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Rear end swap


52cranbrook4

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I've read a lot on the page about explorer rear end swap but I would like to know if anyone has done the ranger rear swap? If so aside from spring perches does the drive shaft need to be modified? Will the plymouth drive shaft bolt up to the ranger rear end? I'm looking at doing this soon if I can figure it out? Any pictures and advice would be appreciated. I'm not interested in 4 wheel disc though. 

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I put a '72 Satellite 8 1/4 2:73 axle in my '48. It is a bolt in by moving the springs a little to fit the Satellite perches. You will have to change the drive shaft to match the Satellite "U" joint coupler. If your still using the stock tranny, you will need to change the "U" joint coupler on the tranny. I used the Satellite shaft by shortening 1'.

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  • 2 months later...
On 8/18/2017 at 8:15 AM, bob westphal said:

I put a '72 Satellite 8 1/4 2:73 axle in my '48. It is a bolt in by moving the springs a little to fit the Satellite perches. You will have to change the drive shaft to match the Satellite "U" joint coupler. If your still using the stock tranny, you will need to change the "U" joint coupler on the tranny. I used the Satellite shaft by shortening 1'.

I swapped this same rear end on my 40 Desoto as well.  It’s about 1.5 inches wider than the original but wheels clear the inner fenders well.  I haven’t ran it but I think I’m going to go with a higher gear ratio like 3.73. 

What transmission are you running with yours?

 

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On 8/17/2017 at 5:03 PM, 52cranbrook4 said:

I've read a lot on the page about explorer rear end swap but I would like to know if anyone has done the ranger rear swap? If so aside from spring perches does the drive shaft need to be modified? Will the plymouth drive shaft bolt up to the ranger rear end? I'm looking at doing this soon if I can figure it out? Any pictures and advice would be appreciated. I'm not interested in 4 wheel disc though. 

Some of the Ranger axles are too narrow. Check my web site for a list of axles. If you take the time to do a search on axle swaps you will find what is needed on the flange.

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On ‎8‎/‎17‎/‎2017 at 8:03 PM, 52cranbrook4 said:

I've read a lot on the page about explorer rear end swap but I would like to know if anyone has done the ranger rear swap? If so aside from spring perches does the drive shaft need to be modified? Will the plymouth drive shaft bolt up to the ranger rear end? I'm looking at doing this soon if I can figure it out? Any pictures and advice would be appreciated. I'm not interested in 4 wheel disc though. 

I installed a Ranger rear in my 38 Coupe a few years ago.    The Ranger rear is very narrow, so I used adapters to get the tires out to where I was happy with.    I used an Explorer driveshaft. 

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On 8/17/2017 at 5:03 PM, 52cranbrook4 said:

I've read a lot on the page about explorer rear end swap but I would like to know if anyone has done the ranger rear swap? If so aside from spring perches does the drive shaft need to be modified? Will the plymouth drive shaft bolt up to the ranger rear end? I'm looking at doing this soon if I can figure it out? Any pictures and advice would be appreciated. I'm not interested in 4 wheel disc though. 

 

2 hours ago, MarkAubuchon said:

I used a 68 road runner with 355 gears in my 47.  perches worked fine, right width did need to use offset spring shackles. upgrade drive shaft.

I believe the Ranger rear end might be too narrow, measuring between wheel mounting surfaces

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2 hours ago, MarkAubuchon said:

I used a 68 road runner with 355 gears in my 47.  perches worked fine, right width did need to use offset spring shackles. upgrade drive shaft.

I installed a 1972  Satellite (Bbody) rear end into my 1940 Desoto coupe and the perches alligned perfectly, its about 2 inches wider that the original therefore the tire come close to rubbing the inner fenders but clear fine.

The only problem was that it has 2.73 gears.. I need 3.73 or higher with the same dimensions as the 1972 Satellite

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7 minutes ago, 40desoto said:

I installed a 1972  Satellite (Bbody) rear end into my 1940 Desoto coupe and the perches alligned perfectly, its about 2 inches wider that the original therefore the tire come close to rubbing the inner fenders but clear fine.

The only problem was that it has 2.73 gears.. I need 3.73 or higher with the same dimensions as the 1972 Satellite

nah on the 3.73, you just stopped your mod too early before the V8 was successfully installed...I also have a 74 SSP rear axle here of 2.76 ratio.....real cruiser ratio but I also elected to keep the 400 big block to install.

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I was being funny pointing out that you stopped the mod early and did not carry through and include the 1972 donor engine as well....your rear ratio will have a lot to do with the ratio of 1st and second gear in the T5...if you go with the wide ratio you can go easily go with the 3.55.  If close ratio the 3.73 may get you off the line a bit better...this is based on your keeping the flathead 6    Wide ratio is geared lower in 1st and second to get you rolling with less effort on the engine..close ratio is usually mounted to a engine with greater torque

the higher the ratio the lower the numbers...the  lower the gear the higher the numbers....the 3.73 is lower than the  3.55 

The 2.76 will not work well with the flathead even without the T5 OD 5th.  Again, was just saying you stopped your mod early and left the V8 out of the equation sorry I cause you confusion with the 'poking a bit of humor'

Edited by Plymouthy Adams
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Is there an easier way to get higher ratios and lower engine speeds without swapping the rear end?   A 4 or 5 speed pattern on the column wouldn't bother me..if there was an easier transmission swap I'd do it later after I drive my original around for a few years (when I get the motor overhauled).  Heck..just got to reading more..seems like the cheapest way is to put the tallest tire possible on the rear end.  Wonder how my 48 sedan would look with 235 -75 on the back?  :rolleyes:

Edited by Bryan
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I picked up an 8 1/4 from a 70 satellite yesterday for free !  :) Has a 2.76 ratio in it :( - no surprises though these were used in lopo mileage cars 318 2 bbl etc..

