'91 Ext Cab 5.0 Swapped 8.8 Drop Question

[91ranger9197]

Hello and Happy Holidays ,
I'm working on doing a 5.0 swap in my '91 ranger using a 96 donor explorer. Engine and trans are close to being situated. I am going to swap in the explorer rear end too then just shorten the explorer driveshaft (for now) but my question is how bad is the drop after the rear end swap? Does anyone have pictures for this body style? My main concerns are body clearance on the engine and trans at the firewall after the drop, and too much "squat" look. I'm still at a point where I can dent the firewall or make more serious alterations if I need to, I've already bent over the inner seam and feel like I still need more space before lowering. I don't plan on lowering the front for now, unless there is a cheap way in doing so. I know I'll get 4"-6" drop in the rear depending on which springs I use, and I would rather drop the 6", but I don't want to have trouble seeing over the hood kind of thing.
Thanks ,

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

So, this really belongs in either the Engine Swaps section or a suspension section… you tell me where you would like it.

I haven’t lowered your body style, but I did lower my 2000 Ranger when I did the 5.0 AWD swap. I used the Explorer rear and discovered a few things. The pinion angle ended up being horribly wrong for my Ranger and the axle tube hit the bump stops before taking the weight of the truck, so frame notch territory. I ended up doing 2” lift shackles in the rear and heavier leaf packs but still regularly hammer the bump stops.

 

[91ranger9197]

My bad , I guess suspension? Probably get more help w fitment after the swap is complete over there.

Thanks for the help, the article I'm going off of now also did it on the newer body style ranger so I will probably have different challenges as well. It also said something about trimming the bump stops about an inch to help with that? I've seen a lot about lift kits but I really want to get it lowered even if I have to notch it. It doesn't have to be slammed to floor but something

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

My bad , I guess suspension? Probably get more help w fitment after the swap is complete over there.

Thanks for the help, the article I'm going off of now also did it on the newer body style ranger so I will probably have different challenges as well. It also said something about trimming the bump stops about an inch to help with that? I've seen a lot about lift kits but I really want to get it lowered even if I have to notch it. It doesn't have to be slammed to floor but something

Not a problem, are you 4x4 or 2wd?

Frame shape and all is pretty similar since the beds interchange.

I have a series of issues to deal with on my build, one of those includes already contacting the exhaust and shortening my bump stops will increase that interference. I do have a custom exhaust so your mileage may vary. I know that one extra leaf in a set of used Explorer leafs was way too low once I put the Explorer axle in as SUA (Spring Under Axle) unlike the Ranger SOA (Spring Over Axle). Since my Ranger is a 4x4 with torsion bars, there’s some practical limits you hit when lowering the front, so I knew frame notch territory was way too deep. Even with heavier leaf packs and the 2” extended shackles, near as I can guesstimate, I’m about 4-5” lowered in the rear. That is teasing the limits of frame notch.

I ended up opting to cut the spring plates off the axle tube along with the traction bar mounts and re-weld as needed. Got my pinion angle dialed in and welded the spring plates on, then positioned the traction bar mounts centered over the leaf springs between the U-bolts and welded those on. That let me use stock Explorer traction bar mounts which made a big difference in performance.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Oh yeah, @JoshT

 

[JoshT]

From another thread:

1991 2wd supercab w the v6 auto trans.

Since lil_Blue_Ford tagged me I'll add a few thoughts. Please note that while I have studied the TIB Ranger lowering and V8 swaps, I've never done it. I'm basically working on the same build as him.

Body clearance to engine/trans after drop?

Key to body clearance with these drops is engine mount selection. Probably your best "off the shelf" option is to use TIB Ranger 4.0L V6 mounts and Rick's Rangers adapter plates. You may still need to fold the firewall to floor pan seam and massage the firewall some for clearance. If you're going to have AC, notching/clearancing the HVAC plenum will be required. Unless you're body dropping the truck, your body to engine/transmission clearances will not be affected by lowering.

Too much squat look

That's all in the suspension, you'll be dragging the engine crossmember before you hit the engine or transmission. Keep in mind that when new the rear end of a Ranger sits 2-3" higher than the front. Current stance may vary depending on how much the suspension has sagged over time. Generally speaking dropping the rear 2" would make a Ranger sit about level.

Rear lowering with a flipped axle, you're looking at about 6" of drop from using the Explorer axle with your current springs, It might be closer to 4" drop if you use the explorer springs as they are a bit taller. Again, YMMV depending on how the suspensions have sagged.

When dropping the front and rear you'd noirmally be looking at a (front/rear) 0/2, 3/5, or 5/7 drop to be level.

You said that you don't want to lower the front at this time, so with a 6" drop you're looking at the front being about 4" higher than the rear. That's at the axles, due to angles it's going to be more extreme at the front and reat of the truck. To install the Explorer axle spring under (aka flipped) with minimal squat I'd recommend running the Explorer springs which will be closer to 4" drop. Then you've only got about a 2" difference.

I can't say exactly what your results may be, but an additional step you could take is to install a set of lift shackles. I've bought them in the past from the local parts store solds as Chevy lowering shackles, they lower a Chevy but lift a Ranger. These can get you about 1.5-2" of lift. Those with the Explorer springs would put you closer to a net 2-3" drop in the rear, which would be close to level. I also can't say how doing all of this is going to affect your pinion angle, that's kind of going to be trial and error.

If you go for the 6" drop in the rear you may be able to get away with low profile bump stops, but I'd probably be putting a notch on the short list if it were mine. With a large drop on an extended cab, something you need to pay particular attention to is driveshaft clearance to the back of the cab. I recall that back in the day a lot of guys had to tunnel the back of the cab for driveshaft clearance, but I don't recall how much drop that was associated with. I also seem to recall that the two piece driveshaft (ones with a carrier bearings) were not happy at the dropped height, likely due to angles.

