2004 ranger 5.0 swap

[Austinm246]

I have a 2004 ford ranger with a 3.0 v6, and torsion bar suspension. I want to swap a 302 or even a 347 into it. Would it fit? And I want to keep it manual so should I go for a t5 transmission? I've also heard from some people that I should swap the rear end from the 7.6 to the 8.8. What else should I expect to look forward to or is there anything I'm missing?

 

[Bird76Mojo]

Expect to spend 2 or 3 times what you originally estimated.

Expect it to take 2 or 3 times the amount of time you thought it would.

Expect to have a ton of little issues and problems along the way that you never even thought of.

You better own a welder, several cutting tools, and a large selection of hand tools, jacks, jackstands, oil catch pans, chopsaw, etc..

Yes the 302 or even the 351 can be made to fit. Header selection is important.

Expect to have clearance issues all over the place. Steering shaft, headers to frame, crossmember to oil pan clearances, exhaust routing clearances, fabbing or modifying your transmission crossmember to fit the new trans mount in a new location, radiator to fan clearance issues, fabbing up radiator hoses because nothing factory fits quite right, heater plenum to valve cover clearance, etc..

I'd switch to an 8.8" axle myself.. Explorer axles work well for this, have disc brakes, are limited slip normally with 3.73 gearing, and they're cheap and plentiful, but you'll have to cut off the spring perches and weld them back on to the axle tubes on the top side in most cases. Unless you're going for a seriously low stance..

People have ran the original 7.5 rear axle with V8 swaps, but in my mind, it's a ticking time bomb.

In most cases you'll need a new driveshaft, depending on where your engine is located front to back..

The T5 transmission works well, but any T5 from a Mustang will put the shifter too far back to be usable with most factory seats, and it will require cutting a new hole in the floor. Bucket seats can be used to help with this but the shifter will still be pretty far back.



My advice to you is to keep researching this for a loooong time before making the commitment. I researched for years before doing it, just so I had an excellent understanding of the issues I'd come across and I could come up with a quick resolution. Every bit of good info you find on the swap, save a link to that webpage in a new folder, or copy/print screen so the link doesn't disappear on you. By doing this, I was able to complete my swap in one winter and drive the truck out in the spring, but there are often lots of little issues remaining that may plague you for some time, so be prepared for it..



GB

 

[fastpakr]

If you're just doing a 5.0 vs a 347/5.8, most of the fitment issues go away. The Explorer donor provides all the hard parts you need to make things fit.

 

[RonD]

You will need a new instrument cluster
2004 and up Rangers used the HEC(hybrid electronic cluster), which are cool but won't work without original computer(PCM)
2003 and older cluster should fit and work, just more wiring needed

Info on things to do with HEC here: http://www.carlogic.org/bg/data/Ford HEC dealer mode.pdf

I think by far the cheapest Ranger V8 swap is to buy one already done, lol.

Have a look here: https://therangerstation.com/tech_library/index-conversions.shtml

Some info on 5.0l conversions by people that have "been there done that"

 

[don4331]

I have a 2004 ford ranger with a 3.0 v6, and torsion bar suspension. I want to swap a 302 or even a 347 into it. Would it fit? And I want to keep it manual so should I go for a t5 transmission? I've also heard from some people that I should swap the rear end from the 7.6 to the 8.8. What else should I expect to look forward to or is there anything I'm missing?

How mechanically inclined are you? How much $$$ do you have for this? How much do you depend on this vehicle as daily driver? What will you be doing with truck after conversion? How long do you intend to keep it?

Most of us who have done conversion start with a '96-01 V-8 Explorer as it has 90% of the required parts, including the 8.8.

T5 transmission is more work than a M5OD out of '97 F-150 w/4.2. T-5 shifts nicer. Personally, I've been less than lucky with T-5s in my wife's Mustang; Bird76Mojo and others have done just fine in their Rangers.

I'm on fence about 7.5 versus 8.8; wife's Mustang ran 7.5 behind solid 5.0 for over a decade and we drove it like we stole it (then it went for a minivan). I swapped in the Explorer 8.8, because I had it/I load a camper in box/tow trailer.

347/331/302 are all same block, so install equally; 351 is larger and will have lots more clearance issues. When I did my engine refresh, 347s had a bad rep due to the rings being so high in piston/piston skirt so short, so I went 331. Without adding headers & cleaning up intake/aftermarket, adding displacement doesn't buy you that much - if can't get air in/out larger displacement doesn't buy you much. All changes to stock Explorer come with healthy price tag.