I am seriously going to be building up a 90 ranger(A friend has a nice one I can get a good deal on)and I am wondering what kind of suspension/brake upgrades are available or that can be made to fit onto this ranger.In the suspension I am not looking for a road racing suspension but something that lowers it several inches and CAN go around corners pretty good,at least as good as a stock 5.0 fox(87-93 stang) body mustang.I am either going to get real cobra r 17" wheels or 98 or 99 mustang cobra wheels for it with something like 245 or 255 40-17's.For the brakes does anybody make a 4 wheel disk brake setup or know of a way to fit brake component upgrades from other vehicles,like explorers.If nobody makes a 4 wheel disk brake kit for the older ranger then can you make a explorer brake kit work,do they even have good brake kits for the explorer?

I dont want to say money is no object but I am not on the tightest budget nor am I made out of money like Im donald trump.That being said I probably wouldnt mind spending a bit on it,especially the braking system.

Here is what I plan to do to the truck:
-Cobra R wheels or 98 or 99 mustang cobra wheels w 17" tires
-5.0 engine swap- engine would probably be a new 306 with AFR 165 heads,a mild cam,and a good intake like a trick flow.
-A T-5Z trans that was from my mustang
-The appropriate 8.8" rearend(I may keep the 7.5 until it blows)
-Fox body(87-93)mustang vert mirrors
-Ford explorer 'limited' front bumper and lower front ground effect
-Explorer grill
-A tail gate cover and a roll pan
-some kind of lowered performance suspension and brakes
-A mach 1 type hood(like on the red ranger on the main page)

There is a lot more odds and ends I will do that I havent listed(like upgraded radiator,dual exhaust,etc.).I also havent exactly figured on what I will do with the interior but it would probably included upgraded seats,wheel and stereo.

For the 8.8" Explorer rear disc conversion:
go here........ (http://www.therangerstation.com/Explorer8_8.html)

The only thing I've ever seen for front brake upgrades are PowerSlot Rotors from truckperformance.com Other than that you can get some nice brake pads, such as Performance Friction and switch over to Ford Heavy Duty Brake Fluid.

One word of advice. If you really have your heart set on buying Cobra R's or other Cobra rims, test fit them before you buy them. Find a friend with a Cobra and ask nicely. Reason I say this is because my friend had a '91 Ranger, and went off to buy some Cobra rims (not the R's, the regular ones). He put them on his Ranger, and they rubbed the fenders like a mofo. I myself have tried to put those 17" tri-bar GT wheels on my '91, and they rubbed like a mofo. And both our trucks are stock height, and both sets of wheels had 245/45/R17 tires on them. You may run in to even more problems since you were mentioning lowering.

As far as lowering, your gonna have to research it to see how much of a drop you really want. Companies such as Belltech, Chassis Tech, DJM (just to name a few) make kits for the Ranger, however, if you really want the rear disc brakes, you're gonna be converting to an Explorer suspension setup basically, so you're gonna have to see how to work that in with the lowering kit.

Other than that, it sounds like you're gonna end up with one nice truck, and if you do start working on it, keep us posted, we always enjoy seeing pics :)

Check out The Ranger Station (http://www.therangerstation.com), it has a lot of information on swaps and stuff that might benefit you. And of course, posting here always works just as well.

The Explorer Rear Disc brakes will not bolt to the axle flange of the Ranger!! Yes, they have the same 8.8 but the Explorer uses a larger flange for the larger axle bearings and they are totally different then the ranger, I know this for certain I have tried.

The link to the article is correct but if you'll notice they're putting it in a early model explorer not a ranger.

The Mustang brakes will bolt to the ranger housing BUT the offset of the axle flange is to short on the ranger so when you slide the rotor on the axle it hits. So the late model Mustang rear disc brakes won't work!! I know for certain I've tried.

I've heard of someone using the SVO rear disc brakes on a ranger, thats the only one i havn't tried so I don't know about that one.

Stainless Steel Brakes Co. ( I think thats the name?) makes a kit for the 7.5 that will fit on a 8.8 with little modifcation. RSPlash40 on here has used it. the only problem with it is it cost upwards of $600. Later Doug904.

Originally posted by Doug904
The link to the article is correct but if you'll notice they're putting it in a early model explorer not a ranger.


Well poop...my bad! I thought that was the one where they put it on a Ranger....There is an article out there...I'll find it :)

But Doug is right, Stainless Steel Brakes now makes a kit that can be fit on the 8.8".

On my '92, I'm running 17x8 98 Cobra wheels with 245/40/17 tires. You'll run into trouble with the front wheels, having to use 1/4" spacers. Also, you can't turn and fully lock the wheels since they'll rub. I also have the truck lowered 3/4 with the DJM drop kit. I replaced as many bushings as possible (I-beam, front & rear sway bars, leaf springs, etc.) with Energy Suspension bushings. This made a BIG difference in the ride quality. It tightened up the truck alot. Alot of fun on twisty roads. :)

Hey Jorge,do you have any pics of your truck you could send me? They used to be on this site but the galleries arent up anymore.


s.adkins@home.com

Thanks.

Didn't read all the posts cuz I wasn't really interested, but make sure and check out the Group Purchase board. Wayne(Ranger4dbz) has a group purchase going for cross-drilled and slotted rotors for the front for really cheap. Check it out, they also make rear disc conversions for the 7.5, but they run like 600.00.