92 2.3 auto 302 swap

[Yceport]

Hello some of these questions may sound dumb but I genuinely don’t have the first clue about this other than looking at these forums I have a 1992 ranger xlt with a 2.3 automatic I want to do a 302 swap with a carb and distributer I’ve seen people talk about the 4.2 v6 transmission from the f150 being an easy transmission to swap out but I’m not sure what would be involved in that since my truck is automatic would I have to do any driveshaft work? I’ve read over the other posts and it seems like this would be the easiest way to do it but I just wanted to clarify with my truck if this would be the easiest way which is how I would like to do it I don’t mind if the transmission that goes in is automatic or standard I’m just looking for the easiest drop in possible thank you for your time
Ps. Forgot to mention I’m putting the ricks rangers 3/4 dream beans and rear flip kit on the truck not sure if that would affect anything

 

[JoshT]

Are you wanting to go manual transmission or stay automatic?

The 4.2 V6 uses the same bell housing pattern as the 5.0/302. That is why people recommend it, being a V6 it is easier to find in good shape and usually cheaper. This is especially recommended in 4wd applications, there are more options available for 2wd, and possibility better depending on your planned use.

You are probably going to have to get a driveshaft made regardless of what transmission you use.

Get the V8 adapter plates from Rick's Rangers as well, use those with 4.0 V6 motor mounts to position and mount your engine.

I know you want carburetor, but find an Explorer engine for your starting point. Get the entire thing , accessories and all. It is the most compact fitment of any factory 5.0L and fits in a Ranger engine bay best. You can swap out the intake and distributor pretty easily to run carburetor, and sell off the EFI stuff to recuperate some money. Also easy to drop in a camshaft upgrade while doing that.

 

[2011Supercab]

If it was me, I'd do an old C4 or maybe a C6 3 speed automatic with a shift kit.

 

[19Walt93]

I used a C4 when I put the 351 into my 93, mostly because I had one and I've rebuilt so many when I was a mechanic that I lost count. I worked at a dealer for 42 years and only saw a handful of 4.2/5 speed trucks so I don't know how easy it will be to find one. Late 80's to 92 F150's with 300's and 302's and 5 speeds were fairly common here and I beleive they ran the same Mazda 5 speed as the later 4.2's.
I personally never liked they way the shifted so I'd use a T5 but that would mean a lot more fabrication.

 

[rubydist]

I agree w/ Walt - the Mazda 5 speeds do not shift particularly well, so if you want to go racing they are not the transmission to use.

The advantage to the C4 is they are all mechanical shift, no computers needed, but the disadvantage is 3 speed and no lockup torque converter. An AOD would be 4 speed and have a locking torque converter, so imho that is a lot better choice unless you really don't care about getting 12 mpg.

 

[Yceport]

honestly I don’t mind if it’s automatic or manual it’s my grandpas truck that has passed away and I’d like to build it with my other grandpa who has been drag racing since the 70s I’d like to be able to do a little bit of bracket racing but nothing crazy mainly for just driving on the street trying to find the least hassle of a way to do it since he has been trying to convince me to sell it since I got it lol he says I should just buy something built already but I don’t see the point in just letting it sit and get no use out of it and selling it I won’t get more out of it then I would driving

 

[19Walt93]

I agree w/ Walt - the Mazda 5 speeds do not shift particularly well, so if you want to go racing they are not the transmission to use.

The advantage to the C4 is they are all mechanical shift, no computers needed, but the disadvantage is 3 speed and no lockup torque converter. An AOD would be 4 speed and have a locking torque converter, so imho that is a lot better choice unless you really don't care about getting 12 mpg.

My 351 4 barrel with a C4 and a TCI Street Rod convertor that's a little looser than ideal gets 16 mpg consistently and would do better if I didn't like the howl form the secondaries.

 

[JoshT]

Racing... Well, that certainly adds an angle that I have practically no experience in. What I know that stems from reading I've done over the years.

As much as it pains me to say it, an auto transmission will be better for racing than a manual. Primarily due to quicker and more precise gear shifting. Allegedly modern (90+) autos are also stronger than manuals, but I think that is mostly due to those same reasons.

