cheap explorer lift?

[Dusty_Ranger]

ok so heres the rub, im in the process of buying a 92 explorer
it costs 450$ its got a bad torque converter and needs a driver side door so heres the plan, the local pick and pull has 2 5spd explorers each tranny is 94.95$ my parts explorer and ranger got 3.73 dana 35 and 8.8, what i need to know is 1) how much lift can i get from a rear axle flip and a ranger 4x4 lift block? 2)will a 4L with 3.73 gears turn 33 12.50r15 tires?
3)how hard is it to put a m5od in place of a auto trans? the other dilema is will 33's clear after the rear axle flip and the equivalent lift up front and what manual transfer cases will bolt up to a m5od?

 

[Dusty_Ranger]

bump

 

[Sunk]

By converting the rear to SOA you'll get about 5-6" of lift, enough to clear 33s. The 4.0 will turn those but your gas mileage will suck. You can bolt in an M50D in in place of the auto, the swap has been covered a few times on here. You'll want a manual shift 1354 t-case. I believe the electric shift 1354 that's in there will bolt to the M50D though if you need.

 

[Dusty_Ranger]

will the tcase from behind a fm146 work?

 

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

Yes, but you will need the front drive shaft from the 1350 manual to be shortened an inch.

 

[Dusty_Ranger]

on my ranger i swaped in a dana35 i had to get it shortend an inch will that drive shaft work

 

[86ford]

the 5speed swap will be a pain. yes the shortened 1350 shaft from a ranger will work. if you are looking to make a cheap beater 4x4 with 33s your best bet is leaving it spring under and getting a longer shackle. for the front put as many washers as you can while still being able to thread the spring retaining nut. you should net 2inches of lift. cut the 33s to fit. LCOG is your friend! 3.73s will turn 33s OK. it wont be winning any races but will wheel fine. you will have to get good at clutching/shifting/picking gears etc. i am currently running bias ply 33s with a 2.9 (dieing) and 456s, its slow but gets the job done. a dieing 4.0 will out do a healthy 2.9 any day of the week.

86

 

[4x4junkie]

a dieing 4.0 will out do a healthy 2.9 any day of the week.

86

Not sure I can agree with that... Both my 4.0L Ranger and my 2.9 BII are a pretty close match (getting up to speed at a pretty similar rate) according to my butt dyno (my Ranger is a good 600-700lbs heavier though). I can't see how a sick 4.0L would outdo the healthy 2.9...

As for 3.73s with 33s, it'll suck, but can be livable while you save up for 4.56s.

 

[Dusty_Ranger]

well im used to my 2.9 ranger with 3.73 and 31 10.50s so i cant see a
explorer with 3.73 and 33's being much worse my ranger with 31's could pull in 5th

 

[Dusty_Ranger]

the explorer will be replacing the ranger as DD and weekend warrior