Rembrant's new non-Bullnose project

[salans7]

The rear diff is going to be a 3.55 geared 8.8 from a 2001 Ford Explorer. I guess I'm going to learn how to remove existing leaf spring perches and weld new ones on in a different location. Stay tuned for more.

Are you going with the Explorer axle because of the rear disc brakes, or just because it's what you can get?

[Rembrant]

Are you going with the Explorer axle because of the rear disc brakes, or just because it's what you can get?

Good question. I don't really care about the disc brakes. The Explorer 8.8 is a common swap for this generation truck due the overall width of the axle (it closely matches the original Dana axle). It is the strongest of the 'smaller' 8.8 diffs as the Explorers had 31 spline axles. It's basically a narrowed F150 axle.

As far as I know, the Rangers are very similar or identical dimensionally, but they have the lighter 28 spline axles?...Or at least the majority of them do.

All things considered, I'd probably prefer rear drum brakes, but when I went searching for Explorer rear diffs, the majority of the ones I found were the later 90's and early 2000's. I believe 2001 is the last year I can use. I was specifically looking for one with 3.55 gears, and the 2001 was the closest one I found.

Just to add...I haven't actually purchased it yet, but I'm planning to unless something else better pops up locally. If you have any suggestions, I'm all ears.

There are a bunch of 2004-ish Rangers at the local pick-n-pull, but of all the ones I checked, I think they had 7.5" diffs. Maybe one of them would be just fine...I don't really know. I'm new to this stuff, and general consensus on the internet was to use an Explorer diff if available.

 

[salans7]

Are you going with the Explorer axle because of the rear disc brakes, or just because it's what you can get?

Good question. I don't really care about the disc brakes. The Explorer 8.8 is a common swap for this generation truck due the overall width of the axle (it closely matches the original Dana axle). It is the strongest of the 'smaller' 8.8 diffs as the Explorers had 31 spline axles. It's basically a narrowed F150 axle.

As far as I know, the Rangers are very similar or identical dimensionally, but they have the lighter 28 spline axles?...Or at least the majority of them do.

All things considered, I'd probably prefer rear drum brakes, but when I went searching for Explorer rear diffs, the majority of the ones I found were the later 90's and early 2000's. I believe 2001 is the last year I can use. I was specifically looking for one with 3.55 gears, and the 2001 was the closest one I found.

Just to add...I haven't actually purchased it yet, but I'm planning to unless something else better pops up locally. If you have any suggestions, I'm all ears.

There are a bunch of 2004-ish Rangers at the local pick-n-pull, but of all the ones I checked, I think they had 7.5" diffs. Maybe one of them would be just fine...I don't really know. I'm new to this stuff, and general consensus on the internet was to use an Explorer diff if available.

The only drawback to the Explorer axle is to make sure your master cylinder and other misc parts are able to work with the discs. I'm far from an expert, and barely know what I'm referring to, but I've heard that rear discs and rear drums have different pressure values and may affect braking performance. For example, a popular swap on Rangers is to run SN99 Mustang Cobra rear disc brakes. But many people who have this swap say the brake pads wear unevenly, possibly due to the unequal pressures or whatever the difference was at the master cylinder. My 2003 Ranger has Mustang discs, and the pads wear at a taper, even though I keep the slides greased and there's nothing wrong with the caliper mounts.

There was a specific Ranger that did come with 31 spline axles, and also a Torsen LS differential. They were called "Fx4 Level II" trucks. They had drum brakes, but are possibly narrower than an Explorer axle, so if the Explorer axle is close to your original Dana, that would be the better option. I would just do some research into making sure your master cylinder is up to the task of working with the disc brakes.

