Selecting Ranger for v8 swap and selecting donor vehicle

[SlugStang8997]

It's my first ever Mercedes, I bought it for the Fast V8 supercharged motor, I don't really care for the car much, I want to rip it apart and stuff the engine into something useful.
I'm looking for a clean bodied Ranger with a bad motor / trans up to 2003/4.

Well i think its interesting and uncharted waters...I tried to google it to see if anyone else has done it and i can't find anything. So i think you will be the first to do it...Its cool to be the first...sometimes...Who knows maybe you will create a thing that people do from now on...What are you going to call the swap...? if you do it. You got to give it a name of some kind...if you have success or failure a cool code name will help things out. Have fun with it and make something up that sounds cool...

 

[Thedrill]

As for a name I'm not sure, but I once fitted a Fiat 1.8 twin cam into an Opel Ascona.... I called it a Fiasco.


Got one,,, a Mercedes Ranger is called a Merger.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I can say Mercedes C220 Kompressor condenser fans seem happy in my Ranger.

 

[bobbywalter]

trail truck needs to be defined. this determines whether or not a v8 is required. because a v8 can absolutely be required.... but i would not want a v8 where something smaller lighter and cheaper to run makes more sense.....and less heat and stress.

trail truck is not going to have stock sla suspension in my mind... but that is my tiny little mind.


LS....is definitely the best swap. not a true bolt in like a windsor 302 for an sla chassis....but any ttb chassis it is not even close. LS is king power for dollar.




or a gen 3 plus coyote.

the nissan and toyota v8s are pretty good.

but the gen 3 coyote is the 800 pound gorilla in a 300 pound shirt sitting in a 1200 pound gorilla chair because it has a 1500 pound gorilla punch....



someday.....all of the LS swaps will be improved with gen 3 plus coyote swaps.


but TODAY.....LS.

 

[bobbywalter]

Well after doing some research on engines. I found these blueprint engines that are pretty expensive but powerful but you could buy a whole vehicle for the price of just the engine. So they are not cost effective in my opinion. But figure i should mention them. They have some all 50 state legal engines. Here is a reference to CA engine swap rules that are a little confusing in my opinion. Those blueprint engines are race engines in my opinion. Anyway click below and read the rules and As far as mix matching engines its a little vague and confusing.

From what in understand i have to stick to the same model year vehicle for the swap. So for example if i want to do a 2001 ranger i have to have the engine from a 2001 or newer vehicle. I don't think i can go older engine. But you might be able to as long as the engine passes emissions.

So am i correct on that. You can't swap a older engine into a newer vehicle according to the rules in CA.

Or does the age of the engine not matter and it only has to pass emissions for whatever year it is?

Engine Swap Legal in California: Rules and Regulations Explained - Ankur Sharmas spine and joint clinic

Is Engine Swap Legal in California? As a car enthusiast, the idea of swapping out an engine to create a custom ride is incredibly appealing. However, when comes legality, can bit murky. In California, a state known for its stringent emissions regulations, the rules surrounding engine swaps can...

avnspecialist.com

Here is a reference to some super expensive race engines by blueprint but they are all 50 state legal 302s so there not really race engines but at 300-400hp i would say its a race motor. I can't really afford these but there the only crate engines advertised as 50 state legal. Wondering if these are even any good.

Ford Compatible Small Blocks - 302 c.i.

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blueprintengines.com

I would most likely just do the Explorer/Mountaineer swap Just considering years still mostly...What year ranger and what year explorer would be best. If we had mad money i guess we could use one of those crate engines. But i can't find reference to what vehicles those are for exactly

today.....4 digit power prowls the street...you dont talk shit with less then 700 hp.....400 hp is for moms minivans.

 

[bobbywalter]

Here is a link to Explorer/Mountaineer engines remanufactured and you can choose to modify them a little if you want which i think is cool. There basically rebuilt engines with some modification options. This is the only site i found that offers to modify the engine to make it better though and claims the engine is better then when originally manufactured. I am not sure if that claim is true though. So i am not claiming these engines are better but they might be better. It cost money to have them modify the engine. But anyway i hope this is better than the blueprint engines i linked

Take a look at this sweet Ford 302 CID from S&J Engines. These guys are the best builders around! --

Take a look at this sweet Ford 302 CID from S&J Engines. These guys are the best builders around! --

www.sandjengines.com

I was also wondering about the 2003 explorer/mountaineer engine the 4.6L v8. That engine was not reccommended to be swapped. What great challenges are there for swapping that engine?

in this case you would want the aviator engine....4 cam with much more power potential. there is a bad ass bronco 2 rocking one for about 15 years now.

i have seen everything except real hemis in ranger chassis.

best thing about the ranger. they are ridiculously easy to make anything work.

