00 Ranger Axle Swap

[Tomm1468]

hey all, I am currently planning out an axle swap for my ranger. It all seems pretty straight forward. I am planning on using the Dana44 and 9" coming out of a 78/79 F150. I have my eye on the James Duff long travel radius arm kit to accomplish the swap. My question comes in with the VSS on my truck. I know the VSS on my ranger is in the rear axle, from there I think its fed into my ABS module, though that hasn't had a fuse plugged into it since I bought the truck. My real question comes in the relocation of the VSS for the swap. I have a V8 with a manual shift BW4406 out of a 2000 F150 currently, and I think it might have a VSS. If so, is that something I can use?

 

[JoshT]

What is your truck? You may have the info entered in your profile, but on phone it does not show.

On my 99 VSS starts with rear axle sensor. That goes to the ABS module where some.mathnis done onit. The converted signal is sent to the PCM and dash.

The F-150 may have a VSS in the transmission, but the signal is probably going to be way off. The sensor ring in the transmission will be a different size than the one in the rear axle, so the calculations would be a lot different.

 

[Tomm1468]

I have a 2000 ranger, XLT. With the 8.8

 

[4x4junkie]

The 8.8" axle from a '87-'96 F-150 will have the same sensor on the axle as yours does, and will match the width & bolt pattern of the D44 you're using.

 

[Tomm1468]

Hey all, I am back. I have a rear 8.8 out of a 94 f150, and a D44 from a 79 f150. I am trying to find information on the front driveshaft. I am currently running a BW4406 manual T case from a 00 F150 with the matching front shaft with a conversion Ujoint joining it to my current front axle. Will this still work for my D44?

 

[4x4junkie]

If the yoke is the same (1310?), it should work, however the driveshaft length might need to be different. This is probably one of those situations where you won't know what is needed until the axle is mounted under there.

 

[scotts90ranger]

If I had to go out on a limb I'd say the '79 axle is going to take a 1330 joint so you might need to ditch the conversion joint for a standard joint... and with a SAS you get to pick where the axle lives so you can make it fit with the off the shelf driveline...

A lot of people don't end up posting what off the shelf parts they used since they end up making stuff. I'm fit to be making a complete mess out of my '00 Explorer when I do a TTB D54 conversion with a 10.25 out back, gonna use as many off the shelf parts as I can but it's bound to be random as heck

 

[Tomm1468]

I was wondering if an off the shelf Ujoint would work. I've seen a few different combo's, but most have been combos based on the rangers original transfer cases, instead of the BW4406 I'm currently running. I'll try it out, and it if end up having to cut and splice other things together, Ill be back with that info.

 

[scotts90ranger]

The front shaft that the 4406 originally uses is a 1330 U joint which is likely what a D44 will use, Ranger axles use a 1310 joint but so did some D44's I think...