just plain stupid, doing a sbc swap w/blackwidow

[RangerFabWorks]

I,m not gonna change the rear gears on mine--I'll just avoid hole shots

my thoughts exactly. another good thing about the th700r4 is it has a very low first gear. should be a beast off the line

 

[constant_projecttruck]

I have a 305 with a 700 R4 in my 86. I have the stock 7.5 with a locker and I haven't blown it yet. I have just shy of 200 horses at 195. It may be a frankenstein...but its still fun as hell! The 700R4 is a great truck transmission for very mild performance. Its quick off the line and then it settles down to give you decent gas mileage.

 

[bobbywalter]

yeah the 306 first gear is great, but its a big spread to 2nd. thats where the lower power hurts ya at the track.

bout the only bad thing i could say about it....for daily driving its awesome.

had i not figured out the aod i would have put a 700 in my truck 10 years ago.


if i go back to a gasser its gonna probably be a 6.0 gm and ripped 700 or 4l80..

 

[RangerFabWorks]

ok now since no one answered, can i get away with my stock rad and two electric fans running all the time, or will an exploder or bronco rad be a good upgrade. also, what do i do with my power steering pump? use the stock one and custom fab brackets, or will the chevy pump work? im doing this on a tight budget. they only thing i need to buy is an exhaust which is gonna be a flowmaster build your own kit for 250.00 for 2.5 pipes.

 

[RangerFabWorks]

oh and how do i make my speedo work, i already have autometer gauges so the speedo is all that i need to work.

 

[chvlfrk]

Well.............

ok now since no one answered, can i get away with my stock rad and two electric fans running all the time, or will an exploder or bronco rad be a good upgrade. also, what do i do with my power steering pump? use the stock one and custom fab brackets, or will the chevy pump work? im doing this on a tight budget. they only thing i need to buy is an exhaust which is gonna be a flowmaster build your own kit for 250.00 for 2.5 pipes..

Anythin FORD is gonna have the hose connections on the wrong side for a SBC. I used a Griffin 4 core in mine ($185)....as far as stock used, you'd just have to see what you could find in the bone yard....mine is 19" tall X 24" wide and I cutout the radiator support to set it forward & I have a late model CrownVic electric fan infront of it that is wired into a universal adjustable temp sensor from Advance Auto Parts ($20).

oh and how do i make my speedo work, i already have autometer gauges so the speedo is all that i need to work.

If you've already got Autometer speedo, then you just have to use a stock replacement cable (mines for a 70's Chevelle/Advance Auto Parts $20) and get the closest speedo gear for the tranny for the rearend gears your runnin at your local GM dealer, tell them what gears your runnin, tires size in inches & they should be able to hook you up.

Thought you might like this:

 

[RangerFabWorks]

sorry i didnt get specific on the speedo, its the stock 2.3 gauge. i have autometer for volts, oil, and temp. so my speedo is what i need to work, cvlfrk, what tranny are you using in your sons truck? how did you make the crossmember work? and how bout power steering pump? thanks, btw nice pic

 

[chvlfrk]

Fyi:

sorry i didnt get specific on the speedo, its the stock 2.3 gauge. i have autometer for volts, oil, and temp. so my speedo is what i need to work, cvlfrk, what tranny are you using in your sons truck? how did you make the crossmember work? and how bout power steering pump? thanks, btw nice pic

Don't know of any way to use the stock speedo...SORRY! Personally, I'd Ebay or Craigslist a Autometer speedo........should be able to get one for around $50.........O-reillys has NEW ones
EQUUS - SPEEDOMETER (3 3/8" 120MPH SPEEDO)
Item No: 7072
$54.99 Each
http://oreillyautoparts.com/EW3/IntroShopping.do;jsessionid=9D112B5D0DB96E5A195B253EC82083D5.www2?fromShoppingSearchJsp=1&searchFor=speedometer

BUILT T350, stock crossmember moved forward to bolt to it, and I have put manual steerin boxes on both our trucks, but I have seen others use the stock GM P/S pump.

 

[RangerFabWorks]

ok sounds good, looks like im customizing my gauges. thanks

 

[doorgunner]

I built my red-neck test stand to check out the sbc 350 w/ th700. I'm using my Ranger radiator & ran high pressure rubber hose to the opposite side xmsn connectors. So far the engine runs at 185 deg. w/ the xmsn in Drive & using stock belt-driven fan (but what will it do in ranger?) If you wanna keep track of what happens, check out "just plain stupied" thread.

 

[bobbywalter]

though i made cooling suggestions in an earlier post?

 

[RangerFabWorks]

though i made cooling suggestions in an earlier post?

i didnt mean no one made a suggestion as to using an aftermarket rad, i simply meant that no one answered if i can get away with my STOCK rad. thats all, no offence to you brother. i took your suggestion to heart. thank you for your imput.

 

[RangerFabWorks]

did you read my post?

I haven't read all of the post so if there is repeating sorry.

