Rearend?
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Rearend?
I got a 56 that has a mercury marauder rearend underneath I have did my research and so far I have seen some ppl use the rear end from a 91-94 ford explorer mainly because it has 3.73 positrac underneath it. My rearend is 3 inches wider than the front is one of the main reasons why I'm switching is to something else. I was wondering about some of y'alls opinions on what rearend would you choose. Thanks
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1996 to 2001 Ford explorer came with disc brakes, 3.73 gears and limited slip option. 91 to 96 had drum brakes but also came with 3.73 and limited slip option. The explorer axle will require cutting perches and welding.but are really close to the stock width of your original axle.
Cargo Master
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From: in a barn
Explorer rear is a good choice, I have no brand loyalty so I would use whatever fits the truck. GM, Ford, whatever. Axle width will depend on what wheels you want to use. Set the wheels you want to use in the rear fenders where they need to be and measure between the wheel mounting surfaces to find the width of an axle you need, then go from there.
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Explorer rear is a good choice, I have no brand loyalty so I would use whatever fits the truck. GM, Ford, whatever. Axle width will depend on what wheels you want to use. Set the wheels you want to use in the rear fenders where they need to be and measure between the wheel mounting surfaces to find the width of an axle you need, then go from there.
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Tuned
Joined: Jan 2016
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From: Oregon
I used the door tag to find what I wanted....D4. Cut off all the factory brackets off except the anti sway bar brackets. I used those for shock mount brackets after fabbing up some plates to bolt on to them. I'm also using the factory third shock to help with body roll as I'm not running an anti sway bar. Sourced the spring pads and u-bolts from Currie. You can juggle the width some using wheels with the proper back space to get them where they need to be.
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From: Austin
Hey Fordguy,
Here is the article that walks through the different rear end options
& what will fit & what won't.
https://www.ford-trucks.com/articles...rential-swaps/
We have a 2001 Explorer 8.8 with 3.73 gearing, disc brakes,& limited slip on our 50 F1.
It's a nice set up for highway cruising.. The only issues I'd think through are:
1) The Explorer 8.8 has car style lug nut set up. It was ok for us as we switched out the
front suspension for a Mustang II style set up with the matching car stud pattern. (Your current wheels won't work on
the Explorer rear axle).
2) We had to use Spacers to get the wheels to look right in the fenders. I'm not sure about a '56. but it was just a little
narrow for our '50.
3) We also had to flip the rear end to get it to sit low enough to work with our front end. It had a
very jacked up look to it without flipping the springs. (We had to buy Ranger shackles if I recall).
We also used the Explorer rear emergency brake set up with our truck. We did not use the
strange third shock deal that came on the Explorer 8.8. We paid $225 for the Explorer rear end,
plus the Ranger shackles, New Brake Pads, & the wheel spacers.
Good luck over there!
Ben in Austin
1950 F1
Here is the article that walks through the different rear end options
& what will fit & what won't.
https://www.ford-trucks.com/articles...rential-swaps/
We have a 2001 Explorer 8.8 with 3.73 gearing, disc brakes,& limited slip on our 50 F1.
It's a nice set up for highway cruising.. The only issues I'd think through are:
1) The Explorer 8.8 has car style lug nut set up. It was ok for us as we switched out the
front suspension for a Mustang II style set up with the matching car stud pattern. (Your current wheels won't work on
the Explorer rear axle).
2) We had to use Spacers to get the wheels to look right in the fenders. I'm not sure about a '56. but it was just a little
narrow for our '50.
3) We also had to flip the rear end to get it to sit low enough to work with our front end. It had a
very jacked up look to it without flipping the springs. (We had to buy Ranger shackles if I recall).
We also used the Explorer rear emergency brake set up with our truck. We did not use the
strange third shock deal that came on the Explorer 8.8. We paid $225 for the Explorer rear end,
plus the Ranger shackles, New Brake Pads, & the wheel spacers.
Good luck over there!
Ben in Austin
1950 F1
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I'm using explorer 8.8 and one thing that worked nicely for me is since I wanted wider wheels and because the 8.8 has one shorter axle and one longer axle, I left the short side and swapped the long side with another 8.8 short axle and now my rear is narrowed perfectly and pumpkin is centered. I went with 11'' wide wheels out back.
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I dont mind having to use spacers or bigger rims I'm switching rims out anyway. Dont know to what I just know those mustang rims wont stay on long. I would like some wider tires on the back just to hook up little better. Right now if I try I can blow those tires off pretty good. The 4.6 that came out of the marauder is a little beast.
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I still have the 3 inches extra now I'm going to try to change that
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