5.0 Swap 4R70W Transmission Requirement

[mhash67]

Hello, I'm currently in the process of preparing my 5.0 swap into my 99 ranger xlt. I have been reading tech docs and fourms for about 2 months now and have decided what path I want to go down and I am at the point of actively looking for my donar however, there is one question that I have not been able to find clear information about.

I am going to be purchasing a donar 99-01 explorer or mountaineer for motor, transmission and rear axel and everything else I need. Knowing that the transmission is a 4R70W and I want to retain the BW 1350 transfer case from the Ranger I will have to purchase the Advanced Adapter AOD to Borg Warner 1350/1354 Adapter Kit. I know I will have to rebuild the transmission to replace the output shaft that comes with the kit.

My question is since I will be changing the output shaft and tail piece can I get a donar that is only 2WD or do I need to be sure to get an AWD model? Are there any other differences in the 2WD 4R70W and the AWD that I need to consider? I have a shot at getting a Moutaineer with under 70k original miles but, it is $2k more then a donar that is AWD with 170k on it. I think it would be worth the extra $2k if I can convert the 4R70W from 2WD to 4x4 with my BW transfer case with the adapter kit that I'm already planning to have to use.

Any guidance would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

 

[fastpakr]

Don't retain the stock transfer case. Use one from an F150 and skip the adapters.

 

[mhash67]

I had originally thought about using the BW 4406 because I wanted a heavy duty transfer case however I read that there would be clearance issues. The solution for the clearance was to move the entire engine and transmission 1/2 to the passenger side which made me worry about causing a clearance issue with the headers and causing an alignment issue if I don't get the new holes drilled perfectly. I'm planning on using the Torque Monster headers and I already only have about an inch of clearance between the frame and the stock exhaust manifold on the passenger side. Am I just over thinking it?

So I'm clear, to go the BW4406 route the donar definitely needs to be a AWD 99-01 Explorer or Mountaineer and then I would need the BW 4406 from a 1997-2003 Ford F-150 4×4 with a 4.6L engine as well as the linkage and front drive shaft.

 

[fastpakr]

I didn't shift my engine at all. Though I did do a 1 inch body lift. Can't remember any clearance issues.

My donor was a 2wd Explorer, but that forced me to separately source a transmission. Honestly I don't remember the source of driveshafts. Several accumulated throughout the project and I took what I needed to a local shop to have things cut to length.

 

[mhash67]

Thank you for the insight, I'm definitely going to look harder at going the BW4406 route, it would save $1300 or so in adapter and rebuild parts. I don't think that will fully cover a transmission and transfer case but it maybe close enough. I have a fairly tight budget for the project but I'm still thinking of going with the Mountaineer I found even if I have to source a transmission separate just for the shear fact of only having 65k and some change in mileage on the motor. Hopefully that will put any major engine issues far enough down the road I won't have to worry about it for a while.

 

[fastpakr]

For what it's worth, I'd save another grand and skip the headers. Unless you're putting money into the engine itself internally, it's a huge expense with limited returns. And it can take a year or more to get them in your hands. If I could roll back the clock, I'd skip the engine changes and headers on mine.

 

[mhash67]

Thanks for that heads up. I must have read something wrong in one of the other threads, I thought I read something about the steering link being an issue with the factory manifolds. I will definitely be pushing that down the road.

 

[JoshT]

If you're going 4wd, I'd second what those guys said. Use the 4406. I'm going to be going AWD with mine, but if I ever decide to switch back to 4WD that's what I'll be doing. In fact after finishing the swap I'll probably start colelcting the parts to put on the shelf just in case.

I would go with the AWD donor. If you go 2wd you will have to open the transmission or buy another, AWD with the 4406 and you;re good to go. The AWD may have an extra 100k, but if it was well maintained that is not an issue. My 180k mile donor engine ran strong and still has crosshatching in the cylinders.

I think I'd worry about the year of the donor more than the transmission. Electrically the 2wd and AWD explorer 4R70W are the same, so fairly easy to swap between them. If you select the right year donor to match your Ranger, and don't do a bunch of extra, it's almost a bolt in swap with the parts in the two donors. If you select a year donor that doesn;t match you'll have to change a bunch of stuff to make the two play well together. The tech article pretty well covers that info.

Thanks for that heads up. I must have read something wrong in one of the other threads, I thought I read something about the steering link being an issue with the factory manifolds. I will definitely be pushing that down the road.

Yeah I think you read that wrong. Stock manifolds fit best, but restrictive which isn't a real problem on a stock engine. Torque mosnters second best fit, but expensive and hard to get, There are also OBX knockoffs of the TMs that are cheaper and quicker to get when you find them, but finding them can be a problem and they are knockoffs with everything that brings.

My only recommendation other than do it (I'm still in progress)is take your time finding the right donor. My recomendation would be a 99-01 5.0 AWD with anything less than 200k miles and runs/shifts good.

Also I don'twhat prices are like over there in Texas, but you mentioned a 2k dollar price diference between the donors. I've bought two of these Explorers for donors in my area. First was a 180k mile 1998 5.0L 2wd Limited that had been rolled, but ran and shifted good, for $500. Knew PO family and bought it for a different project, but never happened and that engine is going into my 99 and is the one that still has crosshatching. The second is a 180k mile 2000 5.0L AWD Ohio rust bucket that ran and shifted good (drove it 100 miles home) tat I got for $1200. Probably could have gotten it for less, but it was Christmas, I was willing to pay, and condition made it a perfect donor. Don't know what the inside of that engine looks like, bought for everything else and the engine will be stored for future performance build. You wanted fairly budget, I think you can find better prices than that price difference would suggest.

 

[scotts90ranger]

The 4406 is not much bigger than a 1354, the clearance issues are on the 1356 that was in earlier F150's... I conveniently have a 1354 and 4406 sitting next to eachother on a pallet (one spare for the '90 Ranger and one to convert my other V8 explorer to 4x4 from AWD), we'll see if I can get a comparison picture tomorrow night... You'll likely need a front driveline out of a 4.6L F150 or Expedition (assuming you're keeping electric shift so you can add in Expeditions to the search) and might as well grab one of the rear drivelines (don't know if any lengths match up unlike on an Explorer where a rear Expedition shaft from a 5.4L bolts in)

 

[scotts90ranger]

Ok, here's a pic of a comparison between the two cases, the 4406 is a bit longer but not too much more offset. I thought the yard stick would show up better but apparently not

 

[mhash67]

Thanks for the info, and I will keep the 4.6 expeditions in mind when I start looking for the Transfer cases. I went ahead an pulled the trigger on a donar it's a 99 Moutaineer but it wasn't 100% what I needed so I'm going to have to still source a Transmission and rear axel as well. Am also going to have to do a lot more research because I'm going to attempt to swap most of the interior too. Now that I have a donar with most of what I need I'm working out what order I want to work in given time and funds.