98 Ranger. Looking for a V8 swap, anyone done A AWD swap?

[demon]

Hello, my name is Gabe, I live in Houston. I been around mustangs for the last 15 years and I have build a few. I'm currently working on a 331 turbo build that will make around 1000 hp. I also have a 1998 Ranger 2wd single cab 2.5L. I recently rebuild the motor but I now have the bug to put a 5.0l on it. I have seen a few deals on awd Mountaineers. Has anyone done this swap? I have dome some research but came up with nothing. I work for a body shop and have access to all kinds of equipment. Also I'm not affraid to frabricating anything as long as is possible. Would it be easier to keep it 2wd?

If 2wd it is, is the a particular year and model Explorer or Mountaineer that I should look for?

Thanks in advance for all your help.

[cgrey8]

...I'm currently working on a 331 turbo build that will make around 1000 hp...

I hope that's being done on an aftermarket block. Stock 302 blocks crack down the valley if you push them much over 700hp. 600hp is generally considered their "safe" max. Even the 351w has a safe max around 700hp and tend to crack around 800hp. I know aftermarket Dart blocks go higher than that, but I don't know how much higher.

...I also have a 1998 Ranger 2wd single cab 2.5L. I recently rebuild the motor but I now have the bug to put a 5.0l on it. I have seen a few deals on awd Mountaineers. Has anyone done this swap?...Would it be easier to keep it 2wd? I do have a T5 from a 88 Tbird...

If the Ranger is 2wd, you are best to keep it 2wd. There are crossmember differences between 2wd and 4wd to support the different suspensions and drivetrain differences. If you want an AWD V8 Ranger, you are far better to start with a 4wd Ranger. Obviously anything can be done and if you were just bound and determined to make a 2wd Ranger a 4wd, it can be done. But you are definitely talking custom work.

As for the Tbird T5, if you are keeping the engine stock, that might be OK. But stock T5s aren't known for strength. The strongest production T5s are the ones that came in the 93-95 Cobras. The aftermarket T5 'Z spec' versions are generally considered the strongest with a 100kmile rating up to 330ft-lbs. Although I believe Astro Performance has a T5 upgrade kit that'll get you up to about 500ft-lbs, but I don't believe they warranty that kit for 100kmiles. I assume those ratings are intended for strip, not street.

...If 2wd it is, is the a particular year and model Explorer or Mountaineer that I should look for?...

It depends on what your intentions are for the swap.

Will it be Carb converted or will you keep the stock EFI? As new as the Ranger is, there's little reason to retrofit the engine for distributor ignition the way I did.

Is your Ranger return style fuel or returnless?

How much do you care about emissions?

If you run it as a manual, you'll need the stock computer retuned for manual trans since it will be expecting an automatic.

There's probably a dozen other questions that'll need to be answered, but the question about what will be needed has been asked a few different times. Just read around. But knowing details like if your speedometer is cable driven or electronic will probably answer a lot about what your options are.

[Dave]

Welcome Gabe. Like Chris says, best to stay 4x2. Too much difference in the front suspensions, onw being coils and the Explorer being torsion bar. There are some 4x2 Explorers out there but rare up here if you want to stay auto. For a manual, I'd stay away from the T-Bird because of the torque rating and the size difference of input shaft diameter and length. For a compatable donor, I'd look for Explorer/Mountaineer from '99-2001'. Those share the same return-less fuel system and the same pump pressure. Both also get their speed signal from the rear axle. Think the wiring is also a bit easier. Wiring is really easy, almost like Ford did it on purpose. What Mustang sites do you visit, couple of us have them also.
Dave

[cgrey8]

I originally updated your title to give the thread a little more meaning. It appears you updated it again, but typed everything in all CAPs. I lowercased it so it wouldn't be so "SHOUTY".

What I'm confused on is whether it's more important to you to have AWD or more important that it be this 98 Ranger that you do the conversion on. My previous comments assumed you wanted the convert that truck. However if it's AWD that you want more, then starting with a 4x4 Automatic Ranger of similar year to whatever Explorer engine/trans you can get is the way to go as Dave said. And the ideal Explorer/Mountaineer transmission to get is the 99-newer. Ford redesigned the 4R70w to be stronger for the 99-newer model. The older ones can be built stronger, but the newer ones are stronger from the factory. I wish I knew more specifics than that. Dave or others may be able to give more detail.

But yeah if you got similar year Ranger to Explorer donor, you pretty much just swap in the Explorer/Mountaineer 5.0L engine, wiring harness, EEC, sensors, motor mounts, starter, trans, and xfer case.

There will be some driveshaft mods required to adapt the Explorer front driveshaft to a Ranger front differential, but nothing a driveshaft shop can't handle. Just make sure you get the Explorer front driveshaft while you are getting all the other necessary pieces from the engine bay.

You may also need to shorten the stock Ranger driveshaft to fit, but there's been a number of people that found their stock length Ranger driveshaft worked for them with no modification. I wasn't so lucky, but then again my driveshaft was one of those whimpy 2 piece driveshafts Ford used in the Supercab Rangers up to 97. The Ujoints failed in that driveshaft multiple times so I knew it wasn't up to the task of a V8...even a stock V8. So, I went into my project expecting to convert to a single piece. I used a 98-newer Ranger extended cab aluminum driveshaft as the base. It needed to be shortened 1.5" to fit. If your Ranger is 98-newer or isn't supercab, you shouldn't have to worry about any of those 2 piece driveshaft issues.

