Explorer Ranger front diff swapp?

[pjtoledo]

Yea, I know that's true between a 99 & 93 Ranger. I just didn't know about what explorers had.



What sensor? I dont have any electrical connections to my rear axle.


Yes, basically. You apparently are the only one that's got it 99.9% correct. The only difference, which really doesn't matter, is that I didn't come across a whole axle, just the differential from inside a front axle.


And it's really interesting that you say that, because the person who wants to sell those differential parts to me, had the issue of a cracked carrier, but the gears of the original are still fine and they're only asking 20 bucks for it.
I'll attach a photo I was sent of it. And it needs a new bearing because there's some pitting.
View attachment 113958

Now Maybe it's a pipe dream trying to get inexpensive 4:10 gears, and I should just forget about it. Shortly after my original post, I came across a listing, that's a lot closer, still far away but a lot closer, for somebody selling an explore axle width the drum brakes and everything ready to go with the same gears I already have. Maybe I should just do that alone and be done with it. Less headache and I'll have my Ranger on the road sooner. I'll just have to be careful what I tow when I finally buy an RV trailer.

minor correction. the quote/insert that starts "as far as I've always know" is not mine. no big deal, just trying to avoid confusion.

 

[Danny74]

minor correction. the quote/insert that starts "as far as I've always know" is not mine. no big deal, just trying to avoid confusion.

Fixed....
Sorry about that.
Thanks for pointing that out.

But everybody in here was helpful with information, and help me figure out a plan.

Seems like I would have to outright purchase the correct gears that I need for my reverse cut front end which would be crazy expensive so I might as well just stick with the gears I got. And no point in buying the Ranger disc rear end, only to have to swap out gears (it comes with the ebrake cable) when I can get the Explorer rear end with drum brakes for the same price w/3.73 gears, that I just need to weld perches on, then Bolt on my truck. And in case you're wondering that prices 450 bucks..

I guess the benefit would be the stronger Explorer 8.8 axle, as opposed to my stock Ranger 8.8 axle. And the fact that I don't have this changed all those brake parts. Because the seller did tell me that the brakes were fine he just wanted a disc brake limited slip upgrade when he swapped this one out. However he told me that was years ago so I'm thinking I probably still might need to replace the shoes.

Does anybody know if the e-brake cable for my Ranger drum brake rear end will still work on the Explorer drum brake rear end? I imagine it should. I never read any information to the contrary.

Also, since I'm going to be swapping a rear end, it should be worth mentioning that I know a listing, that I just got confirmation from being still available, somebody selling the stock Ford Explorer LS differential, for $50. I've always been told that only beneficial for doing off-roading, and I hardly ever did that with my ranger. I'm mostly going to be using it for Towing, as a work truck, and a little travel trailer when I get one for vacations, besides the odd snow storm where I would need to use it. My daily driver is a 95 3.0 rear wheel drive Ranger.

 

[lowspeedpursuit]

I'm skimming, but $450 for an Explorer rear is high around here. I saw a dude in Northern NJ selling them for $100 the other day.

In any event, TTB 4.11s are $185 on Amazon, $268 on ECGS. The master kit is $143 on Rockauto, or you can bootleg it, use a rear D35 kit, reuse the missing pieces, and save $30.

When I started doing my own gears, the tools I didn't have were like $200 all day, so my point is, you can regear a front from scratch for sub-$500. If you're okay with a $450 axle, that's not a huge difference.


To make your e-brake work with an Explorer rear, you want to weld a ~2" sleeve on the front of the bracket on the driver's rear where the cable splits into two. There's a thread about it somewhere around here.

 

[4x4junkie]

What sensor? I dont have any electrical connections to my rear axle.

There should be a sensor on the top of your 8.8" axle housing above the pinion. It's for the ABS brakes (if it's not there, the ABS light will be constantly lit on the dash).
There have been mixed opinions on this system's effectiveness being that on a '93 it's rear-only ABS. It's certainly effective in preventing your truck from swapping ends during a panic stop, but if the front wheels lock, you still would not be able to steer (there was an old term back in the days when ABS brakes were just making their appearance that described how to prevent the wheels locking up with non-ABS brakes (I think it was "pump & release" or something like that)... That method would still apply to some extent here).

 

[Shran]

I'm skimming, but $450 for an Explorer rear is high around here. I saw a dude in Northern NJ selling them for $100 the other day.

In any event, TTB 4.11s are $185 on Amazon, $268 on ECGS. The master kit is $143 on Rockauto, or you can bootleg it, use a rear D35 kit, reuse the missing pieces, and save $30.

When I started doing my own gears, the tools I didn't have were like $200 all day, so my point is, you can regear a front from scratch for sub-$500. If you're okay with a $450 axle, that's not a huge difference.


To make your e-brake work with an Explorer rear, you want to weld a ~2" sleeve on the front of the bracket on the driver's rear where the cable splits into two. There's a thread about it somewhere around here.

Amazon.com

I think that's the gears you mentioned, I've had them in my cart for a while.

IIRC there is some sort of problem with the install kits for D35's. I ordered a master install kit when I regeared mine and I think it was the carrier bearings that did not fit. They were correct for a Jeep rear D35 or something like that but not a Ford front D35.

 

[ericbphoto]

Amazon.com

I think that's the gears you mentioned, I've had them in my cart for a while.

IIRC there is some sort of problem with the install kits for D35's. I ordered a master install kit when I regeared mine and I think it was the carrier bearings that did not fit. They were correct for a Jeep rear D35 or something like that but not a Ford front D35.

The install kit from Yukon had the proper parts back when I did my build. But that has been a few years.

wow. After typing this, I followed Shran’s link and saw that it is the Yukon kit.

 

[Shran]

The install kit from Yukon had the proper parts back when I did my build. But that has been a few years.

wow. After typing this, I followed Shran’s link and saw that it is the Yukon kit.

Those are Yukon gears but they don't come with the install kit. I think I got my install kit from Motive Gear/RockAuto.... I lucked into finding a used set of Ford gears.

 

[lowspeedpursuit]

It's been long enough I can't remember exactly what I did for my master kit, and I can't find the receipts.

Don't quote me on this, but I want to say I saw that some front kits for a '94 Ranger 4.0 also listed fitment for my Wrangler. If I pulled up Wrangler rear D35 kits, though, there were some cheaper options that didn't show up under the Ranger tab. I rolled the dice on the cheapest one, and everything ended up fitting, except I had to source the oil slinger and baffle separately. The slinger was NLA anyway, so I bought an HPD44 slinger direct from USA Standard for like $2.50, and opened up the ID a little bit.

It's possible the '93 bearing changeover that Aussie Locker talks about when you buy their thin side gear thrust washers comes into play here.

 

[00t444e]

No Explorer ever came with a locking differential.

 

[bobbywalter]

No Explorer ever came with a locking differential.

well.... i would agree with that. but ford calls the traction lok a locking differential. its just a pos clutch posi...or later units may have a nice quality torsen but it is what it be with ford calling them a locking differential. 3L55 3L73 4L10 let ya know if its a posi.... but ford calls it a locking differential depending on year and print of dealer data.

if you want a cheap drop in actual locker....you need a open diff unit.... the l/s unit for drop in are not worth it.