ok, and the cherokee will have the slip joint that goes into the transfer-case or use the slip joint from the ranger shaft and where the u joint on the slip joint end to the front diff. use the cherokee shaft? because i have the BW 1350 with the slip joint in the transfer-case, not the 1354. any help would be great, thanks.

 

Ohhh I thought you had a yoke on the t case, and I figured the newer style you were talking about was the bowl style cv joint on the newer t case side. I have no info on any Slip joint shafts other then to take your completed swap into a driveline shop and they will piece together a shaft for you. Not very expensive either. In that case its usually cheaper to start with a shaft and have it modified, so use your shaft you have now and take it in to be modified

 

ya, thats what i figured, thanks for the info.

 

even better, find a slip joint shaft along with your stock unit, then they just gotta re-pipe it to length and balance it. probably a $100-$150 job

 

My 1992 ford ranger 2x4 with the mazda m5od-r1 has the speed sensor on the tranni idk if the 4x4 trannys are different in that prespective just thought id throw my 2 cents in there

 

I don't know if it was ever mentioned, but a 1354 from an older Explorer or Ranger works great. Then use a 95-96 Explorer front DS and it all bolts up without modification.

When Justin and I did my swap, that's how we did it. Worked great and I beat it pretty hard at the Dunes without any issues at all.

 

Thanks man, I've been hooked up to the 1350 with a shortened b2 front shaft. I don't beat on it bad but the 4x4 works great for what I need it to do. Been about 3 or so years problem free (knock on wood)

 

Little update.... Here's how the truck sits now. Never know when u need tow straps, people at my apt complex seem to love getting stuck in snow piles

 

It's been a while and I thought I'd drop by the old stomping ground to revive my thread from the dead. I've owned this thing for 10 years now and didn't think I'd have it this long. Luckily my company truck takes care of the majority of my mileage but this thing is still kicking through the rust belt when I need it. Hasn't left me stranded once (knock on wood). Just replaced the coil pack and catalytic converters (2nd time)

 

Wow, surprised to see this truck still romping around. Glad you still have it and everything is still working well!

 

Thanks man! I'm surprised too, I probably would have had to get a new daily if I wasn't offered a work truck. I was looking at newer trucks but it seems nearly impossible to find what I'd want so might as well keep this one as long as it'll run!

 

haha yeah back from the dead huh. still looks great! I hadn't been on here in ages as well. seems as though the forum is dead as far as old members anyways. i think facebook groups have killed it.

 

Can't believe I didn't come across this thread when i was researching my 4x4 swap. Glad to see its still kicking after 10 years!

 

Still lookin good.

 

I still have the truck and drive it quite a bit when I'm not using my company truck. However I'm getting a little worried about the frame rust, I've wire brushed it quite a bit and repainted the frame several times. I think the paint has done more harm than good trapping in salt and moisture. Do you guys think this is getting to a dangerous point?












The gas tank strap snapped last week and I've replaced one rear leaf hanger. I'm just worried it's not going to be road worthy and don't want to find out the hard way.

 

Take a screwdriver and start trying to poke holes through the frame. If the screwdriver goes through, you're in trouble. If the frame rails still seem pretty solid, now would be a good time to descale them, prep them, and chassis coat them to hopefully make them last a little bit longer.

 

Thanks man! I haven't jabbed the entire frame yet but so far no holes in it. I'm thinking I need to get a needle scaler and work on getting the rust off. Any recommendations for paint or primer? I've got buddies that are happy with POR15 but I want to know it will hold up

 

Hey 03 or Dewey, did you guys run into PCM issues with the 4x2 to 4x4 transmission swap? The more I look into it, the more I want to swap over and SAS to a D44. I'm an 04 4x2 edge ext cab, but the lack of travel is annoying when going offroad, especially when I'm limited in where I can go. You used an f150 tranny, and that seems to have worked well for you. Would the ranger computer have issued with an explorer transmission and tcase? I need to look more into it, but I'd like a manual case vs the electric one, but not many ranger SOHC 4x4 transmissions around my area, and not many Dana 44 axles around here either. There are a handful of explorers to pull from though.

 

No computer issues with a manual case. I'm sure you could get an electric one to work if you had the right harness/computer but I MO, not worth the effort

 

Dewey

Thanks for the reply. Do you know if the auto 4x2 will still work if I'm able to swap out the 2WD housing and swap in the TC and mounting piece, or do I need to get a full 4x4 Transmission/TC from a donor? It seems like I should just be able to pull it off and swap the TC and bracket in, but I'm not 100% sure.

 

Output shafts are different lengths, so you'll have to find a 4x4 transmission.

 

Fordzilla

Thanks for that. Better start my hunt.

 

Make sure you try to stick with a transmission of similar year, IE you don't want a 4R44E since you have a 5R44E (3.0), or 4R55E and 5R55E if you have a 4.0.

 

I blew a front brake line in May 2020 and it was the first time the ranger has ever been towed. I was less than 2 miles from my house but I live in a valley with no gradual way to safely get down the hills. I started replacing the line but realize how bad the rest of the lines looked (including the fuel lines). Then I noticed a large crack and missing chunk of the frame behind the driver side cab, unfortunately a screwdriver poked holes in the frame all up and down this area. I also noticed that the cab mounts were a hairline away from crumbling away too. I cut my losses and parked it behind the garage where it sat until this January. I tried to sell it for parts a few times but people wanted to try to patch the frame which I know would crumble if it were welded to. I couldn’t let it just rot into the ground anymore so I sold it online to a company that parts out vehicles. It was a great truck, served me well for many years and I knew it’s time on the road was over (for everyone’s safety). Anyway, I figured I’d stop by and write the last chapter for my truck.

I replaced it with a 2011 Tacoma 2wd manual (no options except hubcaps) with a frame inspected and coated by Toyota. I did a few aesthetic things to it so far. I also sold my mustang to free up space/ pay off bills and now have a URD supercharger kit waiting to be installed on the Tacoma (best of both worlds).

Thanks for reading and I highly recommend you coat your frames with fluid film if you live up north!

 

Sorry to see the truck is no more, but all good things must come to an end and all northern trucks usually rust out sooner than later. The new truck looks good, and I'm glad the frame fixes have already been done.