Tranny Crossmember advice

I decided to replace my crossmember today as my bushings were torn and I happened to find one in the back of a ranger at the JY.

However, I had to destroy my old one to remove it (one bolt was completely rusted in) and I discovered that the replacement was nailed by the JY's forklift and bent/twisted to the point of not fitting. I guess I now why it was sitting in the back of the truck

Anyway, I reckon I have two options. One is to go to a JY and get another under warranty, although I don't know how I'd do that without getting a tranny on my head. Not to mention I read these frozen bolts are a common nuisance.

The option is this:

http://shop.illusivefabrications.com/crossmembers/ford-ranger-transmission-crossmember-83-97/

I like that it eliminates the stupid bushings and since I did tag my brackets a bit when grinding the old bolt, I have no attachements to the old brackets.

My question is about the fitment; the last time I spent serious money on aftermarket metal it was a mess (LMC aluminum sill plates, that's for another thread) and at $70 shipped with no reviews, it's a sorta hard sell. That said, the company is a forum sponsor who seems reputable, so I assume it's a good product? Also, is it worth the extra $40 to get the powdercoated version or would $10 of spray paint/primer do a good enough job?

I'm asking this here as until I get this resolved, my truck is a driveway decoration .

I would do jy replacement, but I'm in a more friendly climate.

Don't know specifics on the company /part in question, but it does state it's for 2wd. Not sure if that applies to you or not.

That said, warranty sounds cheaper than 70 bucks, but it's your time/money.

Best of luck!

20 year old truck, I think I'd be going back to the junk yard. Save the $ for another fight.
Big Jim

FWIW it was a $20 part, so I didn't have much invested.

My concern with pulling one at at JY is that i'll get nailed in the head if I remove the crossmember w/o supporting the tranny.

My truck is 2WD, so no issue there.

I'm not afraid to spend money as while it is a 20 year old truck with a 3.slow, it does have a recent tranny rebuild (a year and a half ago, which makes the seized bolt that much more ironic) and the rest of the truck is in solid condition (minus the cab mounts, which are a project coming down the road).

I'm leaning towards the aftermarket crossmember, mainly because it seems like too much trouble to pull one at a JY that is already dry rotted... even the one I bought had dry rot starting. If I was sure that the aftermarket one would fit, (which all signs are pointing towards that, I've been looking around the web), I'd just get that and not worry about it. This truck isn't a beater, and I prefer to fix things things right.

Some other crossmembers I found:

http://www.ridinlowcustoms.com/fordrangertransmission-p-3412.html?osCsid=62b84a74894c2c7886ae6f5240d691fc

That one seems to be a clone of the illusive fabrications one, although who knows which one is the knockoff.


http://www.bcfab.com/83-97-Ford-Ranger-Raised-Transmission-Crossmember_p_1497.html

Looks kinda junky... 1/4" steel vs the 1/2" that the others seem to be made from. It is wider though... but the others seem to be stouter.

I also saw this install guide:

http://www.rangerpowersports.com/forum/drivetrain/281102-installing-pre-1997-raised-transmission-crossmember.html

IDK. It's a chunk of change but also seems to be the best fix given the situation. Sure, I could straighten out the one bracket and toss on a JY crossmember to get me another 9 months or so... but I'm not one to kick the can on vehicles in good shape. If it were my wife's taurus, it'd be different (as it's a rusted out POS).

I think I found a winner (read: made a purchase):

http://www.ebay.com/itm/83-97-Newly-designed-Ford-ranger-raised-transmission-crossmember-bagged-air-ride-/151444438467?hash=item2342cabdc3:g:xpMAAOSw14xWJkgm&vxp=mtr

Already powdercoated too. I don't mind drilling out holes, as I already have 3/8" shanked 1/2" and 9/16" bits.

I guess this thread can be moved then since I've made a purchase. Sorry I kinda went against your advice, but the more I though about it the more it seemed like I better fix it the right way.

Let us know how it works out. And no worries man. You were asking for a sound board to bounce ideas off of, and we obliged. Lol

jeremysdad said:

Let us know how it works out. And no worries man. You were asking for a sound board to bounce ideas off of, and we obliged. Lol

Click to expand...

