Ford 7.5-Inch Rear Axle History & Specs

Ford 7.5-Inch Rear Axle History & Specifications

The Ford 7.5-Inch rear axle is a reliable and serviceable axle used in Ford Rangers, Bronco IIs, Aerostars, and Mustangs for decades. Favored by off-road enthusiasts and DIY mechanics, this axle provides a solid balance of strength, maintenance ease, and compatibility. This guide covers its history, specifications, axle codes, and how to identify your axle for 1983–2011 Ford vehicles.

Contents

• Ford 7.5-Inch Axle Usage
• Axle Shaft and Width Differences
• Ford 7.5-Inch Rear Axle Specifications
• Rear Axle Codes
• How to Identify Your Axle

Ford 7.5-Inch Axle Usage

The Ford 7.5-Inch axle was installed in several vehicles including:

• Ford Aerostar (1985-1997)
• Ford Bronco II (1984-1990)
• Ford Mustang (1979-2011)
• Ford Ranger (1983-2011)

For this guide, we will focus on the Ford Ranger and Bronco II.

All Bronco II trucks (1984-1990) came with a 7.5-Inch rear axle.
Ford Rangers used the 7.5-Inch axle from 1983-1989. From 1990-2011, 4.0L Rangers received the 8.8-Inch rear axle. Non-4.0L Rangers (1990-2011) retained the 7.5-Inch axle, except 1998-2011 SuperCab 4×4 models, which used the 8.8-Inch axle regardless of engine size.

Axle Shaft and Width Differences

Many enthusiasts ask about swapping axle shafts between years. Key differences:

• 1983-1992 Ranger axles are 1-inch shorter on both sides than 1993+ models. Full 1993+ axle assemblies are therefore 2 inches wider overall.
• Bronco II right-side axle shafts are 1-5/8″ wider than 1983-1992 Ranger shafts; the extra width is entirely on the passenger side. Driver side shafts remain the same length across both vehicles.
• On all Ranger/Bronco II models, the driver side axle shaft is longer than the passenger side.
• No difference exists between 7.5″ and 8.8″ axle shafts within the same year range.
• Mustang Note: Salvage yards often remove left-side shafts from 1983-1992 Rangers and Bronco IIs for 5-lug Mustang conversions (Ranger/Bronco shafts are 5-lug, Mustang shafts are 4-lug).

Axle Dimensions
	Ranger 1983-1992 7.5-Inch Axle	Ranger 1993-2009 7.5-Inch Axle	Bronco II 1984-1990 7.5 Inch Axle (1)	Ranger 2010-2011 7.5-Inch Axle With Disc brakes
Width WMS-WMS	56-1/2 inches	58-1/2 inches	58 inches	unk
Axle tube diameter (1983-2009 models):	2.80 inches	2.80 inches	2.80 inches	3.25 inches
Pinion Offset Right Of Center	unk	unk	1-1/4 Inches	unk
Pinion Offset Below Centerline	unk	unk	unk	unk
Pinion length (axle centerline to u-joint centerline):	11-5/8 inches	11-5/8 inches	11-5/8 inches	11-5/8 inches
Bottom Of Housing From Centerline	5-inches	5 inches	5 inches	5 inches
	38-1/2 inches	38-1/2 inches	40-1/2 inches	38-1/2 inches
Axle Spline / Diameter	28 / 1.21 inches	28 / 1.21 inches	28 / 1.21 inches	28 / 1.21 inches
Pinion Stem Diameter	1.626 inches	1.626 inches	1.626 inches	1.626 inches
Ring Gear Diameter	7.50 inches	7.50 inches	7.50 inches	7.50 inches
(1) The Bronco II 7.5 inch rear axle is ~1-5/8 inches wider than the Ranger 7.5 inch axle. All the additional width is in the passenger side.

Ford 7.5-Inch Rear Axle Specifications

Ring Gear & Differential

Axle Shaft Specifications

View Exploded Axle Diagram

How to Identify Your Ford 7.5-Inch Rear Axle

You can identify your axle using the tag on the differential inspection cover or by the Safety Standard Certification label on the driver’s side door post.

Looking at that tag, you can see the gear ratio stamped on the lower left, and the axle size (ring gear diameter) stamped in the bottom middle.

Looking at the axle tag above, you can see it’s a 3.73 gear ratio in a 7.5-inch axle.

Ford Rear Axle Codes

Axle codes are found on the Safety Standard Certification label on the driver-side door lock post. Codes indicate axle type, ratio, and limited-slip configuration.

Rear axle codes can be found on the Safety Standard Certification label attached to the left drivers side door lock post.  The code appears as a number or letter/number combination in the ‘Axle’ column of the label.