Transmission considerations

[Monty the Angry]

This post is a bit long, but I figure the more information provided, the better chance I have at getting a specific answer. I have a 1993 Ford Ranger XLT, Standard Cab, 3.06L V6 4x4 manual transmission M5ODR1, with a BW 1354 transfer case electric shift. The truck is my only vehicle and is in very good shape in all aspects. However! I live in the Ozark mountains of Southern Missouri. Even though I rebuilt the engine last fall and had to replace the transmission due to a broken shaft, it lacks power. As in when going up and down the hills I find myself downshifting more than I would like. The situation exacerbates itself when I tow my 2000lb boat. So, I have decided to do an engine upgrade/swap.

The donor engine is a 5.0L from a 1998 Mercury Mountaineer. It has the GP40P heads. I pretty much have the firewall forward situation researched and decided on. The only caveat is that I am upgrading to a carburetor and HEI distributor because I hate computer controlled vehicles. I plan to keep the engine as close to stock horse power as possible. I figure upgrading from a 3.0L to a 5.0L is plenty good enough.

This is where the meat of the question lies. As I see it, I have two options for an affordable transmission swap. I can use a Mitsubishi FM 145/146 with the use of that adapter kit from Advanced Adapters which would allow me to retain my BW1354 transfer case thus simplifying my drive train connection issues. When I spoke to Advanced Adapters they told me, that given my parameters, the transmission should be just fine. This style of transmission seems to be hard to find, at least thus far. But, does anyone have any idea what the acceptable pound foot torque values that this transmission can handle? I have zero intentions of hot rodding, however, as with anything there could be a time I need to "stand on it" and would not want to snap the transmission in so doing. The other issue with this swap is regarding the shifter itself, I have been unable to locate one for sale, and no luck finding out if my current shifter will work.

Second option. Go with a M5ODR2 from a 1997-2004 Ford truck, modify the bolt holes and mount! Which means switching to the larger, shoe horned fit, BW 1356 transfer case with the speedometer drive and electric shift, and then struggle with the drive shaft connectability issues. I have had little luck finding solutions regarding the connections of the forward and main driveshafts when doing this conversion other than a brilliant, non descript post "you'll have to make a new driveshaft". But I really need yoke styles, numbers or something more specific in this regard. Example, my driveshaft uses an flat flange. I do know that the BW1356 is about 4 inches or so longer than the BW1354. So I do know that the rear driveshaft will have to be modified (shortened). I think this second choice would be better in a couple of ways. Stronger transmission and stronger transfer case. If anyone has any experience with either, or can point me to specific forum posts that could answer these specific questions I would certainly appreciate it. For the record, I am a grumpy Gen X-er, with 50+ years of wrenching in the automotive and aviation industries.

 

[SenorNoob]

By 93 your rear axle probably has the larger flange, so a stock rear F150 shaft should have all the flanges and joints you need. I have no idea on the front.

I'd stay away from the FM146. It was built with the 2.9 in mind and many parts are NLA.

 

[Monty the Angry]

That is what I was concerned about. The FM 145/146 didn't have a long life in production and they were built for smaller engines. I did read on one forum that the front drive shaft needs a different yoke installed on the transfer case or get a u-joint with different size cups as the length of the shaft is useable. Thank you for the information regarding the F150, that may be the exact thing I need. My local salvage yard has a few trucks in the year range that I need for the BW1356. I will look at a drive shaft as well. Thank you.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

The FM-145/146 are generally considered as barely adequate behind a 2.9 and typically not expected to last long behind a 4.0 so I don’t think I’d seriously consider trying to use one.

If I mind right, my F-150 has a 1356m factory. It did have a M5ODr2 transmission but that’s currently taking up space next to my shed and I have a ZF5 in the truck. When I rebuild it, I intend to go to a NP205…

Anyway, the 1356m that I have has a slip yoke for the rear driveshaft. I believe the driveshaft uses 1330 U-joints if memory serves me correctly. Rangers seem to have a mixture of 1310 and 1330 joints for rear driveshaft. Yokes seem to have four options on the rear axle, what I refer to as narrow or wide pattern and 1310 or 1330 joints. IIRC, front driveshaft in the RBV is 1310 joints but I can’t remember offhand if the F-150 is the same or not.

