Need answer asap about axle swap!!!!

[TuxRanger]

I have a 91 ranger 4x4 with a 2.9L and It has a 3.73 open rear and front axle. My rear axle is no good and I am going to do an axle swap out of a 97 7.5 but the problem is that my free axle I can take out of the donor is a 4.10 can I use it with my front being a 3.73? and if so how does that change how my truck will drive? Good<<>>Bad PLEASE HELP!!!

 

[Dishtowel]

DO NOT engage 4x4, and life will be fine. It will feel like you have more torque, and you wont have as much top end speed. You will run a few more revs on the highway, perhaps 1000 more.

DO NOT ENGAGE 4X4

 

[Destroyer000]

yes you can put that axle in.. it will be 1.5 inches WIDER than your current axle.. only down fall you cant use your 4x4. the 2 drive shafts would be spinning at different speeds. a FREE axle with 4.10s id drop it in an start looking for a front pig..

 

[gotmudd]

I have a 91 ranger 4x4 with a 2.9L and It has a 3.73 open rear and front axle. My rear axle is no good and I am going to do an axle swap out of a 97 7.5 but the problem is that my free axle I can take out of the donor is a 4.10 can I use it with my front being a 3.73? and if so how does that change how my truck will drive? Good<<>>Bad PLEASE HELP!!!

the 4.10's a lower geared axle than the 3.73 which may or may not affect top speed, but you definitely DO NOT WANT TO ENGAGE 4X4 with missmatched front and rearsyou will definitely not like the sound of things being torn apart. at least that has been my experience. you are better off either matching your rear to front or visa-versa

 

[Dishtowel]

the 2 drive shafts would be spinning at different speeds.

Not trying to be a dink, because, you probly know your stuff.
But wouldn't the driveshafts be the same because they are tied together in the transfer case? I think so. The front axle shafts would want to spin faster than the rear ones, thus a component in the axle (shaft/u-joint/R&P/crosspin/etc) will fail if you have traction.

 

[TuxRanger]

ok so I know the new axle is wider and that is a plus, and I think that a 4.10 would be a nice upgrade... but generally if I were to take the axle how hard would it be to find a 4.10 pig for the front of my truck for cheap???? I think I may just wait and find a 3.73 8.8"

 

[Loanranger]

ok so I know the new axle is wider and that is a plus, and I think that a 4.10 would be a nice upgrade... but generally if I were to take the axle how hard would it be to find a 4.10 pig for the front of my truck for cheap???? I think I may just wait and find a 3.73 8.8"

The wider rear axle is not going to be a plus, most vehicles are manufactured with a wider front track width than rear, this is to help keep the vehicle driving down the road straight. If you put a wider rear axle in, and it turns out to be wider than your front axle, then the truck will have more of a tendency to wander on the road.

An option that is a little redneck, but it has been done, is to put smaller tires in the front to make up for the ratio difference, if, and only if, it is absolutely neccesary for you to engage 4wd. Mud dragsters and most 4x4 tractors are set up this way. Just check out a couple of gear ratio calculators to find the right size tires.THIS SHOULD ONLY BE DONE IF IT IS ABSOLUTELY NESSECARY, AND SHOULD NOT BE DONE FOR ANY EXTENDED LENGTH OF TIME!!!

 

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

Not trying to be a dink, because, you probly know your stuff.
But wouldn't the driveshafts be the same because they are tied together in the transfer case? I think so. The front axle shafts would want to spin faster than the rear ones, thus a component in the axle (shaft/u-joint/R&P/crosspin/etc) will fail if you have traction.

Its usually worst on the tcase in this situation because its trying to 'spin' the rear output faster than the front output if both axles have equal traction.

 

[metalmacguyver]

Theres no possibility of getting the pig out of the donor aswell?

 

[TuxRanger]

the donor was a 2wd bummer right...well i took the axle and I am going to put it in my truck, it was free so what the hell right? Well since my front auto hubs don't work I am not worried about 4wd right now I need to make them manual and when I do that I will locate a ring and pinion for my front axle. so they will both be 4.10's yay!!! Does anyone have any good recommendations for locating the products I require? THANKS TOO ALL!!

 

[TuxRanger]

Here ya go, I hope this helps, I really want my truck to run right, and be able to use 4wd, my rear pinion is nearly shot, and my front hubs don't work so I still need to install my rear 4.10 I got out of a 97 2.3, and now I need new lockers for the front and new gears...

 

[Big Jim M]

Howdy Tux I use craigslist.org a LOT! Around here the gears you need would be on there right now as I type..
Big Jim

 

[AllanD]

The width of the rear axles relative to the fronts makes very little difference to going down the road straight.

I was running a Ge3 8.8" axle in my truck for years without issue, but FWIW even the wider gen3 rear axle is still narrower than the D35 front axle in his 1991 Ranger.

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