Ford Explorer rear end Swap!

[FESTER60]

  Tim Adams said:

I personally feelswapping over for better gears and better brakes be they disc or floating shoe without taper axle is much better improvement all around...so if there is that NEED to change..change for the better..

Yes those are the main reasons I am changing. I now have disc brakes on the front so discs on the rear along with better gears and easy to find parts would be worth it I think. I don't think I will be doing a lot of highway driving, so I guess I am leaning towards the 3:55 gears. Prices seem to very a lot on these but I found one at a bone yard with 114K on it I think I can get it for $100. Seems reasonable.

[yourpc48]

  FESTER60 said:

Yes those are the main reasons I am changing. I now have disc brakes on the front so discs on the rear along with better gears and easy to find parts would be worth it I think. I don't think I will be doing a lot of highway driving, so I guess I am leaning towards the 3:55 gears. Prices seem to very a lot on these but I found one at a bone yard with 114K on it I think I can get it for $100. Seems reasonable.

$100 is reasonable. The least I could find a rear with disk at the yards here on the Oregon coast was $150 at a U-pull. $350 if I got it in my local yard. $400 is what it shows online at B&R although they would pull it and price match the $350. $100 is very reasonable compared to $350.

[Robert Horne]

I took a little test run on my 38 Coupe/5 speed/ stock 3 1/2 rearend.

At about 80HP the car did good. Even in 5th, car did good.

1st gear is alot lower than the stock 3 speed for sure, pulls out very easy.

I have a 3.73 ranger rearend. I will have to do some test runs, see how

things work or do not work.

[yourpc48]

The Explorer will go to the wrecking yard after I get the parts I want off of it. I arranged for the decked car trailer today so since my iPhone is calling for SUNSHINE Sat and Sun. The Explorer is on it now! I will be getting my parts off the thing this weekend. I will be pulling some extra parts off and eBaying some stuff for a few extra bucks to put towards the 47 (I hope) I also have a slant 6 distributor paid for and it should be on its way tomorrow thanks to craigslist.

I have to balance my time between these projects and making money to pay for them......... I will be so glad to have the car more out of town drivable with the new rear end, distributor, master cylinder and front shocks W/mounts. The list seems short but time consuming.

[yourpc48]

Now you see it! Now you dont!

I got the rear end out of the Explorer today. It can be done with one person and hand tools like I had to do it but it would be quicker and easier with another person and some air tools. Took me about 5 hours going at a slow easy pace. I took pictures along the way so it took a little longer because of that as well.

[yourpc48]

Here ya go. Before and after. This is how I spent my afternoon.

OH and I mowed the lawn and worked on 2 laptop computers as well. All before 8 this evening.

[Captain Neon]

Sorry to be resurrecting this thread after almost 7 years, but I am wondering if this conversion can be done with the OE u-joint or is an upgrade also necessary to connect the 8.8" Ford rear?