87 ranger 302 swap

[Deamers87ford]

alright im buying a 87 ford ranger and im doing a v8 swap but not sure if i wanta do EFI or carbarated im leaning more toward the cabarated but not sure what car to get it out of any suggestions anything will help im 15 so this will be fun

 

[Mechanickid]

I'd do EFI only cuz thats more efficient than a carb IMO

 

[Nipplechops]

The V8 forum and search function are your friend.

 

[Deamers87ford]

i was looking to do carb because with EFI i gotta get the computer and stuff from the car

 

[Mechanickid]

yeah but after its all said and done you wont have retune that carb every fall and spring.

 

[Deamers87ford]

thats true never thought of that

 

[74duster318]

Go with a big juicy 4 barrel.
________
Shower movies

 

[Mechanickid]

On the bright side carb is easier. But just think what people are going to say when you pop the hood and they see EFI, and it looks like a stock 302 ranger. Take your time and do a clean job and it will look good. Oh and TAKE PICS!

 

[feellnfroggy]

For a ranger swap it will never be simpler or cheaper than carb. I personally am a fan of EFI for the mileage and absolute power that can be tuned. But for a ranger? definitely carb, you'll have enough issues with even a smooth install that using EFI wont be worth the effort.

 

[COPPERHEAD85]

Go with a big juicy 4 barrel.

or 2...

 

[93_ranger]

the tech library is a great area for info, i helped my buddy swap one in his and am currently putting one in my 93. take your time and do it right. just make sure you save all your recipts in case you get parts that don't fit, or can't be modified to fit. a body lift is a great time saver for fitting both the motor and tranny. if you plan on 4x4 it is a lot easier to separate the tranny and t-case before install. also don't be afraid to cut some pieces out of your frame rails, it sucks but is neccesary. good luck bud!

 

[Psychopete]

IMO, If you have the motor, but not the electronics, do a carb first to get it going, then switch over EFI when you have the dough to do it right (and sell or hang on to the carb for future projects). A carb intake is cheap, ignition systems are simplistic and cheap. Just be ready to hook up EGR, run cats, and do everything you can to make it "street legal" so you won't have to worry about it later. You can also run a carb with an AOD (NOT E) with the kick down cable and bracket from Lokar (about $80-$100 shipped from Summit). The only down fall is getting the cable set correctly, I am having my truck towed to a transmission shop as I don't have the pressure gauge to do it myself once installed. I've been debating on buying one though..

Pete

 

[Deamers87ford]

i think ill do a carb becasue i dont think i have the money to do a EFI correctly yet but when i do illl pull the motor again and then a clean EFI swap unless i can find a parts car with everything i need for 5.0 swap

 

[Explorin94]

yeah but after its all said and done you wont have retune that carb every fall and spring.

How do you figure? I have had the same carb on my car since it was new. I have never had to retune it because of climate change. It has been rebuilt once, but that is regular maintenance. However there is a difference when it is cold or hot outside, but nothing so extreme that it needs to be retuned every time. As long as your carb is set (choke, Idle, fuel/air mixture) correctly you should never have to mess with it. Granted EFI is supposed to be more efficient and sometimes better, but I still get 25-28 miles to the gallon at 65-70 with the cruise on.

 

[feellnfroggy]

How do you figure? I have had the same carb on my car since it was new. I have never had to retune it because of climate change. It has been rebuilt once, but that is regular maintenance. However there is a difference when it is cold or hot outside, but nothing so extreme that it needs to be retuned every time. As long as your carb is set (choke, Idle, fuel/air mixture) correctly you should never have to mess with it. Granted EFI is supposed to be more efficient and sometimes better, but I still get 25-28 miles to the gallon at 65-70 with the cruise on.

brett geez man, slow down and read the post...