Build help 88 ranger

[DRamiez23]

Hello everyone,
I’ve had my ranger for a few years now, and now I want to tear it apart and replace a bunch of stuff, I’m looking into a Dana 44 ttb swap with a mid travel suspension on some 33” tires. I’m also looking into a 302 that’s fuel injected. So the plan is to find a 90ish 4x4 f-150. Take both axles, motor, and trans.

I’ve been looking online the past few weeks and haven’t seen one yet. If anyone knows of one that’s done please let me know.

I’m looking to have an overall truck, something I can take on both the trails and have some fun at my buddies property. Basically I want to be able to beat on it and it be reliable.

I’m looking for any advice of the build and or help, this would be my first build and I’m looking forward to it.

 

[sgtsandman]

Welcome. There is quite a bit of information here on what you are looking to do. Don't overlook the technical section. A lot of information is there and is organized in a way that is easier to browse through than the main forum.

 

[Mechrick]

90ish 4x4 f-150

I would suggest looking for a 1996-2001 Explorer V8 and grab the engine, trans, engine harness and computer. The Explorer accessory drive is much shorter than the trucks, and the Cobra-style intake fits under the hood of a Ranger.

 

[JoshT]

I'll second @Mechrick, was going to say the same before I scrolled down.

Atleast consider the 96-01 Explorer for the basic engine donor, because that package fits a whole lot better than any other 5.0L package. The EFI system takes a bit of work to whittle down into standalone, but it can be done. The earlier 96-97 Ex wil probably be the better candidate with the return style fuel system and standard GT-40 cylinder heads. The early Ranger should have return style fuel system to that's a good match. The non-P heads work better with a wider variety of headers that fit well in that early chassis.

Complication of using explorer as a fulld rivetrain donor is the computer controlled 4R70W. It isn;t a problem if you plan to make the donor's EFI work. If you want to go with an older or aftermarket EFI system you'll need a different transmission or a standalone controller for it, though some aftermarket EFI systems do have transmission controls as well. Explorers were only 2wd or AWD, so you'll need a different transfer case. The F-150s also used the 4R70W and had true 4wd transfer cases, look for one with a manual shift 4406.

 

[SenorNoob]

The Explorer swap has be done enough times that there is good information on it. Pretty much every problem you'll have has been documented here.