i have the stock axle on my 2wd 4.0 ranger and have been offered a posi 8.8 off an explorer with drums. will it direct bolt on? i was told his leafs are under and mine are over.. what then? will it bolt on and just lower the truck? will the truck be ok with the gears and extra inch on the axle

 

If you swap itas is you'll lower the rear end about 3in. If you want to keep your height you'll need to weld on new spring perches in the same position they are under the axle, just on top of the axle. I believe it's all bolt on from there.... You'll also have to weld on shock tabs, but since you'd be cutting the old ones off, you have to option to put them where you want. the expo 8.8 is a 31spline rear... Most likely a 3L73 axle meaning 3.73 gears with a Limited Slip carrier... Either that or with 3.50's or somethin like that...

What was the offer for on the 8.8?

 

$140 for a starter and axle

 

Couldn't of said it better. TruePaul86 has a good thread on the swap and here is any other one.

Click Me

 

I'm pretty sure it lowers it more like 5", I could be mistaken though.

 

Your right because the axle tube alone is 3.75 inches plus the thinness of the leaf springs. so something around 4-5 inches

 

can i just throw in my 3in liftblocks to make up the diff

 

is there any way around relocating the shock tabs///

 

No because you will just be lowering the truck more, because you are lifting the axle farther off the leaf spring. If you dont move the spring perches and mount it axle under.


Its not hard to swap the spring perches the longest part is cutting them off.

also you need to set your pinion angle when you move the spring perches

 

All answers posted are correct.


You MUST flip the spring perches onto the TOP of the tube, instead of the BOTTOM. If you dont, and you just bolt it up as-is, you'll lower your rear end about 5". Which is essencially a Flip Kit(converts the leafs from on top the axle to below). If you put a block in between the leaf and axle, you'll actually lower it even more if you dont put the perches on the top of the axle. So....if you put a 3" block there, you'll lower your truck about 8".

Weld new perches to the top of the tubes. Unless you wanna lower your truck.

 

waht about shock mounts???? how to deal with em

 

You have to reweld them on in the stock ranger position.

 

Here's a truck with an explorer axle under it w/o relocating the perches, and bolted up just like an explorer...

about 5" of drop if axle is left in stock form and bolted to a ranger...

 

And a link you should have a look at...

http://therangerstation.com/tech_lib...plorer8_8.html

 

Do you know anyone with a plasma cutter? if so have them cut your old mounts off. then smooth them out and weld them on at 12.75 inches from the backing plate at 45 degrees.


finally i beat you at something i already gave him that link. lol

 

I would get this:

http://www.ruffstuffspecialties.com/...ine-p-186.html

Super beef kit, worth the money. Use the coupon RANGER for some money off.

 

the tube isn't 3 3/4"

the spring perch's are part of the u-bolt plate. there's no shock tabs on the axle.

and yes, that kit is awesome.. I used it for my 9" swap.. components are BEEF and comes with some beefy u-bolts, not the sissy ones you get from Autozone.

 

you can put them where ever you want.. there's no set location haha

 

is there a simpler way of doin this? like if i bought the 31 spline axle that was made for the fx4? or another way? i can fab stuff up outta metal and do projects, but i dont trust myself enough to mess w/ doin an axle

 

Nothing hard about dealing with the axle man if you can fab parts for the shock tabs... Perches can be made several ways... Buy new ones, hole saw a piece of square tubing to go around the axle housing with hole to center it...

But yes, the fx4 lvl 2 31 spline is direct bolt in... that what I did a few months back.

 

whered you find one at and how much did that set you back? i like bolt on when its not for looks.