1st Gen 2wd to 95-97 Ranger Brake Upgrade Using 12" Sport Trac Rotors | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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1st Gen 2wd to 95-97 Ranger Brake Upgrade Using 12" Sport Trac Rotors

jd4242

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City, State
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Year, Model & Trim Level
92explorer&94 ranger
lots of people have been asking me about this so I figured I would start a thread.i did not come up with this,a member named "gumby" did over on rps.he use to sell the bracket but has stopped.i was going to sell them but the interest wasn't there and the liability made me think twice.ill post the basics but they measurements will vary so your need to figure those out on you own.what will not change is the basic plate and measurements.

starters this is for ranger or explorers that have the ttb and is 2wd.you will need to do the upgrade to the 95-97 ranger spindles.it will use ALL parts for the swap but the rotors.that means,spindles,balljoints,bearings,seals,calipers and brake lines.this upgrade will get you to dual piston calipers and 10.25' rotors.you will then need 2003 sport trac rotors.

you need 2''x3/8 and 1x1 metal stock.cut the 2'' stock down to 8.5'' pieces.then you need to have the 1x1'' milled on ONE side,this will vary, you need to measure YOUR spindles....the one thing that will NOT change is the holes need to come up 7/8 or .875...pic will give you better idea.then you need to grind your spindles and caliper bracket to fit,again what you mill or grind will vary...its really that simple.just make sure everything is square and fits flush together!!!!

.o before you start saying that its not an upgrade because of the use of the same pad and caliper,thats not true.you gain 14% in breaking leverage and less brake fade.you will need 16'' rims to clear these also.ill post pics of it on my truck soon,im waiting on my drop beams to come in.i will also make a thread on how to upgrade the rear 8.8 to cobra 12'' soon also:D

anything else just ask but a lot will vary so giving exact measurements would be a waste of time.so this is how I did it:salute:

basic drawing,you will have a right and left side
the top hole is .603 from top edge, the square pieces(1"x .845) should align flush with top edge of flat bar(2"x3/8), if you drilled the hole in it right.the next hole is .875 down from first hole.
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difference in stock 10.25 and 12''
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stock 95-97 spindle and caliper bracket
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and how I kept everything square wile grinding
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and the bracket needed
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:salute::salute:
 



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You might want to add Sport Trac to the title as the title is really close to the other thread's title for 4wd 95-97 Ranger brake upgrade even though yours is for 2wd and using the 12" Sport trac rotors..:D

Something like..

1st Gen 2wd to 95-97 Ranger Brake Upgrade Using 12" Sport Trac Rotors

..It should help others from getting confused between the two threads..;)

The other thread for people searching to do this to their 4wd 91-94 Explorer but using the stock 95-97 10" rotors can be found here..

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=325392
 






You might want to add Sport Trac to the title as the title is really close to the other thread's title for 4wd 95-97 Ranger brake upgrade even though yours is for 2wd and using the 12" Sport trac rotors..:D

Something like..

1st Gen 2wd to 95-97 Ranger Brake Upgrade Using 12" Sport Trac Rotors

..It should help others from getting confused between the two threads..;)

The other thread for people searching to do this to their 4wd 91-94 Explorer but using the stock 95-97 10" rotors can be found here..

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=325392

fixed it;)
 






Interesting. Although I really never had any braking issues on 1st gens even with 31's.
What happens if those welds fail?
 






Interesting. Although I really never had any braking issues on 1st gens even with 31's.
What happens if those welds fail?

I honestly think the welds were just extra insurance. There is a grade 8 bolt going through it.this has been tested and used over on rps for awile now and no one has ever had any problems.also its not about having any issues with stock breaks,its an upgrade.....this truck will be raced on the stip and autocross,every extra bit helps when stopping from high speed or when a lot of breaks are used alot
 






Hey jd, any pictures of this with the outer pad thrown on?

I'm curious how much pad will be hitting the rotor. By the looks of it, and maybe it's just the pictures, the top of the pad(caliper end) wont make contact?

I won't be putting this to use personally, but am interested.

Benjam :D
 






Hey jd, any pictures of this with the outer pad thrown on?

I'm curious how much pad will be hitting the rotor. By the looks of it, and maybe it's just the pictures, the top of the pad(caliper end) wont make contact?

I won't be putting this to use personally, but am interested.

