4406 Finished (For Now)

[MAS Tequila]

I finished the 4406 swap.

Murphy stuck his nose into every little detail this time.

Some of the usual problems didn't affect my swap while I ran into some that weren't mentioned.

My front driveshaft actually had to extend about an inch to fit.

While my rear driveshaft had to be shortened 2" to go in place. But it clears the fuel tank, including the plastic, by at least 2".

And yes they were from the correct year vehicles.

I was able to use the boot from an F150. I notched the console to allow it to slide under and clearanced the boot frame so the shifter can operate freely.

The one that still bugs me is the shifter.

The knob rests against the console.

I would like to bend it slightly to correct this.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to accomplish this?

MT

 

[SWIGIN]

What D shafts did you use that you had to alter?

For a stock front rear I used a EX gen1 double cardian (spelling?) and it fit fine.

Rear is supposed to be a 5.4 4x4 Expedition. ( again fit fine for me)

My shift knob does not hit the console but it is close. If I cared about it the way I'd attack is to simply remove the shifter rod and bend the top 2 or 3 inches.

I would not bend the bottom since that's right where my leg goes so I'd only bend the top.

 

[MAS Tequila]

I got the front DS from a 4.6 equipped expedition and the rear from a 5.4 4 expedition.

I was thinking about the top 3-4" being bent.

My question was how to bent it without buggering it up too bad.

MT

 

[SWIGIN]

why does it matter?


The F150 boot covers the whole thing. Take the rod off, bend it cold or with heat then paint or not.

 

[SWIGIN]

Wait, If your asking how to bend steel, clamp it in a vise and slid a pipe over it and pull your guts out.

I'd use my shop press to bend it right where I want.

I would not use heat but you can but you will want to remove the knob.

 

[Turdle]

Ok, something sounds "silly" here

2" of clearance between the drive shaft and tank shield, with a shifter rubbing into the console . seems like your trans mount has shifted to the passenger side,or something along those lines.

Normal clearance between drive shaft and tank is a pubic hair and trimming is needed. even then if a trans mount goes weak the shaft will rub the tank on hard right hand turns.

something here does not seem right. Sorry to be a debbie downer.


Also, rear shaft being too long, front being too short? Seems like the motor-drive line is shifted to the rear.
Has this truck been in a bad wreck?

Trans cross member installed backwards?

 

[MAS Tequila]

That's the funny part.

Absolutely original accident free 68000 mile truck when I bought it.

Car fax verified.

It looks like new underneath.

I'll get some pics later.

MT

 

[delexploder]

Yea and most people are having the opposite problem with the shifter

 

[eblightning]

Interesting topic - I completed the 4406 swap last summer and experienced several similar occurrences. My truck is a 2000 XLT lifted 4" Superlift with 33" tires. Rear shaft from a 5.4 Expo, front shaft from a 4.6L F150, not sure what year the manually shifted 4406 is. Upon initial install, the rear shaft would rub the gas tank on hard right turns. I didn't replace the trans mount so that is an interesting theory. I may just replace for the hell of it as the truck has 179K. I do not know the accident history so anything is possible. Nonetheless, I clearanced the tank 'lip' with a wooden 2x4 buffer and BFH. Have not had any clearance issues since. The rear driveshaft length is fine but I needed to shorten the front shaft an 1.5". Lastly, the shifter operation is very stiff and difficult at times. I do not know the history of the t-case and will look into further later this spring.

 

[delexploder]

The 4406 is a rough shifting case some need two hands, when I did the 99 mountaineer I had to shorten the front shaft but the rear was fine , but I also didn't have the plastic shield or skid pan on the tank either

 

[SWIGIN]

Mine goes from 2H to 4H with the pull from one or two fingers and a nice push get it back into 2wd. To get it into 4L is another story.

 

[MAS Tequila]

Mine shifts just as smooth as silk.

Here are a couple of thoughts about the fitment.

There is a very good possibility that they sent me the wrong rear DS. Maybe one from a 4.6 instead of a 5.4 truck.

My truck has 3 1/2" of suspension lift in the rear and 2 1/4" in the front. Now these measurements are gross gains from the saggy droop not net from the original height.

That could cause the front DS to need to expand 1 1/2" and cause the rear DS to clear the fuel tank differently. Once the truck was off the stands the clearance between the tank and rear DS shrank to about 3/4".

I used brand a brand new shifter bracket and linkages. The spring in the bracket has not had years to lose any of it's strength. This could cause the shifter to touch the console. And by touch I mean that if it were 1/8" further left it wouldn't touch.

My biggest complaint is that quite a bit of the sound deadener came loose from the floor while using the BFH to clearance the necessary areas and cutting for the shifter. I am going to get some Lizard Skin or Dynamat to get rid of the added noise.

Would I do it again?

Absolutely, I've already seen a rise in miles per tank. And the steering is lighter. And just the thought that I don't have to replace all 4 tires if I have one shred to keep the AWD from crapping out is a huge relief.

MT

 

[delexploder]

Ahhh makes sense, good to hear it all worked out , its like a new truck or at least a different one ? That's been my experience with the swap , kinda like Ford should have done it like that to begin with