351 swap

[younggunmarshall]

a guy near me is selling a mint 90 ranger 4x4 $450
it doesnt have and engine or transmission. i want to build a cheap wheeler while i am finishing up my 77 f250.
i have a 1982 f150 out at the farm with a 351 auto and a np205 transfercase.

how hard would it be to swap the drivetrain from the f150 into the ranger?
also, what is involved with motor mounts, and such? i am fairly good with a welder.

 

[COPPERHEAD85]

put the ranger body on the 150 frame.

 

[AngryLepercon]

i have heard from several people that there is not enough room to put PS on the motor with the ranger body. so just watch out for that

 

[younggunmarshall]

never thought about putting the ranger body on the the f150 frame.
the only problem i see with swapping the body is ford punched out a whole bunch of holes in the sides of the f150 frames(for whatever reason) making them very weak with lots of flex.

angrylepercon, do you know where they were having fitment issues? depending on where, i dont mind cutting.
like i said this truck is going to we a cheap wheeler, and probably going to get beat to hell. a little sheetmetal is nothing.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

My dad's 1980 F-350 has holes in the sides of the frame, weak or not it is much stronger than a Ranger frame. It is 28 years old and if years under various gooseneck trailers hauling god knows what haven't done it in I doubt much would.

I have noticed more than 1/4" of difference between the pinstripes on my Ranger when I park it on uneven terrian, not exactly a very rigid frame either.

Make sure it is a 351W, in '82 it may be a 351M (it was the last year for them) 351M's are physically large, hard to fit engines that like to burn a lot of fuel while producing little power.

 

[younggunmarshall]

the f150 is an old farm truck and the frame is already bent. reason why it was parked.
however it is a W.

 

[AngryLepercon]

never thought about putting the ranger body on the the f150 frame.
the only problem i see with swapping the body is ford punched out a whole bunch of holes in the sides of the f150 frames(for whatever reason) making them very weak with lots of flex.

angrylepercon, do you know where they were having fitment issues? depending on where, i dont mind cutting.
like i said this truck is going to we a cheap wheeler, and probably going to get beat to hell. a little sheetmetal is nothing.

i believe it is the left front that were the pump should go but then again i have heard that the coil spring towers, or the steering box could be in the way.

 

[projectnitemare]

You can put the 351 in a ranger frame without too much difficulty...probably not much harder than cobbling a mini truck body on a fullsize frame.

Matt

 

[COPPERHEAD85]

you wouldnt have to "cobble it together".there's a ranger somewhere on here that used a fullsize bronco that looked pretty good.
gut the cab and chop the back half,make some new body mounts and your over half way there.
iam not a big fan of morphidite 4x4's but for a good ole basher it would be perfect.

 

[D'cheat]

Putting a ranger cab on anything is more of a PITA than its worth. Ive done it. Fabrication of body mounts leads to drinking in the mornings. Trust me on this.
Swapping in a 351 is just about as easy as a 302. All the same 302 v8 conversion parts will work with a 351 with one exception. You need to get your exhaust headers custom fabricated to clear the passenger side frame rail, and the power steering components. That may well set you back $1000+....
So, check out the v8 conversion section of the Technical Library on this site, and you can get a list of stuff that you will need to swap over.

You may want to install a stand alone ignition system to make the swap simpler. Less wires to d!ck with in the end.
A system such as MSD or Mallory will cost a bit, but you will be very happy with the ease of install.

You will have to cut a bit more out of the heater box to clear the valve covers.

You NEED a fox body mustang dual sump conversion oil pan for this swap. The stock dual sump pan on the bronco's / f150's will not clear the TTB x-member.

' Summit Racing part # fms-m-6675-a58 for $135.88 '


Measure how wide the t-case is on your f150. If it is much wider than a stock ranger t-case, then you will have to notch the frame rail to make clearance.

 

[D'cheat]

The power steering brackets will clear with a little trimming of the inner fender structure. So, thats not really a big deal unless your building a show truck.
If you want to avoid that, pick of a serpintine belt system from a newer truck in the local wrecking yard. It moves the pump in closer to the engine.

 

[v-8power]

There are places that make 351W swap headers. I know that the total performance ones work real well. Though they have went up in price. I bought mine for less then 300 and DanB. Paid over 400 for his.

 

[projectnitemare]

You dont need any high end stuff. It can be done from junkyard parts...that's how mine started. Find any power steering pump from the 70's it fits with zero problems, as a matter of fact the whole front drive fits. If you don't see the need for headers...pick through manifolds, pretty much any block hugging SBF manifold will work. I'll still stand on my view...much easier to drop in an engine than to swap a body over.

Matt

 

[younggunmarshall]

thanks alot guys