the m50d trans in my 96 ranger died and i cant find another replacement.for less than 3500.00. the wrecking yards in my area dont have a replacement m50d trans .the local trans repair shop dont even want to look at it.i was thinking of putting in a bell housing and trans from a pinto.what problems will i have in making the clutch work .also how can i
elimanate the high priced hdralic clutch parts.and go back to the manual style linkage that ford used in the early 70s.
i have a 70 ford f250 that has manual linkage for parts.
also i was thinking of using the heavy duty trans from the 70 f250.

please no comments asking why i need to make the conversion.
thank you
lrd56

 

there is a good MANUAL transmission shop down here in Tucson. Manuals is all they work on, if ya need the trans rebuilt this is the place to get it done. Its Lloyds on Dodge Blvd you should be able to find their number on yellowpages.com, if not drop a line and I will look it up. They rebuilt mine about 150000 ago. figure it to cost around $1000 or so depending on what needs to be done. As to the hydralics, autozone has lifetime on their stuff and I know they honor it. I think their slave goes for around $50 with the guarantee.

 

thanks for the info .but i want to use the parts that i have.1000.00 is 1 years worth of saving .plus the cost of shipping.
thank you
lrd56

 

I don't have any info about the pinto swap........and you said you did not want any comments about why you need to make the swap..........and I understand....

.I just want to leave this message for any other members that come cross this thread.........You do not need to spend $3500 for a M5od.......they are every where and they are pretty tough so if you find a wrecked truck chances are the tranny is good..........I see them on craigslist all the time for around $200.........I also see a lot of trucks for $500 that need work, don't have a tittle, etc.......you could buy one of those trucks, take out the tranny and sell the rest of the parts and recoup all our money.......

 

Just did a search in the Phoenix area for a Ranger with 2 wheel drive and 3.0 L engine. Found manual transmission for $400 to $800.

You didn't specify what engine you have and whether you have 2 wheel drive. The bell housings for each of the three different engines (2.3, 3.0, 4.0 L) Ford put in Rangers are different. I don't know if the innards of any of those transmissions will interchange with what you have (the factory service manual lists part numbers and there is no distinction by engine). The 2 wheel and 4 wheel drive transmissions differ in that the 4 wheel drive trannys have a short tailshaft and transfer case attached while the 2 wheel drive one has a long tailshaft.

All of these transmissions use the hydraulic clutch operation. Substituting the manual linkage will present a challenge. Trying to adapt a traditional linkage clutch operation will depend on your part adapting/manufacturing equipment and ability. You may have to adapt a different clutch and pressure plate.

The problem then becomes fitting any of the transmissions you mention in your post will be with the bell housing. When you consider that the three Ranger engines hook up with different bell housings, you can see the problem. I don't know if a tranny out of a Mustang will work for you. It might. I doubt any of the others will.

Hooking up an older F-250 manual tranny will also be a challenge. I haven't a clue if it is even possible - size, mounting points, clutch, bell housing all will present problems.

If you decide to do it, please let us know if it worked and how you did it. Picture of the adaptation would be great.

 

my 96 ranger is a xlt 2.3 engine.i live in chloride so its a long way to go to get another
junk m50d.i dont have any other transportation .for 200.00 i would be taking a big gamble that it would be a good one.i just might junk the truck.but i sure hate to give up .my ranger splash.i have a automatic trans from a 95 ranger with a 2.3 .but my 96 2.3 has little enough power.
thanks for the info
lrd56

 

copy-that.........best of luck what ever you decide.........

 

i found a guy who has a m50d .he says it works good .he gets my 70 30 ft riveria motor home .my 70 dodge mail van wheelchair van.also he gets my extra 96 2.,3 engine with 10.000 miles on it .the guy is local so i dont have a choice.
lrd56

 

at least you were able to keep your first born.......