tib to ttb swap

[red_ranger93]

how hard would it be to swap the engine cross member from a 4x4 ranger into a 2wd ranger thanks any pics would help

 

[Sunk]

It can be done, but it's rather difficult. You'll need to lift the motor from the donor, or find one without a motor, then cut out the cross-member while keeping intact.

It may be easier to swap a solid axle under instead.

 

[AllanD]

The hard part isn't:
1)Dropping the suspension off the recepient
2)REMOVING the engine from the recepient (Simply lifting the engine
doesn't give you clearance to weld the new one in)
3)Removing the 2wd crossmember
4)Unbolting the radius arm crossmembers (replace the mounting rivets with bolts)
5) unbolting the body from the frame AND lifting itt far
enough above the rails to allow the rails to be spread
sufficiently to get the crossmember into place
6)actually spreading the rails
7)Bolting it (to replace the rivets) into place before welding it in

THE hard part is harvesting the 4x4 crossmember from the donor
without wrecking it.

The issue is mostly a matter that the frame rails are made of heavier
stock than the crossmember is so when attempting to split the welds
the crossmember is more prone to burning away than the frame.

If you have a torch, a welder, a strong 1/2" drill, jackstands and
the capability to remove an engine and trans
it's a job you can do.

It'll be slightly complicated on a Gen3 by the fact that the '93-up trucks
have a "crumple" section built into the frame "horns" which complicates
the job of getting the old crossmember out and the new one in.

At what point is it worth it to aquire another complete frame to move
your body and powertrain onto...


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[escort_gts]

It can be done. Mine used to be 2wd. I used a donor Bronco2. You don't need to lift the body from the frame rails. Just unbolt the pitman arm skid plate and the front bumper, this will allow the frame to separate enough to slide the crossmember in place. You will have to round the corner of the crossmember as you hammer it in place. Took me about 30 hours from start to finish with a torch and some muscle

 

[AllanD]

It can be done. Mine used to be 2wd. I used a donor Bronco2. You don't need to lift the body from the frame rails. Just unbolt the pitman arm skid plate and the front bumper, this will allow the frame to separate enough to slide the crossmember in place. You will have to round the corner of the crossmember as you hammer it in place. Took me about 30 hours from start to finish with a torch and some muscle

On a Ranger you most definatly DO need to spread the rails and to spread the rails the body must go up 5-6" or a floor stiffener rib gets in the way.

Doing it any other way requires stressing the rails to a point where the top or bottom lip will permamantly deform because you are concentrating all the bending to the frame forward of the radius arm brackets and front body mounts

Doing it my way allows the distortion to be spread all the way to the rear cab mount, thus minimising the permemt deformation of the side rails.

Basically you are bending less at any given point

This reduces the risk of bending things assymetrically

Trust me I know things things.

If that isn't good enough do you want me to tell you
it's because GOD speaks to me? I'll do so if that's what it takes...

I've bene the "High Priest of Tech" on these forums for a long long time
and the basic commandment about swapping a crossmember to convert a 2wd Ranger to 4x4 with TTB is one of those jobs that IF you actually have the skills to do the job that way you wouldn't ask about how to do it.
you'd either just go ahead and do it or mabey ask what was different between the 2wd and 4x4 and the next we'd hear about it is when someone said they'd done it.

It's not at all a case of "do as I say not as I do", it's a case
of when someone asks most of us older tech guys start
asking about what equipment you have available...

In short the tools to do the job cost more than the truck
that you can make with the tools... so you aren't going
to go out and buy the necissary tools JUST to make/modify
your truck.

Generally speaking if you have the necissary equipment you
are already a long time professional mechanic

I did MY truck this way, concurrent with retrofitting dual tanks
replacing ALL the body mount brackets AND swapping in a 4.0
along with complete rewiring of everything forward of the firewall
and had my body supported on it's own stands while I was
spreading the frame to replace the engine crossmember.

sound like fun? No.

the only reason why I didn't simply build my truck on another
factory 4x4 frame (and at this point I need to point out that
I HAD (and still have) a spare 4x4 frame assembly for my truck)
was because I had made modifications to my frame that I didn't
have the raw materials to duplicate and the 4-6 week delay
for the raw material was a major problem

When I was reassembling my truck I had a deadline and
the truck NEEDED to be in Casper Wyoming NLT 15SEP07

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[simonsays]

it would be easier to build your own crossmember and brackets then to try to install a 4x cross member in your 2x.

