DPDISXR4Ti Posted March 29, 2007 Report Share Posted March 29, 2007 I'm new here and admittedly not a Starion owner, but it seems this might be the best place for some answers to what I'm considering. To begin, I got interested in the Mitsu Astron platform because of it's use in TD form (4D55T) in the Ford Ranger ('85 - '87). A little research and I realized that the 2.3L 4D55T became the 2.5L 4D56T, which evolved considerably over it's long life. The final version even got Direct Injection. My long term plan is to put a TD in this project:http://forum.merkurclub.com/forum/viewtopi...9&start=165The 4D56T would seem to fit this requirement very well, giving me some options on transmissions and oil pans and such, given that I might be able to use some ancillary stuff from the Starion. Here's my questions...What is the model name/number of the 5-speed used in the Starion, and did it change at all through the 7 year life of the car? What are the ratios? Generally speaking, how strong is this transmission? The other approach I could take is to just use a T5 5-speed that I'm very familiar with, and have a bell adapter made. I saw mention of that in here, but no definitive info on it actually being done. Any details on that? Appreciate any input... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
importwarrior Posted March 29, 2007 Report Share Posted March 29, 2007 go to projectzerog.com they have more answers for you ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPDISXR4Ti Posted March 29, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2007 go to projectzerog.com they have more answers for you ! Okay, just joined, but I don't see that anyone there has done a TD swap. I do realize however that the tranny issues would be the same regardless. Thanks... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maxzillian Posted March 29, 2007 Report Share Posted March 29, 2007 I've thought about repowering a Starion with a 4d55 or 56 so I can help out a little bit. I think you should steer clear of the Starion gearbox. Not because it isn't strong enough, but because there isn't a sufficient over drive gear ratio. The cars came with a .85:1 overdrive which doesn't lead to good highway cruising with a diesel like that. With the 3.55 gears that the Starions have, engine RPMs at 75 mph are around 3000. However, the Project Zero G site does detail the use of a rx-7 transmission that may work better as I think it has around a .75:1 over drive. Or you could use the Starion automatic transmission which had a .75:1 over drive and should handle the power of a 4d56. I know stock cars had about 188 hp with the auto and held up fine under normal usage. Of course, it's the torque that really matters there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPDISXR4Ti Posted March 29, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2007 I'm going to have a 3.27 rear-end, so the .85 O/D could very well be a good match. Ironically enough, the T5 I was thinking of building for this project was going to have .85 5th by choice. Of course, that it the nice thing about going with a T5, I've got a few choices on overall gearing, as well as just swapping out the O/D gear. If I didn't like the .85, I could bring it down to a .79 without too much effort. Any way, regarding the bell pattern, have you confirmed that the 4D55 and 4D56 are wide-block patterns? Here's the details on that if you're not familiar.... http://projectzerog.com/transmissions.shtml Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Technology Posted March 30, 2007 Report Share Posted March 30, 2007 crazy project! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPDISXR4Ti Posted March 30, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2007 crazy project! Yea, I get that a lot. :mrgreen: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maxzillian Posted March 30, 2007 Report Share Posted March 30, 2007 I can't confirm, but I believe the 4d55, 4d56, and 4g54 all use the same bolt pattern and engine mounts, so yes, a wideblock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPDISXR4Ti Posted March 30, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2007 I can't confirm, but I believe the 4d55, 4d56, and 4g54 all use the same bolt pattern and engine mounts, so yes, a wideblock. Okay, kinda what I thought. Should be a plug-n-play swap for the Starquest ...well, the hardware any way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffS Posted May 30, 2010 Report Share Posted May 30, 2010 Hello, I have a close friend that is really looking to do a 4D55 or 4D56 swap in his '88. Any other helpful tips or info anybody can add? Thanks,Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StarquestRescue Posted May 30, 2010 Report Share Posted May 30, 2010 Ask these guys. http://www.4x4wire.com/forums/postlist.php?Cat=&Board=UBB69 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave-O Posted May 31, 2010 Report Share Posted May 31, 2010 The Mitsu diesels are in fact all wideblocks. I recall seeing one bolted into a Montero locally, which had the KM132 trans [ours with a cable clutch]. If I recall correctly, the owner built it himself and was pushing a rather large amount of power through it, something like 400+ lb.ft. I've forgotten a lot of the info I found on the diesel in Rangers [considered swapping one in place of the 4.0 V6 in my '92 for a rock crawler], but if you chase down what brand/model gearbox was used behind them, you may find a beefier, more torque-friendly 'box that can accept the same bellhousing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffS Posted May 31, 2010 Report Share Posted May 31, 2010 Thanks guys! I will keep you posted about any progess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPDISXR4Ti Posted September 24, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 24, 2010 Well, it's been the better part of forever since I first created this post. The project is now nearing completion - at least from a body construction standpoint - so I will soon turn my attention to drivetrains. No news to report there as it relates to the 4D56T, but here's what it could go in... http://forum.merkurclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2639&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=540 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minagera Posted September 24, 2010 Report Share Posted September 24, 2010 If you need a spare block I happened to have a 4d55 block, which bolts to our transmissions. However I decided to go another route than diesel... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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