If I end up using it - I will stuff a 3.55 gear in it. My brother has a 79 truck 8 1/4 w 3.55’s in it he is not using....can’t beat free stuff.

I measured the 8 1/4 WMS to be 60 inches w/o drums. This is different than what my mopar chassis book states. Seems odd the info in those books is usually quite accurate. Maybe its not a true B body axle, was not in the car when I picked it up. I measured the WMS on the 52 - its 61.5 inches. Will have to see if perches are close...8 1/4 should be 44 inches according to mopar chassis have not measured yet...but any change I do is contingent on how I like the 3.91 that is in the car - once the overdrive is functional.

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while the gearing is free the swapping of the gear sets is rather involved in the 8 1/4 as compared to the original hog head and as that of the 8 3/4 also....and for the record...the Chrysler last 5th Aves with rear wheel drive 318...2.32 ratio   as for bodies, you have the complete alphabet of model series going on...slight variations in widths per series also...your app should be 60 1/8

https://www.bigblockmopar.nl/tech/mopar-rearaxle-dimensions/

for the enterprising folks doing these swaps the driveshaft charts are also on the internet for mixing and matching components between bodies....this is B body x years.....not all inclusive but a simple search will net those dimensions

driveshafts-68-70-jpg.156306

 

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Yup - very aware of the differences in swapping gears in an 8 1/4 vs 8 3/4 axle. What would be new for me is doing the 8 1/4 gear change. I’ve built engines, transmissions and rear axles myself over the years so I have no real concerns, main thing would be getting the long reach side adjuster tool for the 8 1/4. 

So if I added ~ 1/8” x 2 for the drums then the WMS is 60.25 - which matches big block mopar’s info. So it must then be a B body axle.

My sons 87 diplomat had one of those ultra highway gears - believe it was 2.24 or something like that. Insane. We put a 2.94 cop axle in it.

 

Edited by Dartgame
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45 minutes ago, Dartgame said:

 

My sons 87 diplomat had one of those ultra highway gears - believe it was 2.24 or something like that. Insane. We put a 2.94 cop axle in it.

 

Insane, I truly follow your reasoning and clearly see the point in the corporation installing said axle.  It was never intended in any manner a performance car but clearly one of a pleasant smooth ride that was affordable to operate.   done and done   I however see the point of you changing the axle as it is clear your intent was to change the performance.  Both builders met their goal....neither is insane.....IF you did not remove the isolation rear mount...you gained nothing in handling to compliment the aggressive rear gear.  Same with the front suspension....every wonder why the FMJ was never a true pursuit car but ideal around town cop cars.  One of the single best handling improvements I made on my Diplomat was the installation of a panhard rod...

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16 hours ago, 40desoto said:

I’m a bit confused as I️ thought that a higher gear ratio (ie; 3.73) would work best  with my T5 5 speed.  

Di you think a 2.76 will work ok using a 5 speed?

It is all in the math...and the available torque.

Many 5-spd trans will have a overdrive ratio in the .7 to .8  range. If you simply multiply the rear axle ratio by .7 you get the 'new' effective ratio.   The first gear ratio is also a concern so some balance must be struck or the 1st gear is rendered useless.

Example;   4.56 x .7 = 3.19   Similar to what we had in the old days when MaMopar used 3.23 in nearly everything. However, if you put an OD trans behind the 3.23....3.23 x .7 = 2.26..... Not a good number when you are low on grunt to start with.  It would certainly keep the engine rpm down but the driving results would be less than spectatular. There is a reason why the 3.9 and 4.3 gears were used  behind small engines.

Conversely, the 1st gear ratio would probably be happier with the 2.26 rather than the 3.23 or, worse, a 3.9 final.

Here is a favorite on-line gear calculator so you can play with the numbers: http://ctny.audiworld.com/mark/s4/gears/gear_calc.html

 

 

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Regarding the diplomat - Is a 2.94 ratio in a 4000 lb car aggressive? I hardly think so. Car drives nicely, honks pretty good at midrange rpm,  gets close to 20 mpg on the highway, and handles well with the police spec sway bars and springs.

Edited by Dartgame
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aggressive...compared to what you swapped out with yes...it is drag strip rated...not by any means...is it a good gear for the street...anything near a 3.0 is a good balance with a stock small V8  I parted out a '79 police interceptor C body and walled away with a nice 9.25  /  2.88 Sure Trac...the E58 engine and torqueflite with 1st gear lock out....seems police would hold 1st too long sometimes....heck it will shift about 70/72 MPH out of first as it is...I have one B body station wagon axle with 2.94 gears here already with the perches in the right place for P15 bolt and go...had one of these in Sure-Trac long ago......very good all around street gear in my opinion for a small block stock V8...if you got a bib block and wish to cruise economically the 2.76 is factory engineered just for that purpose...

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