5.0 ranger 4406 swap.

[H2opro]

Hey all. I have a 2000 ex cab sb 4x4 ranger that I did the explorer swap on. I'm thinking about swapping a manual shift 4406 case from a f150. I have a 98 f150 reg cab sb 4.2 v6 manual trans for a donor. Does anyone know of a write up or have done the swap before? I've seen i may have to move the engine over, have making a custom trans mount have make some drive shafts. Any help is appreciated.

 

[410Fortune]

Dude can I have your 5 speed from that 4.2 truck?
Those 5 speeds go for big $$$ on ebay ($600-1600)
That M5OD would go behind the 302 perfectly, just need to tune out the auto trans functions

For the 4406 you can use the factory trans mount but it is on the weakish side of things. We would prefer to see a better urethane or solid mount there which can require some crossmember mods
The front d shaft from a 4.2 or 4.6 F150 should bolt in with a conversion U joint, you MIGHT have to remove a little material from both sides of the slip yoke, I take 1" off per side with chop saw and clean up with grinder and file, this gives a little more wiggle room if the front d shaft is tight.
The rear shaft almost always needs to be modded unless you find the exact right F150 rear shaft for your ex cab...
You need to shave the aluminum ears off of the 4406 t case and modify the gas tank front bracket (BFH) for it to clear otherwise the 4406 fits very well
Some people have vibrations after going to the 4406, vibrations around 55-70 mph. We have tried everything to fix them....the best fix I have found is to move the t case over to the pass side about 3/8=1/2" at the trans mount. This changes the angles at the front d shaft enough to solve the vibes (months and months of research, yaking back and forth on the forums, and trial and error went into that = lucky you!)

You = smart to come here and ask the right questions!
Nice to be in the information age!!

 

[H2opro]

Dude can I have your 5 speed from that 4.2 truck?
That M5OD would go behind the 302 perfectly, just need to tune out the auto trans functions

For the 4406 you can use the factory trans mount but it is on the weakish side of things. We would prefer to see a better urethane or solid mount there which can require some crossmember mods
The front d shaft from a 4.2 or 4.6 F150 should bolt in with a conversion U joint, you MIGHT have to remove a little material from both sides of the slip yoke, I take 1" off per side with chop saw and clean up with grinder and file, this gives a little more wiggle room if the front d shaft is tight.
The rear shaft almost always needs to be modded unless you find the exact right F150 rear shaft for your ex cab...
You need to shave the aluminum ears off of the 4406 t case and modify the gas tank front bracket (BFH) for it to clear otherwise the 4406 fits very well
Some people have vibrations after going to the 4406, vibrations around 55-70 mph. We have tried everything to fix them....the best fix I have found is to move the t case over to the pass side about 3/8=1/2" at the trans mount. This changes the angles at the front d shaft enough to solve the vibes

Thank you for the info! My awd t case is shot. I was just going to rebuild it. But if the 4406 swap isn't relatively hard I will just go that route. I have two 5 speeds from the same type of truck. I had thought about swapping one of the 5 speeds in. But I'm kinda short on time. Do you have any idea what rear drive shaft I would need from an f150?

 

[410Fortune]

Ill take one if you give me a good deal and can ship?
I would love to convert my BII to a 5 speed behind the 302

DITCH the AWD
Your ranger will love you for it
5.0 + 4406 = WIN

 

[H2opro]

Ill take one if you give me a good deal and can ship?
I would love to convert my BII to a 5 speed behind the 302

DITCH the AWD
Your ranger will love you for it
5.0 + 4406 = WIN

I can look into shipping when I get back into town. I'm going to be away from home until the 3rd of October. But I will look into it.
What rear f150 driveshaft would I need?

 

[410Fortune]

good question
I would have to research
I know the F150 with 4.2 is a good place to start! Also the f150 with 4.6 and in the Explorer the 97-98 Expedition with 4.6 fits right in (Similar to Ex cab ranger)
I usually just grab whatever shafts I can get because the rear all get dented in the junk yards

I am not in any rush, in fact Im broke right now LOL all my truck $$$ is out I need to bring some back in....but I am interested in a 4.2 manual for sure (scratch and claw if I have to)

 

[H2opro]

Where would I fine the u joint I need? I've seen th part number but can't find anything.

 

[410Fortune]

google
"spicer conversion U joint 1330 to 1310"

Came up with 5-134X

spicer conversion U joint 1330 to 1310 - Google Search

auto parts store dudes look at you like your nuts when you ask for a 5-134x, but they have them under another number, precision, Brute force, etc they all make them

https://www.summitracing.com/search...cap-diameter-in-axis-2/1-063-in/universal/yes

 

[H2opro]

google
"spicer conversion U joint 1330 to 1310"

Came up with 5-134X

spicer conversion U joint 1330 to 1310 - Google Search

auto parts store dudes look at you like your nuts when you ask for a 5-134x, but they have them under another number, precision, Brute force, etc they all make them

https://www.summitracing.com/search...cap-diameter-in-axis-2/1-063-in/universal/yes

Thank you! One more question. I've read the the ranger has a narrower frame behind the t case. Is that anything to worry about?

