explorer front drive shaft in ranger rear

[jovibuilt]

I need a dual cardan drive shaft for the rear of my ranger.What can I get one from?I can have it shortened or lengthened at the local shop.But need to find something that will work.Would the front out of an explorer work if I swap the front output yoke to the rear of the tcase?It is a 1356 case and explorer 8.8 rear.

 

[AgPete139]

In the end, it is easier (and cheaper) to take a driveshaft from a '98+ Ford Ranger (or '02-'05 Explorer Sport Tracs) at your local junkyard. $70 later, and you have a direct bolt-in, however you will need to remove your gas tank skid plate and grind off 1" of the length, and notch your carrier bearing crossmember.

I am replacing carrier bearings ever 1.5-2 years, and a 1 swap shaft is superior than the 2 piece. The double-cardan can be had from any 4x4 Ranger through '97.

The front Explorer shaft is not designed like a rear driveshaft, and would more than likely not hold up over time and abuse.

 

[adsm08]

What the heck did you do to a Ranger that it needs a double cardan rear drive shaft?

 

[saskbill]

Just be vigilant when picking out potential donors at the yard. A lot of places use forklifts (or forks on the front of payloaders) to move vehicles around the lot. If a vehicle is 'forked' from the side, downhanging components (like driveshafts, specially one-piece) are vulnerable!

 

[bobbywalter]

Just be vigilant when picking out potential donors at the yard. A lot of places use forklifts (or forks on the front of payloaders) to move vehicles around the lot. If a vehicle is 'forked' from the side, downhanging components (like driveshafts, specially one-piece) are vulnerable!

for a street truck a 1 piece is a good deal. my oem 2 piece drove me nuts, but the long ass 1 piece has issues off road with sub 35 inch tires....

with the 42 or 44 inch tires i dont have too many issues smashing it up all the time, but i am not on rocks either..


if you stay two piece there is a myriad of ways to utilize the front explorer shafts, they are plenty strong for rear duty with reasonable engine power...say sub 270 hp.

i have the same issue at the u-pull-it yards for d shaft parts. all the rears are smashed.

casey (red river ranger) has a killer setup i would like to copy with a hard mount carrier 2 piece design that is top notch for off road use in serious trail conditions. the explorer shafts are easy to get and incorporate and hold up well with v8 power and 40 plus in tires in serious places like harlan kentucky and rausch creek.

its cheap and easy so its what he was using last i knew.

the reason i am not running it is because i put a mid ship rail to rail 34 gallon tank in my rig. after i raise the tank 2 more inches i may have the room to do the double explorer front shaft deal out back which will hopefully also allow me to rotate the diff up a bit more..