 

[SlugStang8997]

in this case you would want the aviator engine....4 cam with much more power potential. there is a bad ass bronco 2 rocking one for about 15 years now.

i have seen everything except real hemis in ranger chassis.

best thing about the ranger. they are ridiculously easy to make anything work.

Thanks for your reply
That is a nice Bronco
What year Lincoln Aviator? Would be a good Donor? And a 4 cam will fit well or would i have to chop somethings?

Your right about the HP.

But in CA Tesla's and Cyber trucks are around often along with other hybrid and electric vehicles, it's like they have taken over the area. To me it seems like robots have taken over the area LOL...Don't think you could get much in the way of 4 digit hp unless you buy a viper or something like that. You see at least 3-4 electric vehicles for every 10 vehicles here or maybe even more. They want all electric by 2035. They are out of there minds in my opinion. Power grid can't handle it and runs on fossil fuels still. The gas driving vehicle owners have to go wait in line to buy gas at good price through club memberships like Cosco and Sams club. Some Major oil and gas sellers are going to leave CA so gas stations are going to be less and less as time goes on. I sure hope we get a leadership change to stop all this from happening here and else where. But Anyways...


Wondering if there would be a way to make one of those Blueprint engines smog legal? I guess you could make your own emissions equipment or find something that would work.

 

[JoshT]

today.....4 digit power prowls the street...you dont talk shit with less then 700 hp.....400 hp is for moms minivans.

There's always someone faster or more powerful. That's why I don't care about keeping up with the jonses, just build & drive what I like. It might have 100 HP, might have 400hp, might have 800hp. Most likely I don't know what it's got and just enjoy driving it.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Wondering if there would be a way to make one of those Blueprint engines smog legal? I guess you could make your own emissions equipment or find something that would work.

Basic roller shortblock with GT40 heads and a Explorer cam. Then all the Explorer EFI stuff. While you are pulling that snag the belt drive and all the front accessories because the Explorer has the best.

A mod motor (4.6/5.4) swap is not for the feint of heart. Really I would rather do a 4cyl ecoboost. Same hp as a 3v Mustang 4.6 in like a third or less the package. And way newer with better mpg... and plugs into a Ranger transmission.

 

[JoshT]

Wondering if there would be a way to make one of those Blueprint engines smog legal? I guess you could make your own emissions equipment or find something that would work.

I think what @85_Ranger4x4 said is about right, but Blueprint does not list a 5.0L shortblock on their website. Only way you're going to pull it off using Blueprint parts as listed on their site is to purchase a "stock replacement engine" for a Mustang and throw half of it away. Since the rotating assembly is basically the same between the Explorer and Mustang, you could ditch the included heads and camshaft, then do what he said.



Honestly that feels like a loaded question from the start. Define SMOG legal. What you are looking for is usually called emissions legal, and emissions requirements vary by location.

The entire country is covered by Federal emissions standards that set a minimum, and essentially say that you can't tamper with what the factory installed except for making repairs. The are ways to work within that such as using same year model or newer engine and retaining that engine's emissions equipment. It applies everywhere even if it isn't enforced everywhere.

Then there are states and areas with stricters emissions requirements, like California's CARB standards. They take the federal standards and go a bunch further. No, there isn't really a way to "make your own emissions equipment". Everything has to be certified and/or approved by CARB for the application it is used in. It is possible to use other stuff, but my understanding is that it has to pass one off testing and certification by the board to be accepted. What ever alternatives you came up with you'd pretty much have to meet or exceed the factory emissions standards for the vehicle its being used on, and hope that you can pass the carisma check with the board. Living there, you should know that that group would already love to remove every ICE vehicle from the road, so they aren't likely to be eager to approve what ever you come up with.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

Basic roller shortblock with GT40 heads and a Explorer cam. Then all the Explorer EFI stuff. While you are pulling that snag the belt drive and all the front accessories because the Explorer has the best.

A mod motor (4.6/5.4) swap is not for the feint of heart. Really I would rather do a 4cyl ecoboost. Same hp as a 3v Mustang 4.6 in like a third or less the package. And way newer with better mpg... and plugs into a Ranger transmission.

If youre considering a 4.6/5.4 you might as well do a 460.

 

[bobbywalter]

There's always someone faster or more powerful. That's why I don't care about keeping up with the jonses, just build & drive what I like. It might have 100 HP, might have 400hp, might have 800hp. Most likely I don't know what it's got and just enjoy driving it.

its not about keeping up with the joneses. it is what is readily available and cost effective.

and then there is reliability.

what the op calls a race engine and why is as outdated as "might as well do a 460".

suggested blueprint engines for what they are, in this application are way over dollar. but people buy them every day.

even so getting a 400 hp application street legal in cali is definitely possible running an oak style processor and emissions components. say adapting a gen 1 coyote system to a windsor.

