93 ranger v8 swap

dvmulisha · Apr 28, 2016

whats up guys ,

i got a 93 ranger truck has the 2.3 with a t5 borg warner tranny. and 8.8 rear end with 4.56 gears. all swapped by previous owner

the 2.3 has low compression and it slow as hell.
So i decided to do a swap on her.

Correct me if im wrong...

302 preferabley 98+ explorer with gt40p heads e303 cam
5.0 bell housing , new clutch n flywheel
87-93 convertable engine mounts
duraspark ignition..going carbed at first
dual sump oil pan
either an electric fuell pump or just a regualtor
oil filter relocation

thts just the big majority of parts.

iv been trying to find a healthy motor currently

Needsav8 · May 2, 2016

The 2.3 has the same bellhousing pattern as the 302. You can just bolt them up, I think you need a different pilot bearing for the v8.

RonD · May 2, 2016

2.3l Lima engine has unique bell housing pattern, not the same as 302 or any other engine except another Lima engine.

Yes with T5, 5.0l bell housing it will work.

You can use fuel pressure regulator to lower the 35psi down to 7-9psi, holly has one with return line which might be better long term for the in tank pump.

With a Carb and electric fuel pump you should add an Oil pressure switch and relay, setup.
You can use existing Fuel Pump Relay system, currently the computer Grounds this relay to turn on fuel pump power.
An oil pressure SWITCH, grounds to engine(threads) when pressure is above 5psi.
So you just run oil pressure switch wire to Fuel pump relay and your done.

It is basically a good safety measure in case of a problem.
Carb has enough fuel in float bowl to start the engine, once there is oil pressure fuel pump is on until pressure drops below 5psi or key is turned off.
An electric fuel pump that pumps when key is on can feed a fire or ?? , well no good reason not to have an automatic shut off.

85_Ranger4x4 · May 2, 2016

Needsav8 said:
The 2.3 has the same bellhousing pattern as the 302. You can just bolt them up, I think you need a different pilot bearing for the v8.

Fail.

Bellhousings are very different. :nono:

If you are going to end up FI just stay FI and don't screw things up so you have to fix it later.

I would use 4.0 V6 mounts with plates and leave the Mustang mounts for Mustangs if I had it to do over again... actually sometime when I am hard up for entertainment sometime I am going to switch them.

On mine I have a inertia switch from an '88, I ran fused/keyed power into it and ran it to the pump. It would be easy to throw a switch in the mix so you can kill it if something happens to the keyswitch too. It is what EFI vehicles use to kill the fuel pump in an accident. It is nice to have the pump able to run without the engine running reprime the carb if it has been sitting for awhile. It can sit for a month or two, go over once and crack right off. I love it. :icon_thumby:

Needsav8 · May 3, 2016

ok I read on here a few guys just bolting the 302 up to their stock 4 cyl trans. And mustang guys grabbing 2wd ranger trans for their 5.0 and said they bolted up. Guess they were wrong.

dvmulisha · May 3, 2016

thanks for the replys...

yea ron i had to do that in a s10 i put a sbc in...well be running a switch also for pump.

i found a motor out of a smashed 99 explorer. has 108,000 miles. still ran did a compression test and put a mechanical oil gauge on it.
compression was 156 +/- 2
oil pressure held at 58psi at full warmed up
no knocking or ticks
got the long block for $150. pickin it up tommorow

my dad said he has a holley 650 and performer air gap intake.

since these are the gt40p heads...will mustang shortys work with angeled spar plug boots? i got some in garage.

RonD · May 3, 2016

Its the exhaust manifolds that get in the way of spark plug wires not the head design usually

dvmulisha · May 3, 2016

I'll just have to see once I get it home.

As for ignition I can use a ford hei distributor? That's what I did on the s10. Made things easy.

85_Ranger4x4 · May 3, 2016

RonD said:
Its the exhaust manifolds that get in the way of spark plug wires not the head design usually

GT-40P heads kinda require their own manifolds so the issue goes hand in hand with the heads.

Some guys get by with angled boots, I think it varies. :dntknw:

notw · May 4, 2016

Ford racing has a set of headers for the gt40p heads I think I am going to try to use on my 2wd v8 swap. It may require some modification but it shouldn't be terrible. They run about 250 new.

bobbywalter · May 5, 2016

Needsav8 said:
The 2.3 has the same bellhousing pattern as the 302. You can just bolt them up, I think you need a different pilot bearing for the v8.

Needsav8 said:
ok I read on here a few guys just bolting the 302 up to their stock 4 cyl trans. And mustang guys grabbing 2wd ranger trans for their 5.0 and said they bolted up. Guess they were wrong.

you read something on the internet? what do you know?

the point of the forum is to keep people from fawking themselves.

your technically correct, but you apparently dont know why. so, if your a reasonable person you understand why people should not advise on something they dont know for sure unless they say it as such....a guess based on reading.

certain old gen 1 transmissions have v8 bellhousing adaptability. and one thing for sure, that particular transmission is a pos off of the factory floor barely capable of v6 power levels in a 4wd situation.

but simply put, you can not just pull a trans off of a lima 4 cyl and bolt it to a v8 without some conversion work.

that shit never happened.

as stated, your indicating otherwise.

dvmulisha · May 5, 2016

Got the motor today...took the heads off and the cross hatches are very visable and clean. No excessive coolant buildup in passsges. Overall motor looks in super killer shape.

I would like some suggestions on a cam. I know the explorer came has good torque but would like a bigger one maybe 500+ lift. I'm Guna put double roller timing chain. Springs N 1.6 rockers. Do a mild port match n polish.

Will be running a Rpm air gap intake with 600_650 carb.

notw · May 7, 2016

If you are going "off the shelf" cam I would go to comps website and do there cam selector......put in all your info on truck as far as heads weight of vehicle gears stall carb performance goals etc.... And they will direct you towards the best cam they have to fit your vehicle and goals..... Others have the same tool like lunati etc....just liked the numbers on the cam comp picked best for what I'm wanting

93 ranger v8 swap

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