1990 4.0 to super coupe 3.8 super charged

goodluck90 · Feb 8, 2009

new to the trw and im getting a sc/3.8 i want very badly to install into my 90 4.0 ranger auto trans, i saw one tech libray thread on trw for a guy with an older ranger and one with i think a 4cyl swap. but my question is what all needs to be done in order to do this swap any info would be great mostly worried about motor mounts and trans cross memeber also this engine is out of a early 90s t bird what type of trans did they come with again any help would be great thanks!!!!!!!

bobbywalter · Feb 8, 2009

put the blower on the 4.0.. :dunno:

goodluck90 · Feb 8, 2009

yea but is it a direct bolt on plus my 4.0 is not capable of of running with boost. plus the cumpter has to get changed and the fuel system has to be changed and i think it would be easier to just pop the 3.8 in get a front mount intercooler and call it aday!

98blownranger · Feb 8, 2009

you can run boost on the 4.0, for the 3.8 weld new mounts in were you need

goodluck90 · Feb 8, 2009

of course but i was more curious if the stock mount locations would work and if i could just use the stock mounts with out fabricating new mounts. also does anyone know how much boost a stock block 3.8 can run keep in mind it is the super coupe engine and i would think it has stronger internals compared to a more common n/a 3.8

Sevensecondsuv · Feb 8, 2009

The 3.8 sucks. They are well known for blowing head gaskets. And at 12 PSI, they make all of 210 hp. My 2.3 makes more than 210 hp at 12 psi. 3.8's just aint worth the swap.

However, you do have some desirable parts. I'd take the blower and fab up a way to mount it on the 4.0. This will be far simpler than the fabrication involved in putting a 3.8 with it's respective transmission in a ranger. Then just use the EEC-IV computer and fuel injectors from the supercoupe on the ranger. You'll probably need the MAF from the supercoupe also. Other than that, the sensors are all the same from one EEC-IV ford to another. Both systems are DIS MAF V-6's and 3.8L to 4.0L is close enough in displacement that the computer shouldn't care. I'm willing to bet that the pinout on the computer connector is 90% the same between the supercoupe and the ranger, you'd probably have to move less than 10 pins. That way you won't be starving the 4.0L for fuel under boost.

Just make sure the heads and headgaskets are in good shape on the 4.0L and it will handle 5-6 psi reliably so long as the A/F ratio is right. If 5-6 psi isn't enough, neither will a supercoupe 3.8L and you need to start looking at boosting and/or stroking a V-8.

goodluck90 · Feb 9, 2009

i can under stand that but at the same time the trans behind the 4.0 is the biggest piece of shit trans ford has ever came up with and just to get the aod with the 3.8 is fair enough plus there is way better aftermarket for the 3.8L then the 4.0L and head gaskets on the 3.8L are no sweet good machine work and a set of studs and it will be straight besides its the torque of the 3.8L im after not the hp the 3.8 with the s/c is a torque moster for its size i think im going to stick with it!

Sevensecondsuv · Feb 9, 2009

The A4LD is a piece of crap, the M5OD isn't.

goodluck90 · Feb 9, 2009

i agree but i dont have a m50d and i would have to salvage alot of parts to convert plus i have heard you can run a t-5 with the 3.8L

RacinNdrummin · Feb 9, 2009

Sevensecondsuv said:
... the M5OD isn't.

That depends on how many you have broken...

Sevensecondsuv · Feb 9, 2009

RacinNdrummin said:
That depends on how many you have broken...

If you're breaking M5OD's that fast, it's time to skip right past the T5 and go for a ZF-5.

goodluck90 · Feb 10, 2009

whats a zf-5

Sevensecondsuv · Feb 10, 2009

The heavy duty 5-spd that came behind every thing from the 300 straight six to the 460 V8 gasser to the 7.3 turbo diesels in the F250, F350, and F450 from about 1987-200X. Now there is a ZF-6, which is even stronger and has 6 forward gears.

goodluck90 · Feb 10, 2009

right on sounds good cant belive i havent heard of it i mean i work as a tech at a ford dealer ship.....have to loook into that but anyhow so no one really knows to much about the 3.8 swap then i take it havent got much feed back on that?!

Sevensecondsuv · Feb 10, 2009

No one does them because they're not really worth it. A 2.3T swap is easier and usually produces a faster ranger. But don't let that stop you. If you really want to, go for it.

Basically it's the same as a 5.0 swap. Motor mounts are the same, tranny choices, issues are the same. You have more room in front due to it being shorter. The wiring swap is like any EEC-IV to EEC-IV swap. Just figure out if you can use the existing harness or if you need to try to use the SC one. If you use yours, you'll need to switch some pins on the computer connector and run some new wires for sensors your 2.9 doesn't have. The main difference I can think of is the 2.9 is TFI ignition, the 3.8 SC is DIS (94-95 is EDIS, in which case a 4.0L ranger harness would probably work well).

The 3.8 SC trans choices were the M5OD-R2 (F-150 version of the ranger M5OD-R1, an exact replica only everything is about 10% bigger) And I'm pretty sure the auto's were AOD's or 4R70W's in the later years. But then again they could be the E4OD seeing as how they were using the M5OD-R2 instead of a T5 for the manual.

1990 4.0 to super coupe 3.8 super charged

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