Steering knuckles

[Wingnut]

Would an 01' Ranger have the same steering knuckles as an '02-'05 Explorer?

 

[1996xlt]

Nope, but the ranger's would be similar to the 1995-2001 Explorer.

 

[adsm08]

An 02 Sport or the Sport Trac up to 05 should still be that same style as well.

Honestly, I don't know why an 02-10 4-door knuckle wouldn't work also. They are pretty similar.

 

[Wingnut]

Thank you for the info. I'm still a little confused though.

I found a thread on an Explorer site that upgrades the front brakes to 13". It's on the 3rd gen Explorer though. So, I'm trying to figure out if I can swap my front end parts (control arms, knuckles, etc) to a third gen Explorer....? If so, what parts would need to be changed?

I have very little experience with this. Any info would be greatly appreciated....

 

[pjtoledo]

somewhere around those years the Explorer steering knuckle changed from a straight up top with pinch bolt to an offset top with a tapered ball joint. they don't interchange, it may be different years for the various models.
calipers & anchor brackets are the same for EXs and Rangers for many years, so a kit for an EX may fit the Ranger.
around 03 the Rangers 4x4 knuckles changed to accommodate larger 12" rotors, calipers stayed the same as the knuckle pushed the caliper out to fit the larger rotor.
that means you can upgrade an 01 4 x 4 from 11.25" to 12" with a simple 04 knuckle and bigger rotors while keeping your calipers.
that gives you a substantial increase in breaking power. (Kit-Kat anybody?)

you cannot do this with 2wd coil springs. the top joint is different.
you may be able to do this with 2wd torsion bars setup if you use 01 Sport trac 2wd knuckles that are 12", will need verified.

can you tell us where the 13" EX brake info is? I'm interested.

almost forgot, bigger rotors means bigger wheels!!!
there are a few 15" wheels that fit over 12" rotors, most do not.
16" wheels easily clear 12" rotors.
13" rotors means 17" wheels.


Perry

 

[Wingnut]

Could I swap out the pinch knuckles to the taper ones along with the tie rods, ball joints, control arms etc (basically everything) to get 3rd gen Explorer? Would the geometry be correct?

I'll see if I can locate to article again. I didn't save it.

 

[pjtoledo]

this one?
it involves putting Aviator knuckles & brakes on a 02-05 Explorer. I do not know if the knuckle and control arms fit a Ranger.
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums...plorer-to-aviator-front-brake-upgrade.391752/

 

[AllanD]

I'll also add that every single '02-05 explorer I've ever see had ALUMINUM steering knuckles....

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