A few ?s about upgrading

[Jstcruz]

I have a 97 Ex with the OHV 4.0 and is 2wd.

My questions are; are the leaf springs from a 99 Ex 4wd stronger than mine?
Will the throttle body and/or MAS off of the OHC 4.0 work with mine and would it make any performance gain?
And, is there a difference between the 2wd and 4wd rear axle or does it depend truck to truck?

Thanks in advance!

 

[crazymind]

The rear axle is a 8.8 the only difference between them is first and second gen, first have rear drum breaks and second have disc. The leafs wont be too much different unless you have a sport. The sports use a mono leaf and the four doors have a leaf pack.

 

[Jstcruz]

I should have mentioned I have an XLT. I was wondering if there was different gearing in the 4wd

 

[derek_redneck91]

The only time you have to worry about rear axle gearing is on a 4x4. the front and rear gears must be the same so that the transfer case stays in one piece :
Are you thinking about swapping rear ends?

 

[FIND]

Axle gearing varies from truck to truck, regardless of if it is 2 or 4wd. You can find your gear ratio by checking your door tag or a small silver tag on your axle cover.

 

[Jstcruz]

The axel is going in an 84 Ranger project I'm workin on. It will be 2wd, but I want to figure out -if the gearing is different- which axle I should hold on to. I have one from a 2wd and a 4wd Explorer both 2nd gen.

The door tag is no longer around from the 2wd, but I'll take a look and see if there was a tag on it. Thanks for that info

 

[derek_redneck91]

Oh ok. Good choice by stepping up to the explorer rear end. They have 31 spline axles where as the rangers only have 28. And as for which axle to hold onto it really depends on what you are looking to do with your ranger. The taller the gears (4.10) the more low end torque and towing capabilities you will get. You will sacrifice fuel mileage a bit bc your highway rpms will be higher. If you want mileage go with a lower gear ratio (3.55). You lose torque, but also lose highway rpm, gaining mileage. A lot ot people try and go in between and find a 3.73 rear end. Hope that helps!

 

[Jstcruz]

That does help sinse I know nothing about the gear ratios in these. Thanks for the input! I am building the Ranger with a built 4.0 ohv and the 5 speed tranny from a 95 Ex. I want it to be able to tow (kind of light) and leave the line quick but still have highway driveability. I will look for a 3:73 set up. Hopefully I have that in one!

 

[FIND]

The tag is usually on one of the bolts on the driver's side of the axle cover. The number on it is your gear ratio.

 

[Jstcruz]

Awesome, I appreciate it!

Any more on the springs?
And how about the throttle body and mas?

 

[FIND]

What kind of spring setup do you have in the rear right now?

As for the TB, I don't believe they swap, and if they do, it is no upgrade. You can "optimize" your throttle body by smoothing the inside bore, replacing the screws that hold the butterfly in with countersunk screws and removing part of the shaft while smoothing the rest of it, but not much gain is to be found in your throttle body, even if you have already committed quite a lot of modification to your engine.

 

[Jstcruz]

What kind of spring setup do you have in the rear right now?

As for the TB, I don't believe they swap, and if they do, it is no upgrade. You can "optimize" your throttle body by smoothing the inside bore, replacing the screws that hold the butterfly in with countersunk screws and removing part of the shaft while smoothing the rest of it, but not much gain is to be found in your throttle body, even if you have already committed quite a lot of modification to your engine.

This can get confusing.. I a have a 97 Ex XLT I am driving, an 84 Ranger I am building and a 99 Ex XLT I am parting out.

I was thinking about putting the 4wd springs from the 99 on my 2wd 97 if they were stronger, then put the remaining set on the Ranger with an add-a-leaf to lift it a couple inches. The throttle body and mas was a thaught since the ohc is a little higher output engine than the ohv. The 97 Ex and the Ranger both have a 4.0 ohv in them, so I figured hold on to anything that might help them out.

Might have to read that a couple times lol. Thanks for your input man