Better than the other forum I'm on a lot (and on more than here), badcaps.net forums where as much as I love my buddies a lot of them do get pissy over not taking advice.

I will let you guys know how it works out... once I get another clear day (today has rain and I have to go to a funeral in Ft Wayne), I'll be grinding rivets... oh joy. I had to do that a month or two ago when doing the radius arm bushings, which were a nightmare (but I've since learnt from that, and this time I don't care about the bracket going away!). Sadly no oxy torch or air chisel over here, so I have to grind, drill, and chisel them. Nice sharp 1/2" drill bits are good for reducing the amount of metal on the rivet heads I've found... and now I have a 9/16" one to remove even more metal!

Hey, on the plus side, look at all the clearance I get now! That ought to make oil and tranny fluid changes a bit easier w/o jacking (I don't like jacking things when I don't have to). Who said ground clearance was only for lowriders?

Yes please tell us how this raised xmember works out.
Big Jim

This alarms me: "The first design of these were horrible and someone had to step up and fix that. If you have or had one you know what i'm talking about."

I predict u joint grenades/vibration issues.

OP: The frame-laying crowd accept ride quality issues that I could never.

See...that will work if you drop the rear enough to equal the 'raise' of the crossmember. If not, go over the wrong speed bump, and the slip yolk is going to fall out of/drives haft flange is going to rip out of your transmission.

You can make that part work, but you'll have to space it down to make your driveline angles work. That's not advice. That's fact.

Best of luck!

jeremysdad said:

This alarms me: "The first design of these were horrible and someone had to step up and fix that. If you have or had one you know what i'm talking about."

I predict u joint grenades/vibration issues.

OP: The frame-laying crowd accept ride quality issues that I could never.

See...that will work if you drop the rear enough to equal the 'raise' of the crossmember. If not, go over the wrong speed bump, and the slip yolk is going to fall out of/drives haft flange is going to rip out of your transmission.

You can make that part work, but you'll have to space it down to make your driveline angles work. That's not advice. That's fact.

Best of luck!

Click to expand...

I thought about that myself before I made the purchase. It looks to be the same tranny height as stock as it is a shallower raise. Although it is advertised as a raised crossmember. I'll take measurements and see if there is a difference. If there is a signifigant change, I'll have to return it as short of rebending it this design can't be lowered.

That said, the design with bushings began in 95. 94 and earlier was more or less the same only made from bent sheet metal. I'm not too worried about vibrations as there is still a rubber transmission mount between the crossmember and tranny. I also am running Moog Greaseable u joints.

I'd have gone stock if I could get new bushings. While it looks like it is listed as a purchasable part from Ford, the listing isn't clear and at $140 it's a lot to gamble. I don't like the idea of buying consumable parts at junkyards as sooner or later I'll need to replace it again and boneyard parts won't always be available in the future. What do I do then? Sell the truck and buy a f*cking kia?

I hope I don't sound like too big of a dick but my truck isn't a beater that I'm just getting bye with. I plan to keep the truck as long as possible. Being an enthusiast's forum I hope somebody you see where I am coming from.

http://m.summitracing.com/parts/ens-4-18102g?seid=srese1&gclid=CjwKEAiApOq2BRDoo8SVjZHV7TkSJABLe2iDbTNXw_xBT-hp8V_NiTCD9tGe4I19BgYH2Ie5j6HjRxoCTL3w_wcB

Full bushing set for a 93-97 ttb truck. In poly. Not sure why you keep keeping on...

Starting to read like you just want us to be dicks to you? I'm game!

Already 'good lucked' him. Was talking @ Big Jim...wanted to stand down...

His response to us sounded like he's used to being battered around.

jeremysdad said:

http://m.summitracing.com/parts/ens-4-18102g?seid=srese1&gclid=CjwKEAiApOq2BRDoo8SVjZHV7TkSJABLe2iDbTNXw_xBT-hp8V_NiTCD9tGe4I19BgYH2Ie5j6HjRxoCTL3w_wcB

Full bushing set for a 93-97 ttb truck. In poly. Not sure why you keep keeping on...

