5-lugs the cheap way

[bonestock87]

I've stumbled across a few sites that talk about simply putting 83-92 ranger rotors (from a 4 cylinder model) in place of the stock 4-lug rotors in order to convert the fronts to 5-lug. They have the same dimensions except that I'm unsure about the inner and outer bearings. I've looked up the dimensions of the mustang and ranger bearings and they are very similar, but not exactly the same. My question is, will the ranger rotors fit on the mustang as long as you use the ranger bearings? I'm not sure why this question comes up on those sites unless folks are simply trying to reuse their mustang bearings. Are both vehicles' spindles the same diameter? Below is the link where I get this crazy idea from. I fully understand how to convert the rear to 5-lug using ranger/aerostar axles and drums. Any guideance would be greatly appreciated.

79-93 5 Lug Ford Fox Body Mustang Conversions

 

[RustBucket]

That's how I did mine. It's been a couple of years so my memory is a little fuzzy. I think if you look at the bearing specs, the I.D. differs between the Mustang and Ranger, but the O.D of the bearing is almost exact. IIRC, I used bearings for a 4-cyl mustang in the Ranger rotors but left the races that came with the rotor. I didn't use the Mustang races. It's possible to use them, but it would take a press or freezing the race overnight to get it to go in. The Mustang race's O.D. is a shade bigger. I've had no problems with mine since the installation. Don't forget, you'll need to get bigger dust caps to fit the Ranger rotors. The Mustang dust caps don't fit.

The Ranger rotor is also slightly larger in diameter than the Mustang rotor. I had to clearance the calipers a tiny bit because they would rub when the brakes were applied.

 

[bonestock87]

Thanks for that info. Your memory serves you well, the O.D. is exactly the same but the I.D. is bigger on the Mustang (which is surprising because that means the Mustang has larger diameter spindles

You don't happen to remember what exactly you had to modify on the calipers do you? If the rotor is a bit larger in diameter it makes me think that only the caliper mounting bracket would need modification. I appreciate your help!

 

[RustBucket]

It wasn't enough of a rub to warrant moving the caliper. I just took a carbide bit in my die grinder and took a little material off the caliper where I had shiny spots from the rotor rubbing the calipers. I did the swap in the shop at work and drove the car home that same day. On the way home I heard it rub when I hit the brakes and checked it out when I got in the driveway. Once I tore into it and saw what was rubbing, I took the die grinder and made a little room. I didn't get carried away, I took just enough off to keep them from making contact.

Here's a couple of pictures of the final product. They were a month or so after the job was done. They both show how much larger the Ranger rotor is in comparison to the Mustang rotor. See the rust ring on the braking surface around the outer circumference? There's your difference.

It may not rub when you bolt it all together and spin it. Mine didn't make a noise at all until it I got on the brakes going home.

 

[bonestock87]

Very cool, I appreciate the post and pics. I may give this a shot and just use my '03's 17" bullitts until I can afford a set of something else. I'm trying to make it to payoff with less than 60k miles on the '03 anyway.