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2008 Ranger, OM617 Diesel, M5R2 5sp, Dana 20, EB 44 / 9"


TrackHoeOperator

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This is my first post on this forum and I'd like to thank you all for the great resource you've been for me in the last week since I decided to rebuild one of my company trucks.

I have a 2008 Ranger that is a company take home truck for one of my foremen. It is an extended cab, 3.0v6, 2wd, 220K miles. I bought it from the original owner who was a large corporation and it was in great shape for only $2500.

I have axle swapped 4x4's of various makes before, built custom suspensions, and swapped motors. I've managed a trucking maintenance shop that re-powered older semis with newer and stronger motors and axles, many times while also adding cranes or custom work body additions onto the rebuild. I hope you guys can point me in the right direction to source the best parts, and answer some engineering questions. To me the fabrication and financials are not a big deal, I'd just rather buy the right things once if that makes sense.

So far I have the following complete vehicles:

2008 Ranger 2wd, Extended Cab, 3.0v6
1984 Mercedes 300D, OM617 5cyl Turbo, Auto
1976 Early Bronco, D44, 9", D20

I got the Mercedes for free in leiu of some interest on a past due invoice. It runs and drives good. I found the bronco in a rail yard 2 days later, trees growing through it, body rusted paper thin. I paid $700 for the bronco.

I stopped at a junk yard near the bronco and picked up a 2003 F150 M5R2 4wd for $350.

My current plan is to mate the Om617 to the M5R2 with the Mercedes 4x4 adapter, or make my own. Mate the trans to Dana 20 case with Advance Adapters kit for a ZF5 or make my own.

The front and rear axles will get a full rebuild and proper gearing. I want to build the suspension so this truck looks as unmodified as possible, a low lift and 33 or 34" tires. This is a work truck for a construction foreman to zip around in, it needs to be strong, get through rough development sites, and shoot black shit out at stop lights.


I pieced together that an ED D44 front end was best for the ranger from this forum, along with many other tid bits of information. Below are some of my current questions for everyone. I've extensively search and have found good information, but none of it relates to my application in particular. Please direct me to which forum is best for particular questions, or what is the best way to solve these engineering challenges.


Current Questions:

1. What steering box will be best to use for this build? With the narrow Merc diesel I am inclined to go with something OEM Ford thats inside the frame rails. I also have the donor bronco and can use that box, has anyone used one of those and are there any clearance issues with tires/rims seeing that its outside of the frame?

2. Of all of you out there who have done a SAS with a D44, how conservative can you keep ride height while maintaining appropriate clearances and up travel? Height wise want to end up with something that looks like a late model FX4 with a 2-3" spring lift sitting on 33 or 34" tires.

3. I want to use the 9" rear from the bronco because I have it but if you all confirm with 100% certainty that the lack of the 2" offset is going to give me driveshaft / fuel tank trouble I will get a 2010-11 FX4 Ranger Disc 8.8 Rear from a junk yard.

4. The TRS tech article states my '08 gets its speedo signal from the OSS sensor at the transmission. Does anyone have any experience replacing a powertrain and keeping the stock speedo?



Any help is appreciated, and I will try to answer any questions or comments about this project. I will most likely be gathering parts and rebuilding/refreshing the motor/trans/axles/misc until February. When all parts are ready and all of the engineering challenges are solved I'll throw 3-4 employees on this for a full week and get er done.

Michigan has no emissions testing or inspections of any kind. A complete rebuild and rework on an 08 is just fine here. Because the Ranger has over 200K on the clock and is a company vehicle every dollar of parts and labor is also one big tax write off.

Cheers :beer:
 


Captain Ledd

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Other: The Bronco transmission "M5OD-R2", where as the Ranger transmission is a "M5OD-R1". Just mentioning that since people often confuse the two, there is nothing in common between them except name only. Technically an R2 is a scaled up R1, but other than that, only superficial parts will swap (bolts, etc.). So that adapter plate will need to work for a SBF pattern if you're keeping the M5OD-R2's clutch bellhousing. Just making sure you know what you have/need.

1. The EB box is probably your best bet. Modify frame to fit (add a flat plate, may or may not need to notch things)

2. Haven't done that personally, but you could chop the frame from the cab forward and redo it with 2x4x1/8" or 3/16" ( the 3/16" arguably better) rectangle tube to get the arch up higher. This could also negate steering box mounting issues.

3. can't comment.

4. '95-'97 Rangers used a converter doohickie on the speedo port which used the standard gear setup, but ran right into a hall sensor that converted it to an electric signal. From there you can use a speedometer signal converter box (so you have the option of changing the gears, as well as a box, which you'll probably still need), Dakota Digital I've heard makes a good one. Might want to call around to make sure the box will work though. I think the hall sensor is a once around signal, while the one off the axle (your 2008), is a 36-1 tooth configuration, it might be more, it's a big ring that goes on the backside of the ring gear. Vastly different signal though. Most ford mechanical speedo's I've found to be the same, so it should swap.

Edit:
http://www.dakotadigital.com/index.cfm/page/ptype=product/product_id=126/category_id=287/mode=prod/prd126.htm
 
Last edited:

TrackHoeOperator

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Ledd,

The transmission I got is from a 2003 F150. Yes it is an M5OD-R2. From what I found on this site, a few misc bronco forums, and pirate 4x4, the earlier generations of the M5OD-R2s such as those in full size broncos and their F150 brethren have a top plate with a forward mounted shifter, compared to the post 1999 F150 units with the shifter mounted ti the rear of the top plate. Most comments I found suggested that the shifter towards the rear of transmission works best on a 2001-2011 Ranger. The older variations will have the shifter coming up nearly under the dash in newer rangers.



Any input on this:

A google search of "ford ranger frame differences" leads you to a bunch of various forum links with the general consensus being that 2001-2011 Rangers share frame architecture.

Small misc bracketry for harness ties etc. and differences between 2wd and 4wd don't matter to me at all. I found a local 2002 with a title, extended cab shell w/ front clip, and straight clean frame for $200. A donor frame would simplify things for me. Building a rolling chassis lets my guys roll around on stools with good light.

Will my extended cab long bed 2008 body and bed fit to the body mounts of the 2002 frame from a truck with the same body and bed configuration? All things point to 2001 to 2011 being the same basic truck at its core. If thats the case body mounting points should not have changed. Does anyone know for sure?


ABS tech:

Does anyone on here know the ins and outs of how that system works?

Better yet, is there anyone with a PDF copy of Ford's engineering report on how the system functions? Not a parts and repair manual, the document from their mechanical engineers explaining the function and interaction between parts and programming of they ECU. Complete system design and function for ABS is usually a standard safety document from the engineers who designed it. Is one floating around on here?
 

pjtoledo

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Michigan eh? some of us may want to stop by and observe the work in progress.

there are a couple guys on Ford truck enthusiasts forum that are good for technical info. ford-trucks.com
 

Captain Ledd

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If you're not making mistakes, you're not learning.
Just making sure you didn't confuse the full size version with the Ranger version. :icon_thumby:

Frames: Yes, in theory, the consensus is that those frames will swap.

ABS: For those model years it should be that the front wheels have their own sensors, and the rear is off the carrier tone ring. I don't think the rear got independent ABS until they went to disks in the rear at the very end of production. All you need for the system to work is a ring that mimics the shape/graduations of what's on there. It's just a magnetic pickup. Might involve some machining either of new stock, or retrofitting the Ranger rings onto something and building a bracket for the pickup. You should be able to cut and splice the wires to whatever length you need as long as one side isn't ludicrously longer than the other.
 

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