Going full circle

[Josh B]

I have a couple old tires from cleaning up when I first moved back home, and another on a rim that took a blow from a boadarc root sticking up and went right through the sidewall.
My plan has been to set the Ranger engine onto a moving dolly and roll it out of the way until I get the Explorer engine lifted and moved into the Ranger.
After that I'm not certain whether to get a shed to store and rebuild it in, I think I just talked myself into that one

I shouldn't need to set the Exp engine down but one, into the truck

 

[DRanger024]

You'll be fine setting it on one old tire. It's more for cushion and stability than anything. The 4.0 oil pan is pretty stout, just don't drop it. You can use the '93 upper intake on the '96 engine no problem. You will need to change the studs though. The studs for the plastic intake are longer than the studs for the aluminum intake. I don't think you'll even have to change any of the sensors since just about all of them are in the intake. The only thing I would really question is the health of the fuel injectors in the Explorer engine if it hasn't ran in a long time.

I would leave the transmission in your truck for sure. I've actually found it easier to get everything mated together putting an engine back in than putting a transmission back in.

 

[pjtoledo]

you will find those cheap moving dollies have lousy casters. they bind, won't steer, and don't like to be pushed in a straight line.
if you push by the engine it may tip over, use something to grab the dolly down low and pull it, not the engine.

 

[Josh B]

you will find those cheap moving dollies have lousy casters. they bind, won't steer, and don't like to be pushed in a straight line.
if you push by the engine it may tip over, use something to grab the dolly down low and pull it, not the engine.

Actually I have an old tried and true moving dolly to use for that, I believe it will hold 500lbs, 125 per corner. That really isn't the one I'll be using tho, that one will get lifted one time from the Explorer, and sat back down into the Ranger

I am having a problem with the one in Explorer, it's so tight in there I don't know which way to go.
I am to the motor mounts and have those mostly all started, the engine otherwise totally free EXCEPTING for the torque converter.
The engine and transmission have no opening to access the flywheel bolts.
The starter is off but wedged inside the hole it goes in, with no way out that I have found but I'll keep looking..
IF the starter hole is used for access to the flywheel bolts I'd sure like to know how in hek that's supposed to work :/

Otherwise I'm fairly close to having this one ready to pull, but the Ranger has to come out first and moved out of the way, this one moved into the rack and pulled, and then lowered into the Ranger

 

[Josh B]

I dug that starter out of there today, that was a chore.
Now there's enough room to get the camera into the hole, makes it look big but the camera fits inside, but my hands don't fit as well I also will need a mirror stick to see where the tools need to get to :/ And I hope those are the bolts I'll need to get off?
I think other than those the mounts are the only thing left holding it in place

 

[RobbieD]

Yes, that is one; there are 4 of them. You can turn the crank with careful use of a big flathead screwdriver on the flexplate, or with a socket on the crank balancer bolt. I think that I used just a 3/8 ratchet wrench and socket to get the flexplate / TC nuts.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Yup, 3/8” ratchet and appropriate socket through the starter hole for the 4 flywheel nuts. You can either bar it around through the hole or a socket on the crank on the front of the motor to do the same thing, but that works best with someone to turn the motor and someone under to watch for when it lines up. It’s a pain. If I don’t have to disconnect an automatic in the vehicle, I pull both. It’s harder to pull both together though and your gantry may not have enough height to pull both. If you need more leverage on the flywheel nuts you can use a 3/8” drive socket and 3” extension, then an adapter and 1/2” drive ratchet.

My Choptop has a 96 Explorer 4.0 out of an auto currently and it’s attached to the original FM-146 manual. I just pulled both motors, then pulled everything off the 4.0 that was in the Choptop that didn’t match the one out of the Explorer and swapped it over. It would be easier to swap the upper intake studs because they are longer on the plastic intakes, but it’s not absolutely needed. You should tighten the studs if they are loose though, it’s inverted torx for the studs.

My F-150 I’ve had to replace a few motor mounts. It’s a little hard on them. I only worry about replacing other ones if they are worn. Well, the dump truck will probably get new mounts when I fix it here soon, but that’s 460 power.

 

[Josh B]

Does this rod have any tension on it? I'm wanting to get the muffler out of there and I think the cross support needs dropped to loose the muffler

 

[sgtsandman]

Does this rod have any tension on it? I'm wanting to get the muffler out of there and I think the cross support needs dropped to loose the muffler

Yes. It's the torsion bar end where tension adjustment is done. The torsion bar is the spring for your front suspension that is holding the truck up. You can loosen the bolt in the picture to relieve some of the tension but I'm not sure it will be enough to drop the cross member. The better way is to use one of the two tools listed here https://trsgarage.com/product-category/ford-ranger-suspension-lifts/1998-2011-ford-ranger-lift-kits/ to press on the key to remove the bolt and the part the bolt threads into. That will enable you to remove the key so you can drop the cross member.

 

[scotts90ranger]

You can drop the center part of that crossmember but the rest is welded to the frame I think...

 

[Josh B]

Thanks Scott and SGT. I think the other side is enough to get the transfer case out, that's all I wanted

 

[sgtsandman]

You can drop the center part of that crossmember but the rest is welded to the frame I think...

You might be right. It's been a while since I messed with it.

EDIT: Looking at the supplied picture, you are indeed correct. The bolts are in the picture.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

The bolted center of the crossmember does seem to wedge in pretty tight, i pried them out of both trucks and hammered them back in with some grease. You can drop the center with the torsion bars holding tension. The ends that hold the torsion bars are welded to the frame.

 

[Josh B]

Thanks yall, I am taking a break today, as in every Sabbath day, but this time realize how much it was needed.
I have fought with this thing for over a year, including the two engines, and the two transmissions, working off of 3/4" plywood sheets.
Yesterday it began to occur to me what kind of beatings it has given me, as I was getting up for the 50th time that day and realizing that most 70 year old guys don't do this kind of thing.
That transmission last summer a cousin had replaced the main shaft in but put it back together with glitches that took me another 40 episodes of install and remove, look it over and put it back again
God willin I am almost in view of swapping the engine out of the Explorer into the Ranger, and I am sure hoping to catch a break with all the hard luck

 

[RobbieD]

Hang in there. You're about due for a good luck streak.