I have a 1988 Ranger on 1 tons and 39.5's and sadly a little four cylinder :shaking:... It has an NP435 tranny and wanna throw in at least a 6 cylinder but most likely a V8. I was wondering what the best option would be, I was thinking maybe a 302, mustang motor, etc...? Let me know what you guys think would work best.

460

people put 302's in them all the time, common swap.

you already have the 435 trans in it 302 will be easy

If you are going to go through the trouble of dropping a 302 in it, why not just go 351?

Same amount of work and probably just as cheap.

What kind of power would a 302 or 351 put out... anyone got an estimate on how much i could swap one in for like including cost of the motor? Just need an estimate but I already got the right tranny so I am hoping it is not too much...

What kind of power would a 302 or 351 put out... anyone got an estimate on how much i could swap one in for like including cost of the motor? Just need an estimate but I already got the right tranny so I am hoping it is not too much...

Thats a huge variable. Carbed or Fuel injected? If fuel injected then do you want to mess with factory wiring or a nice clean aftermarket wiring harness? Performance parts or stock? New swap specific parts like radiator or junk yard peices that you can make work?

How about being more specific.

Looking to find a used motor with everything included...

Looking to find a used motor with everything included...

Wow you cant even answer a question like Fuel injector or carb'ed.

Good luck. :shaking:

I am not a fortune teller whatever I find for a good deal I will pick up if it is worth it... quit living up to your user name and give some decent advice.

A yunkyard fi 302 would be the easiest, and a pretty common swap. But hell, if you're going to the work of a motor swap you might as well go for the win and drop in a stroked 460 :D

Really though, the bottom line is how much power do you want and how much can you afford?

I am not a fortune teller whatever I find for a good deal I will pick up if it is worth it... quit living up to your user name and give some decent advice.

Heres some advice, crawl under that engine when youre doing your motor swap and pray it lands on your head.

Well hell if you can put a 351w in there in place of a 302, stroke it out to a 393. You would need to rebuild a junkyard motor anyways, all it takes is a stroker crank and 302 pistons in the 351w block and there ya go! I vote just going with the 302, will fit a bit better in the engine bay and would probably give you 200 horse, a lot more than that 4 popper anyways.

Reliability is the issue. It is always fun to watch people on the trail who can't keep their big motor cool or running right.

A 5.0 is easier to cool than a big block...

Simple Explorer 5.0 with (they have decent gt40 and gt40p heads on them), good valvespring package and the right cam and 300 hp is easy and runs cool.

Sweet guys thanks for the advice... and for not being like stupid monkey ha:shaking:

Sweet guys thanks for the advice... and for not being like stupid monkey ha:shaking:

right, and what makes u so fucking special? he tried to help u, u had a half wit, dumb fuck answer totally irrelevant to his question. "whatever i can find" well i dont know about u skooter but i can find a 302, 351 and 460 very easily at a junkyard, EFI or Carb'd all for the same price. how about u come back when u get ur head out of ur boyfriends ass with a better plan.

A 5.0 is easier to cool than a big block...



Says who?

Says who?

Why would you argue this? :shaking: You lose more heat into the coolant with a bigger engine, thats why you need a bigger radiator, bigger is not better when you have a midsize truck to stuff it in.

460's ain't that hard to keep cool, if us mud guys can keep them cool in sealed off engine bays with very little air flow, why would his ranger be any different? If there isn't enough room up front, put it the back, keep the mechanical fan on the motor, a tauras fan on the rad and providing the rad isn't something from a 4 or 6 banger and the pulleys are sized right it shouldn't overheat.

WTF :shaking::shaking: More fuel + more air = more heat

Maybe the perma frost up North has frozen your brain :laughing::laughing:

Yes, with enough room and the right size radiator you can keep a 460 cool.

But in a buggy or small chassis, you do not always have that option. If I have to have a "bed full of radiator" then something is wrong.

Yes I have a 460, 2 of them actually. 79 and a 93 F350.


Mudtrucks??? Am I in the wrong forum??

right, and what makes u so fucking special? he tried to help u, u had a half wit, dumb fuck answer totally irrelevant to his question. "whatever i can find" well i dont know about u skooter but i can find a 302, 351 and 460 very easily at a junkyard, EFI or Carb'd all for the same price. how about u come back when u get ur head out of ur boyfriends ass with a better plan.

Why don't u throw in some mor phonics and a few more expletives and then u can b speshal u'r self. Or maybe talkin shit on Pirate does that for u :shaking:

Haven't seen any tech you contributed in this thread yet....skooter.
Just worthless bullshit. Then maybe you can use those speshal words and sentences.

Why would you argue this? :shaking: You lose more heat into the coolant with a bigger engine, thats why you need a bigger radiator, bigger is not better when you have a midsize truck to stuff it in.

Its all relative. Your not loosing more heat, your loosing the same amount of heat proportional to the size of the engine and the fuel consumed.

So it needs a slightly larger radiator. The power gains from running a big block are worth it in my opinion.

Where there is the desire, there is a solution to be found to overcome the problem.

557 with the radiator in the back sportin some big fans.

So it needs a slightly larger radiator. The power gains from running a big block are worth it in my opinion.

I would agree. You're going to the trouble of a swap anyways so you might as well go balls out take it the next notch up. Everybody and their grandma swaps in 302s(and for good reason), but big blocks in rangers = win.

557 with the radiator in the back sportin some big fans.

Thats just crazy talk :D

If you're running a 4 cylinder, a Explorer 5.0 will be a huge upgrade. You'll be able to use your NP435, you'll have fuel injection, and you'll have a good accessory package.

Best of all, you'll be able to do the swap in a weekend.

Usually I promote the 351w over the 302, but ranger engine bays are kinda small and explorer motors are easy to find.