good deal on 88 B2 I think?

[richard booth]

I bought a really straight 88B2 w a bad tranny the guy sold me for 500$. question is when you put it in gear nothing changes and it wont even idle different. Guy I bought it from says he gave it to his son in law for labor he didnt finish so when it died he got it back. I didnt even do anything yet but pull the rear drive shaft and tow it home. what would you think it is? I am stoked because it is straight and has a 3" body lift w 31s that have some miles left and the motor runs smooth. What breaks first? Thanks for experienced feed back.

 

[Swepper]

Auto or stick?

 

[richard booth]

Oops auto, that was lame.

 

[Tedybear]

Basic checks. Fluid and Linkage.

Does it have fluid?

Is the linkage correctly hooked up to the shift arm?

S-

 

[Swepper]

And if those are good. I've seen torque converters snap bolts. Worst case gears are toast or clutches burnt up. I hate autos. To complicated for me to try to rebuild.

 

[richard booth]

Ok, I checked and the fluid and linkage are correct but no engagement at all. I believe the trans died, I want to switch to 5 speed. is the m5od swap fairly doable? I understand I will need to get the linkage w the trans and flywheel and starter w harness from solinoid to starter. The tech articles I read were fairly explanatory and I think I can pull it off. Kind of a hassle but worth the effort to have a manual. do you have to pull the dash to do the pedal or can you weasel it in? My jy guy said 350 for a m5od w the flywheel and a starter will be 20 more, factor in a clutch set and master/ slave I should be in around 500 for the swap if I am correct? Will I have to shorten the rear shaft and lengthen the front? If so I will try to get the explorer shafts that fit?

 

[Swepper]

In not for sure on the shafts. But don't get the plastic slave cylinder. Spend the extra money. It's a pain when not even a year later have to pull tranny and transfer again to replace again From experience
I think last time I was under my dash you should be able to leave dash in. But don't knw for sure

 

[limit_explore]

when i did my 5-speed i originally got the fm145 which is 3 somthin inches shorter then the m50d/fm146. i cant recall what years is which. but if you get the correct transmission for the year then no driveshaft issues.

as far as slave/master, ive been using the plastic slave for 2 years now, about 30k miles of hard wheeling, clutch kicking, and daily driving. hell ive been through 3 transmissions and just keep swapping the slave lol. one thing i suggest doing, if you dont get the clutch line from the junkyard BUY THE COMPLETE KIT. i think its like $150 for master slave and line PRE BLED. where as i ended up spending $120 on a line, $40 for a slave and like $30 for a master.

and save an extra $150-200 for random shit you find wrong as you do the swap.
oh and as far as the dash removal for the pedal, i got one from an early b2, so it didnt fit in my explorer. i ended up cutting my stock auto pedal and just put the clutch pedal on using a 6" piece of 3/8 all-thread and lock tightened the nuts on.

hope that helps

 

[richard booth]

That helps very much thanks. This site is cool as it gets, I appreciate all your experienced advice. I am going for it next wknd

 

[holeshot]

Also check to see if the driveshaft is not broken. I have broken a couple driveshafts and it exhibits the same symptoms. Those cv joints break and the shaft will just spin.

 

[richard booth]

Ok thanks, will do. Man its cold right now.