The Ford 9" is a decent axle. I got mine from a '79 Bronco. It's a full width axle, but I'm certain the EB axle would involve exactly the same work to install it. The only difference between the 2 is width and pinion yoke. They use a 5.5 x 5 bolt pattern so you'll be looking for new rims or an adapter plate. My stock 1990 hand brake cables fit the 9 inch perfectly with no mods needed, so that's one less thing.
I have changed my rear suspension so many times that I can't count. The best by far has been to cut the spring perches and shock mounts off the axle and move them to the stock Ranger location. It gave me the best articulation and the bext ride quality. Plus you can adjust your pinion angle to run a CV driveshaft. You WILL have to do this once you convert to a solid axle in the front as the mininum lift you can run is 6 inches. 8 inch lift would be recommended, but I'll go into that in my front axle install. The bonus to this is if you grab the axles from the bronco, you can grab the driveshafts as well. Then you're only looking at lengthening the stock bronco driveshaft. The only thing to note is the driveshaft to transfer case flange. The '78 bronco used a 1310 U-joint, which will fit the pre-'98 rangers perfectly. The '79s use a 1330 u-joint which requires an adapter u-joint and a new CV driveshaft flange. Nothing too serious. I know this is a really short writeup, but to be honest it's a very simple install. With a welder and a grinder you can do this in an afternoon. Only time delay is getting the driveshaft lengthened. Took 2 days for them to do mine. Feel free to ask any questions.
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I have changed my rear suspension so many times that I can't count. The best by far has been to cut the spring perches and shock mounts off the axle and move them to the stock Ranger location. It gave me the best articulation and the bext ride quality. Plus you can adjust your pinion angle to run a CV driveshaft. You WILL have to do this once you convert to a solid axle in the front as the mininum lift you can run is 6 inches. 8 inch lift would be recommended, but I'll go into that in my front axle install. The bonus to this is if you grab the axles from the bronco, you can grab the driveshafts as well. Then you're only looking at lengthening the stock bronco driveshaft. The only thing to note is the driveshaft to transfer case flange. The '78 bronco used a 1310 U-joint, which will fit the pre-'98 rangers perfectly. The '79s use a 1330 u-joint which requires an adapter u-joint and a new CV driveshaft flange. Nothing too serious. I know this is a really short writeup, but to be honest it's a very simple install. With a welder and a grinder you can do this in an afternoon. Only time delay is getting the driveshaft lengthened. Took 2 days for them to do mine. Feel free to ask any questions.
