Learn me: 302 Ranger swap.

Good friend of mine has an 87 Ranger that he thinks is about to lay down on him. He uses it as a work beater, and he told me last night that if someone offered him $300 for it he'd let it go.

So in natural GRM fashion, the collective wheels began turning, which leads me here. I know there's the trans-dapt kit that has the headers and such with it, but a quick look at some forums didn't show me much, but I think that's mostly due to this forum being so good, I'm kind of spoiled otherwise.

What do I need to know?

Look up the "Ranger Station" website. http://www.therangerstation.com/ You'll find quite of bit of info there on this swap. I only saw one once on a street truck and it looked cool. I have seen a couple of swaps that ended up as track rats. Also very cool!

From what I've heard, the 2.3 turbo swap is easier, you can pretty easily make the same power. Have you considered that vs the 5.0?

In reply to Cooper_Tired:

It's all a thought experiment at this point. I dig the idea of a 2.3 turbo ranger, if this truck was a 4 cylinder now that's probably the route I would take.

The Windsor V8 is much easier to find and has a larger aftermarket. I've got a friend who is into Merkur(s) and some parts he's had a hard time finding.

Mostly, I want a beater pickup again.

the biggest issue is space. alot of the 302 powered rangers have to do weird things to clear a radiator. theres alot of cheap half finished v8 rangers floating around because of this. its popular on trail rigs to bed mount it. most street trucks tend to tuck it up under the core support and delete the AC.

The 2.3 turbo swap would be a great one if there were more of them available out there today. I remember a drag racer they profiled in HotRod Magazine about 10 or 15 years ago that had huge success with junkyard sourced 2.3 turbo motors. He had a 10 second Pinto that got him most of his attention and he later built a 91 Ranger that was doing 11's. IIRC correctly he didn't even do anything to beef up the bottom end, just gave 'em a bigger turbo and more boost.

AJE makes a mostly bolt-in Mustang based K-member for older rangers now that should make a 5.0 swap a bit easier, plus it ditches the stupid i-beams which cuts a couple of hundred pounds out of the front end and allows for a host of Mustang brake/coilover/steering options. Just saying.

I've been finding early 2000s fleet rangers for pretty cheap. Since '98 the ranger had wishbone front suspension and could either have coils or torsion springs. (IIRC, you can find both in the same years?) You could probably swap the front suspension over to an earlier one.

The I4 Duratec came in after 2001 or so and would give a fun engine platform to swap to/from.

RossD wrote: I've been finding early 2000s fleet rangers for pretty cheap. Since '98 the ranger had wishbone front suspension and could either have coils or torsion springs. (IIRC, you can find both in the same years?) You could probably swap the front suspension over to an earlier one. The I4 Duratec came in after 2001 or so and would give a fun engine platform to swap to/from.

The front suspensions are not interchangeable like that unfortunately, but it is possible to use an entire chassis from a 98+ truck under an older body (provided both trucks are extended cabs). Explorer 5.0 swaps are nearly bolt in to the 98+ trucks too.

So much misinformation....

AJE kit- LOL. $1500 minimum. You would be better off with a Mustang2 setup and no stupid strut towers to deal with. Plus you still have headers that need to fabricated to fit. Oh and you are stuck with MacStruts too.....

I-beam models- You can go totally GRM on them. Like the swap with a 302 can be done for under $1k. You just have to be willing to do things in a GRM way, not the plug and play or spend $ way. All you need is some Mustang convertible mounts, 4.0L HD radiator, 280Z slave cylinder, etc...

Double A-Arm non-torsion bar models- To fit the easy button, you start with an Explorer motor and trans. You fabricate the flat mount plates, diagrams are everywhere on the net, just ignore the use of the expensive 4.0L SOHC mounts and use the weaker but way more available 3.0 mounts. Extend the 42 pin connector harness about 6", as the Explorer and Ranger place it in different places, WTF? Headers can be stock Explorer or the unobtanium TorgueMonsters, or the Ebay knockoff of the TorqueMonsters, unless you want to make some of your own.

Torsion bar models- Everything Explorer, plus the above wiring solution.

General 98-up- You have to be careful with fuel as there are some transitional years that nothing is a bolt-up/on. PATS/anti-theft, same deal. All of this is documented somewhere out there. I always went to rangerpowersports.com. Rangerstation has more traffic, but never seemed to have answers to basic things or you have to do it their way or it doesn't work, based on my readings over there. I personally have not done a A-Arm model, yet, but soon... My only problem with them is that you can't lower them efficiently. Also, the rear lower control arm "boss" interferes with any kind of N/A style header unless you make them fenderwell exit.

I would have replied sooner, but silly things called work and no real computer access interfered.

Not to hijack, just stumbled on this cheap '83. 4 cyl, manual, ex-Fla. truck. NMNA

http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/cto/5384718759.html

I sold an early 80s Ranger to a 20 year old auto student. A month later, he drives it in the shop with a 5.0 in it. Looked like an easy swap and the installation looked similar to a 289/pinto swap another student drove.

if you do swap the 5.0 into an i-beam ranger then you have to make a prerunner:

Have seen too many completed swaps selling for under $2000 to do the job myself. Though I'd love to have one.

belteshazzar wrote: Have seen too many completed swaps selling for under $2000 to do the job myself. Though I'd love to have one.

building stuff is the best part of this hobby.

i know of a complete running 351W out of a mid 90's pickup for sale, complete with the harness and ecm, for $200. that would be pretty decent in a little Ranger, and only slightly more complicated than a 302 swap due to the extra width and height of the engine..