1997 Ford Ranger - 4Wheel & Off-Road Magazine

Last month we showed you how to convert a TTB ( twin traction beam) series Rangerto a solid axle and revealed our goal of transforming this mild '97 Ford Ranger into a full-on Ultimate Adventure-ready rig that would have to stand up to some of the toughest trails that Texas has to offer. Although you've probably noticed by now that the Ultimate Danger Ranger made the trip, we wanted to show you the steps it took to get it there.

Most 3.0L-equipped Rangers are fitted with a 25-spline output shaft on the transmission, creating extremely limited options in terms of swapping transfer cases. The factory Borg-Warner 1354 isn't necessarily a weak case, but there simply isn't aftermarket demand for lower gears for that particular case. This left us with two options.

Option one would be to find another BW 1354 and create a homemade doubler. Option two would be to go with the only direct replacement transfer case available on the market at the time of print, an Advance Adapters Atlas II. Once we compared the two in terms of price, time, and feasibility, we decided that Atlas was the only logical way to go.

The Borg-Warner 1354 transfer case has a unique five-bolt mounting pattern common to Ford Rangers, Explorers, and Mazda midsized trucks. Once all sensors, shafts, and linkages are undone, you can remove the case. It will also be necessary to remove the factory transmission mount in order to slide out the last remaining case bolt.

The Borg-Warner 1354 transfer case has a unique five-bolt mounting pattern common to Ford

Knowing how gutless our Ranger was in stock form, we figured that lower gears would be needed in the differentials as well as the transfer case. After crunching a few numbers we determined that with 35-inch tires, the 4.88 gears in the differential in addition to the Atlas 5.0:1 low would offer us all the gear selection we needed given the benefit of the factory five-speed transmission. With the truck still taking up space at Diesel Tech, we hammered down and began the complete drivetrain removal.

For the gear installation we called on our friend Dale Langdon, a certified technician with more than a decade's worth of gearing knowledge-and lucky for us, a true enthusiast that does gear installation on the side. Although we encourage you to familiarize yourself with the what's what of your differential, a gear install can be a bit overwhelming if you're not equipped with the right tools. If a dial indicator and crush sleeves sound foreign to you, it's probably best to leave the gear installation to the professionals. Be sure to check out next month's issue for our Ranger wrap-up and the ultimate fate of our little Danger Ranger.

With the case removed, measure from the center of the output shaft to the inside of the body. This will give you an idea beforehand of any interference you may encounter when installing the new Atlas and also give you an idea of whether you will need to clock the new case. Now is also a good time to determine where the twin-stick shifters will be positioned and how the floorpan will have to be modified to make room for the shifters to have a full range of motion. Advance Adapters does suggest the use of a 1-inch body lift when installing an Atlas, but we were already as high as we needed to go in terms of lift. Thus we cut up our floor a little more than if we had gone with the body lift.
With the case removed, measure from the center of the output shaft to the inside of the bo
Removal of the extension tube will be necessary when guiding the Atlas into place...
...Two of the biggest advantages of having an Atlas are the availability of 2-Lo and the addition of a super-low 5.0:1 transfer-case gear ratio that will allow the Ranger to crawl over most obstacles, since powering up really isn't an option.
...Two of the biggest advantages of having an Atlas are the availability of 2-Lo and the a

Given the added torque of the geardriven low-range, we thought it would be a good idea to upgrade our original transmission crossmember. Rather than starting from scratch, we called Skyjacker and got one of its heavy-duty crossmembers that is used in conjunction with its Stage II TTB lift kit. The increased mounting surface and strength of the bar will help keep our framerails from twisting as much since the factory C-channel frame allows for more frame flex.
Given the added torque of the geardriven low-range, we thought it would be a good idea to
Before we could install our front ring-and-pinion, we needed to tear down our high-pinion Dana 30. This particular 30 was originally equipped with a vacuum-disconnect front axle that allows the front passenger-side axleshaft to disengage when the Jeep was in two-wheel drive. Since the vacuum disconnect is prone to be weak and problematic, we decided to remove the two-piece shaft in place of a set of one-piece shafts that slide directly into place with out any modifications. Once the disconnect feature was removed, we finished off the conversion by building a plate that would cover and replace the original disconnect actuator that bolted onto the back of the housing.
Before we could install our front ring-and-pinion, we needed to tear down our high-pinion
Since the original outer axle seal rests inside the disconnect housing that is no longer in use, we needed to find a seal that would fit inside the differential. Napa PN 11343 is the correct seal that you will need to keep all of the differential fluid from escaping out of the tube end.
Since the original outer axle seal rests inside the disconnect housing that is no longer i

With a numerically higher gear ratio and drop-in lockers, we were in need of new set of open carriers that would complement the setup. A few good sources for used carriers are your local gear or transmission shop, maybe even junkyards, but don't fret if you can't find them used, since they'll usually cost you less than a tank of gas to buy new.
With a numerically higher gear ratio and drop-in lockers, we were in need of new set of op
Langdon lays on the gear paint so we could check the contact pattern for our Dana 30's 4.88 Richmond Gears. When it came time for a front locker, we went with one of the most affordable and easy-to-install lockers on the market, the Lock-Right. This "lunchbox" locker's four-pin design is simple and effective, requiring minimal setup time and allowing for you to simply drop it into your existing open carrier (a 4.10-and-up open carrier in our case) without having to upgrade or change gear ratios.
Langdon lays on the gear paint so we could check the contact pattern for our Dana 30's 4.8
The axleshafts are notoriously weak on the Dana 30, and with 35-inch tires at each end of the knuckle, we need something that would hold together under serious abuse. The answer came in the form of Superior Axle & Gear's replacement shafts that use a larger 760 U-joint for increased strength and reliability.
The axleshafts are notoriously weak on the Dana 30, and with 35-inch tires at each end of

Our 28-spline 8.8 rear axle received the same 4.88 Richmond Gear treatment, but uses a Powertrax Locker for a traction aid...
Our 28-spline 8.8 rear axle received the same 4.88 Richmond Gear treatment, but uses a Pow
...The additional pins and springs along with the factory C-clips make the install a bit more involved, but unlike the Lock-Right, the Powertrax won't give you the "clicking" sound around corners. Also note that the center pin will need to be filed down in order to clear the thicker ring gear on the carrier.
...The additional pins and springs along with the factory C-clips make the install a bit m
After all fluid levels and linkages were checked and everything tightened, we installed the beefy J.E. Reel driveshafts. The driveline angles were OK, but with the front shaft continuously rotating due to the unit-bearing style hubs, we went with C.V.s both front and rear to help deal with the angle and also to decrease any vibrations that we may have. Stay tuned next month for Part III of our Ultimate Ranger wrapup as we'll put on all the finishing touches that helped an old Ford survive the wrath of Texas.
After all fluid levels and linkages were checked and everything tightened, we installed th

SOURCES
Superior Axle & Gear N/A superioraxle.com	J.E. Reel www.reeldriveline.com
Richmond Gear Old Norris Rd. Liberty SC 29657 864-843-9231	Advance Adapters 4320 Aerotech Center Way P.O. Box 247 Paso Robles CA 93446 805-238-7000
Dale Langdon dalesjeeprepair@yahoo.com	Skyjacker P.O. Box 1678 West Monroe LA 71294 N/A 3-18/-388-0816 www.skyjacker.com
Diesel Tech 951-766-5777 http://www.dieseltech1.com