I'll start ya off. First off, you might wanna keep that 2.4L in there since they are pretty rare engines! lol, just playin. You have a Lima 2.5L I4. Now, onto a more serious note. In short, Cleveland engines have been successfully transplanted into a Ranger.
I run an AOD trans behind my V8. The AOD's planetary gearset will theoretically handle 2,000hp. It also has overdrive. This gives the AOD great advantages over a C4 three speed. BUT, thats about as far as the stock AOD's bragging rights go. Here are some things I would HIGHLY recommend you do to the AOD before abusing it with a 351c.
1)Look into a Lentech valve body. First off, the weakest point of the AOD is the inner input shaft. There are two shafts in the AOD. The inner shaft is driven straight from the flexplate. The outer shaft is driven from the torque converter. In first and second gears, the power is transmitted through the torque converter. In third and fourth gear the power is transmitted through the inner shaft. Hard shifts from a torque converted second gear to a direct driven third gear will eventually cause the inner shaft to shear. The Lentech Valvebody re-routes the fluids so that third gear pulls its power completely from the torque converter. Now you can go through 1st, 2nd, and 3rd with the torque converter while still retaining a "locked" OD for fuel mileage. Also, the factory AOD's shift pattern is 1/D/OD. Basically, you can't manually shift from 1st to 2nd. A Lentech Valvebody will change your shift pattern to 1/2/D-OD. Now you can manually shift your trans from 1st to 2nd to 3rd while eliminating OD failure by locking it out during racing. Then, when you get on the highway press the OD button and you have a cruising gear. I love my Lentech Valve body. It shifts nice and firm but comfortable while in drive(overdrive) but when you pull the rachet shifter back and shift from 1-2 or 2-3 it feels crisp and powerful. Its imediate response and different feel will put a grin on your face!
2) As said earlier, the AOD's input shaft is weak. There are a couple of companies that produce hardened input shafts and I highly recommend picking one up.
3) Get an A+ OD servo kit and a 2" wide OD band
4) If your AOD is pre-1988 then you will definatly want to upgrade the tailhousing. Pre-88's had poor lubrication and generally do not last long with higher gear ratios. (<3.55) So, pick up a post-88 trans or atleast its tailhousing.
5) Big F***'in trans cooler. Especially with a high stall torque converter. (I have a TCI streetfighter that stalls around 3,100-3,250 rpm)
Some other notes about the AOD. If you are going to "stroke your cleveland" you should look into a full Lentech AOD transmission. Another option is the AOD-E or better yet the 4R70W. These transmissions will handle a LOT more power than the AOD. Plus, if you find a 4R70W it has the wide ratio gearset. I believe a 2.84:1 first gear vs a 2.47:1 AOD(-E). There are a few companies that sell controllers for these transmissions since they are electronic.
Motor mounts are as simple as finding 351c mounts and welding them to the frame. Or you could fab up your own.
As for headers, you will not find any 351c swap headers for the ranger. Your only options are to find some factory manifolds that fit within the engine bay or custom made headers. If you go 2", you will most likely have to build your headers over the frame rails rather than fit them under.
Now lets talk about your rear (I mean your axle). Since you have the 4 banger, you will most likely have a 7.5" rear end. With some sticky tires and a V8, you will break that thing the first time you launch your truck. A sufficiently built 31 spline 8.8" from an explorer will handle your torquey needs. Plus, you will have disc brakes. Because with all that go-power, you need whow-power. Another option is to find a 9" rear and shorten it. But, the 9" rear is considerably heavier than the 8.8".
I went with a carb'd SBF so the wiring was pretty simple, actually. Pick up a HAYNES book for your ranger. Toward the back they have chassis and engine wiring diagrams. What I did was went through the harness and removed everything engine related. The only wires I kept were the trucks lighting (headlights, tail lights, dome light...) and removed all other wires. Since I have all new gauges I didn't need most of the wires under the dash, anyway. My autometer gauges all needed their specific senders so I didn't have any use for any of the sensors from the old 4 cylinder. Computer can be scrapped also.
You need to keep that baby cool. You have a couple options. You can purchase a V8 swap radiator, which fits very nice. You could also have a shop build you a custom radiator. Or you could buy an aftermarket radiator. Whatever you choose, make sure to use an aluminum radiator as this will dissipate about 20% more heat. I would also run an engine oil cooler. You will probably have to go with two pusher fans since space is limited behind the radiator.
Good luck to ya. If you need any more info just ask here or search the V8 forums or V8 swap tech articles.
Welcome Visitor! Please take a few seconds and 
