289 into a 90 Ranger

[tlcasey100]

I want to swap a 289 into my 90 ranger I want to retain the 5 speed tranny that is in it now of possible. Can some tell me of a kit or a list of parts I need to accomplish this. tlcasey100@gmail.com

 

[Curious Hound]

I dont think your current transmission will bolt up. I believe you need a transmission with a small block ford bellhousing pattern, like M5OD-R2

 

[ekrampitzjr]

The 289 and 302 (5.0) are in the same family, so most of what others have said who have swapped a Windsor V-8 into their Rangers should apply to you. You might want to search threads about V-8 swaps here.

 

[19Walt93]

I don't believe that transmission will live long behind a V8 unless you drive like there's an egg between your foot and the throttle. We sold darn few 4.2 F150's and maybe 4-5 with a 5 speeds so that transmission might be hard to find. My preference would be a T5 but more fabrication will be required.

 

[bobbywalter]

I don't believe that transmission will live long behind a V8 unless you drive like there's an egg between your foot and the throttle. We sold darn few 4.2 F150's and maybe 4-5 with a 5 speeds so that transmission might be hard to find. My preference would be a T5 but more fabrication will be required.

the r2 especially in 97-up v6 2wd is a very common trans for swapping to rangers. 100-500 bux in general and usually 20 available in my area at any time. 150k miles and up naturally. i would wager better in strength then a t5 ... much better in a 4x4 application.


my question is whether the 289 is a 5 bolt or 6 bolt as that will limit 10 in or 11 in clutch capacity....without adapters anyway.

 

[19Walt93]

the r2 especially in 97-up v6 2wd is a very common trans for swapping to rangers. 100-500 bux in general and usually 20 available in my area at any time. 150k miles and up naturally. i would wager better in strength then a t5 ... much better in a 4x4 application.


my question is whether the 289 is a 5 bolt or 6 bolt as that will limit 10 in or 11 in clutch capacity....without adapters anyway.

We never ordered 2wd trucks for stock, if we got one it was a retail order. I don't remember ever seeing a 4x4 F150 with a 4.2 and a 5 speed- or an automatic for that matter. I'd have to see them side by side in pieces to believe the Mazda sourced transmission is stronger than a T5.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

We never ordered 2wd trucks for stock, if we got one it was a retail order. I don't remember ever seeing a 4x4 F150 with a 4.2 and a 5 speed- or an automatic for that matter. I'd have to see them side by side in pieces to believe the Mazda sourced transmission is stronger than a T5.

4.2 5-speed 4wd trucks are hard to find.

My theory is most people that got a 4.2 5speed didn't care about 4wd. Most that wanted a 5 speed 4wd sprung for the 4.6. I had a heck of a time tracking one down.

R2 is heavier built than a T-5 which is not really known for its strength. Cheap, light and common, The T-5 is not really super strong out of the box. Kinda why everybody that rebuilds them improves them...

R2 is more of a trucky transmission but IMO the gearing is neither optimal for car or truck use, kinda tries to do both. Not really made for speed shifting.

Supercoupe M5ODR2 transmissions did have different gearing than the trucks though. They literally already had T-5's going into the platform with the right transmission boltpattern, for some reason they opted to modify a different transmission for that engine.

IMO if you are going to play speed racer T-5

If you are going to play locomotive or offroader M5ODR2

 

[slater50]

We never ordered 2wd trucks for stock, if we got one it was a retail order. I don't remember ever seeing a 4x4 F150 with a 4.2 and a 5 speed- or an automatic for that matter. I'd have to see them side by side in pieces to believe the Mazda sourced transmission is stronger than a T5.

Back in the day, ive had to rebuild lots of ranger Mazda trannys & never rebuilt a T5 other than just pooping the rest tailshaft off & cheating out a reverse synchro.....

 

[bobbywalter]

We never ordered 2wd trucks for stock, if we got one it was a retail order. I don't remember ever seeing a 4x4 F150 with a 4.2 and a 5 speed- or an automatic for that matter. I'd have to see them side by side in pieces to believe the Mazda sourced transmission is stronger than a T5.

its easy to compare the parts. the r2 is definitely stronger then the t5. the t5 definitely shifts MUCH MUCH better than the r2. the r2 went into the supercoupe because the t5 was not strong enough.

its not opinion...its not a debate. its similar to the difference between a 7.5 and 8.8. they are super close in almost every way and condition....except for one area or two. IF you never use those areas...better off with the 7.5. uses less energy to do the same job. IF



4.2 trucks and vans....for sure regional. there are tons of them rotted in half still travelling the road out here....people that know to swap out the oiling system at 70k keep them damn things going and going..


from where my residence is in detroit metro, there are 20 4x4 and 2wd R2s within 150 miles...100 to 700 bux listed available. whether or not they are worth the effort is only chance.

there are zero v8 t5s available.

