Ford 7.5 Rear Problems NEED HELP

[87SuperRanger]

:rangergreen:

OK, so I got this truck planning on spending money on it its an 87 Ford Ranger super cab with 72,000 miles on it is 4x4 with a Borg Werner 1350 electronic shift transfer case, the 2.9 V6 motor that will soon become a 5.0 or a 4.0 a Dana 28 front with IFS and a Ford 7.5 Rear

~My first Project will be the rear end since th 7.5 is a garbage rear then i will probably do a solid axle in the front like a Dana 35 from an old Jeep or something
but first I need to know if i can put a Ford 8.8 from an older explorer on my truck with a perfect or almost perfect transition, other than U joints, or yoke, or brakes as long as everything els will fit.

So who's got answers and who's got an 8.8 they wanna sell

Thank you

 

[RangerX]

Real easy. You'd just have to weld some spring perches onto the top of the axle.
If you used a Ranger 8.8, you wouldn't even have to do that.

Take a look at these links.

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

Welcome to the forum.

 

[87SuperRanger]

Thanks Rangerx ive been looking into the project now it seems easier than i thought it would be if i got a new rear from a newer ranger from the yard i could swap it in with disk brakes that would be great!

now how much do you think it would run me for an 8.8 with out disks and an 8.8 with them i really dont wanna spent more than 1000 on this project but i also want to do it right i've been looking on craigslist but havent found anything you have any searching sugjestions?

 

[eXcali]

Thanks Rangerx ive been looking into the project now it seems easier than i thought it would be if i got a new rear from a newer ranger from the yard i could swap it in with disk brakes that would be great!

now how much do you think it would run me for an 8.8 with out disks and an 8.8 with them i really dont wanna spent more than 1000 on this project but i also want to do it right i've been looking on craigslist but havent found anything you have any searching sugjestions?

I've seen dana 60's under $1,000 with disk brakes so I don't think it would be to hard to stay under $1,000.

 

[Scott B.]

... who's got an 8.8 they wanna sell

Thank you

I have a 28-spline 8.8 from my '93 if you are interested. 170K miles, drum brakes, TractionLock (from the factory).

Not sure how to get it to NY, however.

 

[90ranajo]

now how much do you think it would run me for an 8.8 without disks and an 8.8 with them

A '91-95 Explorer 8.8" should be around $100-150. A '96+ 8.8" (w/disks) should be around $200-250. You might be able find some deals on craigslist, if you're patient. The Explorer 8.8s are just a bit wider than the Ranger rears. And like RangerX said, you'll just need to weld on some new spring perches. Otherwise its pretty much a bolt in deal.

For a completely bolt in, look into the '90+ Ranger 4.0L rears. They are a touch weaker (28 spline vs. 31 spline), but no modifications necessary.

 

[nooberiffic]

go with the explorer 8.8.
Changing the shock mounts and the leaf spring perches takes a grand total of two hours. And thats if you take it slow.

The D35 was a rear axle for Jeep. And it sucked as a rear axle. The ford D35 was a ttb front axle (starting on most '90 rangers) and would be a much easier swap than the D30 (which was a jeep solid front), and its stronger too.

I got a whole '93 explorer with a little front end damage from a junkyard for 200$.