i have a 2003 ranger supercab w/ torsion suspension 8.8 rear diff with 4.1 ratio, 33/12.5/r 15, 4 inch lift block in rear and 4 inch spindle for front and yes its 2wd
i guess this thread is more for me as ive done my hw on everything and found the ranger station website with the whole swap https://therangerstation.com/tech_li...er_ranger.html in case someone needs it. what i plan on is getting hopefully around 400 hp with my swap idk its my 1st time
what i bought for the engine so far is: 1.7 alum rockers, hardend pushrods, comp cam 35-440-8 (dur 281/281, lift .512/.512, 110 lobe separation) switching to carburetor as well (got a kit from summit) tried to shave a lot of weight by getting alum intake,head,rockers etc as the bottom end will remain stock for now at least till i get more moeny and ill buy new crank pistons etc maybe turn it to a stroker but thats for future me.
i will be using afr 165 with spring upgrade alum heads as well
also should i get the 8.8 rear axle from the explorer ik its mostly the same but a lil bit longer in length and has disk brakes (thats more then enough for me to swap anyway lol) but will my stock axle handle the power?
the transmission is another problem bc i want to swap to a manual tranny but dont know if i should just go with the one from the 99- 03 f150 or use my 5 spd from my 94 v6 camaro i believe its a t5 world class if someone could confirm that plz orrr just stay with the automatic tranny with 2400 flash stall torque converter for simplicity?

 

Welcome to the forum

Reads like a great build

When you get close to 300HP you would want the 31-spline Explorer 8.8" rear axle, you do need to cut off spring perches and reweld them to match Rangers location

The 30+ inch tires are also a good reason for the 31-spline axle

Info on the Explorer axle swap here: https://www.therangerstation.com/tec...lorer8_8.shtml

They are hard to find used, but the Ranger FX4 Level II rear axles were Torsen limited slip and 31-spline, also 4.10 ratio, but not disc brakes
And they bolt right in

 

thanks! ill be able to reweld if i go with the explorer to match my rangers loactions
also will swapping to coilover suspension be a good idea for me as im 2wd ive found the guy on the other site bc ik they dont make them anymore and got in contact im just still debating about if i should.

 

AND... when you start increasing the HP, GET RID OF THOSE 4" BLOCKS !

The forces added to the U-Bolts and Springs, even with Traction Bars, will end up in either just a broken bolt or major damage when the u-Bolts brake at speed.

You can add some Leaf Spring with or without smaller blocks.
I did the SuperLift 4.5"-5" Lift, used the from end kit and added 6" SkyJacker Leaf Springs without any blocks ! Got the same lift but no blacks... just the way I wanted it !

Good Luck, the swap sound great, some pictures please.

Ltr

 

thanks for the info i would have found out the hard way also i originally wanted to do a leaf spring lift but due to budget i had to put it off and settle with blocks but i know work in a shop with access with lifts etc and a better pay so ill be looking into it again now since i got my engine build going. you say u got the same lift with the 6" skyjacker leaf springs should i do the same and get rid of my blocks?
ill also have pics up soon i got a couple on my profile if you want to take a look.

 

RedPRanger,

-I don't like blocks and long u-bolts, I've seen some that will have you scratching your head, wondering what person thought they were a Mechanical Engineer.

-2" Blocks OEM, would be my max size, that way 4" SJ Leaf would do the same thing. The 6" Leafs may sag once everything settle easier than the 4" will.

-Also, get some Traction Bar, the ones that bolt on the top of the axle housing using the U-Bolts that mount the spring to the Axle housing.
-- Don't try to use U-Bolt Mounted Traction Bars with 4" of Blocks... add to the stress on the U-Bolts ! --

-Another Also, the earlier Ranger Leaf Springs, (what years not sure), there is a difference in the Spring Mounting Bolts at the front of the Leaf Spring.
I am not sure exactly which is larger or smaller, but there is some discussions about them.
I'm guess the older Rangers are larger but that one is up in the air for me.
I need to go out and check my '03 EDGE, to see if I can determine what I have, I have noticed a slight tapping coming from the back of the cab when I drive on some dirt roads out here in SoCal.

-What are you doing for an engine ?

 

scrambler82,

i have bought a 96 explorer 5.0 for my swap i have already bought about $1500 of goodies and afr 165 with upgrades springs. i just dropped the block to get cleaned and honed just waiting on the call to pick it up and start dressing it. i havent heard of traction bars so ill have to do some hw on that but what i briefly read i might have to go that way. i also hear some tapping in my rear im pretty sure its my blocks bc i never put in shims to level it but i dont mind as i plan on swpping the axle anyhow

 

OK on the motor choice, RonD can help you there for sure !
Sounds like a good setup !

In the mean time, you should always double check the U-Bolt tightness after a few days of use, things move around and loosen up.
I would get under there ASAP and see if anything is loose.

U-Bolt are notorious for stretching and in turn loosening !

Ltr

 

 

RedPranger,
Looks like you have a good start in the parts department.
This build will be good to watch.

Ltr

 

thanks i have the main and rod bearings with a new torque converter. also this past weekend i went to the junkyard and bought the tranny and rear axle 8.8 3L73 but i plan on swapping ring and pinion for 4.1 ratio going again this weekend for misc parts ill need

 

What is the block, new or older ?
Why I ask, since you mentioned that you had the rod and main bearings... the block should be checked out, if you are having work done to the block, align bored, cylinders bores, maybe getting the crank journals resized... all of this because of either wear or even new need to be cleaned up to spec., it has always been my opinion to have the machine shop that does the work get the bearing and rings... IF any of the machined parts fail, then there is no one except the machine shop at fault.