The other problem with Ranger 8.8's (the 28 spline versions) is that some of them (if not all) have the same axle bearings as the 7.5. So in reality, the only difference is the carrier and ring gear. Ranger (28 spline) axles aren't exactly heavy duty, so I would keep them a little lower on your list of axles.

https://www.therangerstation.com/Magazine/winter2017/how_to_spot_a_ford_ranger_fx4_31-spline_axle.shtml

[Rembrant]

The only drawback to the Explorer axle is to make sure your master cylinder and other misc parts are able to work with the discs. I'm far from an expert, and barely know what I'm referring to, but I've heard that rear discs and rear drums have different pressure values and may affect braking performance.

I'm no expert either, but I'm planning on a complete new master cylinder setup anyway, and you can select 2 wheel discs or 4 wheel discs, so we'll see how it goes! Finger crossed.

https://www.performanceonline.com/1948-52-Ford-F1-Truck-Firewall-Mount-Power-Brake-Booster-Kit/

The truck currently has 4 wheel drums, with the original style single chamber manual master cylinder that mounts under the cab. I've read that lots of guys are still running them that way, but I don't want to. The rear discs don't mean a whole lot to me, but they'll add some curb appeal when I turn around and sell it in a few years time lol.

 

[salans7]

The only drawback to the Explorer axle is to make sure your master cylinder and other misc parts are able to work with the discs. I'm far from an expert, and barely know what I'm referring to, but I've heard that rear discs and rear drums have different pressure values and may affect braking performance.

I'm no expert either, but I'm planning on a complete new master cylinder setup anyway, and you can select 2 wheel discs or 4 wheel discs, so we'll see how it goes! Finger crossed.

https://www.performanceonline.com/1948-52-Ford-F1-Truck-Firewall-Mount-Power-Brake-Booster-Kit/

The truck currently has 4 wheel drums, with the original style single chamber manual master cylinder that mounts under the cab. I've read that lots of guys are still running them that way, but I don't want to. The rear discs don't mean a whole lot to me, but they'll add some curb appeal when I turn around and sell it in a few years time lol.

Sounds like you're a step ahead then. I would definitely say the Explorer axle is the way to go.

[Rembrant]

Sounds like you're a step ahead then. I would definitely say the Explorer axle is the way to go.

Started pulling apart the roller block 302 that I plan to use in the old '52. Man these things are a pain. Luckily, only four of the seven water pump bolts snapped off in the timing cover...lol. I was going to make a joke about "feeling blessed". Two intake manifold bolts snapped off in the left cylinder head. I was able to remove one of them later, but the one up front was corroded badly, so there wasn't much holding it on. Hopefully the machine shop can extract it and/or fix that hole.

Otherwise, the rest of it is looking pretty clean on the oil side. No serious sludge build-up or anything like that.

The engine was running...so fingers crossed it is still OK, and worth a refresh. It supposedly only has about 120k miles on it...as much as one can trust the word of a guy that strips old trucks lol. As those guys go, this guy did seem genuine.

Notice the all metal timing gear set and wide chain. I know it was 12 years prior, but my '84 302 had the nylon or plastic toothed cam sprocket and was super loose, even with the low mileage it had back then.

Kind of excited about my first roller block though. Break-in will be a non-issue, and I won't have to worry as much about what oil I use.

I bought this set of crossmembers...complete set for 302/5.0 and AOD trans, even with mounts. It was on sale for $147, and I don't think I'd waste time fabricating brackets and mounts for what these cost.

https://www.performanceonline.com/1948-64-Ford-F1-F-100-Truck-Engine-and-Transmission-Mount-kit-Ford-V-8/

I'm kind of excited to go through the process of installing all this stuff from scratch.

 

[Gary Lewis]

Started pulling apart the roller block 302 that I plan to use in the old '52. Man these things are a pain. Luckily, only four of the seven water pump bolts snapped off in the timing cover...lol. I was going to make a joke about "feeling blessed". Two intake manifold bolts snapped off in the left cylinder head. I was able to remove one of them later, but the one up front was corroded badly, so there wasn't much holding it on. Hopefully the machine shop can extract it and/or fix that hole.

Otherwise, the rest of it is looking pretty clean on the oil side. No serious sludge build-up or anything like that.

