not sure what to do

[ajk132957]

i have a 1983 ford ranger with a 7.5 rear end in it. I am going to put in a 351w and i was wondering what would be the best rear end to put in it. This will be my first ford project and i am not sure about these things. I also need to change the transmission because it has the stock 4 speed in it so i was wondering if it would just be better if i bought an old fox body mustang and used the rear end and tranny or something else let me know please.

 

[pillen140]

is it going to be street or trail? street you could use a mustang 8.8 rear, off road i would use and explorer 8.8, bigger axles! i dont know exact width of mustang axle though. and do you want the tranny man, or auto? aod? or t5?

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

either way, 31 spline 8.8 out of an exploder. plenty strong for even an aggressive build on the street or big tires on the trail....plus its the proper width for your truck.

 

[LittleBigFoot]

Personally, I'm a fan of the 9", even though it's not much stronger then an 8.8".
Around here 9" parts are common and cheap. Exploder axles get jacked from junk yards by Jeepers all the time. The only issue is that the 9" is a 5x5.5 lug pattern (except maybe some smaller cars with the 9". Don't hold me to that)

An exploder 31 spline 8.8" with disks would stand plenty of abuse and ya cant go wrong with rear disks!

 

[pillen140]

the big nine is a lot stronger! there are some that look just like a 9" but they are really ( i think) 8". people confuse them all the time, the 8's are really weak. the 8.8 is very strong also, but not anywhere near the nine, especially with aftermarket internals.

 

[metalmacguyver]

The 8" rears are not very common at all. They exist but are harder to find than M1354s as i have heard.

 

[4x4junkie]

The 8.8" from a later Ranger bolts right in, the Explorer axle will need the leafspring perches relocated.

The Ranger axle has 28 spline shafts, although depending on what size tires you plan to use (and engine power levels), this may or may not be an issue. The 28 spline shafts should have no issues with 350-400+ HP on <30" tires.