Looking for a good 5-speed to run

I need a better tranny. That sums it up. This junk mitsu tranny just plain sucks. I guess I can't bolt any other t-cases up to it. The truck is mainly an off-road play toy and I'd like to get a better t-case setup someday. My clutch is getting ready to go and I don't want to spend the money on a clutch for a tranny that I don't plan on keeping in it. I don't really have the money right now to spend on it being as how I need to get the rearend problem figured out first, so the cheaper the better. T-case wise, I'm just looking to twin or tri-stick one to control the front and rear independently and so forth and so on. Anyone got any opinions?

Well the M5OD is a great tranny when kept maintained... But that will offer nothing to a twin stick t-case unless you make an adapter.

You know what, I'm an idiot and had them backwards. I have the Mazda tranny, M50D. My buddy has the Mitsu that advance does make adaptors for. They don't make them for the M50D. The M50D also has that fixed bell housing instead of the seperate tranny and housing. Sooo, what's better than the M50D?

the M5OD is by far the most reliable tranny used in any RBV...so changing to any other RBV case is going to be a downgrade in durability (even if it gives you the option for a better t-case). i thought atlas made a twin stick for rangers?

the only real advantage to a twin stick is the fact that you can disengage the rear driveline in the event of drive shaft failure. aside from that, you can do pretty much everything with a manual t-case and hubs that you can with a twin stick (eg. use low range in 2wd...such as on high traction surfaces like pavement).

Wicked_Sludge said:

the M5OD is by far the most reliable tranny used in any RBV...so changing to any other RBV case is going to be a downgrade in durability (even if it gives you the option for a better t-case). i thought atlas made a twin stick for rangers?

the only real advantage to a twin stick is the fact that you can disengage the rear driveline in the event of drive shaft failure. aside from that, you can do pretty much everything with a manual t-case and hubs that you can with a twin stick (eg. use low range in 2wd...such as on high traction surfaces like pavement).

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To my knowledge, atlas makes a case for rangers, just no adaptor for the m50d. As for your comment on twin sticking, you have a point, unlock the hubs and you have 2-lo. However, The stick is not the only thing I'm looking to achieve. I'd like to get a lower crawl ratio through the case. I have 4.56 gears but Id like more crawl without sacrificing axles and gears. Also, reading in the tech library, It says of things going wrong with the m50d. None of the others really say much about thing going wrong. Well, if sticking with that is my best bet, so be it. It would definitely be cheaper than trying to find another tranny.

not sure why the tech library only mentions problems with the M5OD...probably due to the sheer numbers produced. the mitsu and toyo koygo trannies are less then impressive and are a big downgrade in strength and durability.

if you want a deeper gear ratio..how about a doubler? you get to keep your stock tranny and t-case, and the kit for the doubler is only a few hundred bucks.

Wicked_Sludge said:

not sure why the tech library only mentions problems with the M5OD...probably due to the sheer numbers produced. the mitsu and toyo koygo trannies are less then impressive and are a big downgrade in strength and durability.

if you want a deeper gear ratio..how about a doubler? you get to keep your stock tranny and t-case, and the kit for the doubler is only a few hundred bucks.

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Send me your M50D and I'll send you my fm146...lol....that's the tranny I'm looking for.

I'd go with the doubler setup.

Doublein' it up sounds good. The only thing I can think where that may be a problem is driveshaft angle. I only have a reg cab long bed. But, I reckon if they can do it in the Jeeps, with a shorter wheel base, I can do it. Now, I need to find how to adapt to my t-case and what a good case would be to run with it. Don't have any extra power, just a stock 4.0 and the 4.56s and 35-12.50s, so some durability without being a rockwell sized would be great!

run any manual shift 1350 or 1354. driveline angles will only be a problem if you have a ton of lift. theres a company somewhere that sells the "kit" to convert a 1350/4 into a doubler case. the installation looks to be almost bolt-in (especially if you back it with a electric shift case).

For your driveshaft problem you'll want to have about 1-1.5 degrees less pinion angle than the driveshaft angle at ride height. This is using a cv u-joint setup at the transer case and the single joint and slipyoke at the pinion. I've had good results with the slip-yoke down at the rear pinion (and you get a lil more ground clearance that way too)

footee said:

To my knowledge, atlas makes a case for rangers, just no adaptor for the m50d. As for your comment on twin sticking, you have a point, unlock the hubs and you have 2-lo. However, The stick is not the only thing I'm looking to achieve. I'd like to get a lower crawl ratio through the case. I have 4.56 gears but Id like more crawl without sacrificing axles and gears. Also, reading in the tech library, It says of things going wrong with the m50d. None of the others really say much about thing going wrong. Well, if sticking with that is my best bet, so be it. It would definitely be cheaper than trying to find another tranny.

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Uh, dude... the RBV Atlas bolts up to ALL RBV transmissions.

Thanks for coming...