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94 4.0 Ranger donor to swap into 83 ranger


freddicoe

5+ Year Member

Joined
Jan 14, 2018
Messages
6
Points
501
City
auburn,wa.
Vehicle Year
1983
Engine
2.8 V6
Transmission
Manual
Total Lift
standard
Tire Size
31s
My credo
if it's there I just gotta do it [ obsessively ]
So I have a standard cab 7' bed Ranger 5spd mt 2.8l 4x4 and I have a 94 standard cab 7' bed 4.0l 4x4 donor and I want to swap bed, front end,[axle ,steering ,and suspension ] and motor from the donor. My question is can I use fuel tank and complete wiring starting with ecu and complete wire harness in the cab and engine compartment and even put the dash and steering column in my 83? Can I swap all these parts successfully ? I would rather swap all of this instead of trying to cut and modify my wiring and even to the point of swapping inner fenders and vacuum acctuaters and vacuum plumbing? It just seem like it would go smoother and be easier to do a complete swap out. Have any of you ever done a project in this way successfully or what may be some thoughts or suggestions about doing it this way?
 
Maybe I'm not seeing this right... why not just fix the 94?
 
Maybe I'm not seeing this right... why not just fix the 94?

He prefers the first gen body style? And the 94 is probably Dana35 vs 83 probably Dana28?

I think most of that will swap kinda ok. Not sure about the dash. Might be some drilling and cutting if some of the bracketry is slightly different. Depends on your skill level and commitment.
 
Well I seen bed and front end... thought he was swapping the body?
 
Because those are for ta ghhezz....


It's very doable, not perfectly bolt for bolt but you can swap the e brake carriage and make a tab for the passenger side lower dash bolts and layover a strap to mimic the windshield side fasteners.....

You have to use the whole dash....and make a hole for the bullet connector firewall pass through.

The 94 wiring most likely is better all around because it's 10 years newer....and a way easier system to work with. It only takes a few minutes to pull the dash and wiring. The 83 to mid 88 dash and wiring is a Trainwreck comparatively.


The pedel hanger and steering setup is a bit different along with the clutch setup....but all workable. Often it's easier to cut and section the donor firewall pieces of That area of firewall..

Seen it done many times and have done it a few times to move the steering over for big blocks using 97 stuff in the gen 1.


You can even do it without welding if you have the good sense God give a grasshopper.
 
I love my 83 and I got a classic license plate registration for it but I want to update and modify a few things my passenger side tire has a lean to it so I decided to up grade to the newer larger front end and my 83 got t-boned in the driver side bed, I fixxed it, but its full of bondo. I got my doner ,perfect body but motor has bad rings for $175. I dont think I could have gotten any better of a deal. I dont know if I need to change the transmission for the ecu though because of the electronic 4x4. I dont know if the ecu needs to see elect switch or if manual 4x4 will be ok. I thank you guys for you feed back it really eases my mind Im thinking that it shouldnt be a problem to change the fuel tank for the pressurized pump when I switch beds. For now Im just going to change the front end until I rebuild donor motor.[ my current motor starts and runs great for now] oh and another reason for the front end is power steering has a terribly bad leak. I call my truck the rocking red ranger because I love 4x4ing and I took the rear window out and built a box for it containing two 6x9s and a 12" sub so its my rockin red ranger. I put an old 6' alum canopy on the 7' bed and the box sits out the window a foot so at a distance people mistake it for an X-cab [lol] but I truly love my standard cab gen -1 ranger
 
My other truck is 92 f150 5 spd 5.0l 4x4 stepside ZIA edition perfect condition X-cab two modifications 1st mod. second battery with isolator, 2nd mod, I removed back seat and built a bench so its still usable for a seat but under the bench holds 2 15" full range and a 12" sub now I can rock my world on or off the road in my favorite kind of ride FORD 4X4 YEAH!!
 
I love my 83 and I got a classic license plate registration for it but I want to update and modify a few things my passenger side tire has a lean to it so I decided to up grade to the newer larger front end and my 83 got t-boned in the driver side bed, I fixxed it, but its full of bondo. I got my doner ,perfect body but motor has bad rings for $175. I dont think I could have gotten any better of a deal. I dont know if I need to change the transmission for the ecu though because of the electronic 4x4. I dont know if the ecu needs to see elect switch or if manual 4x4 will be ok. I thank you guys for you feed back it really eases my mind Im thinking that it shouldnt be a problem to change the fuel tank for the pressurized pump when I switch beds. For now Im just going to change the front end until I rebuild donor motor.[ my current motor starts and runs great for now] oh and another reason for the front end is power steering has a terribly bad leak. I call my truck the rocking red ranger because I love 4x4ing and I took the rear window out and built a box for it containing two 6x9s and a 12" sub so its my rockin red ranger. I put an old 6' alum canopy on the 7' bed and the box sits out the window a foot so at a distance people mistake it for an X-cab [lol] but I truly love my standard cab gen -1 ranger

The ecu doesn’t have anything to do with your electric transfer case. Neither one knows that the other exists.
 
that works for me saves on having to do more mods like changing tranny crossmembers. The mods I already have to do are going to consume more of my off road time than I want to give up, but I know I will have a better truck and enjoyable time for doing them
 

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