 

[410Fortune]

Should not be a problem with the 02
We have a 98 Ranger running around here with a 4406m in it, stepsons daily driver
I am building an 07 with a 4406e
and a 01 sport trac that might get a twin stick np205
and a 98 ranger getting a 4406e also
all 5.0 automatics happening now/soon

There must be 100 of these trucks on the intrawebz these days.... some nice rangers out there
4406 is the perfect t case for us, it is almost as if Ford had 5.0 Rangers in mind when they shoved the gt40 into the sploder.....hmmmmm


the ranger leaf springs are outboard of the frame rails
The gen II explorer leaf springs are under the frame rails
up until the drivers door the frames are otherwise near identical
Neither truck had the 4406 stock, but both trucks have room and the t case bolts in like stock
On the Gen II explorer and some rangers you will have to cut/chop/clearance the front tank mount but the 4006 fits all of them as far as width
It gets CLOSE at the fuel tank plastic guard (trim and BFH) to rear drive shaft clearance
Also the 4406 will be about 1/2" away from drivers frame rail BEFORE you move it to the pass side
PLENTY of room
The 4406m floor shifter even fits well with the explorer full length console...although I usually always bend/ shorten the 4406 shifter handle to suit our needs

 

[H2opro]

Does anyone have the length of rear driveshaft I need to put a bw4406 t case in my ex can ranger 5.0/4r70w swap?

 

[410Fortune]

depends on the length of your ranger
ex cab
The 97-98 rear expedition shaft MIGHT fit and it might not

I always plan to modify a rear d shaft to fit these conversions. Getting the rear shaft from the F150 the 4006 came from is a good start because it will have the correct flange for the 8.8 axle and the correct slip yoke flange for the 4406. The 4406 came with at least 3 different sized rear output seals, mix matching rear driveshafts can be troublesome.

Here is what I have learned:
F150 rear d shafts need to be shortened to fix the ranger/explorer 5.0
F150 rear driveshafts are tapered, so you cannot just cut some out easily, the whole thing needs to be re tubed

In my latest build we used the front slip yoke from the f150 shaft and welded it to a shortened rwd explorer shaft to make our own rear d shaft in house.
The distance from U joint to U joint was like 52-7/8" if I remember correctly.
That is with the driveshaft at ride height, basically with the slip yoke style rear shaft you want to allow 1.5" of plunge, that is set it all the way into the t case, then pull it out 1.5" and take your measurement......

98 Ranger 5.0 4406e build
1998 Extended cab 4x4 a very clean truck - another 5.0 conversion!! - 8 Cylinder Gasoline - Ranger Engine Tech - Ford-Rangers.com Ranger Forum

 

[boominXplorer]

Every truck will have a slightly different measurement. For mine I could not find a shaft the correct length. I used an expedition shaft and had it retubed to the correct length. Every f150 shaft in a junkyard is always bent from them moving the trucks with a forklift.

My transmission is slid to the passenger side about a 1/2" to help with clearance.

 

[H2opro]

Did you move the whole motor over a 1/2"? Or just the rear of the transmission?

 

[boominXplorer]

Just rear of transmission. You can just see the edge of the factory slots.

 

[H2opro]

Alright. I'm doing this swap. I've replace the awd t case 4 times. I'm tired of it. I have the case and the front shaft already. I see you guys talk about the rear shaft. But I'm special. Anyone have a parts list for me? Like I said I'm special. Id like to find a bolt in rear shaft. But if there is nothing out there I can have one modified.
Thanks in advance.

 

[boominXplorer]

I got an expedition shaft, put new u-joints in it and walked into a local driveline shop with measurements. They retubed, balanced, adjusted the u-joints I installed with different thickness clips and painted it for $165. Money well spent.

I can get you measurements later though incase you want to look through junkyards for hours.

 

[H2opro]

Sweet that you!

 

[410Fortune]

exactly
Shops here charge more like $250-300 these days to re tube a driveshaft, but they do use Spicer U joints and parts.
When I buy the "dented" rear F150 shaft I tell them about what I am doing with it, show the JY guy the dent and try to get the shaft at a huge discount, this way it hurts less on the final bill.
The dent from the forklift is always in the middle of the tube, you wont re use the tube anyway.
Craigslist is a great place to find non dented shafts from F150 or 97-98 expeditions

The 4406 will pay for itself in MPG, you will be happy, the steering gets lighter, the passing power comes back, front wheel bearings, ball joints and CV axles actually last a while the AWD was made when gasoline was CHEAP
the 4406 turns these trucks into real TRUCKS not soccer mom SUV's
There are only two trucks back here that struggle making our road when there is snow, ice or mud.....they are both still AWD...the 70/30 split is just a little better then driving a RWD in these conditions

 

[H2opro]

exactly
Shops here charge more like $250-300 these days to re tube a driveshaft, but they do use Spicer U joints and parts.
When I buy the "dented" rear F150 shaft I tell them about what I am doing with it, show the JY guy the dent and try to get the shaft at a huge discount, this way it hurts less on the final bill.
The dent from the forklift is always in the middle of the tube, you wont re use the tube anyway.
Craigslist is a great place to find non dented shafts from F150 or 97-98 expeditions

The 4406 will pay for itself in MPG, you will be happy, the steering gets lighter, the passing power comes back, front wheel bearings, ball joints and CV axles actually last a while the AWD was made when gasoline was CHEAP
the 4406 turns these trucks into real TRUCKS not soccer mom SUV's
There are only two trucks back here that struggle making our road when there is snow, ice or mud.....they are both still AWD...the 70/30 split is just a little better then driving a RWD in these conditions

Do you by chance know how long of rear driveshaft shaft I need for an ex can ranger?