9" or 10" brake shoes 91' Ranger

[kellsbells]

Hello all - new to the forum!

Wondering what size rear brake shoes are on my 91' Ranger, 2.9L 4X4 - 9" or 10"? I think 10" is standard for a 4x, but this is my daily driver, so I'd rather not disassemble before knowing which size to order.

If anyone has any clue, I'd greatly appreciate it!

 

[franklin2]

I looked your truck up on rockauto, there seems to be no rhyme or reason if has 9 inch or 10 inch brakes. You may have to take 30 min and pull one of the drums and check it, and then stick it back together and then order the shoes.

 

[2011Supercab]

99% of the time.

The 9" has fins

And the 10" doesn't

 

[Uncle Gump]

@2011Supercab beat me to it.

Exception to that rule. 10 inch Aerostar drums have fins. It is a mod that is sometimes done to help keep your brakes cool.

If interested in that mod... your truck... in its factory form... will except the Aerostar drums. 98 and newer trucks with 8.8 rear-end have a slightly larger axle hub and finned 10 inch drums won't fit.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Probably 9”, but could be either.

10“ drums are also wider.

You should be able to see from under the truck in the back what you have

 

[eighthundreddollaranger]

I have a 92, and the book I have (Haynes) only mentions a 10 inch drum. I believe mine is a 10 in based on some information I found elsewhere on the forum, but I wish these books and such would be more clear about stuff like this! 92 XLT 4.0 RWD.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I have a 92, and the book I have (Haynes) only mentions a 10 inch drum. I believe mine is a 10 in based on some information I found elsewhere on the forum, but I wish these books and such would be more clear about stuff like this! 92 XLT 4.0 RWD.

Unless you have a 4.0 motor (those all got 10” drums and 8.8” rears), the rear could be 9” or 10” drums and either 7.5” or 8.8” axle, you have to investigate. Haynes manuals aren’t the most accurate or helpful sometimes. And Ford did weird things at times. My blue 00 Ranger is a 3.0l extended cab manual transmission 2wd with heavy duty suspension but had a 7.5” rear with 10” drums. That was from the factory, it currently has an 8.8” with 10” drums.

 

[Curious Hound]

They are very different, visually.

9" drum

10" drum

 

[sgtsandman]

I have a 92, and the book I have (Haynes) only mentions a 10 inch drum. I believe mine is a 10 in based on some information I found elsewhere on the forum, but I wish these books and such would be more clear about stuff like this! 92 XLT 4.0 RWD.

The easiest way to identify which brake drums you have is if the exterior of the drum is smooth or ribbed. Smooth, 10". Ribbed, 9".

Haynes and Chiltons manuals, while helpful in some ways and better than nothing, also don't provide all the information and it can be inaccurate. It's partly Ford's fault because there are so many variations to these trucks over time. It's also partly the aftermarket manual maker's fault since they don't provide all the information.

To be fair, time is money and pumping out a bunch of variations of a manual or letting it get too big and complex costs money as well. And they have a price point per manual to meet. So, getting a Shop Manual grade level of information at a price most people are willing to spend is never going to happen.

That being said, don't chuck the manual. They do provide information from time to time that a shop manual doesn't and they also sometimes offer more affordable options on how to work on something rather than buying a specific specialty tool that the Shop Manual calls for.