Hi everyone,

I'm slowly moving forward with my Ranger conversion, but I have run into a new issue I wasn't expecting.

The transmission crossmember from the truck has the rubber bushings in the end similar to the Mustang, but the steel pipe around the bushings at the passenger end is mostly rusted out and gone.

At first I thought I would just cut it out, weld in some new 1 1/4" pipe, get new bushings and re-use it. After looking around on several sites today I find that the bushings are not available to purchase. A couple of guys have replaced the whole crossmember with the style that bolts inside the frame rails from a Bronco II, or from an Explorer, depending on the year, and 4x2, or 4x4 tcase clearance issues.

Here is my scenario:

1990 Ranger, extended cab, 4x2
Mercedes OM617 turbo engine
1996 Jeep AX15 tranny

Should I a)continue to rebuild my crossmember and forget putting any bushings in it since the newer ones bolt directly to the frame? b) get one of the ones from the junkyard for $45 from an Explorer? or c) fabricate my own from a piece of 4" channel steel?

The Jeep tranny mount has a different bolt pattern than the Ranger anyway, 4 bolts vs. 2.

Any thoughts and comments are welcome!

Thanks everyone!

 

I dont understand why it would need bushings, I think a solid bolt up would be fine

 

My old '99 Ranger had a solid bolted tranny crossmember so I don't know why it wouldn't work with this one. My only concern is if there may be a lot more vibration with the diesel engine vs. the old gasser 3.0.

Rick

 

build your own i did out of 3in channel

 

Looks sharp. Good work. I looked around my shop but I don't have a piece on hand that is long enough. Will walk through the salvage yard tomorrow and see if they have something I can use.

Rick