Ford explorer 8.8 rear end swap into a 71

It sounds like some owners are having success with manual brakes but it sounds like its not so straight forward if you have power brakes. I have power brakes. I pulled the trigger on the Leeds kit because I would like to keep the power brakes and I like things working how they are supposed to. I am going to edit my OP to include a parts/price list, measurements, and to do list...

EDIT: I updated the OP with the above information.

So far I am $1,071 all in barring any unexpected costs. A little higher than I wanted but realistically not too bad for what I am getting. If my car had manual brakes and I didn't want to replace the brakes, I could have been all in for ~$530

351mach1 said:

I pulled the trigger on the Leeds kit because I would like to keep the power brakes and I like things working how they are supposed to.

Click to expand...

Does the leed kit work with the existing steel lines in the car?

I hope so. I'll be a guinea pig and find out...

https://leedbrakes.com/i-21155648-h...h-adjustable-valve-for-1971-1973-mustang.html

"Upgrade your manual brake car to a 9 in. slimline power booster and a 1 in. dual bore master cylinder with our quick install hydraulic brake booster kit. This 1971-73 Mustang power booster kit allows you to upgrade your factory manual brake car in no time. In this 1971-73 Mustang hydraulic brake booster kit you receive the brake lines necessary to route from the new master cylinder to your factory distribution block. Additionally we include an adjustable valve which will be installed to your rear brake line with the hardware supplied. This adjustable valve allows you to fine tune the amount of pressure your rear brakes receive in order to prevent rear wheel lockup. With this 1971-72 Mustang power booster kit you will also receive a pushrod adapter for your factory brake pedal. A great hydraulic brake booster kit with a factory look and easy installation!"

and on summit:
"Notes:
Includes an adjustable proportioning valve. Compatible with disc/drum or disc/disc brake setups."

Summit review:

Master cylinder/booster combo​

I was very skeptical about this combo. The size of the booster made me have cause for concern. The thing fit my 73 Mach 1 better than the original and I run a 460 big block. It is smaller in diameter than the original so I had to remove the valve cover to remove the stock booster but the new one is the same depth as the old one and clears the valve cover with no problem. This new booster and master work great. Only put about 200 miles on car so far but without one problem. If you are worried about this not working on the 73 mustang (they seem to be a one year only) don't be. Fit was perfect and brakes stop great.

What are your plans for driveshaft? For some reason I thought mine needed shortened.

Also I did quick half assed measurement of 54 3/4” from backing plate to backing plate for the width of the Sport trac rearend. That’s not axle flange to axle flange. Didn’t feel like jacking up my car and taking wheels off. So backside of rotor backing plate to backside of rotor backing plate.

Good question about the driveshaft! My current driveshaft is a hacked up POS that the P/O frankensteined in there. My end goal is to swap my C6 for a TKX 5 speed. I would really like to find the aluminum pot of gold in the scrap yard. Every aluminum driveshaft I found was destroyed from the fork lift unfortunately. My current driveshaft measures 48" and is probably 1/2" too short as it is. I am hoping that your information on the driveshaft needing slight shortening is correct as that would put me at exactly perfect with my current driveshaft. Then, when I do the TKX swap, I will try to find a non damaged aluminum driveshaft from the scrap yard and have it cut to size or have the local driveline shop fab one up for me at the correct length with my set up.

Thinking through pinion angle has led me to this useful page: https://www.diyford.com/ford-restomod-rear-suspension-guide/

Making some progress. Cutting off the old perches are really not fun. Grinding wheel and sawzall. Took several hours to make them nice. Neighbor has a plasma cutter that I'm thinking maybe I should have tried. Was worried about blowing a hole through the axle tube. We had 30 mph winds yesterday so I ended up doing it in the garage. It makes a huge mess. Best left as an outside job. I may end up leaving the passenger side perch as it leaves the OEM location for attaching the brakes. Will need to fab up driver side brake line attachment. Will post better photos when I get to that point and explain better.