The weakest points of the 88 are the 28 spline axles 118 inches in diameter. Doing a couple of quick searches for replacement 88 inch rear axles we found them readily abundant and relatively cheap at most salvage yards.
Ford Axle History And Identification Ford Differentials
Ford 8 8 rear end width chart. Ford ranger 88 5675. Newest july 8 2020 budget body swap 1962 chevy c30 on a 95 dodge 44 dually chassis builds and examples. Rear end track width measurements of classic american cars including chevrolet ford and mopar vehicle rear axle widths. The ford 75 inch axle was standard on the non 40 v 6 models. There are 24 different fords that offered the 88 rear axle. The axle width chart we will post online will give further dimension information.
The base rear end in the ranger has been the ford 75 inch. While the 88 is similar to the 12 bolt it isnt identical. First appearing in 1977 the 88 is found in almost all ford v8 cars from 1986 on and in v6 rangers and explorers. Some differential experts tell you that the blue oval engineers copied the 12 bolt design when they came up with the 88 inch axle. The 88 is found in almost all ford v8 cars from 86 on and in v6 rangers and explorers. Not all ford rangers came with 88 inch rears.
The ford 88 inch is very similar to the general motors gm 878 inch 12 bolt axle. A 308 to 1 non limited slip from a 1992 ranger was only 35000 complete. There are 24 different fords that offered the 88 rear axle and well show you. Ford explorer 88 narrowed w2 short side axles. Pretty cheap when you consider aftermarket. The 31 spline axles 129 inches in diameter are more desirable but far less common.
When ford introduced the 40 v 6 into the ranger in 1990 it came with a 88 inch 28 spline rear axle.