I was reading on that How to Explorer Axle swap and was going to post some questions their but thought that no one will be paying attention to that thread still. So here goes.

I am new to the ranger pickups actually ths is my first vechile.

So I just wanted to know the advantage of switching to a explorer axle and if I will need an axle from the same year explorer as my own or it does not matter.

 

well i don't know how to swap or anything but i know alot of people do it for a stronger axle like a 9" and they are easier to find lockers for them also.. i'm sure someone will pop in and give plenty more info

 

The stock axle may be a 7.5 28 spline or an 8.8 28 spline.

The reasons for axle swaps may vary.

Some want a stronger axle to run bigger tires
Some want a limited slip (expo axle)
Some want disk brakes
Some want a drop (expos are leaf under instead of ranger leaf over)


The year range may vary...I'm not sure of it.



Also, if you want a heavy duty direct swap, check for a fx4 level II axle, it is 31 spline (as the expo is) and it has 4.10's and torsen L/S

edit: I just saw your in margate..I live over by sunrise.

 

well like said the advantages are a 31 spline bigger housing 8.8, and disk brakes. the spring over under kinda loses merit since its just as easy just to relocate perches.

i think the years for the explorer axles with disks are 94 and up? dont quote me on that, but newer sploders have irs so those are out too.

they'll bolt up to the driveshaft but likewas said, you either need to run leaves under, or remount the perches on top. also sploders dont have shock mounts like we do. they use the u-bolt plates as shock mounts, so you would need new shock mounts as well.


come to think of it, explorers run the leaf springs under the frame as opposed to the side of the frame like rangers, so you may or may not be able to bolt up the spring under axle perches.

you'll also need new u bolts...

 

Cool I do not offraod much but this might be worth it for the strength and the fact that you gain rear disc brakes.

 

So how do you know it wasa me jrpro.

I did not think anyone from down here would have been on this forum. Small world eh. I did not give you a bad drive or cut you off or anything right if so I appologize but I had to take a **** really bad and I was going home.

 

hahahaha...no man, I don't recall if I saw you around or not. I just saw margate in your location spot so I shouted out...

you in high school/college or anything?

i'm at bcc central campus

 

im working on a complete bolt on explorer axle on a lifted truck with no welding

 

Fau Boca. Cool Cool so what a spots are their to tear up in Broward county the most offroading I have done is in a closed down golf course in Tamarac. It was nice though.

And to Gaybriel's reply ( like the name by the way) in the how to they never described the need for welding anything. is it that they may ahve left something out because he did say that in the end they were running it without parking brakes.

But if I was to go to a junk yard and pull off all the necessary components like the rear axle and the parking brake cable and get some bigger U bolts I could not just swap it out .

Everthing described in the how to seemed simple except the brake bleeding I have never done that before. I have removed the bed once already though to fix a crack in my gas tube which I will be going back to this weekend because it stated leaking again.

 

what like a kit that you'd sell, or you just bragging? I've been waniting and Exo swap, but I have no welding ability or access unless I go to a shop to get robbed.

 

naw, im using already avaible parts, that arent thought about on a lifted truck




and the How-to is done on a lowered ranger, so the only welding he had to do was weld shock tabs, he bought the tabs online and had a muffler shop weld them on.

 

hey, if you don't mind could you elaborate( unless its a secret project) I'd probably need a fully bolt-on set up if I were to do the Expo axle wap which I really want

 

its not a fully bolt on setup, he had to weld the tabs..

and thats if you go spring under, which sucks IMO...

EDIT: i should elaborate. spring under sucks for offroad trucks...

 

not welding on perchs or shock tabs


and not going spring under, thought about it, but didnt want to mess with it

 

i dont really see a way of acheiving this CORRECTLY without some welding...

lets hear your idea...

 

thats why im holding on the details until i try it myself, if it hinders any function then ill scrap the idea

oh, and i rather try it first instead of listening to people saying it wont work

 

Sounds like an axle flip kit. The concept should work similarly to the way it does when flipping the axle for a lowered truck. My only concern would be about strength for off roading but who knows? It might work fine.

 

couple things to think about


superlift's first lift kit for the explorer involved a flipkit

and of all the lowered guys using a flipkit to lower the rear, they put alot of punishment on them (drag racing or just being stupid), hell i launched my truck over a ditch while lowered, never had a problem

with the proper flip kit, its just an extention of the stock perch, and they are some thick brackets, usually around an 1inch thick, solid, meaning they will have to break, but IMO if you have enough force to break it, you would flip a perch off too

 

ah flip it eh? well, yeah you can run coast side of a ring gear. many guys run flipped ford 9s for mid engine buggies (albeit, ford 9s have much more contact between the ring and pinion gear

so i assume itde run pinion angle correction shims? then i am still curious about the shock mounts.

just dont do anything unsafe...