Gear Ratios... they mainly depend on the tire size and on the type of driving you plan on.
Trans missions can change how deep you go and the T/C Gear can change things up some.

I'm running 33" tires and 4.56 gears, yes I have a 3.0 but the tire and gears work well together on the street. If you are working trails then a deeper gear may be in order... dependent on T/C gearing, transmission gearing, automatics tend to increase the gear numbers, through torque multiplication, in first and second gears, so you can get away with a lower numerical, higher gear ratio/
As I said the gear ratio need to take into account all of the aspects of your vehicle and your driving.

The cam, can't say it is exactly what I have but it is close, I think I have more lift.
It should work out decent, the 1.7 Roller Rockers will help in the lift area also, more lift can give more low end power, torque, seat of the pants kick, where you can feel it taking off and getting to speed, then the HP take s over.

This does sound interesting, you'll end up with a nice truck.
Which vehicle did the 8.8 come too and what trans is that ?

Ltr

 

the block came from 96 explorer with 250k miles; i got the block cleaned,resurfaced, new cam bearings, and honed not bored and im not worried about any mechanical problems as ill be able to fix.
the transmission came from 98 2wd explorer i dont have to worry about the t/c gearing just my rear diff gearing lol 2wd and the axle came from the same 98 ex. i have my own welder so rewelding the perches wont be a problem and i can use my lift at work to help line everything up for pinion angle etc
im also running 33s on my truck and it came stock with the 8.8 4.1 ratio axle hence why i want to swap the ring and pinion into the new(used) axle
thats the plan my guy to stomp my foot and take off to feel my head pull back and be like ooohhh shiiiitt xD

 

Sounds like you have it under control.

Good Luck with the Project, Post Pictures, we all want to watch this happen !

Ltr

 

Doing a similar build on my 98 2wd. I am using the rear springs out of a 2001 sport trac they are about 3 inches taller than the ranger springs. You could do away with the block under the springs then. I am also installing CalTracs traction bars. They them for over or under spring set ups. I am using the 8.8 out of the 99 explorer and doing the axle flip didn’t want a 5 inch drop the sport trac spring should give me about 2 to 3 inches drop.

 

Here are pictures of when i bought the engine and started stripping it down







before and after cleaning :)

 

OK, I'm just talking here, I don't know your budget but if I was in your shoes wit this setup, knowing what I think I know, I would see about the following.

-Have the block align bored for the crank.
-Have the reciprocating assembly, Crank, rods, pistons, bearings and ring, balanced. Not all people do it because they think its not necessary, to me it is, you will have a smoother running engine. If the balancing is something you think is a good idea, clean up the rods a little, grind off the sides of the rod, smooth things out, do it with respect, make them look good.
-The pistons, make sure to clean them up better than the picture, clean the ring grooves, get all the carbon out.
Are the Rods marked for location ?

These are just suggestions, I don't know your skill set, so I'm throwing out things I would do. I'm not trying to get someone p!ssed !

Ltr / Good to see someone rebuilding the engine before throwing it in place.

 

Actually looks pretty clean, oil was changed, lol

How many miles were on that V8?

 

how do you go about balaning those parts? machine shop bc if so its out my budget lol my budget is near maxed and i still have to buy a couple more odd ends to finish like for the speedometer ill need a gen? or swap the parts from the explorer, and a what is a good pressure regulator im switching to carb?
also i am cleaning out he ring grooves every mating space on the piston but yeah they didnt look to bad to begin with. the engine had 250k miles give or take im keeping them in order but they are numbered and show which faces front

 

IF Balancing the Recriprocating Parts is not in your budget..., it should be left to the Machine Shop to do !
It take special Tools to do it right AND should only be tried by a pro tha knows what they are doing !

You need to make all of the Pistons, Rods, and Wrist Pins all weight the same, probably within +/- .0010 of an oz., maybe closer.
Then you need all the added parts to those parts, i.e. Rings, and Bearing and other small part weigh in as close as possible to each other.
Once you have the Rod/Piston Assemblies weighing in as close as possible then you have to look at the crank.
After truing the crank, weigh is added to each Journal, equal to the weight of the Rod/Piston assembly, you have to spin the crank to a given RPM and see where there is too much weight, after that it takes some metal removal and in some instances adding weight to a journal area to get all of the Journals to weigh in the same and create the same mass when spinning.
That done you now have a Reciprocating Assembly that will spin freely and have the same effect when power is applies, usually without vibrations. this allows the engine to rev evenly and produce more HP/Torque because it isn't fighting uneven weight none piston vs another.

I'm thinking cost today would run around $400-500, but I could be wrong, maybe more. Money doesn't buy what it use too.
Not the average mod for the backyard rebuilder but the results will show itself.

Sorry for bringing it up, your SBF-W will end up just find without it because you probably won't be turning the higher rpms all the time.
Most stock 5.0L-W run fine as ie so my suggestion is overkill.

Also, I noticed you said you are gogint o run a Carb... did I see right ?

My thought is WHY ?

Again, good luck !

 

switching to carb bc im a service tech at triangle imports and ill learn everything about mfi, direct, indirect etc and more. but with carb thats something entirely new to me even if its old and i want to run a shop for builds one day so doing this carb will help me learn the old school while i work on the new stuff and bringing the knowledge of both worlds together for my benefits.
although in another yr maybe next idk ill focus on the bottom end of my engine bigger bore with new pistons and crank and get it balanced bc i love the idea of everything running smoothly

 

There is always round two !

Good Luck !