It would proabably be eaiser to put in a straight axle, but its also gonna be a lot slower of a vehicle then a ttb truck would be.

I put the dana 44 ttb on my 2x ranger and it has worked amazingly and it wasn't that hard to build my own crossmember.

 

[AllanD]

No, it isn't "Easier to make your own crossmember"

Because most people are even more limited on engineering skills than tooling.

You generally know that factory pieces will fit and can generally be depended
on to function as intended.

Engineering a Solid axle swap IS easier.

Frankly my reason for 4x4 was for getting up the hill to
my house when it snows OR simply getting up my friends
driveway in any but ideal conditions.. OR getting onto or
off of my brother's patch of sagebrush in the middle of
"antilope dick wyoming"

But I din't want to engineer the job when someone else had already done so.

I like having a readily available supply of parts in virtually every
junkyard in the country.

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[simonsays]

it was pretty easy for me to do it to mine.

 

[AllanD]

"Easy" for YOU does not equal "for everone else".

You MUST learn to consider the "lowest common denominator"
For most people trading in a 2wd for a 4x4 makes the most sense,
because their skill level might not allow them to install a set of
fuzzy dice without screwing something up.

what I find "easy" (building a transmission or setting up a differential) is
likely anything but easy for you...

Are you getting a clue yet?

swapping a crossmember is a relatively easy way of accomplishing
the desired end result, considering some of the alternatives.

If you want another example of "Easy" there a YouTube video
I heard about where some fudgepacker sticks a coke bottle
up his butt, I'll bet it's easy for him... not for the rest of us even if we were willing... (Willing to even look at the video if it really exsists)
Personally I've never seen the video, one thing I find difficult
is "un-Knowing" things I've seen, as there are things I avoid seeing
because those things are also UGH-known (things I know that I'd
rather I didn't know) and I avoid adding to that knowledge.

For some lifting the body and slipping another frame underneath would be easy.

For me replacing the crossmember wasn't all that bad, it took me all of 45min
to get the old crossmember out, and another half hour to grind down the bits
of weld I didn't get with the torch, but for someone less skilled with a cutting
torch (I'm a f'ing DaVinci with a torch...) it would take more grind time.

I have made it a point to systematically replace my frame rivets with
fine thread bolts.... and I like adding additional crossmembers

And I didn't actually do the welding on my crossmember a friend
who is aerospace certified had a shiny new Miller TIG machine he
wanted to show off... I indulged him....

For a serious offroad truck an SAS makes more sense, but I was building
this particular truck as an all weather long range interstate runner
thus the 80-odd gallons of fuel tankage onboard...

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[BlackBII]

off of my brother's patch of sagebrush in the middle of
"antilope dick wyoming"


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I am so glad Allan is back, makes the forum so much more entertaining.

 

[AllanD]

While my Brother bought a chunk of land in Wyoming he doesn't actually
live on it...yet.
He and his family live in Casper.

But if you are from Utah you've got a damned good idea of what eastern
Wyoming looks like.

Rolling high sage "desert"

Teapot Dome...

 

[BlackBII]

Yup...

I actually used to live just south of Rawlins...worked for Sinclair.

It's a ugly, dry and miserable place. No thanks.

There a a number of really old wrecking yards out there tho, where you can find things you cant find anywhere else..like a 69 Boss 302 and a 69 Fairlane Cobra 428cj..

 

[AllanD]

I'm going on a scavenger hunt for Bits to sell on ebay in late may.

It's dry and desolate, but I kinda like it.

But I also like my heaven in strip mine country here in PA.

Mostly for the junkyards.

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