I posted on these boards before asking if the 4x4 suspension from an early 90s explorer would work on my 91 ranger 2x2. The answer I got was yes. Well now I know the exact year of the explorer, it's a 93. Is the answer still yes?

Thanks.

 

Yes. 91-94 is swappable. Though it might be easier to just take the engine, tranny, and body off your Ranger and drop them on the Exploder frame, assuming it's in good condition.

 

I never thought about swapping it that way. Anyone else have any opinions on which is the easiest way of doing this swap? When you say it might be easier to change out the engine, tranny and body, it makes me wonder how hard it's going to be to swap out the suspension. I figured I was in for a long weekend's worth of work, but now you got me wondering.

 

In a weekend, yeah you could do a suspension swap. But if you don't need the Explorer body for anything and the frame is in good condition, you can more or less just yank it all, then do the body swap.

The downside is you need numerical manpower to do it, two guys can move a Ranger bed, but the cab might need four.

 

Thanks for the info. I will think about this. The engine in the explorer would be able to stay, they are the same engine. The explorer has a bad transmission, and horrible interior. It also has a manual transmission while my ranger has an automatic. I figured I was going to get a bellhousing anyway when I did the swap.

Other then the wiring that goes from the engine compartment to the inside, what else am I going to have to disconnect? I suppose the break lines on the master cylinder? The steering column? I just know there are alot of unforseen things I am going to run into. Know of a site that links to pictures and a article?

 

whats the wheel base on the expy vs. the ranger? if they are different youll have to massage the body some so it will look right. also you have have to relocate some cab mounts as im sure they are different. even the BII and ranger body mounts are different. i have helped do a ranger to BII frame and had to add mounts for the back of the ranger cab, the BII rear cab mounts where further back. IMOP i think it would be easier to drop the axles, axle pivot mounts and the radious arm mounts and switch all that over to the ranger body. though keep in mind the 4x4 rangers had an offset engine crossmember to clear the front pumpkin (this is why the 4x4 engine mounts differ from the 2wd engine mounts so the engine is still centerline while the x member is not) just some thoughts.

 

I've never done a body swap, but I have done an engine swap and lifted a Chevy, so here's the best I know to tell you:

If you're leaving the engine in the Explorer, you'll need to unplug all the wiring harnesses on the firewall, as well as the harness near the back of the truck for the brake lights. You'll need to disconnect the steering shaft, A/C lines, the brake lines, the clutch line, throttle cable, and I'm sure countless other things I'm forgetting.

The easiest way to do it is to unhook everything you can see (I recommend using tape to label it all), then undo the body mounts and SLOWLY raise the body, constantly looking for anything that's binding. You'll need to remove the shifter from the Exploder tranny (and the t-case shifter, if it's a manual t-case).

The Ranger's gonna be the same way.

When we lifted my buddy's Chev 1500, we had one guy on each side jacking it slowly up at the same rate, while two more of us looked around everywhere to watch for ANYTHING that could bind. It's tedious and time consuming, but I'd say it's easier than a suspension swap, especially since once you get the Exploder body off, the rest will be a comparative cakewalk.

If you decide to keep the auto, swap it while the bodies are off. If you decide to keep the manual, you'll need to of course move the clutch master cylinder, pedals, etc, over to the Ranger.

 

Swapable, but some explorers had torsion bars instead of springs.