 

[Monty the Angry]

Thank you for that. What I have learned thus far. The M5ODR2 from 1997-2004 has the shifter in nearly the exact same position that it is now in my Ranger with the M5ODR1. All that is needed to mount the M5ODR2 to the 5.0L is to drill the bell housing to block mounting holes out to 7/16ths on an inch. The BW 1356 is apparently significantly larger than the BW1354, but as of yet, I have been unable to find any dimensions online. According to those in the forums, it requires cutting the frame, "clocking" the transfer case which requires an adapter that is apparently no longer available. So, neither of those scenarios sounds great. The forums did state that in order to get "comfortable" clearance for the front driveshaft that it requires moving the engine/transmission a bit to the passenger side. No problem there. The information you provided on the u-joints will open up my search parameters quite a bit. I am certain I saw on a post about them changing out front and rear yokes on the transfer case to fit the new setup, i.e., slip yoke to flange mount. I have no idea where to look for something like that. My Ranger has a pretty beefy drive shaft that uses flat flange mounts on both ends. My guess is that I can find a split size u-joint and get it coupled. The length of the rear drive shaft will be an issue given the longer rear shaft output on the BW1356. My drive shaft has a slip section, but I do not know how much space it could allow for without ending up binding. The slip is there to allow for torsional flex, which is kinda important. I live pretty far from a driveline company, so it would be expensive and problematic to get it towed just for a drive shaft, so I want to avoid that if at all possible. Thank you again for the helpful information.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

There was a flat flange t-case on some F-150s that I have seen but I don’t know what designation those are. I ran into that trying to find a replacement rear shaft for my F-150 after I shattered a rear driveshaft joint.

 

[SenorNoob]

I think I read somewhere that most BW transfer cases have compatible rear output yokes/flanges. At least in the full size stuff.

Why would you need an adapter to clock it? The bolt pattern is a circle just like a wheel. If it were manual shift that could be interesting, but the electronic shift would at most have to extend wires.

If you get the front working, you could drive it to a shop as a FWD to get the rear made.

 

[Mechrick]

The BW 1356 is apparently significantly larger than the BW1354

Oh yeah. I put a NP208 in my Bronco II and had to notch the left frame rail. The 1356 is even bigger.

A better choice would be a BW4406 manual shift transfer case. In fact, if you get lucky you might find a M5ODR2 and BW4406 in the same truck. Yes, you'll need to deal with driveshafts, but that's always the case when swapping stuff around.

 

[2Krngr]

The donor engine is a 5.0L from a 1998 Mercury Mountaineer. It has the GP40P heads. I pretty much have the firewall forward situation researched and decided on. The only caveat is that I am upgrading to a carburetor and HEI distributor because I hate computer controlled vehicles. I plan to keep the engine as close to stock horse power as possible. I figure upgrading from a 3.0L to a 5.0L is plenty good enough.

Upgrade? In the mountains at that?

Less power, less mileage, less torque, less reliability, let tunability. Less awesome is all converting the expo gt40 engines to carb is going to do.

They are fantastic engines and ecms as is. Just do the straight oem swap, it will start better, run better, idle better, adjust perfectly for altitude changes traversing the mountains and seasons.

There are no inherent issues with the gt40's, they are not laden with tons of sensors or any common ecu problems. The maf control works great in all weather and altitudes. The truck will start perfectly every time, and run like a top as all times. It is a very strong, compact, easy to service drivetrain package, and even the auto 4r70w with the jmod and larger cooler would be fine for towing in the mountains.

3.06L V6 4x4 manual transmission M5ODR1, with a BW 1354 transfer case electric shift. The truck is my only vehicle and is in very good shape in all aspects. However! I live in the Ozark mountains of Southern Missouri. Even though I rebuilt the engine last fall and had to replace the transmission due to a broken shaft, it lacks power.

The M5ODR1 and R2 are both very reliable and strong transmissions, but with either one of them NEVER tow anything in 5th gear, this kills the transmissions. I've had a few broken M5ODRx that failed from trucks that were used to tow trailers or overloaded construction use, 5th/overdrive is for unloaded driving only, once you get any significant weight on the truck you are shortening the life of it dramatically if driving in 5th, flat ground or not.

If you are set on manual, and will be towing in the mountains alot a ZF is probably a better option.

 

[scotts90ranger]

You already have the 4R70W and all the stuff to run it, it's pretty primitive as far as fuel injection goes, similar to your 3L just no distributor which is fine, that ignition system is bullet proof... if it were me I'd probably keep the 4R70W and go find a BW 4406, if you happen upon a '98 version you might get lucky enough to get a speedo output on it if I remember right... then just take the drivelines from the same rig and use those, likely have to get a conversion joint for the front diff... in the V8 explorers you can get a front driveline from a 4.6L Expedition/F150 and a rear driveline from a 5.4L expedition and one conversion joint and it just works... for your situation you'll likely have to work on the lengths...

As far as manual transmissions I haven't looked into that

Do what you want, there's options, I'm building a go fast rig out of my V8 explorer and I'm going to keep the fuel injection and 4R70W, have a mild cam and headers so far, just need to modify the suspension...

Another thing is what gears are in your axles, Ford really liked tall gears in most of them, going to 4.10's can make a big difference...