i just bought a 74 ranger xlt, good body and a 390 in good shape. just wanted some advice on some minor problem areas as i'm not an experienced mechanic- a heavy vibration from 30-40mph(tire balance/alignment?) in both neautral and drive, doesnt change on acceleration; also the power steering is squeeking a good amount even after fluid; and theres a high pitch but low level squeeking sound coming from somewhere in the rear. any help is appreciated . . . also, i have a 73 f100 explorer with a 390 that was recently wrecked in the front end(heavy body damage but no internal damage past the radiator) that i was thinking of taking the manual 3spd from and putting in the 74. someone offered to do it for me in exhange for the rest of the 73, but i wasnt sure if this would be worth the truck. the 73 body overall is pretty worn, interior in bad condition. thanks

 

#1 tires balance and/or drive line (U-joints/pinion bearing/output shaft/rear axle bearings) Assuming it doesn't vibrate in park, of course.
#2 loose/glazed/worn belt or restriction in gear box or bind in steering components
#3 dragging brake or rear axle bearing failure imminent, (see #1)
#4 sounds like a poor deal to me. It is a lot of work to retrofit a manual box to an automatic (personally I prefer an auto for a "city truck" and a manual for a "farm/ranch" truck.) However, the 390 has a core value of about $400.00 alone, which (in my mind) is what the job is worth.

 

You don't have a lot on the front end, but check the joints at the tie rod/pitman arm/drag link for obvious play. You probably have king pins instead of ball joints, but check for spindle play also.

The biggest buggers are the infamous radius arm bushings that are rotting as we speak if they have not yet been replaced. Do some searches about how to identify them and determine if they need replacing.

Any or all of these PLUS what Ecuri mentioned in #1 above could cause your vibrations, along with a host of clunks and other noises.

The "high pitch low level squeaking" you reported sounds exactly like one of the rear wheel/axle bearings going south. This can be a vehicle killer if not repaired -- if either side's seal and/or bearing is bad, it will eventually "blow up" (actually the race shatters and the bearings go everywhere). After that, you can lose your wheel and axle which will destroy the entire rear end at high speed. Of all the ailments you have listed, make this one your priority to diagnose.

Look for telltale signs of rear end grease splattered in your back wheel wells. If you can, block the front wheels and get the rear off the ground on stands and see if you can isolate the noise. PLEASE USE THE UTMOST OF CARE AND HAVE A SPOTTER.

If its not the bearings, it could also be the rear end itself (a number of different components in there), or it could be a hung brake, also as Ecuri said above. But before you drive it anymore, particularly on the highway, you need to figure out this noise.

Regarding the transmission, if your auto is doing OK, I'd advise you get a handle on everything else first and get used to the vehicle.

Good luck

 

Thanks for filling in the stuff I missed Gearhead!

 

thanks for the help - the a/t on the 74 is actually going out, so thats why im putting the manual in.

 

The transmission scene could be rough going. I can't even count the different auto/manual transmission/driveshaft combinations I have seen. A guy in the junkyard once told me that there are 190 variations of Ford truck drivelines.

Any ol way...

It sounds like the manual trans and bellhousing will probably interchange without problems. You might also get lucky with the driveshafts too. If you do the trans swap, put in some new U-joints and U-bolt girdles (be alert to the sizes and configurations too). Also, if you have the Carrier bearing (sometimes called "Center Support"), its pretty low-cost and easy to replace.

Make sure that the driveshaft (the rear one) has all its components. Particularly, there is an adjustible endpiece for the "Slip Yoke" type of dual driveshaft (going into to the center support) that often gets left off leaving your driveshaft to stretch. Important piece here...be sure all the driveshafts are "synchronized" meaning that your U-joints, yokes, and shafts must all be aligned in the same manner with themselves. Its not that hard to do, but its another thing that is easily overlooked. Lastly, when you get it up, grease all the joints (except the carrier bearing which is pre-greased) and liberally coat the splines where the slip yokes connect with a light grade lithium grease (this will prevent "clunking" in at least one area).

Good luck and check in if you have problems!