Upgrading our 98 Ford Ranger to a 8.8 Limited Slip Differential (Part 1)
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- čas přidán 7. 09. 2024
- This video is the first in a 2 part series where we upgrade the rear end on our 1998 Ford Ranger from the stock 7.5 rear end to an 8.8 rear end with a limited slip differential.
So a couple of things. After replacing the rear end with the 8.8. You are going to need to change the gear ratio in the cluster, otherwise your speedometer will be off, and I don't know by how much.
The second thing is that those shocks are supposed to be that way. They don't support any weight. That's what the springs are for. The shocks are designed to absorb road vibrations. They do that using oil inside them, and that oil is moved back and forth across a valve or hole plate on the rod end. The slower you push, the less resistance you will feel in the shock.
I have the 8.8 in my 2000 Ford Ranger, and have only needed a LS rear end once in the last almost 23 years I have owned the truck. That rear end is going to change the way the truck handles in tight turns as well. So be aware.
only needed it once? i’ve got three words for ya. rain, parking lots.
@@Tyler-dw4zy what are you talking about? I have an open diff. I was saying that there's only been 1 time I got stuck, and a LS or locker would have kept that from happening. I had parked on the side of the street after a snow. My left tire was on pavement, and the right was on ice. I had to get a push to get going. It was the only time my truck has been stuck, and it was the dumbest situation... LOL
@@granitecowboy2199 What I'm saying is the reason youd swap to an LS diff is to be a jackass with it lol, you dont do it for practicality reasons. Otherwise youd just buy one with an LS diff
They look like two of the pep boys.
Just swapped a 4:10 into mine...HUGE difference!
So ironically the axle tag claimed this was a 4.10 however I have recently disassembled it and swapped it to a 5.14. During that disassembly I found that the previously owner of the car this axle came off of had swapped it to a 3.73. Fortunately the 5.14 has made a huge difference!
Do you have to give it more rpm’s to get moving faster with 4.10’s compared to the smaller gears?
Doing this to a 4.56 have the 4.10 now
Mine came with stock 8.8 and 556 gears. If it wasn't for that I don't think the engine would pull my trailer 🤣
Awesome video--looking to do this exact modification myself before the harsh winter comes. Beautiful truck, by the way 👍
Thanks, she’s a trooper and puts up with pretty much anything we throw at her 😂
@@RKAdventures45 you guys did a great job, my ranger came equipped with the 410 LS.
@@Drumsticksmcgee I have the 4.10 as well, but it doesn't have LS. Kind of an expensive upgrade too when I have only needed it once in the last 23 years I have owned my truck.
@granitecowboy2199 yeah I think this upgrade is overkill for most people in most situations. I have the 8.8 open diff in my 2011 Ranger... truck handles just fine on slippery surfaces after flipping to 4x4. Even better with weight in the bed.
I have a same year Mazda b4000, looking to change to limited slip diff.
Thinking of also added stronger leaf springs and an air ride system for the rear suspension
I would have replaced the clutch packs guys, those wear out significantly after 30-40k
I ended up taking this apart, re-gearing it and replacing the clutches shortly after.
I was told to use explorer rear end. I'm swapping mine with a limited slip for better traction.
We went with one off of a Ranger that had a limited slip diff since it was a more direct fit. If I remember correctly the explorer one has disc brakes and requires some cutting and welding to mount up.
Keep it up y’all
the original rear end is a 7.75 :) just fyi. also its too late now but if you use an explorer 8.8 they come with discs instead of drums... now you know for next time :)
Are you sure it’s a 7.75? The ranger station claims they are all 7.5 or 8.8: www.therangerstation.com/tech/ford-ranger-rear-axles/. I did see that about the explorer rears however those do require a welder which I unfortunately do not have access to, so I just went ahead with the bolt on option, I do much prefer working on disk brakes over drums tho ;)
Yeahhhh no. All sources (including the manufacturer) indicate this generation of Rangers shipped with either a 7.5" or 8.8" rear differential (and rarely a 6-7/8", apparently). Maybe the newer 2019-style rangers come with a 7.75", but not these. Installing an Explorer rear end involves installing new brake lines, a proportioning valve, dropping the rear of the truck (or modifying the leaf spring mounts on the Explorer rear end). Installing a used Ranger diff is the most economical option by far. Plus, unless you're doing a lot of towing, the increase in braking performance would be negligible with no weight over the rear axle.
rangers came with 7.5 or the lil 8.8 (a mix of a 7.5 and 8.8 guts) your best straight forward update is a 31 spline 8.8 with drums. i just got a 8.8 out of a 93 exploder with both leaf springs for under 90 dollars (one leaf spring is bad however) im in the process of cleaning, changing fluids and repairing the leaf springs, is going to upgrade my old 92 ranger
I have a 200 ford ranger 2.5 liter. If I want to add a 8.8 limited slip differential do I need to replace the whole rear axle as well or could I just replace gears inside the gear box with the limited slip in the stock rear axle? Please help new to this.
The stock axle is a 7.5 open differential. Ford only makes a limited slip in the 8.8 so you cannot just replace the gears inside. If you are new to all of this I will say actually messing with the gears inside the differential is one of the most difficult jobs on the whole car in my opinion because getting the gear setup is very difficult and requires a lot of trial and error. For reference I was able to rebuild the engine right on this ranger the first try but it took me 4 tries on rebuilding the internals of the differential to get it right the first time. There's a good EricTheCarGuy series on rebuilding 8.8s if you are interested, he had a huge amount of trouble as well. I think there is an option to drop a lunchbox locker into the 7.5 although I haven't done much research on that route. But basically the short of it is you need an 8.8 if you want a LSD.
@@RKAdventures45 Incorrect, Ford does indeed make a 7.5 limited slip, code is F6 for 3:73 limited slip, just picked one up at pull-a-part from a 2004 Ranger, swapping into my 1999 Mazda B2500 now.
@@JosephMitchell-ng1rl this is true, they do, but pretty rare in my experience. Been looking for one for a while... Thinking about just throwing in a locker at this point
Hey friends.
Can you help me ?
Which code of diferencial is ? F6 or R6 ?? Please answer
F6 is the 7.5 inch version, R6 is the 8.8 inch version. Since this is the 8.8 it is the R6 version.
@@RKAdventures45 appreciate it.
R6 is 8.8 with 3.73 gearing
R7 is 8.8 with 4.10 gearing
@@DG-oq8hj thanks for your help.
What year and model did the 8.8 lsd come out of?
I believe it was a 97 4x4 Ford Ranger.
Yeah those shocks were fine lol
I have a Ranger 97 2.3 gasoline. Please help !!
Oops there’s a Kyle hair in your RTV……….
Has blood, sweat and hair in that build, lol