V8 302 wngine swap in mud ranger

[ghost86999]

What 302 Crate Engine Will Fit in my 94 Ford ranger xl 2.3 4wd I'm looking to buy a crate engine possibly a drop in one What would be best 302 engine to get I've read all the articles ik the clearance and all that I'm just tryna find witch 302 crate to get so I can get it just don't wanna buy the wrong thing

 

[RonD]

302 is 19" wide and 21" tall and it barely fits, so need one no bigger than that
But bored and stroked shouldn't change that, tall valve covers are an issue

It will also need the short nose water pump and pulley system to fit

Can't use current trans and transfer case of course

 

[ghost86999]

Ok thank you and I'm sorry this is probably dumb question but are all 302 crate moters the same just tryna figure it out its just gonna be a mud truck but just tryna make sure I don't order a 302 that won't convert with my 94 ford ranger xl

 

[RonD]

Crate motor usually means it has been internally modified to gain extra power
In this case a Ford 302 block
But its still considered a 302 engine

But general meaning for a Crate Engine is that the engine didn't come with a vehicle attached to it, lol, and has never been in a vehicle
It's a new engine that is shipped, "in a crate", to the end user to install in a vehicle of their choice
So you could get a stock 302 engine specific to a year and/or model, no extras

A rebuilt or re-manufactured engine is shipped the same way, in a crate, but is not a "crate engine" because it was already used in a vehicle in the past