Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives how to go about fitting a 460 motor into a ford ranger

I was at the local drag races last night and much to my surprise there was a late 80's Ford Ranger STX 4wd in one of the drag lanes. He was racing some lil jap car and at the green light he made an 11.5 second run. That shocked me because I used to have an 87 STX Ranger and they only had a 2.9 in them. Turns out that this lil ranger had somehow mashed a 460 motor under the hood.

My question is how would I go about doing that. As of now I am driving a 85 Ranger, with the 2.8 carburated motor. Now I wanna know how to fit a big un under the hood <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> Would I have to cut the firewall or fender wells?

Also if I went ahead and did this swap I would put some stiffer running gear on.

I just think that a short pickup that has that much power would be awsome in the mud an snow

Check out this site: http://members.aol.com/MREPRODUCT/ranger.htm

It looks like they know Ranger V8 swaps inside and out. If you're really interested in doing it their book is only $12. No, I don't work for/know/have any affiliation with them. Their site was the first one to come up when I googled "Ford Ranger 460 swap". It'd be one heck of a truck if you decided to go through with it!

At my work we recently built up a hot 360 for a guy who was swapping it into a Dodge Dakota. It really hauls.

sped isnt what im interested in. Im interested in down right bottom end torque. I want a light pickup that will float on the snow and mud unlike a ford superduty.

thanks for the link thats exactly what I was looking for. heres a lil sentence outta that link.

"Our big block project truck, produces 500 horsepower and weighs 3400 pounds with its big block engine."

Also according to them ---"We don't recommend the big block installation for any but the most serious race applications and never in a four-wheel drive."

Hmmmm maybe a mild manored suped up 351 would work instead.

Try www.therangerstation.com

Years ago, I bought an '84 Ranger 2wd with a 4 cylinder and 4 speed.....took it home and yanked the motor and trans...... bought a totalled 84 Mustang GT with the 5.0 HO motor...... rebuilt the V-8 and swapped it and the 5 speed into the ranger.......it was a great truck and the swap was relatively easy. I bought a hydraulic clutch kit and radiator from Total Performance and bought an oil filter relocation kit from Ford Motorsports......built the mounts myself, used V-8 Maverick exhaust manifolds......swapped in new front springs from an extended cab v-6 Ranger with air.......it turned out slick and was quite a sleeper! Sold it to move up to a bigger truck (kids).....

Glad the link helped. It sounds like the 460 might be a bit much. The 351W is fine motor and you could build it up for plenty of low end. The other logical choice would be a 302, but I'm not a fan of that engine. If you're looking for torque, the 351 would better suit your needs anyway.

The 302 is your best bet for big cubes in a ranger. The 460 ranger as you guessed probably has the firewall heavily modified and the fenderwells removed and the front end is probably converted to a tilt frontend. (fenders and hood simply tilt foreward. The 351 it a great motor but it is a bit taller than the 302. If you go with the 351 you have to go with a body lift. With the 302 the only real modification under the hood is to create a "releif" in the air conditioning housing. The big question is thich transmission do you have? If you have a 5-speed, you're going to need to replace it. Most options are expensive. If you have the automatic, (the C-5) you are on your way. You can buy an old C-4 that backed a 302 and have it rebuilt using the output shaft from the C-5. This will allow you to bolt it right to your existing transfer case. The T-case the ranger/ bronco uses is plenty strong enough for a 302. The oil pan should come from a late 80's early 90's crown vic I believe. (check that before you spend money) They have the dual sump. Another radiator is required.

Your best bet is to find a donor car. That way you get all the pullys and brackets in one shot instead of trying to assemble the front of the motor piece by piece.

Thanks BC

There is going to be a lift on it anyways so thats no big deal. 30" tires on a stock chasis are a lil to big and like to rub when turning. I'm thinking a lift big enough to clear 33's.

If I end up doing this. Im goona go all the way and not do a half assed job of it. That means gettin a new tranny, and all. With that muh more torque and HP, on the 33's probly end up going after some DANA axles.

But first steps first. Get the info. And find out if this is really what I want to do or if this is just another one of those ideers.

Axles are easy. Find an Explorer and have the spring perches moved to the top like the Rangers. This will give you an 8.8" rear end with 31 spline axles. The front Dana 35 from the Explorer should also bolt in place of the existing Dana 28.

thanks a bunch guys

I've got 30's on my ranger. They don't rub at all. I'm sure I could fit 31's on there. The explorer axles are a common and very good upgrade.