97 explorer 5.0 cam swap ???

mrjeep44s · Apr 16, 2017

I purchased a 97 5.0 explorer to do a v8 swap in my 94 ranger. I want to change the cam to a b-303 or e-303. Every cam I find online stops at 1995. Is there a difference in cams from 95 to 97? Also will mustang shorty headers work for this swap? Thanks, Any help would be appreciated.

tjm73 · Apr 17, 2017

mrjeep44s said:
I purchased a 97 5.0 explorer to do a v8 swap in my 94 ranger. I want to change the cam to a b-303 or e-303. Every cam I find online stops at 1995. Is there a difference in cams from 95 to 97? Also will mustang shorty headers work for this swap? Thanks, Any help would be appreciated.

No difference on the cams. Swap away. There are better cams than those if performance is your goal. But they will work.

Likely stop at 1995 because that is when the 5.0 ended in the Mustang.

I am contemplating a similar V8 swap myself into a 93. From what I've read the Mustang shorties will not fit. What transmission are you going to run? Most people seem to run the tri-y headers it seems. Does your 97 have the GT40 or GT40P heads? That might impact your header choices. I would not run anything less than a 1-5/8" primary header on a 302.

hoosier1104 · Apr 17, 2017

For headers I recommend Torque Monster but they are a unicorn status part i.e. very hard to find. OBX makes a knock off. Expo OEM works perfectly fine as well.

tjm73 · Apr 17, 2017

Do guys use the torque Monster headers on the I-Beam trucks as well?

hoosier1104 · Apr 17, 2017

I-beam I am not 100% sure on so I cannot comment on fitment. There is not much info on there page about what year range they fit either.

ford_ranger12 · Apr 17, 2017

I don't have an I-beam truck but I believe these work for them. And I had torque monster headers, I don't know if they fit the 97 and older trucks but they were designed for 98+

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tjm73 · Apr 18, 2017

Slip on collector seems like a joke to me. Sounds like an opportunity for a massive exhaust leak.

Also if you read up on these that black paint is only to protect against corrosion until the headers are sold. It will start to burn off almost immediately. What a joke. You are supposed to remove all the paint and apply true heat resistant paint or have them coated. So spend almost $500 and then spend time and/or money to strip them and have them finished properly.

Pass.

ford_ranger12 · Apr 18, 2017

mrjeep44s · Aug 6, 2017

94 ranger/97 explorer 5.0 swap

Thanks to all for your suggestions. I have the motor and trans installed and working great. I had to use the explorer hvac box, evap coil and blower motor housing. I also swapped the dash, steering column, pedals and wiring harness. The last obstacle I am facing is the a/c lines. The explorer lines will not fit the 94 condenser and the explorer condenser is to large and will not fit the truck. Any thoughts would be appreciated. The e-303 cam sounds and performs great. Unfortunately, I had to use the stock explorer headers for now, and the pass. side is extremely tight. I ordered 2 sets of headers and neither came close to fitting. All in all, the swap was wasn't to bad. The trans cross member and drive shafts fit perfectly. I used a 2 core alum. radiator and was able to retain the stock fan. Next time I will use a 96 up ranger to save myself a lot of work. Thanks again to all.

97 explorer 5.0 cam swap ???

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