2WD to 4WD

zukirider21 · Feb 25, 2011

alright well heres the situation. i have an 89 2.9 xlt 2wd ranger and im considering picking up a 91 2.9 5spd xlt 4wd with rust issues for the engine, trans, and transfercase.

now my original plan was just to toss everything in and use only the rear driveshaft till i get the money to do my solid axle swap.

BUT, i'm really, really tempted to take the ttb front end out of the 91 and run it for a while since it'll definitely be much better than 2wd, and from what i've been reading this 91 should have the "better" dana 35 (with d35 guts). plus the guy already has nice warn hubs on it. and, i'll already have all the parts

i know, its a pain in the ass switching crossmembers. but just how bad is it? if i have both of the motors out, is it just a matter of cutting rivets and swapping them, then welding or bolting it back in? or will i need to like spread the frame rails apart to get it out or any stupid crap like that? i know i'll have to re-route the front brake lines. no big deal, mine are starting to look sketchy anyways hahahah

zukirider21 · Feb 25, 2011

oh and NO, im not putting my body on the 91 frame

Beanmachine7000 · Feb 25, 2011

Pretty sure you have to spread the frame slightly to get it in... Basically, alot more of a PITA than buying a cheap 4x4... Anything can be done though!

zukirider21 · Feb 25, 2011

hmmm well i dont really wanna risk tweaking anything and i dont wanna have to pull the cab either.

ill take a better look at how it's all put together tomorrow.

straycat · Feb 25, 2011

2wd to 4wd is a big wast of money. This has been posted way too many times. Use the search button. Buy a real 4wd if you want one that bad.

zukirider21 · Feb 26, 2011

1- no. and 2- i know people have posted this before but i have SPECIFIC questions that haven't been answered. and if im not willing to swap bodies, i'm obviously not willing to get an entire 4wd truck.

why waste youre time bitching at me if you can't even contribute?

lethal-threat-b288 · Feb 26, 2011

hey no arguing, grown adults please... and your crossmember is the same. it shoud be a strait bolt in... but you need to change out the ibeam brackets. and if you are going from an auto to a 5 speed you need the pedals clutch master cyl and the neutral switch. but the trans crossmember is diffrent! no its the same ust the mount is diffrent. good luck

JohnnyO · Feb 26, 2011

zukirider21 said:
1- no. and 2- i know people have posted this before but i have SPECIFIC questions that haven't been answered. and if im not willing to swap bodies, i'm obviously not willing to get an entire 4wd truck.

why waste youre time bitching at me if you can't even contribute?

It's just been asked many times already.
Trying to do it stock is not worth the time and money because the front end of the frame is different. Easiest is really to use the 4x4 tranny, t-case, and driveshafts and do a SAS.

ranger · Feb 26, 2011

I'm pretty sure it does not have a d35 if it is a 2.9. I think they only put the d35 in rangers with the 4.0. correct me if i'm wrong.

cammeddrz · Feb 26, 2011

zukirider21 said:
oh and NO, im not putting my body on the 91 frame

zukirider21 said:
i dont wanna have to pull the cab

don't be intimidated by the job, it's not too many things to disconnect, and i lifted mine in my driveway with basic tools, and mine is a BII which is waaaaaaaaay heavier than the cab of a ranger

scotts90ranger · Feb 26, 2011

yeah, if you get 4 people with good backs and take your time getting the seats and stuff out, swapping cabs isn't really all that hard, that's what I did on mine...

the crossmember is welded and riveted to the frame... the frame rails are the same other than the boxed portion in front of the engine crossmember on the passenger side.

and for the record, all mid year '90 to '92 ranger 4x4's have real D35's, '93-97 was when they made the oddball hybrid's

adsm08 · Feb 26, 2011

Ok, answer this: Why are you unwilling to just throw your body on the 91 frame? Is that frame rotten, or do you just not want to do a body-off?

That has bearing on how you SHOULD go about doing this.

cammeddrz · Feb 26, 2011

adsm08 said:
do you just not want to do a body-off?

i think he covered that when he said this:

zukirider21 said:
i dont wanna have to pull the cab

adsm08 · Feb 26, 2011

cammeddrz said:
i think he covered that when he said this:

Yes, but I am looking for a better reason than "Because I don't want to".

There is a big difference between "I don't want to because I don't and that's why I'm not going the easy route" and "I have a legit reason for not wanting to take the cab off". Something like "My cab is so rusty I'm afraid it will fall apart if asked to support it's own weight for an hour," or "I'm afraid that my mechanical skills will be exceeded by this task and thus I will never trust my truck again," or "I don't have the manpower, money, equipment or time/backup vehicle to do this,".

straycat · Feb 26, 2011

JohnnyO said:
It's just been asked many times already.
Trying to do it stock is not worth the time and money because the front end of the frame is different. Easiest is really to use the 4x4 tranny, t-case, and driveshafts and do a SAS.

^^^What he said and what we all have said about the swap!!!!

2WD to 4WD

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