BW 1350/1354 Front Output Swap?

[jtaborsky]

I am doing a 4.0 swap and using the M5OD from the donor as well. It is going into a 1987 Bronco II with a Dana 35 front, 2.9L, FM145 trans, and manual BW1350 transfer case.

The donor has an electric ship transfer case, so I don't want to use it. I would rather keep my manual shift BW1350. My question is about the front output of the case. The 1354 is bolted on, but the 1350 slides into the case. The driveshaft from the donor is the length I need for d35 and m5od, but the driveshaft I currently have in the Bronco has the connecting hardware on either end that I need.

Is there a way to put the front flange from the 1354 onto the 1350, so I can use the donor's driveshaft and still have a manual shift transfer case? Or can I swap from the splined drifeshaft end to the flange end at the ujoint?

Thanks.
- Joe

 

[4x4junkie]

The front case half is completely different on the 1350 and 1354, I see no feasible means to swap the front output.

Your original (1350) driveshaft however might work with the D35 since you had the FM145 (the FM145 driveshaft is 2" shorter than a FM146 driveshaft (FM146 & M5OD are same length), and the D35 pinion is right about an inch longer than the D28 pinion). I seem to recall another user here making use of a FM145 driveshaft after a D35 axle swap on a FM146 truck. Worth trying it to see if you'll have sufficient spline engagement anyway.

Worse gets to worse, your other options are to find a shaft from a 1350/FM146 or 1350/A4LD truck and shorten the tube one inch, or try to find a manual-shift 1354 and use your 4.0L donor's shaft.