'95 4R55e tranny swap into '97 5R55e spot?

[Paints-n-cows]

Here is my situation.

I have a '95 Explorer with a 4.0 that has 102k on it. A deer was having a bad day and decided to end it all by running out in front of it while I was on my way to work. Unfortunately, he also killed/totalled the Explorer (now a "branded title"). It took a hard hit on the right front corner taking out the fender, hood, bumper, header panel, grill, lights, radiator and popping both airbags.

This truck had belonged to an elderly couple in Florida that only put about 3-4k a year on it since they bought it new. They had spent about $2800 at a Ford garage, a few months before I bought it last January, basically going through everything.

I found a '97 that is basically a stripped vehicle...no motor, tranny, seats, headlights, and some other miscellaneous things but the same equipment package as the '95. The body is in great shape with no rust and only one minor ding on it.

Since the '95 has a totalled title and the '97 has a clean title, I was going to take the interior, engine, tranny, etc. from the '95 and basically put it all back together.

What I have discovered is that the '97 has the 3.73 axle ratio and the 5R55e tranny whereas the '95 has the 3.55 and the 4R55e.

My questions are these:
1) Is it possible to use the tranny from the '95 in the '97?
2) If so, will I have to switch the computer from the '95 to the '97?
3) Would I be better off just taking the front clip off of the '97, painting it, and rebuilding the '95?

 

[Glen4X4]

If the 97 is Stripped then swap your 95 motor, trans, and computer over to it as long as it had the 4.0 in it originally but unsure if there is any interior wiring you may have to redo since the 95 used OBD1

 

[Paints-n-cows]

Mine has both the OBDI and OBDII connections in it. I tried to put a scanner on the OBDII and it told me to use the other...but I'm not sure if that was the scanner saying that or the computer in the truck saying that.

Does the tranny use one computer and the engine another?

If I switched the computer out of my '95, would the speedometer read correctly since there is a difference in the rear axle ratios?

 

[Glen4X4]

Yeah....I forgot you had different axle ratios, so you could go to a yard a search for a 95 with your gear ratios or buy a programmer to reprogram your computer to the axle ratios you have. You could use a 97 computer but then you need to change a couple things on the motor plus the 97's didn't come with the 4R55E so that will pose a problem.

 

[Paints-n-cows]

Yeah....I forgot you had different axle ratios, so you could go to a yard a search for a 95 with your gear ratios or buy a programmer to reprogram your computer to the axle ratios you have. You could use a 97 computer but then you need to change a couple things on the motor plus the 97's didn't come with the 4R55E so that will pose a problem.

What would I have to change as far as the computer for the engine?

 

[Paints-n-cows]

I also forgot to add that both the '95 and the '97 have a VIN code of "X" for the engine.

Does that make any difference?