so many questions.

[Adzyhany]

A few years ago I sold my first car which was a 5.0L 86 ranger 2x4. Now kicking myself thinking I want to do a v8 4x4 ranger. I would like to get a f150 and use the engine, tranny and axles out of it. Id need to get drive shafts made for it. That being said, is it really going to be that much more work to start with a 2x4? Ill be lifting it and getting a fiberwerx front clip and bedsides (obviously the raptor lol) id like to run 35s. Which I think fit under that body at stock 4x4 height. Im more a chevy guy so any advice on what transfer case, tranny, axles ect. To look for would be great. And ill try to get some pictures up of my old ranger

 

[alaskan155]

for 80-94 ranger use a mustang 5.0

for 95-current(95-97 will need mustang dual sump pan and engine
mounts(mustang convertible mounts are cheapest)
use a explorer 5.0 from a 96-01 explorer(all the wiring will drop into place, in a 98+ ranger 4x4/edge it will bolt in and look factory)

stay away from the truck 5.0 it has the long accessories and huge intake,

for trans, 4r70w with the explorer setup/ecu be my choice, or a m5r2 from a 97-03 4.2l f150 if manual(places the shift in the right place). if running mustang and 2wd then the mustang trans or AOD or c4 or etc.

so my recommendation is find a good 96-01 explorer for a donar, hell the sohc 4.0 from a 2002(?) puts out 210 and will be bolt in for any ranger using OHV mounts for 83-1997.

for a carb setup and c4 trans get a 83-85 with a 2.8l and c5 trans and make a c4/c5 hybrd trans using a c4 bellhousing/ throttle body on the c5, the all the stock drive shafts will bolt in place


that should get you started, the f150 is a bad donar, for similar strenth on the 83-97 rangers run a dana 35 up front and ford 8.8 from an explorer out back and that will give you close to the same strength as a 80-96 f150

if i where to do another v8 ranger,

step 1 find a donar explorer
step 2 go to junkyard and find a 95-97 ranger, purchase some mustang convertible mounts from parts store
(if 95-97 is unavailable find a 83-97 frame and 95-current body)
step 3 swap everything into 95-97 ranger from explorer(wiring and all including air bags into dash/ all you need is a bare cab)
step 4 install 2000 radiator support and drill to holes for old frame mounts and install 2000+ front clip(for style)
step 6 install explorer disc brake 31-spline 8.8 from donor(only welding required, that and core support if you want)
6. get some new driveshafts

6. step back and thank me of all the time and frustration miss by not installing an f150 drivetrain and look at your factory looking v8 ranger in the drive, already with explorer buckets and seats swaped in from the exploerer that had all the parts you needed(minus engine mounts)

then look at the ttb you retained ready for some wheeling or lift or camburg setup. you can use a 98+ ranger for 100% bolt in but the ttb is better offroad in my opinion and lifts are cheap

ive tried a v8 swap on my old bronco ii, and it failed and turned into a money pit, and used a f150 for a donar, i look back at the frustration i had and think to myself i should have bought an explorer or mustang 5.0 to begin with, but live and learn i guess.

now i have a full-size bronco with a v8 from the factory , $700 i paid for it, and i have already driven it more than my bronco II i sunk 2k in trying to get going(i was young and dumb and bought all the wrong parts) in the end the bronco ii wasent road worthy, and the used parts i used where garbage.

also if your really set on using the f150 drivetrain, why dont you just swap a ranger cab on a f150 frame?

done with rant lol, but this is my 2 cents

 

[Adzyhany]

Wow. Thanks a million. This should be stickied lol. As I said before, im a chev guy so I would have figured the f150 parts would be better then an explorer. Thanks again. Im sure you saved me a ton of money and time

 

[adsm08]

Explorer parts are about equal to F-150 in strength. A lot of them were the same parts, just changed subtly.

The Explorer is basically a Ranger chassis though, so the parts swap over better. If you want to go stick with this, I personally wouldn't look for anything older than an 88. The floor pan changed a little to accommodate the M5OD trans for the 2wds.

 

[Ozwynn]

I though the only way to turn a 2x4 into a 4x4 was to nail two 2x4s together.

 

[adsm08]

I though the only way to turn a 2x4 into a 4x4 was to nail two 2x4s together.

Nah. RSH did it with chickens.

 

[Shran]

Wow. Thanks a million. This should be stickied lol. As I said before, im a chev guy so I would have figured the f150 parts would be better then an explorer. Thanks again. Im sure you saved me a ton of money and time

There are so many options for parts donors for a V8 swap that it's impossible to say "I'm gonna buy an F150 and drop the pieces in my Ranger." For example, if you want fuel injection, you need an 86-up F150, but it has a TTB front axle, which is a lot more work to swap in, not to mention a crap 8.8 rear axle. So you need another donor for axles. It's about impossible to get all your parts from ONE vehicle.

My advice... decide if you want fuel injection or not. Then decide what you want for axles. If you're cool with a carburetor, look for a late 70's 4x4 F150/Bronco with a 302 and use everything you can. Buy whatever leftovers you need. Good luck finding a cheap donor though, everything from that era is worn out junk, already been picked over or got shipped to China as scrap steel.

IMO an Explorer is a pretty bad V8 donor. Only a couple years have the "good" heads, which you can use with your choice of exhaust manifolds or headers...the later years are limited to factory exhaust or one specific brand of very expensive headers. They also have the electronic ignition interlock garbage built into the steering column so you have to swap that too, or bypass it.

I V8 swapped my Ranger and it has not turned into a "money pit"... it's actually a usable truck now, gets the same fuel mileage as the V6 and is not a gutless turd. The swap involved a lot of work but it's totally worth it.

I think you just need to do some more research and figure out exactly what you want to build.

 

[Adzyhany]

Im just lookingfor the easiest way to build a strong v8 ranger 4x4. carb or fuel injected, I don't care. I have an 07 dodge nitro daily driver (side note, don't ever buy a nitro lol) so it doesn't have to be anything special but I would like it to be street legal. Im not going to be hitting any jumps with it, but it will see a lot of trails and mud. With the explorer swap, do I keep the ranger suspension or swap the explorers? do I need to match a reg. Can ranger to a 2 door explorer or ext. Cab to a 4 door explorer? im thinking ill probably rebuild the motor and tranny anyway so I can buy new heads while im at it.

 

[adsm08]

The 91 to 94 Explorer is the one you are really interested in for suspension. The front axle will bolt into any 83 to 97 Ranger, but if you get a 92 up you don't have to worry about the front.

The rear axle will need the spring perches flipped and shock mounts added.

 

[Shran]

Im just lookingfor the easiest way to build a strong v8 ranger 4x4. carb or fuel injected, I don't care. I have an 07 dodge nitro daily driver (side note, don't ever buy a nitro lol) so it doesn't have to be anything special but I would like it to be street legal. Im not going to be hitting any jumps with it, but it will see a lot of trails and mud. With the explorer swap, do I keep the ranger suspension or swap the explorers? do I need to match a reg. Can ranger to a 2 door explorer or ext. Cab to a 4 door explorer? im thinking ill probably rebuild the motor and tranny anyway so I can buy new heads while im at it.

If you are going to all this work simply to have a small V8 wheeling rig, then just buy a V8 Explorer, chop the top, and solid axle swap the front. MUCH less work than buying multiple donor vehicles.