I picked up a 8.8" rear axle assembly with disc brakes off an 04 Expo Sport Trac that I'm working on to put on my 03 2WD Ranger. Will I have any problems with brake balance if I use the master cylinder that's in my Ranger now or will I need to get one off an Expo that's made to have discs all around?

 

You need the master from the expo your stock ranger master wont work.

 

My factory 03 master works fine with 4 wheel discs. There should be no problem with front/rear balance because 2001and newer Rangers use Electronic Brake Force Distribution instead of a traditional proportioning valve. EBFD software compares front-to-rear tire slip ratios and does brake proportioning through the ABS. I have 11.25" Mustang SVO rear rotors and Cadillac Eldorado calipers on my 2003 and even this mismatched system works great with the EBFD. I helped install Explorer brakes on a friend's 2004 Ranger and the proportioning was just as good.

 

Wow really that's neat! Wish my 87 was that simple!

 

Bob you mentioned 2001 and up. Will the factory master cylinder still work for 4 wheel disks on a 98?

 

I haven't done a pre-2001 swap but my guess is that the 98 MC would be compatible. However, I question whether the original Ranger proportioning valve would be correct for the rear discs - it might need an adjustable one.

 

Thanks for the info! I still need to buy new rotors, calipers, pads, hoses and everything for the parking brake except the cable so I really don't want to buy more stuff than I have to