rear end swap

[boozer68]

i need disk brakes in rear of my 68, i heard about the explorer rear end. is this a good swap or is there a better way. i hae the CV front ifs already installed, i want to match the bolt pattern so i can rotate and atleast clear p confusion of the rim and tire idiots!!!! can some one send me a link or a thread as to the best option without spending a fortune

[hazelnut]

http://www.fordification.com/forum/view ... &sk=t&sd=a

[elgemcdlf]

If you are wanting to stay with a solid axle the Explorer is a very good option. 31 spline along with discs if you grab 1 that has discs. Many came with Limited Slip (look for an L in the gear ratio on the tag) & you can get quite a host of ratios.

[ultraranger]

Explorers from 1995-2001 came with disc brakes. Prior to '95 they had drum brakes.

If you're searching Explorers in the wrecking yard to find a suitable rear end, it's easier to look on the driver's side door/door jamb at the data tag, for the rear end ratio, than to crawl under every one of them to get a look at the tag on the rear end.

Under the "Axle" heading of the door/door jamb tag will be a pair of numbers or an alpha-numeric code. A pair of numbers denotes a single track differential. An alpha numeric denotes a Traction-Lok differential. --gear ratios and differentials can be changed.

Explorer axle codes:

43=3.08 ratio

41=3.27

42=4.10

45=3.55

D4=3.73 (Traction-Lok)

D2=4.10 (Traction-Lok)

This is an 8.8" Explorer rear end I pulled from a '96 Explorer. It has disc brakes and 31-spline axles. It does not have a Traction-Lok differential but it does have 3.55:1 gears.





Possible 8.8" ring & pinion ratios that could be swapped into the rear end: 2.73, 3.08, 3.27, 3.31, 3.55, 3.73, 3.90, 4.10, 4.30, 4.56, 4.88, 5.13, 5.71 or 6.14:1.

[rusty2872]

ultraranger,
are those explorer rear ends a direct swap, or will there be welding and relocation involved? Also what is the bolt pattern usually?

[ultraranger]

ultraranger,
are those explorer rear ends a direct swap, or will there be welding and relocation involved? Also what is the bolt pattern usually?

I had actually bought the Explorer disc brake rear end a few years before I even had the '69 F100. I actually bought the Explorer rear end for a possible swap into a '68 Mustang, so I don't know all the particulars about what's required to swap an Explorer rear under an F100. A websearch would probably come up with the information.

I do know the '95-2001 Explorer rear ends have disc brakes, 31-spline axles and usually good ratios --but not all have Traction-Lok differentials. They also have larger axle tube diameters than the F100s --3-1/4" dia. vs. 3.00" dia. If you got one, it would be good to get the U-bolts and spring/shock perches and the parking brake cables too. They have the same 5-on-4.5" lug pattern as the Crown Vics (same as '94-current Mustangs and is even the same lug pattern as my old '68 Mustang).

However, the Explorer rear end is a good bit narrower than the Crown Vic front assembly so it would require a pretty deep dished rear wheel compared to the front wheels.

A 2003-2011 Crown Vic front supension has a wheel flange width of 66-7/8" wide. The Explorer disc brake rear end width is 59-3/4" wide. --a T-Bird disc brake IRS rear end assembly has a width of 63-3/8".

I'm not certain of the width of a '2003-2011 Crown Vic disc brake rear end but other than the fact it may not have 31-spline axles, it would seem it would come closer to being the same width as the Crown Vic front suspension assembly.

[Whateverman]

not trying to hijack the thread ,but i've been toying with the idea swapping out the 9" in my truck for an 8.8 lately (disc brakes not totally a neccessity) ...
so i wondering if anyone knows off hand what the width & etc of a fullsize car (like a crown vic or lincoln town car ) 8.8 is ?

[Amosf10072]

What about a F150 axle from a newer truck?like they did on fast and loud.

[ultraranger]

What about a F150 axle from a newer truck?like they did on fast and loud.

I'm not certain what the rear end width of a late model F150 is but the rear disc diameter is 13.7" (nearly 13-3/4"). This would put larger discs on the rear than the front --if you were installing a Crown Vic front suspension. CV front discs are 12". The lug pattern would not match the CV's lug count or spacing.

The F150 rear brakes are of a single piston caliper design and the rotors come in a 6-lug 130mm lug pattern or a 7-lug 150mm lug pattern.

The F250 diesel trucks have 8-lug discs on a 170mm lug pattern with 12.83" diameter rotors. They also have twin-piston rear calipers.