2wd to 4wd

[1993]

i have a 1993 ford ranger and was wondering if it would be possible. the idea is to turn it into a 4x4 with solid axles SAS. my idea is get a transfer case, drive shaft and then a front axle of a jeep wrangler yj. i was thinking then all i would have to do is bolt on the transfer case and then the drive shaft to the axle. and for suspension the yj axle has leaves on it so i wouldnt need control arms and such. then weld the spots where the shackle and the over side of the leafs would go and weld a shock mount to the little plait that holds the leaves to the axle. what do you guys think of this plan. thinking about going to the junkyard this weekend.
Heres wat i have so far for shopping list:
transfer case
drive shaft
the part were the transfer case goes through the body
axle of yj
leaves off yj
and some 4x4 emblems of a ranger.

any thoughts or anything would be greatly appreciated.

 

[stegomon]

you can do that...but the t-case from the jeep wont work...unless it is a divorced t-case...i would recommend a tranny and a t-case from a ranger...then set up the front axle from a jeep....this will not be easy or cheep....but it will work

 

[1993]

so would a transfer case from a 4wd ranger with the same transmission of mine hook right up to the back of my transmission?

 

[bcost882]

no a 2wd tranny has a different tail housing than the 4wd. and the mainshaft is different. you need to swap both trans and tcase

 

[1993]

well i kind of don't want to replace my tranny seeing it was just rebuilt like 20,000ish miles ago.
is there any transfer case that i could bolt on to to the back?? any way around needing a new transmission?

 

[Ranger Kip]

are jeeps and rangers similar or something? (Wheels, tranny's, etc.)

 

[bcost882]

well, jeeps and rangers are nothing alike really except that some things magically can swap over. but you could keep your tranny if you make it a divorced t-case where it is set back from the tranny and connected by a short drive shaft. or atleast on the 2002s you can tear the tranny apart and swap out the main shaft and tailhousing, and some other parts but that is a PITA and takes alot of know how.

 

[railman]

the only thing from the YJ that is usable for this swap is the axles and wheels ( Jeep XJ's and YJ's share the Ranger bolt pattern )

as said above, the transfer case will not bolt up to a Ford tranny...unless you get an adapter from Advance Adapters ( read...big $$$ ) and the Jeep transfer case has the undesireable rear slip yoke....

if you want to reuse your recently rebuilt tranny....also as mentioned above, you will need to replace the mainshaft and rear tailhousing (read, rebuild it again to replace the mainshaft ).....

as you said you would like to use the YJ's driveshafts....the rear is WAY too short...the front may work...but i would personnally use a Ranger front shaft...

now, if i were to tackle a 2wd to 4wd swap....and you haven't mentioned what size tire you desire to run and the type of wheeling you do....because anything over a 33" tire i would never run on a D30 front axle....

that being said, i would look for a D30 front with 4:10's ( could get away with 3:73's ) out of a Jeep without the CAD ( center axle disconnect ) then a 95+ Explorer rear with the same gears ( for strength and the rear discs ) and a tranny and manual transfercase out of a low mileage Ranger with the same engine you have....or better yet a complete 4.0 swap or V8 swap...

l8r, John

 

[1993]

i would want 33's.
so how do you do this divorced transfer case thing? would that be easier than rebuilding the tranny?

 

[stegomon]

it would be easier to do the divorced t-case

as you can see there is a drive shaft going from the out put of the tranny to the input of the "divorced" t-case. then you have your front and rear out put drive shafts....

then if you got a t-case like that one...you could do a power take off to run a winch or turn your tranny into a hoe. those are the two small stub shafts

some t-case info...clicky here

 

[1993]

thats very interesting.
so when you do a divorced transfer case you would need a new rear drive shaft????
what is a good and common transfer case that would work with this divorced idea? and slip yokes are bad right?

 

[BowTech99]

You have a 93 ranger with a 2.3L. Your running a M5od. They are a dime a dozen. Just go get a tranny with a mated Tcase and quit worrying about running a independant case.

You have 2 other options no-one has mentioned. C4 or T5. I know a couple rangers with c4's running around with 20+ lbs of boost. Even a C3.

I dont think your ready for a T5 or a c4. If you cant swap out the main outta your M5od then dont consider these options. Just wanted you to know that there is plenty of different routes out there.

 

[1993]

so where do you find one of these M5od with a mated transfer case?
if its a junk yard how do you know it even works? i would be fine doing the transmission swap its just i am not sure i want to put something in that could potentially be trash?

 

[BowTech99]

You call around to JY's and ask if they have any 4x4 rangers. They say yeah, take a ride.

95% of the time there is a warrenty on the product. For ex. I bought a m5od from the jy not to long back, (mine locked up, Long story) so i called they said yeah that got quite a few. Went out there bought it, 190 bucks I believe, even had a new slave cylinder in it. They told me b4 I left, There is a 90 day warrenty on transmissions and engines.

If there's no warrenty on the case, drain the fluid out right then and there, spin all the yokes, put the shifter in all gears. Tcases dont just go bad, and the odds are of you finding a locked up a tcse on a rather stock truck are slim to none

 

[1993]

do any rangers have manual transfer cases?
what do you guys think of my list so far anything to add: ?
transmission- 100
tcase- 140
drive shaft- 40
front axle yj- 250
set of 2 leaf springs- 80
steal for miscellaneous welds- 100