Sorry to dig up a old thread. But will a 4.0 trans fit a 2.3? The 4.0 has a lower first and 2nd gear than the ones in the 2.3s. I think its a 3.72 vs a 3.40.
no, the 2.3 and 4.0 have very different bellhousing patterns
And as previously stated, you have it backwards, the 4.0 trans has what is best described as the close-ratio gear set, with taller gears 1st, 2nd & 3rd.
The reason the 4.0 gets the taller gears is because the 4.0 engine isn't very "Revvy".
I'll also add that when I initially built my truck I assembled it with a 4.0 engine, 4.10 gears and the wide ratio transmission with the 3.72:1 1st gear
And frankly it was a mistake, being used to the same setup with a 2.9 the additional torque of the 4.0 made the low 1st nearly useless except for creating custom made two-piece transmission output shafts (I broke two)
The "Close ratio" 4.0 trans 1st 3.40:1, 2nd 2.05:1, 3rd 1.31:1 the
"Wide ratio" gear-set used for all other engines (2.3, 2.5, 2.9, 3.0)
(1st, 3.72:1, 2nd, 2.20:1, 3rd 1.50:1)
the "HD" is another animal all together...)