Jim Shepard

A few more photos from my Ranger axle swap…

What Jeep M/C did you use?

With this modification I am able to use the stock shock mounts. That was a deciding factor.

Thought I’d update my progress. Found out the Ranger axle is not quite 1/2” smaller diameter out by the backing plates. The Dodge axle is 3” in diameter. So, the Dodge perch doesn’t fit flush on the Ranger axle and rocks back and forth. My solution was to weld spacer on the Ranger axle so the perch sits flush. I used some 3” stock pipe/tubing I found at the local Metal Mart. I cut the tube in half length-wise and welded it the the portion of the axle that is too small. I think it’ll work just fine and, after I get it painted, it will look ok. I still need to finish welding the perches. I only tack-welded them to verify location. Take a look…

John, are you going to drive the truck up?

Wow! I can’t believe we’ve been doing this that long. I can hardly wait. This year I had a new T5 transmission, next year I’ll have a new 3.73 rear end and, if all goes well, a Mustang II front end…

The 7.5 axle was used on 4’s and 6’s (up to 3.0L) and all diesels.The 3.0L was rated at 148hp and 180 ft. lbs. of torque. Should be ok for my application.

The 7.5 is plenty ok for my slightly modified 230 flathead. “Easy to find” is geographically related. Couldn’t find the jeep rear end close by for a decent price. Also, I didn’t want disc brakes, which is all I could find. Granted, the 8.8 is a beefier option, but unnecessary in my application…

We’ll, I’m committed now. Last month, and after several months of research, I bought a 1997 Ford Ranger 7.5 rear end with drum brakes and 3.73 gears. Next, I pulled the stock rear end out of my B2B and cut off the spring perches. I had previously removed the Ranger perches. The Ranger rear end is slightly narrower than the Dodge, but I can get back to the correct width with the wheels. Two motivating factors in this way were my decision to go with a T5 transmission, which I did earlier this year. With that swap I lost my park/emergency brake. Doing the swap also allowed me to improve my rear end gearing. The Ranger differential is 3.73, which should work better than the Dodge 4.10 with my T5 gear set. Yesterday good buddy Charlie came over and we figured out the correct pinion angle and I’ll get the perches welded on within the next week. I’ll follow this up with some progress photos.

Thanks guys. I’ll look at finding a rear sump pan and pickup.

Ed, I thought about the rear sump pan; however, how do you deal with the pickup? As I’m not familiar with the rear sump pan and pickup (or even what vehicle these might be on) I can’t quite visualize what the conversion would look like. Does the rear sump pickup screw into the same place in the block and just extend to the rear rather than the front?

I’m considering the Mustang II front end for my B2B. One concern is the placement of the cross member in relation to the oil pan. It looks like it’ll hit on the deep part of the pan. Does anyone have experience with this conversation (still using the flathead six)? I know I’ve seen these conversions, but they’ve all also been with a V8 install.

Jeff, My choice of 3.73 is based on my T5 gear set and 29” tires. I have the 4.10 now so I know what that’s like…

Thanks Jeff…

Thanks.

Thanks. I’ll check ‘em out.

I’ve driven the truck basically stock since 2004. My top speed with a fluid drive three speed and 4:10 rearend has always been about 45 mph. My “go fast” project is the addition of the T5 and new rearend so I can at last stay out of folks’ way on the interstate. I think if I can do 65 mph, which the 0.72 overdrive and 3.73 rearend will let me do at a reasonable rpm, I shouldn’t piss too many people off… Redline on these trucks is about 3200 rpm and the above combination should be under that.

What year did you use?

I’m looking for drum brakes and something similar in length to my B2B, about 58” backing plate to backing plate. Is the Jeep in the ballpark?

While researching new rear ends for my “go faster” project, I settled on certain year rear end assemblies from Ford Rangers and Explorers. These have the 5X4.5 bolt pattern and desired 3.73 gear ratio. After spending all day looking at 10-12 of these I discovered they apparently all came with an offset pinion flange. While this isn’t necessarily a deal-killer (after all, it apparently worked for Ford), I’m wondering what folks think. The offset is about 2” to the passenger side.

While I don’t remember reading any posts on the subject, I’m sure someone out there has rebuilt the tie rods, drag link and other components of the steering assembly. After installing my S10 T5 and being able to go faster, I discovered a shimmy I didn’t know I had. I was never able to do 55mph before. I re-balanced my front wheels, to no avail. It looks like I have some play in my drag link, maybe 1/4”. Are new tie rod ends available or am I looking at some sort of kit to replace the rubber?

What master cylinder did you source? Part number?

I have a factory two barrel intake from a mid-50's car and the matching Stromberg WW carb. I had to spin the carb 180 degrees because the the truck linkage comes up on the passenger side of the engine. I wanted to stay with this setup and not go with a cable-type throttle linkage. When I did that the 'automatic choke would not clear the head. I had to CnC a block of aluminum to raise the carb about two inches to clear the head. At that point I just fabricated a rod similar to the stock truck setup and, after drilling a hole at the appropriate location on the carb linkage, I was able to hook it all up. Works great. I tried to drag a photo over but the file is too large. Not quite sure how to deal with it... Sorry. After re-reading your post I realized my mine was not responsive...

Lostviking, I’m interested in this conversion for my B2B. Keep us posted on your progress and take photos.

So, it goes into a water jacket?