New to the world of V8 conversions!!! please help!

[Mountain home kid]

Hi guys, thanks for viewing my post brand new(10mins ago) to TRS. Great site!! So i have an 83 Ranger with a 2.8 V6 in it... its not doing to well anymore i bought the truck from a teacher of mine for $250. It didnt run but i got it going and im ready to switch out the engine before it kills itself. Just need some pionters and such. Not sure wether to go EFI(prefering not) or Carburated. And im definetly aiming for a 302 or 351W

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Go get something to drink and read... a lot.

There is stuff all over this section of the forum and under the tab up above labeled "Info-Technical"

 

[Twister]

Go get something to drink and read... a lot.

There is stuff all over this section of the forum and under the tab up above labeled "Info-Technical"

Like 85 said. Read read, read, and then read some more.

I'd stick with a 302 and to get it going I'd keep it carbed.

Sent from, wait how did this get here?

 

[oksleeper]

Im gonna agree read up look at craigslist along with parts sites and plan on getting your budget figured out

 

[4cd-air]

Plan for everything. My current swap is including.... Explorer disk brake rear end,entire fuel system, wiring harness mod, ft suspension mod, exhaust mod, trans crossmember fab, rear end traction devices, and custom drive shaft. May have forgot something but you get the idea. It's not just bolting in a motor!

 

[gsp]

carb and $$

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Welcome to TRS.
Like everyone else, the best thing you can do first is read.
My personal preference has been carbed only because I have more knowledge right now, however my next project will use efi as I believe it's a better system overall. I've bought books on the subject of efi [reading and research....it's important] and feel confident I can do the conversion with a little help.
I haven't done a v-8 swap into a RBV but a 302 would be my choice for an engine swap, it's just easier to fit.
Try to gather all the pieces first.
Another driving vehicle makes things sooooo much easier.
Plan on 2x plus 20% more than the original estimate for both time and money.
Don't give up!
Good luck,

Richard

 

[cammeddrz]

get a wrecked donor truck, a fuel injected donor truck, and use it to rob all the parts you need (it will have almost everything you need), then sell it to a scrap yard, and recoupe $300.00

and as said before read, read, and read
but you don't have to drink the Kool-Aid that all the other RBV forum users do, unless you want to

 

[superdave1984]

Welcome! Lots of info on here as well as SOLID advice. The folks on here won't steer you wrong on these things so if you have questions, ask. You might get a smartass answer here and there, but that's just how it goes. Do your research, gather your parts, go for it. Carb is pretty easy to do and get on the road. How are your fab skills? Some things you wind up just making yourself because you wind up without something you need or can't find. Where ya located? You might even have some guys near you that can come help out some.

 

[Scrambler82]

I did an ’88 STX / 5.0L EFI swap, brand new truck, great power and NO CARB to deal with.

If you can find an early Mustang get the engine and take the engine harness and start hooking it up.

To me there is nothing better than the EFI motors.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I did an ’88 STX / 5.0L EFI swap, brand new truck, great power and NO CARB to deal with.

If you can find an early Mustang get the engine and take the engine harness and start hooking it up.

To me there is nothing better than the EFI motors.

The early Mustangs were not EFI...

His will be somewhat more technical to do and EFI swap on because it isn't set up for EFI at all. Not impossible just more complicated.

I will add that you should ask yourself how attached you are to this truck before you start. Even "on the cheap" it is a significant investment of both money and time. If you ever want to get rid of it you will almost be guarenteed to lose a good chunk of change on the deal and if you didn't truely enjoy the challenge of doing it your time was kind of wasted as well.

IMO Explorers are the best donars going right now, most power potential, generally fewer miles and newer. Also at that critical age where it doesn't take much to total them but there are still a fair numer of "surviver" ones that haven't been beaten within an inch of its life. So one with a wrinkled fender doesn't set you back too much but still has probably the best production 302's under its hood.

 

[Twister]

The early Mustangs were not EFI...

His will be somewhat more technical to do and EFI swap on because it isn't set up for EFI at all. Not impossible just more complicated.

I will add that you should ask yourself how attached you are to this truck before you start. Even "on the cheap" it is a significant investment of both money and time. If you ever want to get rid of it you will almost be guarenteed to lose a good chunk of change on the deal and if you didn't truely enjoy the challenge of doing it your time was kind of wasted as well.

IMO Explorers are the best donars going right now, most power potential, generally fewer miles and newer. Also at that critical age where it doesn't take much to total them but there are still a fair numer of "surviver" ones that haven't been beaten within an inch of its life. So one with a wrinkled fender doesn't set you back too much but still has probably the best production 302's under its hood.

It is a big investment. So far, with everything I have bought, nothing is in the car I have about $900 in parts. So its not a cheap thing.

Sent from, wait how did this get here?

 

[doorgunner]

a good carb cost $280 & a rebuild is $60........

a good EFI costs $1280 and a rebuild is $60 to $600........

But...............


the EFI will pay for itself in 10 years..............

 

[Scrambler82]

The early Mustangs were not EFI...

Mid 90's Stangs were EFI, that was what I was thinking.

Early to you might be the 60's but when you are talking EFI around '93 istheway to go.

Yes, one wire to get a carb'd engine running is nice but again I say the EFI is the better way to go overall.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Early to you might be the 60's but when you are talking EFI around '93 istheway to go.

To me early is towards the beginning, the later part of the middle isn't really early.