I just installed a Superlift on my '04 FX4 Level II and am wondering what to do with the old knuckles. Would they function to help lift a 2WD model or they the same? I'm wondering whether to trash them or sell them.

Pat

 

I do not think so, the 2wd has the spindles on them I believe

 

the 4wd knuckles will fit on a 2wd Edge ONLY......since the 2wd Edge has the same suspension as the 4wd Rangers...

 

I thought the spindle was build into the knuckel on a 2x4? I am prob wrong...

 

When I did my superlift my knuckles had a big hole in to midle for the CV's which would mean they would not be able to mount on a 2x4, unless the spindle seperates from the knuckle.

 

They will bolt up to a 2wd, but you would also need the 4wd hub and rotor to be able to bolt the wheel on to it. Even then its not safe to drive on it without a CV shaft going through the hub.

 

if you dont want to keep them, sell em to someone who wants to upgrade to 12" brakes.

 

hey what are knuckles? sorry for ignorance but i just never heard of them, and could i use them to lift an edge with already existing spindle lift?

 

oh ok, thanks alot

 

Another word for spindles.

 

OK, I finally did what I should have done to begin with, I dragged out the 10 lb. Ford shop manual and looked there. It identifies the 4x4 part as a "knuckle" and the 4x2 part as a "spindle". They're not interchangeable and they look different. As Doc said, the 4x4 part has a large hole for the axle half-shaft to pass thru whereas the 4x2 part has a large shaft for the wheel bearings, etc.

Thanks for the help.

 

oh nice, great job man

 

1oo karma points for you....

 

Sweet!! Ya learn somethin new every day...Thanks!!!

 

So I have a 2000 Ford Ranger Trailhead. I know it has the 4WD suspension, but instead of knuckles. It has spindles in the front.

What I want to do is put 4WD knuckles on the front to make it easier to replace the rotors when doing brakes. It seems rather pointless to have to replace bearings every time I need to replace the rotors. Plus if the bearings do go bad, it's a lot easier to just replace a hub than replace a whole spindle.

What I need to know is if the knuckles will bolt directly to my control arms and tie rods.

Those of you saying that it won't work unless I have shafts running thru the hubs are wrong. The hub are what bear the weight. The shafts just fill the hole unless running in 4WD. They never bear any weight. So unless the knuckles aren't a direct bolt on replacement, there's no reason it shouldn't work. At least in my case with the torsion bar front suspension and rack and pinion steering...

 

No, the shaft holds the bearings together, keeps the bearings from separating.

 

Ummm well you're wrong. If the shaft held the bearings together. Then we wouldn't be able to drive a rock crawler after removing a broken shaft. Which is done all the time...

So, a little education for you. The hubs are pressed through the bearings and the shaft engages the hub. The bearings are pressed into the hub support itself, which then bolts to the knuckle. Essentially the same thing as you would find on any FWD vehicle, and I've replaced bearings on those a few times along with some 4WD front hub bearings.

All I need to know is if the knuckles are the same dimensions for both 2wd and 4wd. Surely someone has done the swap!

EDIT: Some would say, well then why is there a nut on the end of the shaft? The answer is so the shaft stays in the hub and doesn't move around. If you didn't secure the shaft, it would slide in and out of the hub and break something.

 

I'm looking more into this myself, I want to upgrade to the bigger 12 inch brakes