Explorer rear end?

[RICH MUISE]

quote from Bill/Fordblueblood on a different thread:
"Rich give the 95 - 01 Explorer rear a hard look.  They are 59.5" wide.  Shortening one side to center the pinion, using a second short axle from the same year would probably come in close to even on cost.  Many many Exploeres came with T-lock.  3.55, 3.73 and 4.11 were available ratios with 3.73 the hardest to find.  They have an easy to hook up emergency brake system and the best part over the counter parts for years to come."

OK...got some thoughts and questions on this. First, the 3:55 trac loc with discs is just what I need, and the shortening seems easy enough. A big plus as you mentioned is parts availability. After I get past the psycological thing about everybody in the world wanting a Ford 9", and those of us that have them are thinking about changing....lol
what is the setup on the Explorers for springs..coils or leafs? I'm assuming the spring mount pads have to be relocated to match up with the '57??
Where does the explorer yoke end up? will I end up having to replace/modify the driveshaft? I I am needing a taller yoke for the 9" as it sits, but they are available. Are they available if needed for the Explorer to avoid driveshaft issues/rework expense? Where does the centerline of the 3rd member come out height-wise with the explorer compared to the 9"?
The answers to the above questions for me could end up being major issues eliminating the cost savings of going Explorer. If I had a "normal" working shop, it wouldn't have the issues I would have working on a dirt floor. Even simple stuff like checking pinion angles when determining spring pad locations become an imposible task on uneven ground. I would end up having to tow (or drive ) the car to a shop and farming the work out. Having my 9" modified to what I need/want is a bolt in...my working area doesn't factor in.

[Thor]

Rich,
I am linking an article where a 8.8 Explorer was swapped on an 64 Fairlane. It will probably answer some if not all of your questions.

http://www.fordmuscleforums.com/rear-end-articles/495110-31-spline-explorer-axle-swap.html
   

[RICH MUISE]

Thought I replied to this earlier...must have forgotten to hit the "post reply" button again.

Thanks for posting that, Thor. Having been in my workshed, YOU can probably understand why I'm a little reluctant to get into a project that requires so much measuring/manipulation of components with jacks, etc. Dirt floor, not much room, etc. I could move it onto my driveway, but in my neighborhood I'd have to sleep out there with it.
Alot of interesting stuff in the thread, although a 57 Ford installation would definetly have been more informative....shock mounts, driveshaft, etc.
Also, from what they were saying almost all trac loc units are 3.73. a 3.55 would be preferable, but a 3.73 wouldn't be all that bad.

[Ford Blue blood]

After I get past the psycological thing about everybody in the world wanting a Ford 9", and those of us that have them are thinking about changing....lol

Not sure what drives the 9" thing.  Seams like most every hot rodder has to have one.  Might be it came from the fact that 57, 58 and 59s  9"s were the perfect fit for 32 - 40 Fords back in the day and most all GM rears of that time were like wet noodles when loaded up hard.  Trueth is most of the cars built today will not see much track time and hooking one up hard enough to break a rear is very unlikely.

Now having said all of that, the Explorer 8.8" is the same rear as in my 502 RWHP Shelby GT500 and will take twice the pounding the 57 9" will (slight difference in bearings and races).  Understand the hesitation given your work environment, most of the article will be the same for the swap into your car.  Use your current rear to find the location for the spring pads and duplicate the current pinion angle.  Really can't advise you, just need to research it hard......

[SkylinerRon]

What are you looking to do?
Add rear discs?
Stronger?
Narrower?
Change gear ratio?
What do you have now for starters?
All of this matters to make a smart choice.

Ron.

[RICH MUISE]

What I'm looking to do: The car has had nothing done to the 3rd member whatsoever. When I finish up my current front end assembly project, it will be the last remaining major thing on the car to address.It needs brakes, gear ratio change, posi,springs, shocks, bearings..etc etc. The whole nine yards. Stronger is not a major concern. At my age there won't be any racing, maybe a little heavy foot occationally.
What I have now is the original untouched rear with untouched drum brakes. 3.70 gears I think. Original drivetrain was 6 cyl 3 on the tree. What I have now up front is the 4.6 dohc/4R70w (electronic overdrive). I'm building the car for long cruises primarily, and I want to get the rear to 3.50 or 3.55 ratio for a reasonable rpm at highway speed.
My plans were/are to have the oem case narrowed, converted to 3.50 trac loc, 31 spline axels, disc brakes, taller yoke to get me another needed 1" engagement of driveshaft, new springs, shocks. ect. I would have all the mods and rebuilding done by a reputable shop. the plus with this: everything is basically a bolt in...remove the unit, have it modified, and put it back in.
The obvious downside is the expense. I haven't got numbers put together yet, but surely it's gonna end up over 2 grand....maybe closer to 3
So...along comes the idea of using an explorer unit. already has trac loc, discs, usable gear ratio, fairly easily modified. I need to nail down the specific details as far as mods, how it affects driveshaft, etc. Whether changing the long side axel to a short side will be enough narrowing, etc.etc.

[RICH MUISE]

Another note on the explorer units...they were available with and without trac loc. The 3.55 ratio aparently is not a trac loc available ratio, and the majority of trac locs are 3.73. Availability of trac loc units I would think varies greatly depending on the part of the country. When I lived in Colorado, Ford ranger 2 wheel drives were few and far between, here in Texas the 4 wheel drives were few and far between. Probably the same with Explorers.

[SkylinerRon]

Do you have the wheels/tires yet?
If not you could avoid the narrowing and custom axle expense.
There is hardly any difference between 3.5 to 3.7 ratios and could be made up in tire height.
Longer 9" yokes are available, the 8.8 set-up is completely different style yoke.
I would think you could add TracLok, Discs and rebuild the rest for under $1500. total.+ the suspension changes.

Ron.