Quote:
Originally Posted by harlowe
does anyone know if a 4x4 and a 2wd aluminium driveshaft are interchangeable? my u joints got wrecked and damaged the driveshaft to the point where my second opinion said I should look for a replacement while it still is holding up
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"All 1998 and newer Rangers* with the extended cab (sometimes called supercab) come with a single piece driveshaft, however, you will need to get the right one. The easiest way is to match up the specifications of your truck with the donor truck. These criteria will need to be fulfilled in order to get a good match:
Same drive train: 4×4 or 4×2?
Same transmission type: Automatic transmission or manual?
If your truck is a 4×4, it will not matter what type of transmission the donor truck has because the driveshaft attaches to the transfer case.
Note: 1983-1989 Rangers use a smaller flange on the rear axle. You will need to swap the rear u-joint section with one from the front of the shaft.
Note: If you get a drive shaft from a 4×4 with the aluminum drive shaft, it will have a larger transfer case flange and you will either need to swap in a smaller u-joint unit from the rear of the shaft (the exact opposite of what you need to do in the 1983-1989 note) or swap the flange on the transfer case.
You may ask where you can find a suitable drive shaft for the swap. Your best bet is a junkyard. You may also have luck searching online used car part sites (e-junkyards), online auction sites, or classified sections of online Ranger forums (there are several good ones). I purchased mine off a fellow member of a Ranger forum at a decent price.
There are two types of drive shafts available: steel and aluminum. I first thought all the shafts from 4x4s were steel and all from 4x2s were aluminum, but that is not entirely true, some of the newer 4x4s have aluminum shafts and I have heard of a few rare instances of 4x2s with steel shafts. It really boils down to availability and personal preference."
http://www.therangerstation.com/how-...-you-want-one/
additional topics
http://www.therangerstation.com/how-...se-driveshaft/