Another tidbit of info. Make sure you get the 5.0L starter. The Ford Windsor transmissions locate the starter on the Passenger Side (PS) side. However most all the V6s Ford puts in the Ranger have the starter on the Driver's Side (DS). A DS and PS starter are mirror images of each other and thus look similar, but are not interchangeable. I don't recall which starter Ford 2.3L and 2.5L L4s use.

[demon]

That explains why the post look different, it was changed. LOL well thanks for the replies, sorry for the all caps edit, I'm at work and we use all caps for our software. As far as the perious question regarding my turbo build, yes I am using a Ford R block, is a 331 stroker with Z304 heads, custom cam, 76mm Turbonetics turbo, spider intake, AEM stand alone system, T56 Magnum, build rear end with 31 spline axels, welded tubes, rear end girdle. The car has cobra brakes all the way around with upgraded wilwood calipers for the front. Is still a work in progress and the car is a 92LX black on black. I also have a 1990 GT with a 347 stroker, T56, cobra brakes with upgraded wilwood brakes, working A/C. I restored the car to near perfect condition, it looks like a 1993 Cobra but I did keep the GT spoilers. I like them better than the cobra style. The car has 18x9 and 18x10 wheels.

here is a pic



as far as my ranger goes, I just want a little more power. 200 hp would work for me, the 2.5l is a dog off the line and on the hwy it will not go pass 75mph. I got this truck because I was commuting to work 165 miles round trip every day. My commute now is only 8 miles round trip. My plan is to buy a complete explorer/mountaineer and use the parts I need from it. The awd idea sounds cool for a small truck, but is not a must. A 5.0l automatic will be awesome... anything with more power than the 100+ hp my truck has, will be awesome.


here is a pic of truck




As far as the mustang sites that I visit, I go to a local site for me, http://www.westsidemustangs.com and corral. I try not to venture too much on this mustang sites because they tend to make me spend $$$. There is also another site that I have used for info and that is SBFTECH.COM


I think I know about 85% of what I need to do to make this v8 swap work. Shortening a drive shaft and wirering is something I have done to my mustangs already so im good with that... you guys have provided me with lots of info and I appresiate it!!!

[cgrey8]

I looked into the starter difference a bit. The 98 2.5L actually uses a similar starter to the Windsors, but not quite identical.


The 2.5L uses 3 bolt holes to the V8's 2.

98 Ranger 2.5L 2wd Starter

98Ranger2.5LStarter.jpg (19.71 KiB) Viewed 8096 times

The good news is the two the V8 uses are in the same location as 2 of the 3 on the L4. The 3rd provision would just be gratuitous, but probably wouldn't cause any problem.

The other major difference is the V8 starter has an integrated plate that the L4 starter DOES NOT have.

98 Explorer 5.0L AWD Starter

98Explorer5.0LStarter.jpg (23.82 KiB) Viewed 8096 times

While that' not a big deal, the plate is there to keep trash, bugs, birds, etc from hitthing the flywheel while in motion. For that reason alone, it would be more preferable just to use the V8 starter so grab it while you are yanking all the other stuff from the donor.

[MalcolmV8]

I haven't read this whole thread in detail but the AWD part caught my attention. You were asking if anyone has done it. Yes I have. It was my daily driver for 3 years and one of the coolest project vehicles I ever built. I absolutely love AWD. Punch it in any gear, any speed, any terrain, around a corner from a light doesn't matter... just hang on and go. I love it. Wanna race a 700whp mustang from a light after a light rain lol no worries you will destroy just about anything off the line when traction is questionable for everyone else. Plus if you live in the snow belt it's another huge perk.

If you have a newer Ranger (98 up I think) 4x4 that uses the independent front axle setup with half shafts and CVs you'll have one hell of a nice setup. I had an older 94 which had a solid axle in the front but was still very cool. About every 60k miles or so of hard driving the front u-joints had to be replaced.
I used a 2000 AWD Explorer as the donor.

http://v8-ranger.com/blue/blue.php

[Dave]

Gabe, that is one sharp looking Stang! That Ranger looks identical to the one I had down to the paint and blue strip. Had the similar problem with power, think a lot of it was due to the 3.45 geared rear end, Great truck in town. Someone else did the AWD swap in theirs, took only a week total to complete, lives Iowa. Someone else here from Texas done the swap but a strip type. Might have a Stange also from his signin name - Faststang90, might give him a PM.
Dave

[demon]

Thanks again for all the feed back, I will keep my eyes open for a 1999 explorer.

[demon]

since I'm buying a complete vehicle and will be transfering the harness, ecu, engine, fuel system, rear end, and transmission, does it really make it that much easier to go with a 99-01 explores? the reason I'm asking if because there are 2 98 models on CL for a good deal. but if 99 and up will make life easier I will wait.


I have seen the posts where folks talk about some differences on the intake elbow, egr etc. Does this apply to me since I'm buying a running car and taking everithying off it???

[Dave]

The main problems with a '98' would be the fuel system and source of speed signal. The '98' Explorer has a supply and return line and runs on a pressure of 35-45 psi while the Ranger runs a returnless system at 56-72 psi. The Explorer gets its speed signal from the tran while the ranger gets its from the rear axle. Think there are some easy work arounds. The wiring from the '98-2000' Explorer engine harness has the same connections at main connection (C-115) and functions as the Rangers in those same years. Getting the whole Explorer makes the PAT's problem go away.
Dave