best year ford a 302 for a 88 ranger?

[MikeyFord3]

lol thanks yeah i dont feel like dealing with the computer BULL.. but you think it will pass emissions? lol and with the whole making the hydrolic clutch work im sure thats not that hard and i can figure that out..

does anyone hvae a build thread?

 

[Shran]

I would highly doubt that it would pass emissions with a carb but I don't have to deal with that out here so I can't say for sure. Check with whoever is in charge of that in your state...you may end up having to use an EFI motor.

 

[MikeyFord3]

yeah hmm idk i can buy a sticker too there only like 40 bucsk

 

[BeefStew42791]

something to remember when doing this kinda work is, depending on what state your in, the truck most likely won't pass if there's a significantly older engine dropped in due to emissions standards revisions. just something to keep in mind and be aware of. Have fun with the project, I'd like to do a built-up efi 351 transition maself.......someday-_-

 

[COPPERHEAD85]

Check the tech section about this swap.A lot of good info can be found there and a lot of people have put their time into putting it there.(not trying to sound like a dic)

IMOP if your going to run air and be on the street more than off road i would run injection.I know...... it works great off road to.

 

[Iron Ranger]

My engine builder, Earnie Brottem, told me that a late 80's block is a good choice. A good chunk of the blocks from the late 70's to early 80's had some poor casting issues from the factory(he's rebuilt more 302's than anyone here in MN, he's 81 years old and a former NASCAR engine builder, I trust him).

He told me those blocks were prone to cracks and fatigue fractures.

It would be cheaper to go crate motor. I wish I had gone this route and save myself a fortune
That's my $.02.

 

[MikeyFord3]

thanks for all the infor guys for all the info...its helping me out a lot

i woudl do efi i just dont know how well it would turn out with all the wiring bull kinda frightens me ahahah

 

[redgooch]

efi is the way to go. even better if you going off road. a carb can be starved for fuel at certain hard angles. Efi doesn't. efi is way better than a carb any day. Wiring is not that bad just take ur time. carbs don't give every cylinder the same amount of fuel at all times. Just the nature of the beast. Efi gives each cylinder the same amount of fuel all the time. But at the same time the stock 5.0 intakes weren't the greatest when it comes to airflow being even for all cylinders. either way efi is the ticket. thats my opinion and you know what they say about opinions.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

Off road the only time EFI has an advatage over a GOOD carb is if your upside down.

So it can keep the motor running while allthe oil drains to the top and you toast the bottom end.

Me personally, i would go with a Mid 80's 351W 4BBL H.O. They make considerable more pwoer then a 2BBL 351 and a whole hell of a lot more then a 302.

Dont go with EFI, espically if youve never dealt with it before. You'll be spending 3 yrs trying to figuire out how to hook up the multicolored mess.

later,
Dustin`

 

[AllanD]

The 5.0 in lincolns and mercury's are gonna basicly be the same too, I know some purists might jump me now and talk about cam duration, double roller chains blah blah, nothing you can't swap in. But the POINT is, you might get a better deal on the engine if buying used if it's "just a lincoln" instead of a sexy mustang it came out of...same engine either way.

Not true.

The EFI 5.0's all look the same but there are internal differences.

The "HO" Mustang engine has forged pistons up to 1992-ish
and is balanced for the heavier pistons.

The Lower EFI intake manifold is the same, but the upper,
though cosmetically identical from the outside has a different (smaller)
internal volume.

the HO also has a different cam and different heads.
The HO came with the E7T heads, basically the HO uses
the F-150 heads

And the cam is obviously different

Now, I've been at a big U-pull-it junkyard during a sale and tried to tell some group of idiots that they were pulling the wrong engine... some people believe that ALL Lincoln Mk7's got the HO engine... NOT TRUE!, only the "LSC" Mk7 did.
And the "Tells" on an early EFI HO engine are the "shorty" tube headers and cast aluminum valvecovers.

I recommend an HO engine not because it's the "Best" for a truck
but the best foundation to build upon because of it's forged pistons.

The early Hypereutectic piston engines had some "issues"
by the time they got to the 5.0 Explorers they were better at making hyper-eutectic pistons... and the explorer engine's had even better heads.

But all that being said if I wanted a V8 in a Ranger I'd go looking for a '95-96 5.8 engine (roller cam)

AD

 

[Shran]

My previous HO stole my money.

 

[baddad457]

actually the designation 5.0-302 come into play with the change over from 28oz inbalance to the 50oz inbalance motors, the 28oz (pre 83) being 302's and the 50oz (83 and later) being 5.0's.

You've all got it wrong. Ford first used the 5.0 moniker with the apppearance of the 79 Fox bodied Mustang. 302 and 5.0 have absolutely nothing to do with whether it was carbed or EFI. The changeover to the 50 oz crank was in sometime in 1981.

 

[red85]

If your goal is just to have a 302 between the fenders, look for a late 80's early 90's F150 (gotta change the pan and pump pickup) or E150 van (this will fit the Ranger). These engines are cheap and plentiful. If you wanna have a kickass EFI motor that will pass emissions, the Explorer 5.0 is the way to go.