 

[JoshT]

I think you misunderstood what I was saying there. The comment was solely in regards to the line that it referenced, with no previous posts taken into consideration. I could care less about talking shit or being competitive. Just want to build and drive what I like. Doesn't matter to me how much HP or TQ it has as long as I enjoy driving it.

That's one of the things that annoys me about when discussing building and tuning. First comment is usually "how much do you want? You've got to have a target in mind to build." How should I know? I'd have to drive it at that HP to know, and if I already had it at that level I wouldn't be trying to build it. That's followed by "you've got to have 500 hp, less isn't worth touching." Really? Why? It only made "98 hp" from the factory, and doubling that would make it more than fun enough for me. Granted I pulled those number out of my backside, but seen similar discussions often enough.

Kind of like the engine tuner I was recently talking to. I was mentioning buying injectors before starting tuning for the mildly build 5.0L in my Ranger. I was thinking rebuilt, tested, and flow matched stock units for <$150 that would flow 30lb/hr. He insists on running new and a $450 set that flows about 100lb/hr injectors. His words were "its absolutely useless to run anything less than siemens deka 80s. They have better atomization, linearity and flow control than any other injector in its price range." I question many of the things he's said about setup and tuning. He's probably right about the size not really being an issue, but I'm not comfortable with it. I will take the suggestion of going new over reman. Running the numbers I'd be perfectly served by a set of Ford Racing 24lb injectors for around $200, and almost zero chance I'd ever exceed what they can support especially with a stock 5.0 block. (FYI, at my fuel system pressure the 80lb Siemens flow ~100 lbs, and 24lb Ford Racing injectors flow ~30 lbs.) Since I've still got to get a smoke machine (for chasing vacuum and exhaust leaks), wideband, and pay for tuning, that price difference would be better spent elsewhere.

I'm sure that tuner was great at what he does, he is highly recommended in circles, but his "bedside manner" is driving me off. Fortunately I've been in contact with another tuner with excellent reviews that I'm probably going to use instead, and he's about half the price too.

 

[pentode]

That's one of the things that annoys me about when discussing building and tuning. First comment is usually "how much do you want? You've got to have a target in mind to build." How should I know? I'd have to drive it at that HP to know, and if I already had it at that level I wouldn't be trying to build it. That's followed by "you've got to have 500 hp, less isn't worth touching." Really? Why? It only made "98 hp" from the factory, and doubling that would make it more than fun enough for me. Granted I pulled those number out of my backside, but seen similar discussions often enough.

Kind of like the engine tuner I was recently talking to. I was mentioning buying injectors before starting tuning for the mildly build 5.0L in my Ranger. I was thinking rebuilt, tested, and flow matched stock units for <$150 that would flow 30lb/hr. He insists on running new and a $450 set that flows about 100lb/hr injectors. His words were "its absolutely useless to run anything less than siemens deka 80s. They have better atomization, linearity and flow control than any other injector in its price range." I question many of the things he's said about setup and tuning. He's probably right about the size not really being an issue, but I'm not comfortable with it. I will take the suggestion of going new over reman. Running the numbers I'd be perfectly served by a set of Ford Racing 24lb injectors for around $200, and almost zero chance I'd ever exceed what they can support especially with a stock 5.0 block. (FYI, at my fuel system pressure the 80lb Siemens flow ~100 lbs, and 24lb Ford Racing injectors flow ~30 lbs.) Since I've still got to get a smoke machine (for chasing vacuum and exhaust leaks), wideband, and pay for tuning, that price difference would be better spent elsewhere.

I'm sure that tuner was great at what he does, he is highly recommended in circles, but his "bedside manner" is driving me off. Fortunately I've been in contact with another tuner with excellent reviews that I'm probably going to use instead, and he's about half the price too.

I've dealt with this attitude in a couple different fields I've worked in. Never work with the guy who turns up his nose at anything less than wherever his bar is set (spec snobs?). Always work with the guy who says "cool, let's see how we can make the most out of what you've got and what your plan is"

Edit: this comment isn't directed in any way to any person in this thread. Just the tuner referenced. I liken it to when you walk into a car dealership and they start with "so, how much do you want to spend today?" to which I always want to answer "I _want_ to spend zero dollars."

 

[SlugStang8997]

Which Ford Ranger year has the largest engine compartment between the years of 1983-2011? Sorry if that is a stupid question? Or commonly known answer. But i don't know the answer.

Will a explorer 8.8 axle fit any of those years 1983-2011 or just some of those years.