87/88 Ranger 2.9 - will flywheel and flexplate bolts interchange?

[saskbill]

Had a 88 ranger with a 2.9 blew its manual 5 speed. It wasn't worth fixing, but had a decent running engine so I stripped it for parts. Have an OK 87 Ranger which had a bad A4LD automatic transmission and a worn-out 2.9 that I had pulled the engine and trans out out and found a rebuilt A4LD transmission for a few years ago.

Time has gone buy, and the 87 is now an antique registration-wise, and I'd kinda like to get it back together and running. Had the parts bagged and semi-together when I stripped down the trucks. I got the engine dropped in and semi together but had misplaced the flexplate spacer and some bolts.

Found the flexplate, spacer, and torque converter_to_flexplate bolts, the flywheel bolts (from the 88 w manual) and a set of bellhousing bolts.

Can I use the flywheel bolts to bolt the flexplate and spacer to the crank, or are the 'real' flexplate bolts a different length?

Got delayed again (by a move), so thought I'd ask this so I'll be good to go when I get back to it.

Thanks for reading.

 

[adsm08]

I believe they are the same. That was one of the reasons for the spacer, was to make the flex plate the same thickness as a flywheel so only one set of bolts had to be used in production.

If you look at other engines that don't use that monster spacer they do use different bolts.

 

[saskbill]

Thanks - that's what I was hoping to hear.

If I was a smart man, I would have compared them when I knew where both sets were!