Selecting Ranger for v8 swap and selecting donor vehicle

[SlugStang8997]

Stupid question but do people LS swap Rangers often? I would think that would be difficult. Being a Ford Man i would feel a little wrong putting a Chevy Engine in a Ford. I read about the LS engine, generally and they seem to good to be true. Breath well,light weight, last a long time, powerful, compact plentiful, inexpensive etc What is the flaw with LS engines? Nothing is perfect Does Ford have a engine that is equal to the LS engine?

 

[rusty ol ranger]

Trail truck.

Guess thats what i get for skimming.

Ok....so an 83-88 with later axles.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

Stupid question but do people LS swap Rangers often? I would think that would be difficult. Being a Ford Man i would feel a little wrong putting a Chevy Engine in a Ford. I read about the LS engine, generally and they seem to good to be true. Breath well,light weight, last a long time, powerful, compact plentiful, inexpensive etc What is the flaw with LS engines? Nothing is perfect

They put LS's in everything. I havent seen a ranger with one but im sure its been done.

Personally im with you and am a purist. Id actually skip the 302 entirely and do a 351. But its more work.

A 300 I6 would really be bad ass (imo) but thats ALOT more work

Just remember though off roading breaks more parts then street running does. More power=more breakage.

In your situation if you wanted a trail truck id start by buying a solid 4wd and focusing on things like tires, winch, lift, skidplates, etc etc.

That will get you further down a trail then a ton of power will. Then once you get done with the truck, and are happy with its capability you can revisit the power issues.

 

[JoshT]

Stupid question but do people LS swap Rangers often? I would think that would be difficult. Being a Ford Man i would feel a little wrong putting a Chevy Engine in a Ford. I read about the LS engine, generally and they seem to good to be true. Breath well,light weight, last a long time, powerful, compact plentiful, inexpensive etc What is the flaw with LS engines? Nothing is perfect Does Ford have a engine that is equal to the LS engine?

I wouldn't say often, but it does happen. There's some right here on this forum, discussed/mentioned a fair bit in the AJE K-member thread down in the 2wd suspension section.

For swaps in general the LS is becoming more popular due to the very reasons that you mentioned.

The LS was Chevy's equavilent to (or competitor for) the SBF, some even say that the LS design borrowed heavily from it. As usual the Chevy engine being cheap and plentiful by comparison it gained a much larger following for performance and hotrodding.

I'd say that the closes thing that Ford has right now (current production vehicles, not crate engines) is the 7.3L Godzilla. It isn't as cheap or compact, but fits better in many swaps than the mod motors and cammer due to the width. The 5.0L coyote is a very capable and worthy engine, but it's DOHC design makes it too wide to be considered for many applications.


EDIT: FWIW I'm ford/ford and chevy/chevy guy as well. Now present me with something like a AMC or International and who cares as long as it's maintainable.

 

[JoshT]

In your situation if you wanted a trail truck id start by buying a solid 4wd and focusing on things like tires, winch, lift, skidplates, etc etc.

That will get you further down a trail then a ton of power will. Then once you get done with the truck, and are happy with its capability you can revisit the power issues.

Agreed, trail truck doesn't need gobs of power. Start with stock engine, it'll get the thing a lot further than the stock suspension and axles. Upgrade things as they break keeping more power in mind. Once the engine actually becomes a limitation, then upgrade it.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

Agreed, trail truck doesn't need gobs of power. Start with stock engine, it'll get the thing a lot further than the stock suspension and axles. Upgrade things as they break keeping more power in mind. Once the engine actually becomes a limitation, then upgrade it.

and @SlugStang8997 if you dont believe us about power...go watch what some of these guys on youtube go over and through with a friggin suzuki samuri riding on 35's with the factory 1.3L 4popper that makes half the power of any V6 ranger.

Granted they are geared to the moon...but still

 

[Thedrill]

Something like this...

my 1971 Datsun 521 with a 260 hp Volvo V70R motor in the rear.

 

[SlugStang8997]

I wouldn't say often, but it does happen. There's some right here on this forum, discussed/mentioned a fair bit in the AJE K-member thread down in the 2wd suspension section.

For swaps in general the LS is becoming more popular due to the very reasons that you mentioned.

The LS was Chevy's equavilent to (or competitor for) the SBF, some even say that the LS design borrowed heavily from it. As usual the Chevy engine being cheap and plentiful by comparison it gained a much larger following for performance and hotrodding.

I'd say that the closes thing that Ford has right now (current production vehicles, not crate engines) is the 7.3L Godzilla. It isn't as cheap or compact, but fits better in many swaps than the mod motors and cammer due to the width. The 5.0L coyote is a very capable and worthy engine, but it's DOHC design makes it too wide to be considered for many applications.


EDIT: FWIW I'm ford/ford and chevy/chevy guy as well. Now present me with something like a AMC or International and who cares as long as it's maintainable.

Thanks for your reply
I have been doing some reading on engines and gear ratios trying to learn something about them. I was looking up ford 302 crate engines but i don't think most of them are legal or street legal. Or i don't think they would be legal in CA. I may have found 1 that might be legal for the street. But as far as fitment goes not sure if it would fit cause it says partial long block. Not sure what partial long block means. I think it means bigger engine or does it mean more components or extra components?

@Thedrill told me that you wouldn't want some of the newer engines because you would have to chop the frame to fit them in. That is something i wouldn't want to do. So i guess if you put a coyote in you have to chop the frame up.

I just learned what a transfer case is in a 4x4 lol so i learn something new everyday. Up until today i thought all trucks had transfer cases. I was looking up transfer case upgrade but i don't have a 4x4.

