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- Joined
- Feb 7, 2016
- Messages
- 15,406
- Reaction score
- 16,761
- Points
- 113
- Age
- 59
- Location
- Wellford, SC
- Vehicle Year
- 1993
- Make / Model
- Ford Ranger
- Engine Type
- 3.0 V6
- Engine Size
- 3.0L
- Transmission
- Manual
- 2WD / 4WD
- 4WD
- Total Lift
- 6"
- Tire Size
- 35"
- My credo
- In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are different.
I'm new here - just registered a few minutes ago. I just bought a 1993 4X4 Ranger this weekend. It is the "Splash" stepside model. I plan on using it around the farm, around town and hopefully for trail riding and mild to moderate rock crawling.
The truck has;
3.0L v6, M50D transmission (I think), 1354-13 transfer case, ford 7.5" rear, Dana 35 front, both with 3.73 gears. That's all I know so far.
I will have a ton of questions. But my first big concern is rear brakes. Left and right brake cylinders are leaking and all the pads, linkage, etc is rusty and should be replaced. That's not a big deal. I had it all apart yesterday and cleaned it up as best I could so they are not actually binding on the drums anymore. My question is; " would it be a good idea to convert to disc brakes?" Has anyone out there done that? Is there a cheap easy way? ie; get a same model axle from a newer year vehicle? Which one?
I hope to eventually lift the truck and put 33" tires on it. (4" suspension lift / maybe 1" or 2" body lift?) So, I should probably change gear ratio when I do that. I will also want a locker in the rear, at least. Are these axles adequate for that plan or should I plan on changing axles later? If these axles are a "weak link" and will need to be replaced later, then I should probably just repair the drum brakes at this time to make it safe to drive.
What are your thoughts and experiences?
I haven't found any tech articles on this site yet concerning disc brake conversions.
Thanks.
The truck has;
3.0L v6, M50D transmission (I think), 1354-13 transfer case, ford 7.5" rear, Dana 35 front, both with 3.73 gears. That's all I know so far.
I will have a ton of questions. But my first big concern is rear brakes. Left and right brake cylinders are leaking and all the pads, linkage, etc is rusty and should be replaced. That's not a big deal. I had it all apart yesterday and cleaned it up as best I could so they are not actually binding on the drums anymore. My question is; " would it be a good idea to convert to disc brakes?" Has anyone out there done that? Is there a cheap easy way? ie; get a same model axle from a newer year vehicle? Which one?
I hope to eventually lift the truck and put 33" tires on it. (4" suspension lift / maybe 1" or 2" body lift?) So, I should probably change gear ratio when I do that. I will also want a locker in the rear, at least. Are these axles adequate for that plan or should I plan on changing axles later? If these axles are a "weak link" and will need to be replaced later, then I should probably just repair the drum brakes at this time to make it safe to drive.
What are your thoughts and experiences?
I haven't found any tech articles on this site yet concerning disc brake conversions.
Thanks.