1992 Ranger Owner About To Commence Engine Swap

[PaulZ]

Hi Guys.

Love my '92 Ranger 4x4. I have been using it to get up to my cabin from the parking area down below, a short but steep dirt road. Oddly (and somewhat embarrassingly) I have been driving it with a cracked headed 2.9 and no water in the radiator for about a year! It's a short trip so it does not get hot. Recently I purchased a '92 Explorer with a great running 4.0 and dead trans (both are A4LD autos). So a 4.0 swap is in the wings.

I plan to junk the Explorer but keep the trans and maybe the transfer case as I know from reading the forum that the 2.9 trans is weaker and I can possibly rebuild the 4.0 trans when and if the other one goes. What I am wondering is if it would be easiest to pull the front clip off the Explorer. It's cherry and I should probably save or sell it anyway so if it makes pulling the engine/trans easier then that is the order I will take. Is it possible/hard to pull the front clip in it's entirety?

Thanks for reading.

Paul

 

[kcaldwell]

hey PaulZ I was just wondering if you did the engine swap and if so how it went? I'm looking at buying a 1992 ranger. My favorite year as far as aesthetically, it's also a 4x4 with a 2.9, manual trans, and I am probably going to need to replace the engine. So with everything I've read, I have been thinking of putting in a 4.0 in. how did it go with your swap?

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

If you're junking the explorer, I'd remove the grill and hood and cut the top rad support out and pull motor/trans/t-case in one shot.