5 v6 t5s.

cool thing about the v6 t5 is it is stronger than the earlier t5...300 ft input. so if you have parts laying around you can hybridize the damn 164 tooth critter .... waaay more work then it is worth...but it is an upgrade for an 87 mustang.







in a car....i would go with the t5....as long as it was a low power engine say sub 350 hp.

for a 4x4 the r2 is the clear no brainer....you can even use the 4.6 unit on the 302 with some cutting and only living with 5 of the 6 bolts. works fine. just depends on what you are willing to live with.

those 97-later f150 units are both easier to incorporate with the ranger chassis in regards to shifter position and bolt in slave setup.


the m50dr2 is rated at 330 input

t5 265 input.

wct5 300 input....yes the 3.8 v6 has this thing

the cobra/later world class upgraded t5 330 input. aka...."the built units".

the 4r70 516 input.
6r80 600 input
t56 magnum 700 input

tkx 600 input.

for a 2wd application i am just going with the brand new tkx or cdoox. there isnt a t5 capable of handling my normal low v8 power levels.


i remember when everyone was trying to out perform the t45 with t5,s definitely alot was learned. the t45 shifts much better than the t5...never understood the rivalry there.

 

[bobbywalter]

Back in the day, ive had to rebuild lots of ranger Mazda trannys & never rebuilt a T5 other than just pooping the rest tailshaft off & cheating out a reverse synchro.....

we were specifically comparing the R2 ... the r1 is not good for much power.


the street scene with the t5s in my area early to mid 90s on resulted in lots of built aod and c4 swaps....once a real clutch was swapped in it was over for the t5.

 

[Brain75]

I know this is a little irrelevant but still a little relevant, in the spring of 2012, I searched high and low looking for a T18/T19 or T87D to put in my '48 - the thought was I could avoid cutting the crossmember, I looked at a LOT of mid 80's Ford F-series. What I found was if it was 4x4 behind a 302 or 351, it was an NP435 (New Process transmission) if it was a 4x2 it was an auto... supposedly the 5 speed behind a 4x2 existed but I could not find it to save my life. I went with the T5 for my classic, but again the 1948 6 cylinder engine (226 flathead) is rated at 95hp, so not about to blow up the tranny with that kind of power.

Basically I am posting this to confirm / 2nd vote of confidence in what was said about there being basically no 5 speed manuals in a 4x2... the trend goes back a bit further than I expected, figured it followed the more modern trend of dropping manuals, but in reality it went further back then I expected.

Behind the 302 I would say the T5 out of a mustang (World Class and has a Ford butterfly pattern on the bellhousing), or a M5OD-R2 (again it sits behind a SBF, you will have a Ford butterfly pattern there too).. easy find for the M5OD-R2, a little bit of a hard hunt to find a WC T-5.

there is a guy on youtube who makes external slave cylinders to use with exactly situations like the T5. I stumbled on it looking for how to bleed or get rid of the INTERNAL slave and make it external where a guy can service the stupid thing.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I know this is a little irrelevant but still a little relevant, in the spring of 2012, I searched high and low looking for a T18/T19 or T87D to put in my '48 - the thought was I could avoid cutting the crossmember, I looked at a LOT of mid 80's Ford F-series. What I found was if it was 4x4 behind a 302 or 351, it was an NP435 (New Process transmission) if it was a 4x2 it was an auto... supposedly the 5 speed behind a 4x2 existed but I could not find it to save my life. I went with the T5 for my classic, but again the 1948 6 cylinder engine (226 flathead) is rated at 95hp, so not about to blow up the tranny with that kind of power.

Basically I am posting this to confirm / 2nd vote of confidence in what was said about there being basically no 5 speed manuals in a 4x2... the trend goes back a bit further than I expected, figured it followed the more modern trend of dropping manuals, but in reality it went further back then I expected.

Behind the 302 I would say the T5 out of a mustang (World Class and has a Ford butterfly pattern on the bellhousing), or a M5OD-R2 (again it sits behind a SBF, you will have a Ford butterfly pattern there too).. easy find for the M5OD-R2, a little bit of a hard hunt to find a WC T-5.

there is a guy on youtube who makes external slave cylinders to use with exactly situations like the T5. I stumbled on it looking for how to bleed or get rid of the INTERNAL slave and make it external where a guy can service the stupid thing.

IIRC the R2 didn't come out until around '87 so there wouldn't be a huge pool of them in the 80's compared to the 4spds either.