger trac-loc in my 51 shoebox behind a 302, its doing fine. Im ****ed if it ever breaks, no such beast on this side of Earth.

 

the Ford 8.8 is plenty strong for a mild 302. Should be able to find one with decent gears pretty easily.

 

Yes, they definitly made 2 different splines for the 8.8"

 

i have rebuilt many 8.8 and they are very strong and are supposed to be rated for @500 hp. the new gt500 shelby mustang has an 8.8 and that is a supper charged 5.4l dohc motor that is really powerfull. the only issue i see is that the limited slip units tend to loose there ability to light both tires up

 

the trucks like the f series sed the 31 spline bt the mustangs and p*** cars sed 28 spline. rangers i am not to sure about

 

I've got a 7.5 Pinto in my A RPU. It's got the 2000cc Pinto motor and 4 speed in it, and runs out nicely. I've got 35 wire wheels on it with a 1.5" spacer and have TONS of fender clearance.

 

OK this is god stuff, I was going for the traditional bolt pattern 5x 5.5, but I figure and adapter would be ok if it was narrow enough. I hear the adapters are plenty strong. Anyway to ID an 8.8 for sure?

 

a stock `32 ford rear end is about 57 1/2" outside the drums. same as the `57 ford 9" (so i've been told). i do have the `32 that i've measured. i also have an early bronco 9" that is 58" outside the drums, and has the 5X5 1/2 pattern, that's why i bought it. maybe you should keep up the search for the bronco. i paid $300 for it at a local bone yard last year with a 4:11 open gear in it. good luck

 

Hey, you guys might also want to check this out, if only to look to absorb some info to p*** on, or to contribute:

Definitive Ranger/Explorer Frame Swap Vehicle List
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=287382

~Jason

 

this pic ****s but if you look at it cross eyed enough you can see it, the lower left portion of the tag will tell you what gear ratio it is 4L 10 = 4.10:1 with a limited slip diff and to the right it says 88 for 8.8 hope this hwlps

 

Like I said I have a line on a 9" it is 61 to the outside and 5X5.5 bolt pattern. 3 inches wider but here is the thing. It's only 50 bucks. It is in an early 70's full size ranger

 

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is a Ranger rearend has a 4'' pinion offset to the right to clear the gas tank. Just some food for thought, should you run into driveline phasing issues. I have a 5.0 Ranger and I can't get the driveshaft to stop humming. I'm taking mine out and replacing it with something more centered. On a side note, the 8.8 is plenty strong for anything a hot rodder is gonna put in front of it. They can be distinguished from a 7.5 by the diff cover. The 7.5 has a flat top and bottom, with round sides. The 8.8 has all flat sides with rounded edges.

Helpful hint: take a mustang 8.8 and two left side axles from a ranger 7.5 and you have a 5 lug 8.8 with a more centered pinion. Plus, they have cast in mounting for a triangulated 4 link on the pig. Don't ask me what they measure from hub to hub, I think its like 57.5 or something.



.....and a Ranger from the 70s is a completely different ranger. Those were fullsize.

 

Everything you ever wanted to know about Ranger Rear Ends...


http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/Explorer8_8.html

 

x2, quite often in the offroad prerunner world the 31 splines are fine, and the 28s dont hold up.

get one out of an explorer and get disk brakes!

if anyone needs one in socal area, they can be had for a hundred bucks or less on dezertrangers.com in their cl***ifieds.

 

Photo by HOTRODPRIMER

A Bronco measures 58 inches wide ... wheel mounting flange to wheel mounting flange. A 57 - 59 Ford car rear is about the same. Perfect for a fenderless Model A pickup. A early Maverick ... with the 5 lug wheels measures 56 inches and were installed by Ford in their 302 equipped Mavericks and Comets.

Here is a small online list of Ford donor vehicles and their respective widths ... to help in selecting and finding a rear end for your project

http://www.mustangsandmore.com/ubb/FordRearDimensions.html

I much prefer the older 8 inch and 9 inch Ford rear end over the newer 8.8 style rears. The 8 inch and 9 inch are easier to work on, have a wider range of gear ratios available ... ( especially the 9 inch ) and axle bearings are on the axle ... not in the housing.

 

So we are all on the same page. We are talking about measuring to outside mounting surface right? Not in between the flanges correct?

 

This is the way Knowledgeable rodders measure a rear end width.

Backing plate to backing plate can be so very incorrect ... because of the difference in brake drum widths and backing plate backspacing.

The measurements I gave are done the way in the above photo I posted ...

Randy

 

Thanks randy, so say the rear end was on the vehicle and drums were still on. Would you say add an inch for the thickness of the drums overall? Meaning not an inch for each side.

 

I have always measured rear ends from the Drum (or disc) mounting surface, where the wheel actually mounts. This is the most useful number for figuring out the backspacing on the wheels that makes it all work for the application.