At least half of what I wrote there is based on paper, not real life experience. What should be a 2" drop according to paper might only be a 1" drop on the vehicle, or it may be a 3" drop. Too many variables to speak in more than generalities.

Driveshaft?

On an extended cab, I wouldn't be surprised if the Explorer driveshaft needs to be lengthened. In fact I can say with some certainty that it will need to be. If you had a 4wd I'd recommend getting a later model Ranger extended cab driveshaft. All of the Extended cab Rangers had practically the same wheel base and transmission positioning, so the same driveshaft pretty much fits all of the 4wd extended cab Rangers and might be the same for the 2wd extended cab Rangers. Unfortunately, I don't know if the V6 autos and the 4R70W used the same transmission output yoke. Might be worth looking into anyway, if the length is right and you can swap the yoke with a conversion joint, it might be a cheaper and easier solution than having one made. If you go hunting for a used one, in 98 they ditched the carrierbearing on the 4wds, might have been the same on the 2wd.

As mentioned above, driveshaft angles and pinion angle may become an issue when lowering. It's kind of one of those things where you'll have to check it and see what angles you end up with.

Are you confused yet? I am and I wrote it, but hopefully that's just because it's 1am here.

 

[91ranger9197]

Thanks for all the info. I've read over a few times and will definitely read it a few more times before we start that side of the swap lol. Just to clarify what I'm working with , 1991 2wd Ranger Ext. And a 1996 5.0 2wd Explorer donor for engine trans and rear end. Basically as much as I can get out of it. I'm not opposed to lowering the front right now, tbh I'm just trying to go the cheapest route atm to get myself driving with everything then go from there. Thanks again and happy new year

 

[91ranger9197]

Okay guys, little bit more money and a little bit more understanding later and I'm looking to buy some suspension parts.
New questions;
I've decided I want to go with the 6" drop in the rear after the 8.8 swap. I'm looking at the RickzRangers coilover mount kit and coilovers or doing the drop springs with drop beams for the front. The coilovers will cost ~100$ more but will give me much more range as far as drop on the front. My biggest concern is causing driveshaft angle issues after the rear end swap and I don't want to go slightly cheaper just to still have the issue.
What's recommended for my application?
Can I do coilovers on the rear too after the swap, if so, what are the benefits?
Looking for a moderately fast lowered drift truck at the end.

 

[JoshT]

Looking for a moderately fast lowered drift truck at the end.

How much time and money are you willing to invest?


I'm no drifter, I like watching it but never been involves. When I watch drifting I think of autocross except with tires spinning and sliding. I'd imagine similar ideas would apply to the suspension, except to an even greater extreme.

Without a complete suspension change there is only so much you can do.

In the front, drop beams and 2" drop springs will take you to the limit of what can be brought into alignment. You're looking at about 5" there which would match up good to the ~6" drop you'd get from an Explorer axle flip. You can go lower with shorter or cut springs, but bye-bye alignability. From aride height standpoint coil overs offer no real advantage over coil springs, except that you can potentially get lower and maybe a better ride. Still won't be able to align it with coilovers.

You are talking about a drift vehicle though. Those typically run an excessive amount of negative camber to have a good contact patch when weight transfers. I'm guessing this will be more of a weekend warrior than a dedicated drift machine (if the latter you need to take a seriously different approach). In this case you aren't too worried about being able to bring it back within factory alignment specs, as long as it still has good road manners. While coilovers do not offer much advantage from a height standpoint, they can have a major impact from improved dampening and rebound characteristics if you select the right one (don't ask me what those would be).

If you want to go extreme in the front and potentially be competitive, look at the AJE K-member setup that some forum members have installed. That basically converts the ranger to an SN95 front suspension and open up all the performance and drift style parts available for that. You're talking about big money and a lot of down time though.

Coilovers are a no-go in the rear unless you plan to remove the leaf springs and install a link setup. Keep the leafs, flip the axle like you planned, and do what you can to stiffen the suspension to reduce body roll and axle wrap. Go ahead and plan on a C notch for the rear axle. For the leafs, run both packs. (assuming that both are multi-leaf packs) Buy a new center bolt from the parts store, and interlace the leaves of both packs to create one stiffer pack. Using the Explorer main leaf will lift the truck, plus the slight bump you'll get from the stiffer pack not sagging as much. Figure on flipping the rear hanger to bring you back down to the 5-6" drop ride height. Investigaste using the Explorer's anti-wrap bars or installing a set of caltracks to prevent axle wrap. You want the tires to break loose on demand, not for the springs to twist up instead.

If you're going to the extreme in the front with the AJE K-member, do a link in the rear to match. If you're sticking with beams, a stiff leaf suspension will do as much as you need.

Your experience on pinion angle may be different than ours. We both are originally 4x4 trucks. Our driveshafts are built different and different lengths due to the transfer case. I don't normally hear of people having excessive pinion angel problems with a 2wd (non-torsion bar) truck and a spring under Explorer axle. Maybe the differences in driveline are enough, or maybe they just don't normally bother mentioning it. It may be that any angle issues you have can be fixed with a shim, or you may have to remove and reweld the spring perches. Only way to really find out is do it on your truck and measure.

Where you may be more likely to have an issue with the driveshaft when dropped low, is at the back of the cab. I know some extended cabs with one piece driveshafts have had to extend the transmission tunnel and/or notch the bottom of the rear wall to clear the driveshaft when they went really low. I don't have details or numbers, just recounting what I've heard and seen in the past.

That's the rambling 2¢ of a very tired man. If you can understand it, take it for what ever it is actually worth to you.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Moving this finally, lol