Single piece driveshaft swap 1994 Supercab ranger question.

[JMF661]

Hello All,

I have 94 4x4 Supercab 4.0l OHV ranger and have acquired the appropriate single piece driveline from a 4x4 98+ Supercab. I have reviewed the tech articles regarding this swap. However I have identified some conflicting information/opinions regarding the removal or modification of the crossmember that supports the carrier bearing. One recommends not removing this crossmember, as it is required for structural support. The other states this cross members only purpose is to support the carrier bearing and its total removal is a non issue.

I would like to hear others opinions or experience with this. My initial thoughts would be to remove it entirely to avoid any possible damage to the one piece drive line during suspension articulation. But, if it is a critical structural component this may be a bad idea.
Thanks!

 

[JOLENE_THE_RANGER]

any cross member will offer structural support. is it required? ehhhh not really. will it be in the way? 100% yes

 

[sgtsandman]

I would try to compare your truck to ones that have a solid driveshaft and see if the cross member is there on them or not. If it is, it’s probably needed. If it isn’t, then you can remove it.

 

[JOLENE_THE_RANGER]

realistically, for every day driving, or mild offroad use you dont need it. a perpendicular cross member doesnt do much to fight lateral or twisting forces in a frame. youre frame rails arent going to pull apart side ways or anything. why are you putting a one piece drive line in it anyways?

 

[JMF661]

realistically, for every day driving, or mild offroad use you dont need it. a perpendicular cross member doesnt do much to fight lateral or twisting forces in a frame. youre frame rails arent going to pull apart side ways or anything. why are you putting a one piece drive line in it anyways?

I’m going to be installing a 4 inch lift in the near future. The two piece drive line doesn’t lend it self to lifting, due to the non factory angles. Correcting the angles by modifying the carrier bearing location seem to be difficult/crappy at best. The one piece driveline swap seems to be the way to go.

I should be finished with the swap today, I’m about to find out first hand . Hopefully it works out.

 

[JOLENE_THE_RANGER]

interesting
non factory angles will still be there with a 1 piece drive line. the only issue i see arising is drive line vibration due to mismatched pinion to output shaft angles. the angles will be off no matter how many driveshafts you have. leaf spring perch wedges fix this issue.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

interesting
non factory angles will still be there with a 1 piece drive line. the only issue i see arising is drive line vibration due to mismatched pinion to output shaft angles. the angles will be off no matter how many driveshafts you have. leaf spring perch wedges fix this issue.

The angle of the driveshaft doesn't change at the same rate when the driveshaft is 2-3x longer.

However the 2 piece driveshaft is less likely to be harmed offroading because it doesn't hang down as much.

I quickly drew up something using no real numbers to kinda show it, if you extend the rear "driveshaft" to be as long as the other one the change is easier to actually see (second pic)

 

[JOLENE_THE_RANGER]

the angle of the drive shaft isnt what causes driveline vibration

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

the angle of the drive shaft isnt what causes driveline vibration

If the t-case is at 5* and the diff is at 5* with a one piece, you have to get really wild on the lift for the driveline angle to matter.

1-Piece Driveshafts And Why You Want One - The Ranger Station

Swapping a 2-Piece Drive Shaft for a 1-Piece in a 1983-1997 Ford Ranger Extended cab Ford Rangers* up through the 1997 model year use a 2-piece drive shaft to connect the transmission to rear axle. In 1998, Ford replaced the … Continued

www.therangerstation.com

 

[JOLENE_THE_RANGER]

If the t-case is at 5* and the diff is at 5* with a one piece, you have to get really wild on the lift for the driveline angle to matter.

right but hes only doin 4" so thats why im asking why bother with the swap. i get 27" of rear suspension travel with a 2 piece

 

[JMF661]

I’m not certain if the swap was necessary for this truck and my planned lift. I was mostly working off of some anecdotal stories I have heard from a few other ranger guys regarding lifts and the old style two piece drive lines. Which were confirmed, in my mind, by some of the technical articles on this site.

I would imagine doing new lifted leaf springs or blocks in the back would increase the working angle of the middle ujoint within the two piece drive line, causing additional stressing and or vibrations.

Perhaps I have done a lot of grinding and cussing for nothing.

 

[JMF661]

I have completed the single piece drive line swap and went for a little test drive this evening. Everything seems real sound, less vibration that my previous two piece with a smoked carrier bearing. On to the new rear end installation.