2008 2wd ranger possibilities?

[97fightingseebee]

I have a 2008 2wd ranger with a 2.3 4cyl. I plan on puttin a 08 4.6 out of a mustang and a th-56 6 speed in it along with the rear end out of a 4wd ranger while im gone on deployment. I also wanna lift it about 5 inches or so. Just enough to fit some 35's underneath. I want it to be a prerunner with moderate suspension travel without having to do any serious work other then mostly bolt on. Are there any good suspension kits that would give me that potential and be able to hold up the 8 cylinder? Also, would my speedometer and dash cluster work with the new engine and tranny?

 

[Mac]

The '98-2001" Rangers were rather easy to do the Explorer swap, most of the wiring being common. With the '05' Mustangs and Explorers, all the CPU's got moved to the front passenger fender area. Think the Mustang (and Explorer) now has three CPU's which would require a lot of wiring swaping around/splicing. Best get the wiring diagrams for both. I know that in '06' the Ranger still had the old computer pin count and wiring, I looked into the swap. I think the six speed is usually worthless unless you got 450hp+ (depending the overall od).
Dave - Give them Hell! - good luck

 

[darkspork]

I'm sure I'm probably wrong on this, but here goes: Wouldn't it make more sense to use the 4.6 out of a F150 if you are building your truck for wheeling? My understanding is with sports car engines you need to rev the engine higher to get to the torque, whereas with trucks it comes in a lot lower.

Just a suggestion: wouldn't it be even more awesome to swap a 4BT into a Ranger? I understand a lot of fabricating and modifications would be necessary...

1998 4BT Ranger: http://www.dieselpowermag.com/features/ford/0808dp_1998_ford_ranger_cummins/index.html If I had money to blow, that would be my engine swap.

 

[97fightingseebee]

well im gonna have all the wiring done while im gone so i aint so worried about that part. and for the truck engine, i guess that would work. it just seems like the car engine has so much more potential. and i could always build it for low end torque. and 4BT? whats that? but what about suspension? would 05 suspension work on a 08? and who makes good 2wd suspension for it? and the 6 speed is for better fuel mileage..

 

[Mac]

I guess it all depend on your end use. The trucks have better low end grunt. The cars have more potential for HP top end (all depending on the build, they can be the same). The six speeds do not really give you better mileage unless you get one with the .50 OD and then you're way out of your power band. Not worth the money. Six speeds are great if you got 450+hp and need the gear selection for the next corner for road racing. Check my sig.,
Running a 427Hp (crank) Mustang with a five speed and I can get almost 24 mpg
Dave

 

[darkspork]

4BT is a 4-cylinder Cummins diesel engine. They make quite a bit of torque (I think about 300 ft/lb) and return decent gas mileage while doing so. They are mostly used in box vans and farm equipment, but there's quite a few people who swap them into small pickups.

 

[Frank The Tank]

I have to admit........ that I would sell the truck (it's an 08!!!!)

and mod either a 4wd, or one use the money from selling it to buy a cheaper 2wd to help balance the cost of the conversion.
all the 6spds I have seen just had an extra gear between 3rd and 4th the final drive was the same (or extremely close) to it's 5spd counterpart.

Frank

btw 4bt's are awesome.

 

[darkspork]

I gotta agree on the 6 speed thing. The last car I had was a 6 speed and the gears were just a lot closer together. Just cruising I'd be in 5th at 35 and 6th at 45 and it would rev at like 3300 rpm at 70mph. But it didn't really rev so much as buzz since it was Jap car. I test drove a V6 6 speed Dakota before I got the Ranger and its revs on the highway are similar to the Ranger's revs on the highway. I don't care much for 6 speeds unless the car/truck actually needs it (either for a granny gear in a truck or for quicker acceleration and higher top speed on a sports car).

 

[daniel3507]

Camburg makes some good suspension options for prerunners but its not cheap.

 

[97fightingseebee]

never thought about a diesel in my truck. ive seen the big 6 cylinder put in a ranger before but thats about it. i basically just want a setup that i can use as a daily driver and have fun with on the side.. i wasnt plannin on goin too drastic with it as far as a diesel and an extremely low rear end. just want it to have plenty of torque but enough ass to get it down the highway at 75 without redlining it. and i noticed that the th-56 that ford racing sells has 2 overdrives which would help on the interstate. but ive still got a couple of months before i ship out to make up my mind. and one of my buddies runs a votech down here so i can get the work done for free. just gotta get the parts

 

[LearjetMinako]

In order for this to work, you are most likely need some metal fab work done. You are going into opposites of what is and what can be. The humble 2.3L to a V-8 Prerunner. It sounds like you do have a plan with the 4.6 and 6-speed tranny. But if I remember, the engine mounts do not line up. And the 4.6 is wider than a 5.0, so it may need some inner fender work. Also, CG is really going to be screwed up. Especially if its a std cab/short box Ranger. It will be front heavy with little weight on the rear tires for traction.

 

[Mac]

The later Mustangs only weight 420 lbs fully dressed per FRPP catalog. GregR fit his DOHC into a tighter frame. Mounts are doable, headers of course custom. I warned about the wiring, think they now have three separate CPU's, that would be fun to work into the Ranger wiring.
Dave