Blank Canvas V8 AWD/4WD conversion help needed.

[Georonimo]

Blank Canvas. My ranger is a 95 Splash SWB 2.3 5-speed. I love the look and thats the only thing that has to stay the same. I have access to a few salvage auctions so a frame donor of any year is possible. Same goes for the driveline donor. 5.0 or 4.6, doesn't really matter to me. The motor will be turbo charged either remotely or from some where under the hood. Target 400whp. Ideal trans setup would be a 5-speed but I don't know what would work or how strong they are. An auto is acceptable if there is no cost effective 5-speed option as this truck will mainly be used for light towing and some street fun. I've been reading for the past 2 days and the amount of info is overwhelming and it doesn't all add up. Close to losing interest so I decided to just be that guy that asks the stupid questions that have been answered 500 times before. (Sorry in advance)

Any help, relevant links, complete project as you would build it, suggestions, etc would be greatly appreciated.

Again, the only thing that needs to remain is the short wheel base and my 95 cab/flare side bed and sheet metal.

Thanks!

 

[RangerSVT]

Check out my build thread, its right up your alley, and everything is answered in detail in the first post for simplicity
SVT

 

[adsm08]

Grab a trans from an F-150 Lightning. That's about the strongest V8 trans Ford ever made.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Grab a trans from an F-150 Lightning. That's about the strongest V8 trans Ford ever made.

And will require a complete teardown to convert to 4wd/AWD.

4.6/5.4's do not fit well at all in TTB/TIB trucks. I am not sure how TTB would like being forced into a high performance AWD setup.

I would be inclined to go to a 98+ truck with SLA front suspension. Newer SWB 4x4's are out there. 5.0's bolt in because basically everything framewise is the same as a V8 Explorer. Check out the Project outragous or something like that thread on 4.6 fitment. They fit in the '98 trucks but it is still pretty tight compared to the pushrod 5.0.

If you want to forget the blower(s) and be really unique...

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/FMS-M-6007-M50/

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/FMS-M-6017-A504V/

 

[Georonimo]

Hi guys,

Thanks for the input. Didn't see these posts earlier as I forgot to turn on the post notifications. I actually kept searching and everything that I found seemed overly complicated, expensive, and still wouldn't get me where I want to be.

I've decided to just do a body swap on an Explorer. I picked up a low mileage 96 V8 with a bad transmission and a nice gray cloth interior. My plan is to swap the complete explorer dash into my cab with all wiring and everything on the firewall/under the hood and then sit the ranger body on the explorer frame. Not sure how well it's all going to fit but I'm sure I can figure it out. I'm picking up a 5 speed trans and 4wd transfer case from an 01 F150 4.2 this coming week. I need to get an assortment of driveshafts from a couple different full size trucks, but it should all mesh together using OEM parts.

The beautiful part about the explorer frame is that lowering the 4wd version isn't as taboo as the the rangers (could not find any info on lowering a 98+ 4x4 ranger enough to make it worth it). It appears that a simple torsion bar "key" or adjuster flip in the front and a basic block setup in the rear will bring me down more than enough. Some creative camber adjusters/spacer/somethings should address any excessive negative camber issues when I get to that point.

The wheel base is about 3 inches and change longer than the ranger so the gap between the cab and bed will grow a little. This is fine as it's a black flare side truck and another couple of inches won't be all that noticeable, plus it will allow me to flip the fork mounts for my mountain bike to the outside of the bed giving me back a couple more inches of bed space. That and the extra wheel base sure can't hurt when towing! Win Win WIN.

I'm hoping to have all the parts in hand before the new year. The whole conversion shouldn't take more than a few days but I'll probably start prepping the explorer before hand (trans conversion/maintenance/etc). Shooting for mid January. Then hopefully some time in the spring for the turbo build/engine refresh and the lowering blocks.

If anyone see's any holes in my plan please feel free to point them out. Pretty steep learning curve here so I'm trying really hard not to miss anything.

Thanks

 

[bobbywalter]

body swap onto a 2003 explorer chassis


run reg bed with prerunner type fenders to make it fat and cover the tires.


awd and 4 wheel independant suspension...be hard to keep it low though....


but potentially cheap and super easy.

 

[Georonimo]

body swap onto a 2003 explorer chassis


run reg bed with prerunner type fenders to make it fat and cover the tires.


awd and 4 wheel independant suspension...be hard to keep it low though....


but potentially cheap and super easy.

Reading my mind... To a degree. Version 2.0 will find everything swapped over into a longer wheel base 02+ explorer with IRS. Only difference will be a much larger gap between the flare side bed and the cab but with a custom made tool box nestled in between them. Not doing it that way now because I need the truck to be up and going asap this winter. Cheap fun to be had!