Power Ranger Build in 4 months is it possible....

[Swurv]

Greetings, fellow rangers owners. I lost my Uncle recently he meant the world to me and I thought that I would honor his memory by trying to bring some of his Foxbody Stangs back to life. As fate would have it, he was working a deal to pick up a 1988 LX so I took the lead and went to visit this Stang owner to see what deal he might have. To sum it up the it's a 302 Carb, with a shot C4 Trans. It could only go into reverse but the engine purred. I was only interested in the body to swap out one of his Stands that had deteriorated. After talking with my brother, I found out that my Uncle had talked about dropping one of his 302's in a truck. After hearing this, it lit a fire inside me. Not more that a week later I stumbled on a lead and became the proud owner of a 1997 Splash V6 3.0 Ranger 4x4, I picked it up for $400 and was delighted to see the engine outside of the truck on a wooden pallet. The previous owner said it had engine knocking. After taking it home I pulled the pan to find burnt oil pump and screen, and tons of metallic flakes. The number one Rod bearing was toast, and he or his mechanic in their great wisdom took a flat head to the crank shaft and proceeded to try to remove a non-existent bearing. So I'm in the process of taking the 302 from the 88 Foxbody Mustang and dropping it in my Splash Ranger to make what I title as project "Power Ranger". I would like to put a deadline on this project and attempt to get the engine in, connected and running in 4 months. I've read the forums and I'm a bit overwhelmed but I'd like to pay homage to my late Uncle to honor his memory. My set back is I'm here in a remote island with limited stock of parts and delayed by logistics. I've searched the Island and could not find a V8 explorer, I did find a 1997 V6 4x4 explorer to swap my 7.5 rear to the 8.8 with disc brakes, and take any other parts that could benefit me. I'm in debate on if I want to keep it 4x4 or convert it to 4x2. Is it possible to get it done in 4 months? What are the Pros and Cons of keeping vs not on 4x4? I've been watching Road Kill non-stop so I'm raring to wrench. Any help you can provide would be awesome!

 

[Ranger850]

Get rid of the "deadline". Be patient. Think things through. You said you were overwhelmed just from reading, I know, there is a lot to read. There is a lot that goes into putting a motor in a vehicle when it doesn't belong there. A lot of people have done it and have worked a lot of the little things out, but having limited resources is going to slow you down.

 

[adsm08]

I agree. Step 1 is to drop the dead line.

Normally I'd also say drop your stupid carb idea as using an EFI system from an Explorer would be far easier and faster. But, you are in the middle of the Pacific and probably would have more luck finding WWII era wreckage than an Explorer's EFI system.

Keep It 4x4. The amount of work needed to make it be a 2wd is prohibitive. The engine cross member is different and HAS to be changed to switch between the two, lot of cut and weld, best done with the cab off kind of stuff. If you won't be using the 4x4 and want so weight savings you can remove the front diff from the beam and the axle shafts and it will be safe to drive.

 

[pjtoledo]

being on Guam and having a deadline, is it safe to assume you'll be shipping out in 4 months?

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Keep It 4x4. The amount of work needed to make it be a 2wd is prohibitive. The engine cross member is different and HAS to be changed to switch between the two, lot of cut and weld, best done with the cab off kind of stuff. If you won't be using the 4x4 and want so weight savings you can remove the front diff from the beam and the axle shafts and it will be safe to drive.

It would be easier to use 2wd BII axle beams... but they are not overly common even in the US.

I had most of my stuff stockpiled and had the V8 swap done in a month... out there I have no idea how feasible that would be. If I got hung up on parts a Summit order was only 3 days out, parts stores can have most stuff overnight.

 

[adsm08]

It would be easier to use 2wd BII axle beams... but they are not overly common even in the US.

Hens teeth.

 

[Swurv]

Get rid of the "deadline". Be patient. Think things through. You said you were overwhelmed just from reading, I know, there is a lot to read. There is a lot that goes into putting a motor in a vehicle when it doesn't belong there. A lot of people have done it and have worked a lot of the little things out, but having limited resources is going to slow you down.

I see where you're coming from and will take note. I'm definitely heavy in the planning right now, and trying to take into account parts, shipment, and capabilities here on the island. I'm just glad for the forum support advice.

 

[Swurv]

I agree. Step 1 is to drop the dead line.

Normally I'd also say drop your stupid carb idea as using an EFI system from an Explorer would be far easier and faster. But, you are in the middle of the Pacific and probably would have more luck finding WWII era wreckage than an Explorer's EFI system.

Keep It 4x4. The amount of work needed to make it be a 2wd is prohibitive. The engine cross member is different and HAS to be changed to switch between the two, lot of cut and weld, best done with the cab off kind of stuff. If you won't be using the 4x4 and want so weight savings you can remove the front diff from the beam and the axle shafts and it will be safe to drive.

Finding an explorer's EFI system is definitely not easy, I basically have 2 options right now purchase and ship an explorer in or purchase a wiring harness and EFI system for the 302. Thanks for the recommendation on the 4x4 vs 4x2 option.