5.0L swap with Manual T5 and AWD ???'s | Page 2 | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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5.0L swap with Manual T5 and AWD ???'s

"Just to let you know this will NOT!! be a straight forward swap"

There is no such thing, trust me.
 



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I'm a newbie here and figured this was the place to get some good info, and I may be able to help some here. My question, which I think has already been answered by inference, is whether or not the AWD case had the same transmission tailshaft sizing as the V-6 cases. What I have found out (I want to put the AWD case and new front suspension / diff under my 85) is that the tailshaft to transfer case bolt pattern is substantially different. I went to the Ford store and had parts pull out the gaskets, and unless he made a mistake, bolting it up will require some serious welding modification on the tailshaft housing. I have the T-5 w/ Advanced Adapter setup behind my Turbo 2.3. In any event, can anyone verify my tailshaft sizing question?

I read a blurb at the BW site that said the T-case was good for 500 lb-ft of torque. When I was a Ford tech I went to school on this case and was informed that even a minor variation in tire size at any corner could fry the viscous clutch in as little as 50 miles. Just a couple of things to keep in mind when looking for a used case.

BTW, nice to be aboard!
 






not meaning to muck up your conversion process.... but why not go out and buy a 5.0 AWD explorer and then bolt all your goodies onto the motor tune it and turn it loose.... you can get them plenty cheap as no one goes out of the way to get one because of gas prices right now.... manuals have been done but I bet if you put shift kit +programming into the auto trans it would be real good.... 4r70w will take 500 hp if built right... www.baumanengineering.com
 






the 4r70w in all 5.0L AWD Explorer's is esentially a AOD-E Ford transmission. Advance Adapters makes a few adapters and output shafts for this transmission so you can use different T cases. You can search this forum to see what other t cases have been used behind this transmission, from bolt up Ford cases to using an adapter you have a few options.

Are you saying you plan to use the torsion bar front suspension and 4wd IFS front end with rack and pinion under your 85?
 






Yes, I want to use the IFS (and a 4-link rear) with air suspension to be able to lower my truck. I don't do any off-road and my truck makes enough HP that it's reasonably exciting (dangerous) to apply any kind of throttle unless I'm moving in a straight line. The rack and pinion is a bonus, along with the opportunity to fab on some larger brakes with my 17" wheels. I'm looking to procure a used frame and start the conversion, then swap everything over. For those of you who wonder how I have an 85 GT, the body is an 88, so I'm not shy about doing major reworks.
 






"For those of you who wonder how I have an 85 GT, the body is an 88"

say what? Is this a Mustang or a Ranger?

the IFS and rack and pinion are going under which frame? Its a great idea to get the Explorerr or Ranger frame with the IFS and rack and pinion in order to work with. It is not clear to me what vehicle we are working on here. Are you starting a new project?

Sounds like you have a 85 Ranger GT with a 2.3L T in it and a 88 Ranger body, but all that could also be Mustang talk.

I am confused, please clarify.
You are building a 5.0L AWD Ranger correct?
 






I do in fact have an 85 Ranger Turbo 2.3 with an 88 Ranger GT body. I want to keep it 2.3 / T-5 (currently at 18 psi and about a second faster than my 05 Saleen Mustang) but convert to AWD with IFS front suspension and Rack and Pinion. In terms of the frame, that will be a new project that when completed will receive everything else from my current vehicle. The answer I'm still looking for is whether the transmission output shaft is the same size / splines between the different transmissions. I can handle modifying the tailshaft housing, but changing shaft matings seems a bigger challenge. The truck can be seen at this site:

http://home.sprynet.com/~fredbasin/index.html

I hope this clarifies any questions.

Fred
 






Psssst check out the Chevy Typhoon/Cyclone front IFS. Might be ALOT easier to work with then the Exploder/Ranger front. I only say this because a VERY knowledgable mechanic friend of mine is/was considering a Fastback Mustang or Ranchero AWD project and this seemed like an excellent fit on that project once I did some peeking underneath those trucks.


Nice truck!

The AWD T case is a 6 bolt Ford T case, i will try to get a picture of the T case input and also the 4r70W output for you.
 












Nice info about the Cyclone, I'd love to build a 69 fastback with AWD.

To the thread, the AWD supposedly can handle about 500HP, for how long, that's a good question. I'm headed that way with a KB blower on my 302.

Unless you are staying stock and married to the old Mustang operating system, don't use it. Sell it, and get the vastly far superior Explorer OBDII PCM and system. The OBDII can be tuned to handle any and all modifications. The EECIV has driveability issues with all highly modified engines, it should not even be considered.

You will need the whole front dress to match the PCM, the timing cover, balancer, water pump, distributor drive pickup, wiring harness, etc. Don't start with a 99-01 for your 98 model. You have a returnless fuel system, and need the matching 95-98 PCM. I'd get a 98, to work with your PATS. Buying a whole donor vehicle or drivetrain would be the cheapest and easiest route. Good luck,
 






Explorer OBDII PCM and system. The OBDII can be tuned to handle any and all modifications

AND it can be adapted to any vehicle if you ask me, just takes a tiny itsy bit of wiring and the addition of some sensors throughout the vehicle :)

An AWD Mustang will have a big hump in the floor and it would be really interesting to get the front D shaft, etc in there....but man wouldnt that be cool? GT-40 powered with A/C and a 4r70w = awesome cruiser car.
 






I talked to Advance Adapter yesterday and was informed the 1350 (T-5) has a 25 spline shaft while the AWD case most likely is a 31 spline shaft. That adds another element of challenge to the swap.
 






hmmm
Well I wonder if AA makes a stub shaft to connect the two?
 






I asked that and was told they don't do anything like that, plus they don't do anything at all anymore with the T-5. I also called BorgWarner to see if they could supply drawings so I could lay it out on the computer to check if it's feasible to build a conversion shaft and they told me they couldn't. I'll keep searching for drawings or actual shafts to measure because I really want to do this.
 






with a machine shop ANYTHING is possible. Might contact some local guys who know about these things?
 






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