how desirable is early 4 speed with manual transfer case?

[shawn.m]

found a 4 speed tranny with manual transfer case in a 86 bronco II in local junkyard. Guy told me it was his and swapped in 4 speed as was sick of 5 speed breaking.
would this be better than my mitsi 5 speed electronic transfer case that I have now? my goal is to go crawling on rubicon this coming summer

 

[NMB2]

the tranny is a TK4 which has a slightly lower gear than your mitsu. I broke my TK4s bellhousing and swapped in an fm145. the T-case could however possibly be better but only if its the 1354 which will have a fixed front yoke.

 

[4x4junkie]

There's nothing special about the TK4. If you want a good durable trans, look for the M5OD 5-speed from a later Ranger or Explorer. The M5OD is a few inches longer though, so some driveshaft work will be needed.