Front knuckle/brake upgrade

[Hyrum91]

My truck is a 1991 ranger super cab with 4x4, auto trans, and the tick tick ticking 4.0
And idk if its relevant but it has a lift that I've been told is 4 inches

Now that we got that out of the way,
My front brakes have an issue that from my research is very common. The knuckles have warn and chipped off a bit at the end of the brake pad slide. So when my brake pads wear down enough the brake pads decide they want to fall out. from what I've read about in this website and explorer websites my options are to 1: pull knuckles from an explorer or ranger like mine or 2: pull knuckles from an explorer/ranger from 95+ that doesn't have knuckles that wear.
I don't like having knuckles as a regular replaceable item so I've decided to go with the second option and I'd just like to confirm before I take apart my truck and realize I've done something wrong.
To do this swap I'm going to need:
95+ knuckles, calipers, caliper brackets, discs, and pads.
The questions I then have are: do I need new lines or are my current lines going to bolt right to the 95+ calipers. And the other question is do I need different ball joints. The reason I ask this is because I just did my new ball joints at the end of this last year. I'm okay to buy new ones I'd just like to save money if I can reuse them.

Sorry for the huge paragraphs, I didn't want to leave out any info that you wise guys might need. Thanks in advance

 

[JoshT]

I knew that the 2WD changed from the clips to bolt-on in 95, did not realize that there was a change for the 4wds as well. Never messed with a pre-98 4x4. Dad had a 90 BII, but I never worked on it. I'll have to keep that in mind for future build dreaming, like you I prefer the bolt-on setup for calipers.

Don't know about brake hoses. Listings do not show them as being cross compatable, but that does not mean they won't physically attach to the later calipers. The banjo bolt bor both is the same size, and the caliper itself is located in about the same location. The pad/boss that the hose end seals to is different location and shape, so it may cause interference. Seeing how you'll have to bleed the brakes either way, if the hoses have any appreciable age on them I'd replace them with the calipers.

EDIT: Missed the 4" lift part. If it has lengthened brake hoses to match the lift, you may be safe on using them with the new calipers. Many times those extended hoses are built using a little more universal components than what the OE replacement hoses would use. Be worth looking a little closer and maybe posting a picture to get a better answer. Still might be worth replacing them while the system is open if they have any appreciable age.

According to RockAuto parts listings, the same ball joints were used from 89-97 on the 4x4 Rangers. You should be good to go there assuming that they aren't damaged during the swap.

Don't worry about the paragraphs. They are understandable and shorter than what I often find myself writing.