(Yet another!) M5OD-R2 swap

[Mechrick]

The NP 208 required frame rail reinforcement and notch, and a slight offset of the powertrain to the passenger side.

 

[Mechrick]

The slice is what I took out, about 1.5".

Driveshaft is starting to look like one out of a TJ, as short as it's getting...

 

[Mechrick]

The AN -3 line worked great. More surprising is the clutch bled out in 30 minutes. Sometimes the integral slaves can be a chore to bleed.

Shifter: I used an old pry bar for bar stock. Not the best choice, the carbon content was somewhere between spring steel and tool steel. I annealed and tapped one end to 12x1.75 pitch for common shifter knobs.

Shifter stub collar: Made from mild steel bar stock.

Diameter of the bar had to be reduced to fit through the hole in the shift boot.

Completed shifter...

Installed in the Bronco...

I had to move the shifters and boot forward, and patched the hole behind it with sheet metal. New carpet will cover it up.

I drove it to check syncros, all good. Trans is in good shape.

Pedal effort with the .750" pistoned master cylinder is slightly higher than I like. 1994 Rangers use a master with a .630" piston, same as F150. I'll order one, hopefully the mounting is the same.

 

[bobbywalter]

Old school shit is old school.


Running the f150 or e350 radius arms with your brackets shimmed down like that and relocated back a bit with 3 degree bushings and 150 coils gets you decent lift and handling with more articulation fairly cheap. Play with the mount to run 4 in lift shocks....explorer leafs or 2wd leafs out back... Trimmed for gorilla flares... you can run 35,s and have a beast for trail work ....

 

[Mechrick]

I've got 3 degree bushings in it now (front springs are shimmed). I would like to run 33's at some point, so pivot drops and front springs will be needed.

If I ever decide on 35's I'll either run a Dana 44 ttb with a Dana 50 center section or a straight axle...

 

[Mechrick]

One major problem I ran into is flywheel imbalance. I replaced the clutch and flywheel on my 460/ZF F250 two months ago. Ordered a Luk flywheel (along with the clutch) from a very popular online parts distributor. On start up, the thing blurred my eyeballs. I double-checked the application (correct). Removed the trans, clutch and flywheel, bolted the old flywheel back on, slid the trans forward without the clutch, bolted the starter on and started it up. Smooth as silk.

-Ordered a flywheel from the local parts store and returned the Luk. On assembly no vibration.

-Fast forward to last week. Ordered another Luk flywheel and clutch from the same distributor. Installed the flywheel, slid the trans forward, stabbed two bolts in, mounted the starter and fired it up. Although it was not as bad as the F250, definite vibration. Ordered a flywheel from the local store, yada yada. New flywheel fixed it.

-Now, before you say "Misfire!", realize I was a factory Ford tech since 1986. I've diagnosed and replaced a ton of slipped balancers on 5.0's, 3.8's etc. I *know* what engine imbalance feels like.

And the reason I mention all this: I believe parts manufactures have a responsibility to produce parts of reasonable quality. For me to get two imbalanced flywheels consecutively from the same company, with wildly differing applications, indicates a serious lack of quality control at Luk. They need to fix this. Once they do, they can feel free to comment here and I'll resume buying their parts. -Nuff said.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I have been 100% happy with my Luk flywheels... I have only bought one of them though.

 

[Shran]

Same... you are apparently unLuky

Think the last flywheel I got was Perfection brand or Autozone maybe, I haven't had one bad one yet.