V8 swap or 4.0 V6 rebuild??

[adam900]

Hey guys

I'm a member at RPS but am pretty new here. Kind of at a crossroads here. My 94 4.0 is getting to the point where it could use a refresh due to some leaking valve cover gaskets. I'd like some more pep, and it's my daily driver. It's lowered, Cobra brakes, and Explorer rear with 3.73s, and 5 speed.
If I were to stick with the V6, I'd do a port & polish, cam, and headers. However I dunno if that'll give me as big of a power jump as I'd like.
The v8 swap would be awesome. But I dont want to sink a ton of money into it. I'm going to be working at a Ford dealer soon, so I should be able to get parts relatively cheap. I'd like to do the swap myself, bit it's be my first and don't really have any electrical/welding skills. So It might be over my head. I did all my own brake upgrades however.

Any input would be awesome. Yes, I've used the search lots hah.

 

[Teddyzee]

There's no welding, and the electrical involves a little brainwork and some use of a multimeter.
I found the time commitment to be a greater chore than any of the actual work.

 

[adam900]

Ya, I figured. Are you happy with the results? Selling off the 4.0 will help offset some of the cost too. But it probably isn't worth much.

 

[JoeyB]

It's all in the research and planning. It also depends on what you want. You said this is your daily drive; do you have another form of transportation while the conversion is happening? The money can be manageable if your good at finding parts (or if Ford will sell them to you at a good price). I did my first conversion this year and total time without the truck (for me) was about 6 weeks, and that was working pretty hard. There were several little things that showed up (anything from wrong parts sent to me, new parts that didn't work, and things having to be slightly modified to fit, etc.) that slowed down the conversion. I love the V8 in the Ranger and I would do another one if the opportunity presented itself. Have a game plan when going into the build and you should be fine. The only tools I had to use outside of the typical tools was an angle grinder, drill, and a lot of brain power figuring out little things. Have fun and do the V8 swap.

 

[adam900]

Hah it's sounding more and more appealing! Transportation shouldn't be too bad. I would probably totally freshen up the new motor before even beginning the removal of the old. From reading RPS for years, it seems the 4.0 is a bit of a lost cause unless you want to spend a lot of time and money.

Yes it'll be my daily driver. I don't really drive my truck hard, I don't regularly race people. I just really enjoy it and it's be for my own pleasure. Just want some balls, and have it be practical. I imagine I could even get slightly better or similar gas milage.

I'd love a 4.6, but I think the 5.0 would be just fine. Even if I were to get the 4.0 to even like 180 horse, it just seems like too much invested for an average motor by today's standards.

 

[JoeyB]

Your mind is where it needs to be. Do the 5.0 V8 swap!

 

[baddad457]

Just don't plan on buying any of the parts necessary from that dealer. They won't have anything you'll need.

 

[adam900]

Has anyone done a full Cobra 4.6 drivetrain setup?

 

[Teddyzee]

There are many 2v 4.6 swaps, and I've seen couple 4v.

 

[ChrisR1S]

If you're persistent and dedicated id say V8 all the way! Also wanna second the fact that the ONLY powertools ive used on my swap have been a cordless drill and a cheap $20 angle grinder. I mean im even doing my swap in a field beside a tobacco barn. the power source for my grinder is an inverter hooked to my cars battery haha. This doesnt have to be rocket science, the biggest part is research!

 

[ranger joe]

there are some good performance parts out there to get about 260hp out of an 4.0
thats what i am doing with my 2000 4x4 4.0l ohv engine

 

[defender8300]

I'm reviving my own thread. Haven't been on here in a few years and forgot my old username (adam900). Well apparently it's been 10 years and the truck hasn't changed, and I've got the bug again.
I'm very close to just paying a local machine shop to do a full rebuild of the 4.0 (215 000km) and do the Comp 410 with new ported heads. However, the price is 5.0 territory, but that's still a whole can of worms. Since my original post, I have moved, so I no longer have access to a big garage/yard where I could do this in my free time, otherwise I would DIY it.

Anyone have any experience with this?