97 explorer 5.0 swap question

[ddv8rangerjam]

I have a 97 ford explorer with 5.0 awd. Thinking about doing a ranger swap and would love to have a daily driver with ac. My question is..which ford ranger would be best for me to do a full swap with the most plug n play action lol
Does it need to be a 97 to match the explorer or will a different year work best. Thanks in advance for any advise just would like to be pointed in the right direction before I start lol

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Oof… you’re in the oddball range.

95-97 Explorer 5.0 swaps best into 95-97 Rangers, but it’s not really plug n play.

98 Explorers don’t swap to anything particularly easy.

99-01 Explorers and 98-00 4.0 4x4 Rangers are the most plug n play.

What are you trying to build? Something for street use or off-road? 97 and older Rangers are arguably better for off-road right out of the box. 98+ Rangers are better for street use.

 

[rubydist]

98-2000 would be mostly plug and play. See the tech archives: https://www.therangerstation.com/tech/engines-fuel-systems/ and read the various V8 swap articles.

 

[scotts90ranger]

Yeah, I agree there other than the PATS stuff isn't there on a '97 Explorer, not sure if the cluster cares or not, probably not... the only other main hurdle is the returnless fuel system on a '98+ ranger that would need to be adapted to a return system for the '97 5L...

If you want to stay AWD I think the front driveline from the Explorer should fit a ranger but you might need to swap the vacuum hubs on a '98-99 to the Explorer setup, I think they swap over... you would need a custom rear driveline