I'm going to buck the trend here. I recommended using an Explorer engine for the donor. Now I'm going to recommend using the whole Explorer for the donor, grab it's transmission too. The 4R70W found in the Explorers is an evolution of the AOD/E and earlier C4 automatic transmission. It adds electronic control for more precision and (stock for stock) has the strongest internals of the line. It also has the OD for cruising around that the C4 and C6 don't have.

Now the disadvantage to the 4R70W is that it requires a transmission controller to use with a carburetor. That's not all bad though, because it really allows you to dial in the transmission shifting. Some also offer additional features like launch control and manual shifting.

At this point I'm going to recommend grabbing an entire late 5.0 V8 Explorer donor for cheap. The later models are going to have the best internals on the transmission, especially for one that is going to be used in a racing application. The heads are the best factory irons offered if you want to use them, though for racing I imigine you'll be going aftermarket. If your truck is a standard cab short bed, the drive shaft will be long enough to have shortened to fit (if it doesn't just fit ). It'll also provide a good 31 spline 8.8" axle, with disc brakes and possibly limited slip, that can bolt right into the truck. You said you were doing the DJM 3/4 drop kit, the rear of that uses brackets to flip the axle over the spring, the explorer axle is already that way from the factory and stronger than using the brackets.

Just my 2 cent and pretty much how I was going to build a first gen before I decided to to the '99 AWD swap instead. Mine was going to be purely a street truck and was going to retain the EFI system.

 

[Yceport]

Racing... Well, that certainly adds an angle that I have practically no experience in. What I know that stems from reading I've done over the years.

As much as it pains me to say it, an auto transmission will be better for racing than a manual. Primarily due to quicker and more precise gear shifting. Allegedly modern (90+) autos are also stronger than manuals, but I think that is mostly due to those same reasons.

I'm going to buck the trend here. I recommended using an Explorer engine for the donor. Now I'm going to recommend using the whole Explorer for the donor, grab it's transmission too. The 4R70W found in the Explorers is an evolution of the AOD/E and earlier C4 automatic transmission. It adds electronic control for more precision and (stock for stock) has the strongest internals of the line. It also has the OD for cruising around that the C4 and C6 don't have.

Now the disadvantage to the 4R70W is that it requires a transmission controller to use with a carburetor. That's not all bad though, because it really allows you to dial in the transmission shifting. Some also offer additional features like launch control and manual shifting.

At this point I'm going to recommend grabbing an entire late 5.0 V8 Explorer donor for cheap. The later models are going to have the best internals on the transmission, especially for one that is going to be used in a racing application. The heads are the best factory irons offered if you want to use them, though for racing I imigine you'll be going aftermarket. If your truck is a standard cab short bed, the drive shaft will be long enough to have shortened to fit (if it doesn't just fit ). It'll also provide a good 31 spline 8.8" axle, with disc brakes and possibly limited slip, that can bolt right into the truck. You said you were doing the DJM 3/4 drop kit, the rear of that uses brackets to flip the axle over the spring, the explorer axle is already that way from the factory and stronger than using the brackets.

Just my 2 cent and pretty much how I was going to build a first gen before I decided to to the '99 AWD swap instead. Mine was going to be purely a street truck and was going to retain the EFI system.

Awesome I think you laid that out really well and it seems like that would be the best way for what I’ll use it for bracket and just driving around with the OD thank you very much and everybody else that replied I’ll be looking for a donor very soon!

 

[JoshT]

Even if you don't use the entire drivetrain, as I said previously, the accessory drive package is the best fit for a Ranger using factory components. The rear axle is a good upgrade to your stock unit and will give you a drive shaft to work with for getting one made.

The transmission can be sold if you go another route. The factory heads and intake on those engines have a cult following, so you should be able to sell them of easily. Assuming you find a chgeap donor, the rest can be parted or scrapped to recouperate a lot of your investment.

One more recommendation since you are looking to add power. Investigate the 95-97 brake swap for your truck. It upgrades the front knuckles and brakes to a dual piston caliper units from the later models, which many of us consider to be an upgrade. There are also other larger brake options that can be used on those later knuckles. This has been and can be discussed in depth elsewhere, just wanted to put the idea in your head while you're planning. Since you're adding more go, might want to add more woah.

 

[Yceport]

Even if you don't use the entire drivetrain, as I said previously, the accessory drive package is the best fit for a Ranger using factory components. The rear axle is a good upgrade to your stock unit and will give you a drive shaft to work with for getting one made.

