1991 Ranger Supercab Drift Truck Dream

[91ranger9197]

Looking to build a hoonitruck inspired drift truck from my ranger. Want to buy a 5.0 explorer so I can swap parts, rear end, engine and trans etc , wondering what year would be best to go with and what parts can I get from the donor truck . Plan is to lower it and do custom wide body kit with wide tires etc . I have an idea for the look and capability I want out of the truck but next to no idea what actual parts are needed and the best way to go about this. Any advice would be appreciated. I like seeing the datsun mini trucks w the radiator mounted on the outside so I'd like to do something similar to that too. 1991 2wd supercab w the v6 auto trans.

 

[tinman_72]

Any year Explorer v8 is going to be about the same amount of work for your '91 Ranger. If you had a '98 Ranger then certain years of Explorer v8's will be virtually plug and play.

 

[Blmpkn]

Drift truck needs an LS, not a wheezebag sbf

 

[gaz]

@91ranger9197
Using an Explorer rear end, leave the spring perches on bottom, that will drop you 4", right off the batt.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I would advise against the 91. It has a TIB front which has a tendency to jack up when doing S corners. I would look for a newer ranger, I believe 98 up, that has a SLA type front.

 

[scotts90ranger]

There's that but swapping in aftermarket suspension to get better handling shouldn't be too hard, I imagine the Mustang II stuff is still a decent option...

I'm all for the '89-92 front end, it's my favorite but I've been living with it since '99 so I might be biased... I really wanted a '92 when I was looking for a new daily driver but I found the '97 first and no regrets...

I'm all for keeping it Ford, 5.0L stuff is tried and true, the best swap option if you want to keep it fairly simple and close to stock would probably be a '97 to get a non PATS engine computer and stuff and I think they don't have the goofy angles on the spark plugs... haven't dug into the '97 Mountaineer I have "in stock" yet, it's only been like 3 or 4 years, don't rush me... . That said pulling the 5.3L from a Tahoe is more power bone stock and you can pick up early '00s Tahoe's for almost nothing because the lawn car guys don't want them like they want the Silverados... plus a 150-200k 5.3L can handle some boost with some ebay head studs and some tuning and easy to find parts...

 

[stmitch]

If I were doing it, I'd be looking really hard at the AJE Foxbody front end conversions. They would give you rack and pinion steering, take some weight off the front of the truck, and open up the entire Mustang aftermarket for brakes, control arms, coilovers, angle kits, etc.

 

[91ranger9197]

My cousin is a mechanic at a chevy dealership and has been trying to get me to put a 6.0 into it I'm not opposed to the LS thing I'm honestly just not trying to dump 10k into a swap right now plus 100k hrs of work. The only reason I wanted to do the 5.0 was cause I figured it would be cheaper/easier to get the whole explorer for donor parts. I'm working with about 3k right now for parts and want more clear expectations i guess ? Thanks for the input so far .

 

[bobbywalter]

the gm ls type engine is my first choice starting from scratch....cheaper. easier...much more power per dollar.

for a drift truck.....if i were wanting to have a ford engine....the coyote would be ideal. its a drift truck and running an aftermarket or panther front suspension makes the coyote fitment a non issue.

decent running f150 coyote take-outs ready to run are down to as low as 4500 bux these days.

 

[91ranger9197]

Update: I picked up a 4.6l 4v cobra engine from a 98 mustang . We'll see how it goes