tranny swap and other advice..??

[Chad Summers]

Ok, I am thinking of doing a swap to my explorer.. but I'm not really sure what.. I need some opinions and advice, etc.. I'm kinda worried about the dependability of my auto tranny. (I could also possibly use it for my aunts 91 that is leaking severely and its not the cooler lines or gasket, any ideas?) I was thinking of swapping in a v8 but after reading the posts in this section, that seems like more of a hastle (and probably gas hog as well anyway) than what I'm wanting.. Maybe I'll go with a supercharger instead. Either way, I'm looking for more power than stock, and probably 33in tires (and sfa swap at some point) Anyway, now for my main question, should I consider swapping in a manual tranny or can my auto be built stronger or what should I do? I don't think the stock explorer 5spd would be any better to put in than the auto I have now so is there anything else that would be an easy swap? How much trouble is converting to a manual going to be period? Should I just hope I don't fry my auto? I have to have od.. Also what about tcases? I have a dana 20(?) from a 76 bronco that could possibly be used or should I stick with swapping in a manual b/w? (its the elec garbage now.. grr hehheh) I'm basically looking for something dependable. I don't plan to do a lot of serious off roading exactly but I want something that will work when it is off road or on road.. any ideas? thanks for any advice.. sorry about the length of this..

 

[BislamJoe]

I'd do the V8. I'm in the planning stages of some big mods on my truck right now. Widened TTB front, 9" rear, 5.0, AOD, Dana 20, 33's. From what I've read, gas mileage won't change much compared to stock. The Kaufmann website (i can't remember the web address, look over the thread entitled "V8 swap") says about the V8 Ranger swaps that you usually get 20-22 mpg in the rangers. You could just upgrade your tranny to the AOD, it's a good 4-speed auto. You can put your stock t-case behind an AOD, but if you've already got a Dana 20, use that. If you don't want the V8, maybe you could do the AOD/Dana 20, then have your 4.0 rebuilt with a blower and whatever else you can do to soup up the V6. I considered that route, but reasoned that if I spent that money on a V8, I'd have about the power of a built 6, but I'd have more options later on if I need even more power.

 

[tiessen]

I'm pretty sure no one makes an adapter for the 4.0L to AOD. I think you are stuck with a BW T5 for upgradeable trannies. The A4LD can be built though, the '94 and up are way better than the 91 and 92's.

Cheers
Dale

 

[BislamJoe]

You can put an AOD behind a 4.0, but I don't think I'd do it. There was a thread mentioning it, I can't remember what it was titled though. As for the later A4LD's being better, I think he's right. I think everyone on this board has heard the horror stories of trannies dying after like 70k. My tranny in my '93 has 85k on it, is abused daily by crazy people (read "me") and shows no sign of letting up. Chad - If you don't want to use that Dana 20, I'm sure there are plenty of people who'd be interested in buying it. Is it the j- or the t- type shift? If it's the T-shift, I'm interested if your price is right. But I'm cheap, find someone who'll give you good money that you can put toward your tranny.

 

[Chad Summers]

Thanks guys.. I'm still not really sure what I'm going to do yet but oh well... I'm still thinking the 6 will be easier to deal with.. How much can I expect to spend on getting the 4ald (or whatever it was, I'm to lazy to look back right now) built? (my aunts 91 is still sitting out in the yard waiting to be fixed to.. hehheh although it has a respectful 170k on it..) How bout mating the dana 20 to it? I'm not sure if its the j or the t, I can't remember off hand.. its from a 76 though.. I think its the harder one to work with.. I just wanted the axles.. disc front end.. 9in rear.. anyway.. the 20 maybe for sale someday but not yet.. I would much prefer the atlas but way out of my price range.. I know I had more stuff to ask about but I can't think of it right now.. so I'll just say thanks for the help and get outta here.. Thanks