My first suggestion is do not use the Chebby, yes it is not a Ford but the Chebby is longer than a Ford 5.0L, it is heavier, it is wider and the possibility of getting a radiator to cool it in the small engine compartment is low.
The wider Chebby will create more problems with header than the 5.0L Ford and the longer engine will create a need to have the radiator out the front of the truck or a major firewall mod to pull the engine back.
The easiest V-8 setup for a Ranger is the SB Ford, any of them from the 221 up to the 302 and any strokers in between. The 351 creates more trouble (like the Chebby) than they are worth, especially with the stroker kit out there for the 5.0L/302s.

I did the 5.0L Swap in an '88 Ranger, using an L&L kit, (Headers were really good) all went well but the radiator was another thing, cooling was a major problem even with an aftermarket setup. Part of the reason was the radiator had to be moved under the front support to give the clearance necessary to fit the, short than a Chebby, 5.0L and no mechanical fans; the electric fans raised hell with the radio equipment in the truck. I got a little relief from the heat by jacking the rear of the hood up about 1.5 inches (poor mans cowl induction) dropped the temp about 10 degrees.
My first run to the Vermont Truck Show was in the month of August and the heater was on full to help with the engine heat, talk about hot feet.

My next V-8 conversion is going to be an Long Rod, EFI 230 CI SB Ford based on a de-stroked 5.0L with NV 3550 trans, T/C still pending, and L&L Adapter Kit; time will tell and the result will be interesting.

buddy did you even read my posts? i am doing this on budget. i dont have money to get 302. im 17, work from my house. and dont have a ton of money. if i had money i would get a 4g63 engine outta a 90s mitsubishi turbo charge it, awd my truck. and beet the piss outta any v8 any day. but I DONT HAVE THE MONEY!! plus, yeah i could stick a 302 in it, but why? then im just like every other person on this forum. no offence to anyone, if you wanna put a 289/302/351 in your truck by all means do so but the fun in building a project is making it your own. doing stuff that not the average joe can do. thats what makes a vehicle fun. if i put a 302 in my truck and parked next to another ranger with a 302, whats the difference between the two trucks. ABSOLUTLY NOTHING!! thats how you become a car builder. you do stuff outta the oridinary that other people say cant be done. then in the end you can honestly say that you built a one of a kind car or truck that fits your personality. so before you go telling me that i need to forget putting in a 350 in my own truck, why dont you just focus on what this thread is about. i thank you for your imput. but please, dont make suggestions unless you read THE WHOLE thread. regards, dave

 

[bobbywalter]

I haven't read all of the post so if there is repeating sorry.

My first suggestion is do not use the Chebby, yes it is not a Ford but the Chebby is longer than a Ford 5.0L, it is heavier, it is wider and the possibility of getting a radiator to cool it in the small engine compartment is low.
The wider Chebby will create more problems with header than the 5.0L Ford and the longer engine will create a need to have the radiator out the front of the truck or a major firewall mod to pull the engine back.
The easiest V-8 setup for a Ranger is the SB Ford, any of them from the 221 up to the 302 and any strokers in between. The 351 creates more trouble (like the Chebby) than they are worth, especially with the stroker kit out there for the 5.0L/302s.

I did the 5.0L Swap in an '88 Ranger, using an L&L kit, (Headers were really good) all went well but the radiator was another thing, cooling was a major problem even with an aftermarket setup. Part of the reason was the radiator had to be moved under the front support to give the clearance necessary to fit the, short than a Chebby, 5.0L and no mechanical fans; the electric fans raised hell with the radio equipment in the truck. I got a little relief from the heat by jacking the rear of the hood up about 1.5 inches (poor mans cowl induction) dropped the temp about 10 degrees.
My first run to the Vermont Truck Show was in the month of August and the heater was on full to help with the engine heat, talk about hot feet.

My next V-8 conversion is going to be an Long Rod, EFI 230 CI SB Ford based on a de-stroked 5.0L with NV 3550 trans, T/C still pending, and L&L Adapter Kit; time will tell and the result will be interesting.

riiiiiiiight.... when built properly there are no cooling issues with sub 600hp 302s and proper radiator/fan selection. no radio interference issues either if done right.


the hot feet thing dont go away though unless well insulated. but it can be made easily tolerable if you spend the money...and i wasnt interested in that back then as i wanted an interior i could hose out. daily driven 2wd though are easy to deal with. pounding on things off road where your not moving and driving down the road have diferent needs obviously.



blackwiddow...

at one time i would bet there may have been more 350 rangers on the road then windsors. late 80's there were alot of them in the places i frequented. i was also irritated by that then. but i got past that eventually....


as to an awd 4g63 in a door slammer daily drivable ranger beating a v8 version..


bring it.


you build that and i will build a 302 turbo or sc based awd ranger to go up against it. with safety equipment probably be around 2900-3100 pounds reasonably...


like anything if you want to spend big money you can get excellent results.

no money dont mean good workable comprimises dont get the job done.

"doing it right" seriously wtf does that mean really in a custm application....

 

[855.0ranger]

Cool project, the 7.5 should be fine as long as u dont beat on it all the time and dont run slicks, another good trans would be a th400, good luck with the project!