The transmission can be sold if you go another route. The factory heads and intake on those engines have a cult following, so you should be able to sell them of easily. Assuming you find a chgeap donor, the rest can be parted or scrapped to recouperate a lot of your investment.

One more recommendation since you are looking to add power. Investigate the 95-97 brake swap for your truck. It upgrades the front knuckles and brakes to a dual piston caliper units from the later models, which many of us consider to be an upgrade. There are also other larger brake options that can be used on those later knuckles. This has been and can be discussed in depth elsewhere, just wanted to put the idea in your head while you're planning. Since you're adding more go, might want to add more woah.

Once again thank you I’ve been putting all this in my notes your definitely right about the bigger breaks and it’s something I honestly overlooked very glad I found this forum you guys have been amazing help

 

[rubydist]

I agree, if you want to drag race you are way better off with an automatic transmission. The 4R70W is clearly a better transmission as long as you are willing to spend the money for a controller of some sort. I do my own tuning, so having efi on the engine is a plus for me, but some people like to mess with carburetors and that's your choice. If you do the efi route on the engine, you can use the Explorer pcm to control engine and transmission, but if you build a nice engine you will need to tune it, as the factory tune does not handle much for mods to the stock engine.

 

[bobbywalter]

goals are always key.


couple things.

with a sla truck.... it for the most part is a bolt it. so it makes sense to start with an explorer if a guy has an sla truck....

you dont have an sla truck.


a tib truck can fit a explorer engine but its some serious pia....and usually firewall mods. the oil pan is definitely not happy.... or modification friendly. easily addressed with double hump pan though.

a ttb truck is a no go. you need a different oil pan for sure.




the explorer f.e.a.d. is the best package for the 302 into anything. evidenced by the fact that is the first thing to go in the junkyard. people yank and sell them immediately where i shop....the heads used to be the first thing 15 years ago...now not so much.


for a basic hotrod setup running a c4 with a carb and dizzy is definitely a great place to start if you want to drag race and still be streetable....hacking out the core support and putting a sub 200 dollar summit radiator in there allows you to run any windsor F.E.A.D....and fan setup you desire.




seems your initial goals you want to row your own gears like a real driver....so in this case i would look for a mustang setup.



if you came to me on a budget, we would compare the t45 to t5 setups and see where it was landing that day.


starting with an automatic truck

the pre 4.0....essex 3.8 based v6 t5 mustang transmissions are still readily available for 350-600 in most areas of the country. if there are units local then i would try to get everything and fab in the mustang clutch system complete pedal to fork...i like the cable better these days for some reason....though that is a SERIOUS amount of work for arguably little to zero gain....i know if you were drifting the cable is nicer in my experience..

....obviously swapping in a ranger manual setup is a simple bolt in affair...so in regards to time and money this cable setup is easily discarded.

but if your truck is already a manual setup...

then i would simply adapt the eagle or a s10 or a miata style slave cylinder....drill a couple of holes to make a bracket and fab a new rod....this is a minutes thing. likely go to a wilwood master and stainless line as well. couple hundred bux. basically doubling the cost of the transmission. very easy though.

the standard swap headers work well enough and blow away any explorer setup.

so there is no reason to buy an explorer for a hotrod tib chassis if one wants a manual....


but if you prefer an automatic....especially for a drag and drive and all around rig....and if you are willing to go to a 4r70w for overdrive i would push you to a 6r80 with a quick six.

it really wakes up the weak ass 302 with its insane first gear. compared to building and locating a solid c4...it will come out cheaper and hold more power dollar for dollar..




of course. if you were at my house and trying to get me to help you with a v8 swap....i would try to talk you into a 5.3 or 6.0 swap... and a fab bot ar5.

its not harder. its very cost effective....and at least 100 more hp stock for stock using junkyard parts and a cam swap. that is the reason there are so many 302 t5 setups for sale ..... last few years there were more ls fox bodies then windsor. as a matter of fact...last time i was at milan there were more big block foxes then windsor.

interesting times. and lots of options.

 

[Mechrick]

the Mazda 5 speeds do not shift particularly well

The newer one (1997+) aren't bad. A switch was made to hardened syncros and upgraded shift forks.

M5OD, C6, 4R70W will all fit, all will require a driveshaft of a different length.

Lowering the truck will make things tight.