The build o.O

[white89ranger]

Okay Ive been looking at doing this since I was in high school..... when I had two rangers a 89 with a 2.9 and then a 92 with a 4.0 cause I killed the 2.9 doing dumb things.....then I sold the 92 to buy my 2000 silverado with a 6.0 in it.... Forwarding to today I want to build a trail ride.... I have a general knowledge of the rangers, and my wife kinda gave me the go ahead! soooo I guess im looking at doing the most practical build I can without spending more then 5 thousand or in that ball park . The last two nights ive been reading and looking thru posts forums and what not and have come up with this.

I want good mpg so I guess I want an AOD tranny that came in alot of vehicles after the 80s and in mustangs from 85 to 95(Need a computer matched up with a AOD 5.0 combo) . Now the 302 that came in mustangs in these years put out more power too right? cause of the cam I think? and I guess a 302 from a mustang is pretty easy to wire in to a 4.0 truck?

That I guess brings me to which truck to look for. From what I could read the AOD will only match up with the mounting location of the A4LD without modifying the driveshaft, and the A4LD only came matched up to a 4.0 from 89 to 94. the 4R55E wont match up as nice right? I should look for a build vehicle with a 4.0 right cause they had an option of the 8.8 rear end and a dana 35 front.

I guess my questions are this:

1. how easy is it to find a ranger with a 8.8 axle? If I remember right my old one had the 7.5. And also how hard is it to find a engine tranny combo for a mustang for these years?

2. Are the the AOD bell housings the same I know if I was looking into using a C4 certain years had smaller bell housings, and will I have any problems with the TC and drive train with an AOD?

3. What should be the average cost for these so I don't get fooled by the junkyard?

4. Any problems I might run into with this combo or tips to help?

Thanks for any input even if its negative -.-

 

[--weezl--]

well, you've asked about a thousand questions, i'll answer the one i know most about, the difference in the 5L motors, well, there has been many motors, there's the 302, the 5.0 and the 5.0 HO motor, all 3 of which are completely different, but use the same block, the 2 most common is the "302" and the 5.0 motor, the difference, is typically the 302 is carbureted, the 5.0 has many varieties, which can be found in the explorer, the f-150, the t-bird and more... it and the 302 are very common, the 302 block (same as the 5.0 and 5.0 HO) is the most common block that ford has ever produced...

the 5.0 is what most people put into the rangers, (usually from the explorer) they have a decent amount or torque, but are more of a reliable motor, than a power house, the motor it's self is more geared towards low end torque than horsepower... the f-150 5.0 has a completely different intake, and the difference as a result of this (and any other parts) i have no idea about.

the 302 is an every vehicle motor that came out in the 60's/70's and was low power, but a decent motor, came with anything from a 2 barrel to a very large 4 barrel... my 71 torino had one...

the 5.0HO motor, as far as i know, is only found in the mustang, they came from 87 or 88 to 94 they are based off of the 5.0 motor greatly, as they have the same block, and i THINK crank, but different heads, cam, and intake (though the intake looks very similar) the 5.0 HO utilizes the 351w firing order, rather than the 302 order, like the rest of the motors in the series... this is designed to reduce the amount of stress on the bottom end, and will allow more power to be put through the motor, the cam is slightly more aggressive, and depending on the year, uses roller lifters. the motors in this series also are not necissairly compatable with eachother, previous to 89, the 5.0HO did not use a MAF, however the pre 89 motors could have one added in with a little work, this worked very well, unless more air was demanded due to mods, the motor couldn't calculate for it (without the MAF)

electronics (computers) between the 3 main categories are not interchangeable... wiring may, depending on the motor...

 

[5.0]

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white89ranger - one thing to consider is buying a Explorer with a 5.0 and AWD. This will give you a newer 302 that hasn't been run to death like a Mustang motor, a strong 4R70W computer controlled transmission, and then you can bolt a "real" transfer case to it. The 302 has the GT40 intake and heads and a radiator you could use. The Explorer has a 31 spline disk brake 8.8" rear end you swap into the Ranger by welding some new spring perches on. By purchasing the entire Explorer you are sure to get all of the parts you need. The year of the Ranger you buy is up to use. The IFS Rangers are an easy swap for the 302, but probably not the best off road unless you SAS it.

the 5.0HO motor, as far as i know, is only found in the mustang,

It was also used in Thunderbirds, Cougars, and some Lincolns.


.

 

[--weezl--]

It was also used in Thunderbirds, Cougars, and some Lincolns.

you sure? i know they had the 5.0 normal motor in a lot of them... (the t-birds and cougars) not sure about the lincoln

 

[white89ranger]

I found this on the 5.0 motors if it helps anyone pick a motor

http://phystutor.tripod.com/stang/engines/50.html

but from what I have read the cougar came back in 91 with just the regular 5.0 rated at 200 hp (the ho was rated at 225 hp) The thunderbird brought back the 5.0 in 91 also but I dont know what version it was

 

[7.5L_STX]

ive also seen 5.0HO's in a few fullsize broncos and F-150s

 

[white89ranger]

but im still wondering how this will all bolt up in a 4x4 with the stock tcase and what not

 

[--weezl--]

^^ i'm not sure what transmissions work with what t/cases, but if you get a 4x4/awd motor/trans setup, most of the transfercases should bolt up...

ive also seen 5.0HO's in a few fullsize broncos and F-150s

i am 99% sure they would be conversions... the 5LHO intake (and thus 5.0 HO intake name plate) can be bolted to the other versions of the 5.0 and 302... they should all work too with minimal effort, should just be a bolt on...

the 302 was VERY common in the f-series and broncos

 

[7.5L_STX]

i am 99% sure they would be conversions... the 5LHO intake (and thus 5.0 HO intake name plate) can be bolted to the other versions of the 5.0 and 302... they should all work too with minimal effort, should just be a bolt on...

yah thats what i was thinkin. i just wasnt sure thats why i posted up.

 

[--weezl--]

it is possible they were put on some rare model of f-150 though i would think they would be the f-150 5.0 because they were a higher torque motor, from what i remember, than the 5.0ho...

i THINK, the 5.0 ho, also had a lighter balancer and fly wheel, which helped the motor get up to speed faster, greatly increasing acceleration, without actually increasing torque...

 

[Teddyzee]

FWIW, Lincoln Mark VII had the 5.0 HO.

 

[white89ranger]

http://www.coolcats.net/tech/advanced/ho_transplant.html

this link explains it all if you scroll down...the only true 5.0 ho were lincolns mark vII and mustangs

does anyone know of someone that has used this set up on their vehicle it should all go in nice im just wondering about the tcase?

 

[white89ranger]

From what ive read the explorer swap to a pre 98 ranger can be a bit harder to wire and install then the mustang or lincoln mark 7 would be Im trying to go cheap here too....

 

[white89ranger]

Ok I just found a 89 mark 7 for 1,900 with 90k miles on it.....is this a pretty good deal

 

[Teddyzee]

If you want to wire a Mark VII harness, go to grannysspeedshop.com (an rx7 swap site) A guy there has some detail on the wiring. That harness is large, and I couldn't be bothered pulling it from my Mark VII. I used a Mustang harness.

The Mark VII appear to all be Speed Density. Mine was a '92. Literature says they were available Mass Air, but I haven't seen one.