I have an 88 gt and want to upgrade to 5 lug for different wheels. I ve heard alot about driver side ranger axles and buying kits. Couldnt I just go with a rear end out of 94-95 ? If anybody has done this and encountered problems, please give me some insight.
yes you can. it is a bit wider than the fox so you'll run into tire fitment if you go too wide. also I think you need a brake line adapter for it as well.
I've heard of some stories that the ranger axle will break. In all the stories i've heard it always the passenger axle that snaps. Maybe because it was on the drivers side in the ranger then there you swap it to the passenger side in the mustangs. I don't know maybe it's all stories.....
If you want to run normal aftermarket mustang wheels then you will run into fitment issues when using a recommended tire size (such as 245/45/17 on a 17x9) because of the offsets on all of the wheels. If your going with a 17x8 cobra wheel such as on a 98 cobra, my brother runs that and his wheels are dead on with the fender lip and don't rub.
-of coarse if your gonna run custom aftermarket wheels, it shouldn't be an issue, just get a larger positive offset. The only thing that is wider on that assembly are the axles, the housing, and internals are all the same. So for piece of mind you could get better aftermarket axles. I picked up a set of USA Alloy axles from summit racing for $200 shipped. And I love them.
I have an 88 gt and want to upgrade to 5 lug for different wheels. I ve heard alot about driver side ranger axles and buying kits. Couldnt I just go with a rear end out of 94-95 ? If anybody has done this and encountered problems, please give me some insight.
-For the front 87-93 v8 cars, use the rotors from a mid 80's Lincoln Continental, Lincoln Mark VII (85-91), or '84-'86 SVO. For the 79-86 and 87-93 4cyl cars, use the 83-92 4cyl Ranger front rotors. This will keep the cost down and allow you to keep the stock front brakes.
To keep the stock rear wheel offset and drums, the '83-'92 Ranger/Bronco II Left (driver) side axle (29-5/32") from a 4cyl or 3.0L V-6 with the 7.5" rear end, or '86-'97 Aerostar RIGHT side axles (29-5/32") is what you want. They are the same rear axles, the center section is just on the opposite side when you compare the rear ends. The pumpkins are also off center unlike the Mustangs, so you will have to find two vehicles to pull axles from! You will need the drums from either of these vehicles also if you are staying with rear 9" drums. The 7.5 axle Rangers & Aerostars use 9" drums. These parts are direct 5 lug replacements for the stock 9" rear drums on the 79-93 Mustangs.
*Important: Don't get the axles and drums from a Ranger with the 4.0L engine, as they use 10" rear drums with a wider 8.8" axle (unless you want to convert to larger drums!). The 8.8 in the Explorer is 1" wider per side than the Ranger/Aerostars with the 7.5" axle.
I've heard of some stories that the ranger axle will break. In all the stories i've heard it always the passenger axle that snaps. Maybe because it was on the drivers side in the ranger then there you swap it to the passenger side in the mustangs. I don't know maybe it's all stories.....
If you use two Ranger axles, you change the torsonial twist to the opposite direction on one of them. Used axles take a set and can break from the reverse torsion. New axles won't have this problem. Use one Ranger and one Aerostar and it should be OK.