Click to expand...

Because the bushings can't be replaced like that! Look at the kit:

Transmission Crossmember to Frame Bushing Included:No

Click to expand...

That's because the bushings are molded into the crossmember! The bushings and crossmember have to be replaced as a unit. Sadly this isn't a part made aftermarket in stock form. If you don't believe me, look it up on the forum, it's in quite a few threads.

So, my options are:

1. JY a used 95-97 crossmember (the stock bushing kind)
2. JY a used 87-94 crossmember (the stock no bushing kind which I read bolts up)
3. Buy a new stock crossmember from a ford dealer
4. Buy a new aftermarket crossmember (which are marketed as raised but also claim to be usable as an OEM replacement, I.E. not lowered/slammed/bagged)

The issue with #1 is that rubber dry rots, and as a result this is a band-aid fix at best. Any used crossmember is going to be no younger than 18 years old (unless it was replaced with #3 later, which is unlikely), so dry rot is the rule, not the exception. Even if it's not completely shot now, it will be in a year or two, and I'll be back here again (as short of a totaling wreck, I'm not getting rid of it!). Also, since I did ding up the bracket on the one side, while it should still work, I do have slight doubts.

The other issue with #1 and #2 for that matter is that I don't know how I'd pull one at a JY. That is, how to remove one without pulling the tranny or supporting the tranny until such is done. The one I got (and was unable to use) was in the back of a ranger that already had the motor and tranny yanked; it was already removed. This brings me to the other issue, which is the likely chance that any of these I find are damaged due to the fork lifts used to move the junk vehicles (the same reason why most driveshafts are toast at the JY). If I thought I could find a 1994-1987 one that wasn't smashed and remove it without killing the engine and tranny (because I don't like ruining cores), I'd do that and ditch the aftermarket one just to be safe (and to get some money back).

The issue with #3 is that there was no "transmission crossmember" listed, just 3 "crossmembers" that were spec'd for different wheelbases (FWIW, I have a standard cab with a long bed). They were about $147 a pop. This leads to two issues (and cost isn't really one of them). These are whether or not they are the part I'm looking for, and whether or not they still exist in stock (as I found out with tranny band nuts, Ford dealerships don't have the most reliable inventory). Also there is the first issue with #1 as who knows how long they've been in storage; I've seen tires dry rot on the shelf, why wouldn't a rubber bushing do the same?

Those lead me to #4 as my best option. While I don't like deviating from stock on things like this, the original design does indeed suck (the kind with bushings). It would have been better if they had made the bushings replaceable independent of the crossmember itself. In that case I'd get a set of bushings and then try to obtain a used crossmember (or patch up the one I cut open). However, that's not the case, so I have to get a replacement somewhere.

If the "raised" part of a "raised" crossmember refers to the tranny height, yeah, that's a big problem (drivetrain alignment and tranny fluid levels come to mind). However, my initial thought was that "raised" referred to a raised ground clearance, which is indeed true for such (as the bushing ends do sit below the frame, with the crossmember arching up to meet the transmission mount). Otherwise, wouldn't manual tranmission'd trucks have shifter position issues? I'm not an expert here, as I never have or intend to lower a vehicle, so if somebody here HAS used one of these crossmembers, then please chime in on what the "raised" part refers to as every listing for such a part only refers to ground clearance, not specifically transmission height.

jeremysdad said:

Starting to read like you just want us to be dicks to you? I'm game!

Already 'good lucked' him. Was talking @ Big Jim...wanted to stand down...

His response to us sounded like he's used to being battered around.

Click to expand...

No, I have specific questions, and the answers I'm getting don't add up and/or don't answer the question. Example, I raise the question on "how would I remove such a crossmember at the JY using JY legal tools" and all I get is "go to the JY", which doesn't answer the question. This is honestly beginning to seem like a bleeping Haynes manual, where the questions that one really wants answered are often listed as "do it" or "take the vehicle to a qualified mechanic" or "buy guide ____".