Benjam :D

It uses the same pad as the 95-97.it would be nice if ST pads would fit, I haven't tried but sure the guy that came up with it did.it does cover a good portion tho, hard to see but the slots in the rotor are cover perfectly from top to bottom when the pad is over it.gives you an idea of the sweep area.you couldn't go any larger towards the outer edge of the rotor(covers to about a 1/4 from the edge) but could go "maybe an 1/2" towards the middle.I had them out just so it would spin easier. Only pic I took with it in;)

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I guess technically the pad could be 7/8" larger, sense that's how much its moved up.the pad sits on the outside of the rotor in the same spot as it would on the 10.25" rotor.the 7/8 is lost on the inside of the rotor
 






First post I think, but this has got me thinking. Spedrcr did a modification to his original spindles and used first gen mustang drum hubs to use sn95 mustang brakes. Do you know if the first gen explorer rotors will fit on the ranger spindles? Reason I ask is because if they will fit, then you should be able to use the first gen mustang hubs on the ranger spindles and use sn95 brakes. I would be really interested in that if the hubs fit.

Thanks for reading my first post!
 






First post I think, but this has got me thinking. Spedrcr did a modification to his original spindles and used first gen mustang drum hubs to use sn95 mustang brakes. Do you know if the first gen explorer rotors will fit on the ranger spindles? Reason I ask is because if they will fit, then you should be able to use the first gen mustang hubs on the ranger spindles and use sn95 brakes. I would be really interested in that if the hubs fit.

Thanks for reading my first post!

This is the cheap way of getting 12" brakes.they make a kit that you can us the 13" cobra breaks but just the kit I think is selling for over $500, not including the rotors or calipers.not worth it in my book, 12" should be PLENTY of brakes for a ranger. If I remember right the sn95 are 12" brakes same as the gt mustang. They cobra is what had 13"front &12" in the rear.ill be running the cobra 12" in the rear.
 






This is the cheap way of getting 12" brakes.they make a kit that you can us the 13" cobra breaks but just the kit I think is selling for over $500, not including the rotors or calipers.not worth it in my book, 12" should be PLENTY of brakes for a ranger. If I remember right the sn95 are 12" brakes same as the gt mustang. They cobra is what had 13"front &12" in the rear.ill be running the cobra 12" in the rear.

Well, I was more concerned about wheels, I am running the 17 inch Bullits with spacers, I want to be able to use the Bullits without spacers.
 






Well, I was more concerned about wheels, I am running the 17 inch Bullits with spacers, I want to be able to use the Bullits without spacers.

Why do u need spacers? I run 18" cobra r without spacers
 






Well I'm done and love the upgrade.I won't post to many pics as I have a bunch in my rebuild thread.but just wanted to update this thread alittle;)

Before
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After
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I like this would you make me a set
 






I like this would you make me a set

For right now I'm not making anymore.it may change but I'm REALLY busy at work and my machine shop is VERY backed up.its crunch time for government contracts:(
 






But will say its been little time now and ain't had any problems with them at all.pads are wearing perfect and bolts/welds look good.I did make some runs the other night on a ""closed highway"" and never did they get so hot where brake fade was an issue, stayed nice and firm.one if the runs I had my needle all the way back to the stopper at 0mph(racing a 325).I can say this it was scary and definitely needs my new sway bars in but front brakes worked great;)lol
 






When you were grinding down the spindle and the caliper bracket, what size of stock did you bolt on to keep your grinding square?



GB :)
 






I ended up making my own set of caliper relocation brackets for using the Sport Trac rotors on the 95-97 Ranger spindles/beams. I basically duplicated what I saw in this thread. One thing I noticed that wasn't mentioned here was the fact that you'll have to grind down your steering stops on the beam itself. There's a little triangle shaped part of the beam casting that will have to be ground down some, because the new caliper brackets I fabricated end up hitting that triangle part of the beam casting.

I plan to hook up the tie rods loosely and turning the truck lock to lock and grind as necessary to get full steering travel.
 






A little late to the party, is possible to just use the OEM caliper bracket off of the Sport-Trac? If the spindles are the same then the larger caliper bracket should bolt right up to the Ranger spindle, no need to make a bracket, right?
 



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The spindles won't be the same, but by all means, take a trip to the junkyard and compare some.
 






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