I didn't know where to put this topic at. I was driving from workthe other day while it was raining hard and I hydroplaned. I did a 180 and slammed my back tire into a curb. My tire was wobbly so i thought i bent the rim but when i took the tire off i looked at my drum andthis is what i found. I was wondering if i could just replace it myself or if i should take it to a shop?

 

holy crap looks like the whole axel is bent at and angle it looks like this /

and i dont know how that could be fixed hopefully some one will chime in

 

jeeeeeez man thats bad news right there. Maybe you'll get lucky and it will just be the backing plate. Good luck man!!

 

it just looks like the backing plate is bent and maybe your drum and rim is warped thats what might be causing the vibrations

 

90% sure your axle is bent... I did that in my old Monte Carlo, drifting a corner, and my old van, playing in snow. Good news is you can do it yourself. You'll need new axle (~$150) and a cover gasket (~15).

To take out your axle:
-Remove your rear drum
-Remove the break shoes and all the hardware
-Unbolt the back plate
-Take off the gear cover (make sure to scrape the old gasket off completely)
-Take out the pin set bolt
-Remove the pin
-push the axle in and remove the C clip
-pull the axle

To install, do the reverse. Then add your new fluid, I think 2.5 quarts.

There's actually a pretty good write-up in the Hayes manual

-

 

should i just get an explore axle so i have disc brakes?

 

thats an owy!! yea axle does look toast..and if you want rear disc and can splurge on a new diff do it just make sure it has the right gears in it! cause im sure you dont wanna do a swap

 

dude thats exactly what my truck looked like after a nissan hit my back passenger tire and i have 35's. and my truck didnt move too far so it ended up bending the axle and also the backing plate so best bet is buy a rear end for like 150 bc a axle is like i think i found one for 130-140 and backing plate is 30-35 and a whole axle would give you xtra gears and parts.

 

Is a rear axle easy or hard to fix? Can i get rear disc with 4x4? I have heard that you have to weld some stuff to your axle if you do get rear disc. If it is my axel for sure i will know tomarrow. I am taking it to a shop to see what the damage is. I found a how to on an axel swap so if i do have to get a new axle then i might be in good shape to do it myself. Thanks for the input guys and i will keep you posted.

 

i talked with Bill he put on rear disc and no you dont need to weld anything on..and it doesnt matter if it comes out of a 2x4 or a 4x4 for the rear end just make sure if you have a 31spline 8.8 you get the same thing and make sure the gears are the same i jsut had lots of ppl tell me its a pain the *** to switch gears so buy an axle with the sme gears your good to go..its a direct bolt on from what i know rear ends are identical

 

go to the JY get a explorer 8.8 LSD..... clean it up, take out the old one, bolt in the new one and call it a day

 

...........sorry, did i forget to say, that sucks man

 

Thanks a ton for all the info, you guys are great. I have a 2000 4x4 xlt. i think i have an 8.8, 4.10 gears and i don't think i have 31spline. so i will need a 8.8, 4.10 gear LSD explore axle. which i think is a D2. If i have got any of this mixed up please let me know. I found a axel swap how to in the How To section of the site.

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/OEM-Ford-Ranger-...QQcmdZViewItem
you might be able to get a new axle pretty cheap.

 

just replacing the axle is cheaper and not too hard
thing is the force that bend it went straight to the pumkin and you may have some damage there
a broken tooth or bad ring will mess you up down the road

 

Hey guys i didn't have any luck at my local junk yard and i though i could get an axle online pretty cheap. this is what i found tell me what you think. http://www.ewebcart.com/~4369/cgi-bi.../?la=a&ac=view

 

That is not the axle, that is the ring and pinion.

 

Explorer rotors, calipers and backing plates are a direct bolt-on ONLY to the unique 31-spline rear axle flanges as used on Level II's. They will NOT fit the common 28-spline Ranger flanges without modification.

Even on LII's, installing Ex discs requires that both axle shafts be removed, flex hose stays fabricated and the steel lines shortened. The parking brake cables must also be reworked.

A complete Explorer axle assembly is not a bolt-on to any Ranger. The spring perches are on the bottom of the axle tubes for the Explorer's "spring under" design. Installing an Explorer axle that will maintain a Ranger's ride height requires perches above the axle tubes and new welded-on shock mounts.

Simply replacing your bent 28-spline axle shaft is cheaper/easier than either of those options.

 

talk to Jason Rngprerunner he is a mod on here, he has several axles and is selling one of his 31 spline explorer axles... even lives in Cali..

 

Good thought but they're still about 400 miles apart.

 

Looks like a the hit bent the axle flange at the very least. I would also take a close look at the axle housing, tire and rim after a shot like that. If it's just the axle shaft, I'd probably just swap the shaft, if the housing is bent or if you've been looking for an excuse to upgrade, go for the whole assembly.

Disc brakes would be an upgrade, but I would also look into whether or not they use the same master cylinder, equalizing valves, etc. They may or may not be the same.
Some 8.8 axles will require new u bolts and saddle plates due to the larger tube diameter.

If you go for a complete axle, you will either have to find the same ratio axle, or change change the front differential gears too, along with recalibrating the speedo.