I already own a 1974 302 & want to put in in a 1994 Ranger!?

GunHawk · Jan 23, 2017

I want to put my muscular 1974 302 in a 1994 Ranger

Hello from Winterset, Iowa.....John Wayne's birth place and museum!!

Years ago I swapped a 1998 302 into a 1998 Ranger,
Now, however, I have a muscular 302 from 1974. I'd like to put it in my 1994 Ranger but I'm betting you'll tell me the wiring harness is a mess that won't mate up!
BTW...I posed this question on Google a zillion (really!) times, in every form I could come up with but to no avail!

I'm new here but I've been wrenching on shade tree cars since 1966!

Thanks ahead of time!

Jim/GunHawk

win · Jan 23, 2017

Your '94 Ranger is quite a bit tighter in the engine bay than your '98 so offers challenges not found in the later years.

Clearance between cylinder head/valve cover and a/c air box as well as between water pump and radiator are greatly reduced.

Wiring can be as bad/easy/ugly/elegant as your skill set and choices between EFI generations, systems or carb selection.

On the up-side, nearly every possible snag has been overcome by others so there's a ton of great info on making the swap successful.

GunHawk · Jan 23, 2017

It's a 1974 302 that Id like to put in a 1994 Ranger!

Impossible? Wiring harness and sesors galore. No gauges will work?

My post below left out the 1974 year of the motor..

Thanks,
Jim/GunHawk

GunHawk · Jan 23, 2017

I posted the same question below but FORGOT to put the year of the carb motor in the title!!

I've read anything I can find and get varied or little detail. I saw one response that said go carb because I can skip the computer!?

I did a 1998 to 1998 a few years back EFI to EFI and fought the cooomputer battle. But will a carb motor and no computer dump all the needed gauge & sensor workings??

Thanks,
Jim/GunHawk

85_Ranger4x4 · Jan 23, 2017

It would be much easier if you stayed EFI. Either foxbody mustang or similar year car or Explorer. Explorer front belt system also is the best fitting stock Ford setup, closely followed by the SN95 Mustang.

You don't need to start a new thread, a mod can change the title.

RonD · Jan 23, 2017

All the 1994 gauges are analog, no computer needed, even still used speedometer cable

You can even change the Oil Pressure gauge to a real one by using a PS60 sender on motor and bypassing resistor on the back of the gauge
1987 and up Fords had oil switches, so gauges were ON/OFF no real pressure shown, just FYI

I would recommend re-purposing the oil pressure switch, or using another one.
If you want to use the in tank electric fuel pump, you will need to add a pressure regulator to dial it down to 9psi from 40psi
And electric fuel pumps can be dangerous without computer hooked up.
Computer would shut fuel pump off if engine RPMs dropped below 400
If you were in an accident and fuel line broke engine would stall and fuel pump would stop pumping out gasoline, a very good thing in an accident or roll over.
But with no computer...............................
So you can use an oil pressure switch for the same result, carb always has gas in the bowl, so engine can start, once engine starts oil pressure switch closes..........this GROUNDS the fuel pump relay and fuel pump starts up.
If engine stalls, accident or roll over, no oil pressure so no fuel pumping out

chvlfrk · Jan 23, 2017

Howdy>>>>>

WELCOME Jim from SE TN!

GLAD ya joined us!

Post some pics please...........

GunHawk · Jan 23, 2017

Great info!

Thanks for the GREAT input! I especially like the fuel pump/oil pressure info.

I was near to giving up but this rekindles the thoughts of my swap1

jim/GuNhawk

alwaysFlOoReD · Jan 23, 2017

Merged threads.

I already own a 1974 302 & want to put in in a 1994 Ranger!?

GunHawk

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win

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GunHawk

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GunHawk

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85_Ranger4x4

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