I looked up and read about the engines you mentioned. I still think a ford 302 would be the way to go for a ranger.

I also considered that you may not need the power for trail driving. Maybe just a good gear ratio and leave everything stock. And do all the lifts tires wheels skid plates axles etc... It would definitely be easier to just do that. and upgrade power later.

I have been trying to get a hold of my bro to get the details on what jeep he wants specifically but he seems to be sleeping most of today away. The LS swap Jeep does seem unbeatable after doing some reading on them. And it looks like the cherokee engine compartment is bigger then a rangers

I doubt i can get my bro to go for a ranger cause the ls swap jeep is very good.

 

[SlugStang8997]

Something like this...View attachment 117455View attachment 117456my 1971 Datsun 521 with a 260 hp Volvo V70R motor in the rear.

Wow that is really cool

 

[superj]

my son brought a v70r home from virginia when he came back from his basic army officer course. that was an awesome car. even with 300k miles on it (i think is what it had) that car would light the tires up with ease and was so quick since it was awd.

the front seats were awesome too. probably near the top of most comfortable seats i had ever sat in

 

[superj]

@SlugStang8997

your brother doesn't just run the 4.0 that comes in the jeeps? that engine is made for off roading and they make tons of bolt on power adders for it, if he thinks its low on power. but for 4 wheeling, the 4.0 is great

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Thanks for your reply
I have been doing some reading on engines and gear ratios trying to learn something about them. I was looking up ford 302 crate engines but i don't think most of them are legal or street legal. Or i don't think they would be legal in CA. I may have found 1 that might be legal for the street. But as far as fitment goes not sure if it would fit cause it says partial long block. Not sure what partial long block means. I think it means bigger engine or does it mean more components or extra components?

@Thedrill told me that you wouldn't want some of the newer engines because you would have to chop the frame to fit them in. That is something i wouldn't want to do. So i guess if you put a coyote in you have to chop the frame up.

I just learned what a transfer case is in a 4x4 lol so i learn something new everyday. Up until today i thought all trucks had transfer cases. I was looking up transfer case upgrade but i don't have a 4x4.

I looked up and read about the engines you mentioned. I still think a ford 302 would be the way to go for a ranger.

I also considered that you may not need the power for trail driving. Maybe just a good gear ratio and leave everything stock. And do all the lifts tires wheels skid plates axles etc... It would definitely be easier to just do that. and upgrade power later.

I have been trying to get a hold of my bro to get the details on what jeep he wants specifically but he seems to be sleeping most of today away. The LS swap Jeep does seem unbeatable after doing some reading on them. And it looks like the cherokee engine compartment is bigger then a rangers

I doubt i can get my bro to go for a ranger cause the ls swap jeep is very good.

Follow @ericbphoto in the TRS Roundup and vagabond threads and see what he does with relative ease with a stock 3.0.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I’m a believer in building something to suit your purposes…

I’ve done that with my stuff for years.

Bronco II is roughly equivalent to a Jeep Wrangler (2-door). They have the same wheelbase and the TTB front is arguably sometimes better and sometimes worse than a straight axle. I’ve wheeled a Bronco II alongside Wranglers. The B2 has a body about a foot longer. The Explorer would be the rough equivalent to a Cherokee, and I would argue a first gen Explorer would hold its own. Plus the Explorer has an actual frame instead of a unibody that needs stiffeners for heavy duty off-road.

Really though, balance and gearing is important for off-roading. I’d consider an Ecoboost swap for a Ranger if I wanted to use an older one (83-11). That would be a hearty boost for power plus lighter weight than a 302. A 302 swap in a Ranger is fairly straightforward though since an Ecoboost was never offered in the older Rangers so there’s gonna be a lot of fabricating. The 302 was never offered in the Rangers, but since the Explorers were closely related and did get the 302, it simplifies things.

 

[Curious Hound]

Follow @ericbphoto in the TRS Roundup and vagabond threads and see what he does with relative ease with a stock 3.0.

Wow. This thread is all over the place. First off, you don’t need a V8 for a trail rig. If you just want it, fine. But it’s overkill.

second, if he likes Jeeps, I would recommend getting an XJ and just run it as is. They’re cheap to buy and parts are readily available.
Third, if neither of you are mechanics, I would shy away from getting a swap done. You’re better off keeping everything simple with the engine that came with the vehicle. Buy some tools. Read forums, watch YouTube and learn to be your own mechanic. You’re going to need those skills anyway. I’m sure @Thedrill does fine work and it’s great to have someone else do the bulk of it for you. But he’s not going to be there when something breaks out in the desert or forest, miles from civilization. You need to have those skills PLUS you need to already be familiar with the vehicle.

third, learn to drive what you have. Driver skills more than make up for lack of cylinders or turbos or special cams. Especially for a trail rig. Big displacement high revving horsepower torque monsters break stuff - often because it’s too hard to stay off the skinny pedal. Then you’re back to my second point. The guy that built it isn’t there to fix it when and where you need him. Leave the heavy stuff to the racers and rock bouncers with deep pockets.

fourth, if you still want a V-8 swap, I would recommend a 5.0l from an Explorer or Mountaineer. It’s going to be the best fit into any Ranger. But it’s a tight fit. 5.0l is what most people call the 302 once it became fuel injected. On 4x4 vehicles, fuel injection has advantages over carburetors.

 

[Thedrill]

I've built a few what we called "hybrids" we used a older Range Rover chassis and chopped the front and back off them and mounted a Land rover body on top, we either cut 12" out of the frame to make it 88" or left it 100" and unpicked a 110" long bed and cut out ten inches from the sides and then riveted it back together.
They were a very capable vehicle that were used for green laning and off road.