What's it like to drive a V8 ranger?

[Eddo Rogue]

Being in CA I can only dream of such things....but always wondered reading about V8 swapped rangers...

Whats it like to drive? do they haul ass? spin tires through shifts?

How do they handle with all the extra weight and power?

I've never even heard a V8 rumble come out of a ranger in person, and would probably pee myself if I did.

I did once come across a Miata w/ a 302 stuffed in it at the 4wheelparts parking lot....that was awesome.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Depends on the V8.

Mine is pretty much a stock 302 so it really isn't that spectacular compared to a modern truck. 200hp is 200hp so it is about like a SOHC 4.0 but with a better audio track... I think. Never drove a SOHC 4.0 though.

Not much heavier than a stock V6, less than 100lbs. IMO it is about "right" for the truck.

Everybody is like "oh man I bet that thing really moves!" and as I say "yeah, it does pretty good" I think to myself how every midsize truck on the market has about half again more hp right out of the box and nobody really raves about how fast they are...

 

[snoranger]

It’s like driving a V6... only with a little (or a lot, depending on the engine build) more power.

 

[Eddo Rogue]

Depends on the V8.

Mine is pretty much a stock 302 so it really isn't that spectacular compared to a modern truck. 200hp is 200hp so it is about like a SOHC 4.0 but with a better audio track... I think. Never drove a SOHC 4.0 though.

Not much heavier than a stock V6, less than 100lbs. IMO it is about "right" for the truck.

Everybody is like "oh man I bet that thing really moves!" and as I say "yeah, it does pretty good" I think to myself how every midsize truck on the market has about half again more hp right out of the box and nobody really raves about how fast they are...

Something about new lil ecoturbo motors and 10 speed trannies is more boring than the traditional ways of making horsepower.

 

[Eddo Rogue]

Depends on the V8.

Mine is pretty much a stock 302 so it really isn't that spectacular compared to a modern truck. 200hp is 200hp so it is about like a SOHC 4.0 but with a better audio track... I think. Never drove a SOHC 4.0 though.

Not much heavier than a stock V6, less than 100lbs. IMO it is about "right" for the truck.

Everybody is like "oh man I bet that thing really moves!" and as I say "yeah, it does pretty good" I think to myself how every midsize truck on the market has about half again more hp right out of the box and nobody really raves about how fast they are...

Does it do burnouts?

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Does it do burnouts?

It has but I don't really try much anymore.

FWIW the best brakestand in the high school parking lot a shy 20 years ago was performed by a 2wd supercab 3.0 Ranger driven by a classmate that didn't care about the truck.

 

[Shran]

Mine has a lot more power from a dead stop... it's pretty much tapped out at normal highway speeds though. The engine was from a '89 Crown Vic so it was only rated at about 150hp - almost a wash compared to a 2.9 but I gained 100ft/lbs of torque. 35" tires and 4.10 gears do not make for a fast truck.

With my SAS and other rock crawler mods it can get a little squirrely on the highway anyway so probably for the best that it doesn't have a lot of power.

 

[cbxer55]

I was at a car show one day, and heard this nicely built V-8 cruising into the lot. I'm looking around for a nice late 60's / early 70's hot rod. I find a flat black lowered to the ground Ranger. Didn't even have really big tires. when he popped the hood, carbed 302. Really tight fit in the engine compartment. But they are in Mustangs too. When he left later, he did a nice burnout.

 

[Eddo Rogue]

It has but I don't really try much anymore.

FWIW the best brakestand in the high school parking lot a shy 20 years ago was performed by a 2wd supercab 3.0 Ranger driven by a classmate that didn't care about the truck.

That's awesome. At my senior year graduation parking lot burnout contest, I remember it was also some crappy midsize pickup that took 1st place. The only time an open diff and small tires are advantageous lol good times.

 

[Eddo Rogue]

I was at a car show one day, and heard this nicely built V-8 cruising into the lot. I'm looking around for a nice late 60's / early 70's hot rod. I find a flat black lowered to the ground Ranger. Didn't even have really big tires. when he popped the hood, carbed 302. Really tight fit in the engine compartment. But they are in Mustangs too. When he left later, he did a nice burnout.

Sweet....did it leave one tire mark or two?

 

[cbxer55]

Sweet....did it leave one tire mark or two?

Two, he had switched to a posi rear end. I would too if I went V-8. Oh yeah, four speed stick. About the best you can get, V-8 and stick.

 

[19Walt93]

I bought 2 new 4.0 sohc Rangers and drove them 15 years combined. The nearly stock 351 in my 93 has more power than both of them together- and gets about the same gas mileage. The engine came out of a 95 F150, I rebuilt it with new pistons, did a mild porting on the heads, left the stock cam in place but added some 1.7 roller rockers, used a Pertronics distributor, and Offenhauser dual port manifold with a 600 Holley, and exhaust manifolds with 66 Galaxie numbers on them. My 04 Ranger 4x4 had 4.10 gears, Traction Lok(no Ford ever had a posi) and a 5 speed. The 11 had an automatic and 3.73's. I liked both trucks but they weren't over powered.

 

[franklin2]

Being in CA I can only dream of such things....but always wondered reading about V8 swapped rangers...

Whats it like to drive? do they haul ass? spin tires through shifts?

How do they handle with all the extra weight and power?

I've never even heard a V8 rumble come out of a ranger in person, and would probably pee myself if I did.

I did once come across a Miata w/ a 302 stuffed in it at the 4wheelparts parking lot....that was awesome.

Did I answer one of your other posts about this? Anyway, you can have a v8 in your ranger in California. You can use one of these and be totally legal.

https://www.drivingline.com/articles/keepin-it-legal-the-ls-swapped-s13-that-california-is-cool-with/

https://www.chevrolet.com/performance-parts/crate-engines/e-rod-ls3/40-tooth-reluctor-wheel-transmission

 

[Eddo Rogue]

Did I answer one of your other posts about this? Anyway, you can have a v8 in your ranger in California. You can use one of these and be totally legal.

https://www.drivingline.com/articles/keepin-it-legal-the-ls-swapped-s13-that-california-is-cool-with/

https://www.chevrolet.com/performance-parts/crate-engines/e-rod-ls3/40-tooth-reluctor-wheel-transmission

Yes I did not know about it until your post. I checked it out...still a dream for now....good stuff though, thanks for sharing.

 

[Dirtman]

If you stop and think about it, engines is goes vroom.