Raptor (or) Lightning Motor and Trans swap...

[lostmarine]

Hi guys, new here but im looking for information.

I have an 03 Ranger XLT (4L V6) and its currently about 225k miles, runs strong, no issues there, trans is on its way out.

The truck is my daily beater. I want it to be more fun for the weekends too.

Goal- 450+rwhp 4x4 Danger Ranger

I had a '99 Lighting before,love that motor, and want a raptor, but im not spending that on a truck that will be getting beat up on. So i want to p[ut one of those motors into the ranger.

I have not found any links or articles on how to swap either the 5.4 s/c'd motor or the 5.0 coyote into a ranger.. are there kits available? anyone done this before (beside Ford and the Thunderbolt)?

Now, what about the transmission? rebuild it or need something new or custom etc etc..

Any help is greatly appreciated

 

[adsm08]

1) Raptors have the 6.2, not the 5.0.

2) Did you really just ask if you can put your 5R55 behind a 5.4 or a 6.2?

 

[straycat]

1) Raptors have the 6.2, not the 5.0.

2) Did you really just ask if you can put your 5R55 behind a 5.4 or a 6.2?

^^^What he asked!!! LOL

 

[Lariat]

Good luck fitting ANY modular motor into that engine bay... that lightning motor is TALL and WIDE, the 6.2 is the same. You could get away with a cobra 4.6 motor in there. 300hp in this vehicle is all you should need. Power to weight ratio man. Power to weight. the 4.6 is tall and wide, but not as tall as the 5.4/6.2.

Just for reference.

 

[country0001]

I see no reason to put a v8 in, unless its a drag truck. Mud or strip.

That 4.0 is a great engine.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

1) Raptors have the 6.2, not the 5.0.

2) Did you really just ask if you can put your 5R55 behind a 5.4 or a 6.2?

The early Raptors did have the 3v 5.4 too... no 5.0 though.

Here is a Coyote in a Ranger, too tight for my tastes.

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/07/13/this-is-what-a-coyote-5-0l-v8-looks-like-in-a-2011-ford-ranger/

The pushrod 5.0 is as easy of a swap as you will find for your truck. Some like the LS series GM engines if you are into crossbreeding, although they need more displacment to match a Ford they have a much better footprint in the engine bay.

I see no reason to put a v8 in, unless its a drag truck. Mud or strip.

That 4.0 is a great engine.

And it is significantly lacking for someone wanting 450+hp.

Your 4.0 killed your existing trans, even if a mod or SB of any kind would bolt to it they would shred it much faster.

 

[adsm08]

And it is significantly lacking for someone wanting 450+hp.

Somehow I feel the Ranger as a platform is somewhat lacking for someone who wants 450 HP.

A GT500 or Roush stage 3 would be much better suited to that kind of power.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Somehow I feel the Ranger as a platform is somewhat lacking for someone who wants 450 HP.

He wouldn't be the first to run that kind of power by any means.

A GT500 or Roush stage 3 would be much better suited to that kind of power.

Expensive self propelled tire smoke generators...

 

[MastuhWaffles]

For the time and money you would spend on the swap you could just go buy yourself a f-150 lightning, or a ranger lightning if you can find one. 450HP is way to much for a ranger, all you would do is spin tires everywhere and not actually get anywhere. Your best bet would to turbocharge or supercharge to stick around the 300HP range, which is plenty, the truck is so light that with that kind of power you will get the performance you want. And not blow up your transmission.

 

[bobbywalter]

450 hp way too much for a ranger?





























hp dont mean shit anymore with the modern systems. daily driver 500 hp since the late 90's is quite common in many areas with custom tuning and engine builds....but today it rolls off the assembly line in mass.



my suggestion is based on a frank question.....are you serious?


if you are serious then consider the suspension of the ranger a priority. a long travel setup will get you a near mini raptor, but by the time your done, money spent will put you in raptor territory. thats based on your powertrain selection. its the worst for being cost effective.


i dont think i could do the engine/trans swap under 10 k. those lightening and raptor parts are not common here in the midwest and the tuning for the damn things is not cheap either. at least not for me....

i dont think i could do a decent job with a sc 5.4 setup and good suspension under 18 g....and that is doing the vast majority on my own....

it would be one radical mother though.










conversely that is why i would run a 5.3-6.2 powertrain from a gm with a decent suspension and likely under 10 g. much friendlier packaging in every direction...


getting a fresh trans and reworking the suspension as time and money allow will set it up for the powertrain swap later on....over a few years it will take the pain out of getting the powertrain together.




and welcome to the site.

 

[ZMan]

the 4.6 swap has been done a few times, theres a few builds on here. The 5.4 takes a little more doing though since its taller.

 

[bobbywalter]

well this thing sits happily in my engine bay.

a 302 is a tiny little fawker.

this is a d max/cummins comparo. my engine is basically the same size as a d max. well if you remove the factory turbo plumbing like i would.

granted i would prefer the old school small block size for obvious reasons....but if a guy was all hard core for one of those ford monstrosities and had a money tree to build it....its a non issue.


thing is most guys with rangers dont have money trees....thats why they drive rangers

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

If it was me, I'd just snag the drivetrain out of a 5.0L powered Explorer. Rebuild the motor with a 347 stroker kit and if I had loot falling out of my pockets, throw a supercharger on it. Plenty of go for a dd and not too terribly hard to build.

I did a stock 5.0 swap into a 2000 Ranger for my dad. We went with the AWD t-case. And it's a hoot to drive. Especially since we did true duals all the way back with a crossover Magnaflow muffler, it sounds positively wicked. Not the fastest thing on four wheels, but it's surprised a few people on the road. And it will run side by side with a new F-150 running the 5.0 Coyote.

 

[bobbywalter]

runs good if it holds up to a new one....thats 15's with awd