Please help a desperate newb!!!!

[macd7919]

Hey guys, I have a 1989 Bronco ii 2wd. On thanksgiving day the transmission blew out on me in the middle of nowhere leaving me on the side of the road in the rain for 7 hours.

Anyways, long story short, I had a tranny shop check it out and they said it seems that 5th gear welded itself to the shaft so.....I need to find a new transmission. I have heard people saying other transmissions will fit etc.. Could you guys give me a simple list of exactly which combos work and what needs to be done to make them fit.

I'm sorry for asking others to do my work as I usually do my own research but the shop wants an answer from me on what I want to do and I'm so confused by all the different combos out there, any help would be greatly appreciated!!! Thanks!!!

 

[CopyKat]

M5OD or FM146 are both the same length and are interchangable to a large degree. there are a few small bits that will need to be figured out.

Those are about your only options as far as bolt in Manual transmissions go.

 

[macd7919]

I found a b5od from a 4x4 explorer but the guy swears up and down it won't fit my 89 2wd B2. Any input on that?

 

[CopyKat]

I found a b5od from a 4x4 explorer but the guy swears up and down it won't fit my 89 2wd B2. Any input on that?

He is right. the tail housing and tailshaft are different between 4x4 and 2wd.

You need a 2wd trans. any 2wd 5 speed 89-up to about 95 or higher, ranger or explorer will have the right trans.

 

[4x4junkie]

Not if his BII (like 99.9% of them it seems) has the dummy transfercase, he doesn't need a 2WD trans.

 

[macd7919]

Ok, so tell me if this is right.... *IF* my 89 2wd B2 has the dummy transfer case then I can remove the transfer case from the 4x4 M5OD transmission and bolt up my dummy case in it's place?

 

[BlackBII]

Ok, so tell me if this is right.... *IF* my 89 2wd B2 has the dummy transfer case then I can remove the transfer case from the 4x4 M5OD transmission and bolt up my dummy case in it's place?

Yes.

You can bolt the dummy in the real transfer case's place.

Crawl under there and look to see if you have a dummy case.

 

[CopyKat]

Not if his BII (like 99.9% of them it seems) has the dummy transfercase, he doesn't need a 2WD trans.

Good point

Yes I forgot about that.

 

[macd7919]

OK..so for my 89 2wd B2 I want to look for a M5OD (either 2wd or 4wd) and bolt my dummy transfer case to it.

Next question is, what else do I need? Flywheel? Clutch? Different starter? Shifter etc...? I'm most likely going to be buying it bare so if I need extra parts I'd need to know what to get along with it.

Last thing? How "bolt on" is this? Do I need to cut things? Any welding?

Thanks for all the help so far guys! Just pretend I'm 100% new to this vehicle (because I am, lol) and if possible give me a laundry list of what parts/mods I'll need.

P.s- I'm assuming this trans is a lot stronger than the stock one...is the stock one garbage to begin with?

 

[macd7919]

Any word guys? I found one of each transmission, a M5OD and a "stock" trans. The truck is only 2wd so I don't use it for any serious wheeling. Pretty much just getting me around and towing my dirtbikes. The last trans went out while I was towing my 4x8 trailer a bike so was that too much of a load for the stock trans or was it just time for it to go> Sorry for all the questions, I'm just without a car right now and the Washington winters are cold!

 

[CopyKat]

If your B2 has the dummy t-case you need to find a 4X4 transmission, for it to be a bolt on.

If you do go with a 2wd trans you will need to find a DS from the correct late 90's B2, or have one custom fabricated. This would delete the need for the dummy t-case.

Should be no issues with clutch clearance.

I should note that the 3.0L and 2.3L/2.5L have different belhousing patterns.

the 2.9L and the 4.0L share the same pattern.

 

[macd7919]

If your B2 has the dummy t-case you need to find a 4X4 transmission, for it to be a bolt on.

If you do go with a 2wd trans you will need to find a DS from the correct late 90's B2, or have one custom fabricated. This would delete the need for the dummy t-case.

Should be no issues with clutch clearance.

I should note that the 3.0L and 2.3L/2.5L have different belhousing patterns.

the 2.9L and the 4.0L share the same pattern.

Ok sounds good.

Once I find a 4x4 M5OD is there anything else I will need? Can I use my old shifter setup? Driveshaft? Any fabrication to get it to fit? I'm going to be doing it on my garage floor and would like to have everything needed laid out before I start the process.

Could you give me a list of any parts or fabrication I will need to make it fit and get me running?

Thanks again and you guys have been a great help!

 

[CopyKat]

From what I remember if your swapping a Fm146 for an M5 then it should all be a direct swap.

The only thing i can think that would be an issue is the floor plate under the carpet. Not 100% sure if the M5 and FM146 come out in the same place.

 

[BlackBII]

It's pretty much a direct swap. Remember, the M5OD takes ATF, not 80-90w

Also, the shifter in the M5OD is a few inches further forward than the FM146.

So you'll need the floorplate and shifter boot assemply to make it look stock.

 

[macd7919]

Sounds good guys, when you say to get a floorplate and shifter boot assembly what vehicle would I need one out of?

Also, can I use my FM146 Clutch or do I need a different clutch?