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engine choice


thunderwolve

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Ok new to forum.
I am looking at doing the swap to a 302.

have 89 ranger xlt4x4 5speed manual
had 2.9 v6 efi engine froze

Is there a particular year 302 that works better than another or are the blocks pretty much the same through the years.
I am going to go with carb. instead of injection.

Also can't seem to find info on whether the rear axles in these things are strong enough,

I don't plan on making a hot rod just something thats not a rolls canardly
 


win

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Typically, the Ranger's 7.5" open diff is considered inadequate for the 302 -- Too much torque for only one driven tire and no, the diff itself really isn't strong enough. Will it work? Sure! Will it last? Probably not.

While about 2" wider than the stock Ranger diff/axle assembly, an Explorer's 8.8 Trac-Loc diff makes a good choice.

If you can find one, a late Mustang GT or Lincoln LSC V8 is a great place to start -- all forged internals rather than the more common cast bits.

But, the Explorer 5.0 FEAD is the most compact of the lot, and given how fast room goes away with a 302 in the engine bay, the extra inch or so can come in pretty handy for silly things like radiators and a cooling fan.
 

85_Ranger4x4

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Nothing lasts forever, if you beat on it you will break it. If you beat on it you will break about anything.

A 7.5 was eventually replaced in a Foxbody Mustang by a 28 8.8 spline axle that shared its main weakness... the axleshafts
 

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