88 Ranger rear disc brakes

[justincreager]

Whats up guys? So, just to make sure I understand correctly I cannot swap out a newer ranger axle (ie. 1995) and bolt it right up to my truck to have disc brakes in the rear? I have an 88 XLT Ranger 2WD.

 

[chvlfrk]

Whats up guys? So, just to make sure I understand correctly I cannot swap out a newer ranger axle (ie. 1995) and bolt it right up to my truck to have disc brakes in the rear? I have an 88 XLT Ranger 2WD.

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YES, it will bolt right in, but it is wider than yours by 1 1/2" I believe.....I put a 88 Bronco II rearend under my Son's 93 & his tires sit inside the wheelwell deeper than mine.....

 

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

Only 95+ explorer 8.8's have disc brakes. You will have to move the spring perches to the top of the axle tubes as explorers are sprung under.

 

[AllanD]

You also need to add Ranger style shock mounts to the Explorer axle

the Explorer mounts it's rear shocks not to the axle but to the lower spring plates.

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[justincreager]

awesome guys, thanks for the help

 

[AllanD]

being honest 99.9% of the improvements people notice after swapping discs onto a ranger is related not to the fact that the truck stops better with discs but rather better pedal feel.

the issue with drums is that if the self-adjusters are not functioning correctly
the brakes will be loose, if they are loose you get what a race mechanic or
an engineer would call a "Long pedal", a long pedal is the next to worst thing your brakes can do.. what is the worst? go ALL the way to the floor....

the fact is while disc may be able to grab better and "recover" (disappate their heat to the atmosphere) faster the presumption that your truck wills top better with them
is based on an assumption that is usually false... that you have enough weight in the back to create sufficient traction to prevent the wheels from simply locking up.

I have the 10" drums on my truck, it stops fine.

However I do want discs, but not to stop better.

To STAY stopped better, the parking brake on the ranger brakes doesn't
work backwards, because they are a "Servo actuated" brake, they work
better forward than back.

the internal "hat" parking brake on the explorer brakes work in both directions equally.

the service brake (the disc) has no self adjuster that requires attention.

MY issue with self adjusters is that they don't self adjust.
So I have to priodically MANUALLY adjust them if I want
my rear brakes to work.

I also want the bigger axle shafts and tubes.

I haven't bent an 8.8" axle recently, but if I bend the one in my truck it would be the first... or even the second, beyond that I simply don't care to discuss it.

As for axle shafts... don't even ask

I haven't broken one... yet, but I've ben a few and have worn out the bearing
journals on several more.

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