The engine was running...so fingers crossed it is still OK, and worth a refresh. It supposedly only has about 120k miles on it...as much as one can trust the word of a guy that strips old trucks lol. As those guys go, this guy did seem genuine.

Notice the all metal timing gear set and wide chain. I know it was 12 years prior, but my '84 302 had the nylon or plastic toothed cam sprocket and was super loose, even with the low mileage it had back then.

Kind of excited about my first roller block though. Break-in will be a non-issue, and I won't have to worry as much about what oil I use.

I bought this set of crossmembers...complete set for 302/5.0 and AOD trans, even with mounts. It was on sale for $147, and I don't think I'd waste time fabricating brackets and mounts for what these cost.

https://www.performanceonline.com/1948-64-Ford-F1-F-100-Truck-Engine-and-Transmission-Mount-kit-Ford-V-8/

I'm kind of excited to go through the process of installing all this stuff from scratch.

You'd think that Ford would have learned about the water pump bolts. That happens more often than not.

Sorry you are having those problems, but hope the machine shop can easily fix it.

And I think it is a smart move to buy the crossmembers.

[Rembrant]

You'd think that Ford would have learned about the water pump bolts. That happens more often than not.

Sorry you are having those problems, but hope the machine shop can easily fix it.

Gary, they're really not problems at all when the engine is on a stand and you're on a chair in front of it, with all the time and patience in the world...lol. However, it happens all the time, and I feel bad for the guys trying to change a $27 water pump and snap a couple of those bolts off when the engine IN the truck. UGH.

If there's one thing you can bet on with a small block, it's at least one of those bolts snapping off...lol.

The bolts don't seize in the block...they bind up with corrosion in the aluminum timing cover. I ended up destroying the cover...I didn't care because I wasn't using it anyway, but with the bolts relieved from the cover, they turned out of the block no problem.

That one that's rusted and broken off in the head though, that's a different story lol.

Oh well, time is on my side;).

 

[Gary Lewis]

You'd think that Ford would have learned about the water pump bolts. That happens more often than not.

Sorry you are having those problems, but hope the machine shop can easily fix it.

Gary, they're really not problems at all when the engine is on a stand and you're on a chair in front of it, with all the time and patience in the world...lol. However, it happens all the time, and I feel bad for the guys trying to change a $27 water pump and snap a couple of those bolts off when the engine IN the truck. UGH.

If there's one thing you can bet on with a small block, it's at least one of those bolts snapping off...lol.

The bolts don't seize in the block...they bind up with corrosion in the aluminum timing cover. I ended up destroying the cover...I didn't care because I wasn't using it anyway, but with the bolts relieved from the cover, they turned out of the block no problem.

That one that's rusted and broken off in the head though, that's a different story lol.

Oh well, time is on my side;).

Been there, done that. A friend brought his '91 F150 over a few years ago to change the water pump. We broke a bolt and had to drill it out. But when we put it back together we slathered them in anti-seize, not just on the threads but also on the body where it might corrode with the timing cover.

Glad you have plenty of time. You do such good work I'm sure you'll make this a very special project. I'm pulling up a chair and a cup of coffee to follow along.

[grumpin]

Been there, done that. A friend brought his '91 F150 over a few years ago to change the water pump. We broke a bolt and had to drill it out. But when we put it back together we slathered them in anti-seize, not just on the threads but also on the body where it might corrode with the timing cover.

Glad you have plenty of time. You do such good work I'm sure you'll make this a very special project. I'm pulling up a chair and a cup of coffee to follow along.

Me too, on the coffee and watching! I’m excited and it’s not my engine! A roller block, sweet!

I found a truck I would like to get, a 1995 F250, 4x4 with the 351 and E4OD, 144,000 miles on it.

Saw it last night on craigslist, located in Reno Nevada. $8500

By the time I got home from my out of town stuff I had to do it was gone!

A 1995 351 should be a roller, I think.