87 STX Axle Swap

[jmiller]

Can I swap an '88 B2 rear axle with an '87 STX Ranger rear axle?

Any advice would be useful.

Thanks in advance,

-Josh

 

[Beanmachine7000]

Yeah, but they are the same axle...

 

[jmiller]

Yeah, but they are the same axle...

I understand that they're the same axle as far as being 7.5, but do the axle lengths make a difference? I was reading on the tech. page that the B2 axle is 1.5" longer on the passenger side than the ranger axle. I don't want to go through the B2 axle only to find out that it won't bolt up or that I'll need something special to make it work.

I guess I'll always need something "special" to make it work, but the ranger is a close friends and I want to make sure I get it right.

 

[Beanmachine7000]

Oh, no it's fine... It'll fit just fine...

 

[jmiller]

Thanks bean; I appreciate the confirmation.

 

[kunar]

Oh, no it's fine... It'll fit just fine...

uhh... no, no it wont. the spring pads are not in the right places. i found that out the hard way after i bought a b2 axle and tried to put it in my truck... it seems like they were maybe an inch off on each side, i dont remember what way though. i added to the pad on the side and redrilled the holes. other than that it was fine.

 

[AllanD]

Not only that the Bronco2 axle assembly is 1-5/8" wider than the Ranger axle but ALL that extra length os on the passenger side.

This is because the ranger's diff center is offset to the
Right to create clearance between the driveshaft and the gas tank...

The Bronco2 with a rear mounted tank didn't need the shaft offset...

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[Beanmachine7000]

Yeah, I had a giant brain fart, I was thinking about totally different things, lol... Don't listen to me jmiller haha!