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How To: 8.8 Drums to Disc swap the hard way

..The First Gen Explorers and Rangers are already equally plumbed in the rear to a block on top of the rear diff..

disc_parts_9_.jpg


(bad pics here and not mounted)..But we can use our existing lines and just cut them where we want to make a joint..

..My 91 Explorer stock brake lines..(for first gen stock reference)
0703110900.jpg


..And my 94 X 8.8 axle under my Ranger showing the new joint location..
0703110901.jpg

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I didnt know if the ranger & Ex M/C were the same or not. I was told when I do this swap to my 94 I HAD to swap in a M/C from a 95 Ex.

I believe this is NOT true. To be sure, check the flow rate and volume of the two M/Cs - I'm sure you will find they are the same.

As far as brake lines go...I was waiting for pics showing before and after of the junctions on the main brake line going to the new calipers is all. This part is about the only thing I haven't figured out yet in my head. I didn't know if they are a direct fit or a new J-box was needed. I should have clicked the link. :rolleyes:

Look at the pictures in my '06 thread. You will see I welded mounting tabs to the axle housing, which hold a hard-line-to-soft-line adapter.

Nothing to it - really.
 






How much of the 95-01 Explorer brake parts are useful to adapt to the 91-94 models?

If you want to run the line from the chassis to the left side of the axle instead of the down to the pumpkin, everything is useful. Otherwise, from the flexlines out is useful.

I still have a spare 98 rear that I bought just for the axles. I need to pull the brakes off and scrap the rest.

I'll be glad to take the housing off your hands if you are planning on tossing it...
 






If you want to run the line from the chassis to the left side of the axle instead of the down to the pumpkin, everything is useful. Otherwise, from the flexlines out is useful.



I'll be glad to take the housing off your hands if you are planning on tossing it...

Sure Scott, give me a few weeks to get the parts off of it. Do you need a 91-94 rear also, I still have the 93 too? I saved it because it has a 3L73 in it, with extra clutches I installed 40k miles back. I need money for that one.
 






Sure Scott, give me a few weeks to get the parts off of it. Do you need a 91-94 rear also, I still have the 93 too? I saved it because it has a 3L73 in it, with extra clutches I installed 40k miles back. I need money for that one.

Take your time, Don - no rush. I'm a little busy with the V8 conversion.

I don't need either rear end - I just figured I would hold on to the empty housing in case I ever bent mine. :D
 






...I haven't forgotten about this..:(

...Was all set up to finish this this weekend but the Ranger had other plans..We've been working a bunch and soon as I got off to get some more parts, The Ranger threw a code so I'll be doing maintenance wrenching this weekend and hopefully can get it together next weekend..:hammer:
 












BTW, I still don't have parking brakes after this mod. Had a hell of time finding the right (I think) intermediate cable. Shoes are adjusted, still nothing.
 






BTW, I still don't have parking brakes after this mod. Had a hell of time finding the right (I think) intermediate cable. Shoes are adjusted, still nothing.
Ebrakecabletogether.jpg

Ebrakecableinstalled.jpg


Thats all thats to it. Brian1 had mentioned this mod early on in the thread. ;)
 






But the cable I have is really tight. Much tighter than the cable Ford put on there.
I thought about something like that when I did the mod. I know I don't have enough slack to do that now.
I guess I can buy a longer cable and try it.
 












Excellent point. Didn't think of that.

Stupid question...
Can i use the turn buckles from Lowes or are they not strong enough? If not, where is the best place to get them?

Ok, two stupid questions. But by now you guys should be used to those from me. ;)
 






I ran into fun with the e-brake on my '92 when I did the swap. This is what I came up with.

Hooking the parking brake back up was fun... My research on 91-94 rear disk swaps turned up people who did it saying you only needed the intermediate cable from the newer truck to hook up the e-brake... well, that's not the case for a 91 or 92 explorer like mine. I tired to hook up the intermediate cable last night and no matter how hard I pulled, it was about 2" too short to connect. :mad: Turns out, in 93 ford changed the e-brake pedal assembly and how its cable hooks into the intermediate cable. So, today I went and got the e-brake pedal assembly from a '93 and it's intermediate cable since when I was pulling its pedal, noticed it uses the newer style of attachment at the rear cables.

91/92, older BII/Ranger:

IMG_00981-1.jpg


93 and later:

IMG_00951-1.jpg


The '93 pedal has a clock spring in it that lets the cable be drawn out when you pull on it to hook up the intermediate cable. It had about 8" sticking out vs the 6" of my pedal cable. Sweet. There's the distance I was short. Yeah, not so much.

Turns out the bolt holes are in different spots and it won't bolt into a '92. :pissed:

IMG_00911-2.jpg


So, I noticed the intermediate cable from the '93 was about 1.5" longer than the '97 cable I got when I pulled the master cylinder and rear axle.

IMG_00922.jpg


IMG_00941.jpg


I also noticed that the '97 attaching clips were about 1/2" longer than the '93 clips. Sweet. That should make up the distance using my original parking brake pedal assembly.

IMG_00932-1.jpg


So I swapped them onto the '93 cable and put it in. Yep. That worked. :cheer:

IMG_00961.jpg


IMG_00971.jpg
 






...Thanks for sharing all that info...:salute:

...Most folks take for granted that the 91's and 92's are the same as the 93-94 models...The early 91's are a rare bird to begin with and the rest of the 91-92's (small) parts are all slightly different than the 93-94's..

..I'm sure that info will prove priceless to several others in the future trying to resolve these same problems..:biggthump
 






Alright gents, I found a shiny 8.8 with 4.10's and a LS at my local yard this past weekend, so I'm headed there tomorrow morning to grab the critter for the Beast.

If I remember correctly, it is off of a 97 2-Door, so while I'm there, what else should I grab to make sure that everything can plug and play correctly?

(Other than a 1st gen's pumpkin that has 4.10's as well... I haven't seen one of those yet, but hopefully I'll be able to find one by the end of the week so I can start the swap)

P.S. I know that I'm posting in the 'Hard Way' Thread, and hoping to go the easy way, but I didn't think that my question deserved a whole new thread dedicated to it, and I know that you guys know waaaaayyyy more about these monsters than I ever will.
 






...I think most of it is already covered in this thread especially about the parking brake cables on this page..

..You might also read up on the couple of threads included in the first post as a primer before you begin...

..It's actually pretty much a swap out and how you decided to tie your brakes and parking brakes in is the main thing to study up on..;)
 






Doing the entire axle swap soon hopefully, but i have a question i was hoping someone could answer! With the Disc brakes will my 15" wheels be ok or am i going to have to have 16" or bigger?
 






The 15's are fine for the rear discs.

They came stock on most 95-98's, 16's became more common around 1998, but the brakes are the same.
 






The 15's are fine for the rear discs.

They came stock on most 95-98's, 16's became more common around 1998, but the brakes are the same.

Cool thanks cause I wouldve been upset if I put the new brakes on and the rims didnt fit lol...
 



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I can confirm, your 15's should be just fine. Good luck!
 






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