1987 3.0L Aerostar engine project.

[allmyEXes]

I barely recall looking at the Ranger tail shaft housing and did not see a speedo cable spot that could be opened up. I would probably have to dremel a shallow spot for the shaft gear. The '87 has a cable driven speedometer. (Many of you know).
I had forgot that I got a front bumper for it from somewhere. I wondered about fiber-glassing it inside and out with a double layer of cloth then finish it off with two part pick-up bed liner. Maybe that would keep it from crumbling.

Aerostar receiver hitch in bottom left corner of the picture.

 

[zenish]

You can get mounts for a 5.0...

to fit an aerostar?

 

[zenish]

I barely recall looking at the Ranger tail shaft housing and did not see a speedo cable spot that could be opened up. I would probably have to dremel a shallow spot for the shaft gear. The '87 has a cable driven speedometer. (Many of you know).
I had forgot that I got a front bumper for it from somewhere. I wondered about fiber-glassing it inside and out with a double layer of cloth then finish it off with two part pick-up bed liner. Maybe that would keep it from crumbling.
View attachment 451248
Aerostar receiver hitch in bottom left corner of the picture.

i have EVERYTHING you need in charlotte nc.a 1991 aerostar 3.0 five speed.it has a blown head gasket but will still drive around the yard.id like 500 for it.its a sport.alabama to charlotte is too far for me but nothing for other people.has a title. btw i agree redo the heads and replace the head gaskets WHILE its out.if this was a ranger i would have already fixed it.

 

[allmyEXes]

@zenish Thanks for the offer. The Ranger has 107k commuter miles on it and I will have hardened seats installed in the heads before I remove it from the Ranger chassis. I will run it again before removing to install in the Aerostar. I have the motor mounts in hand and some 3.0 engine brackets almost here. I'm in talks about a 1995 differential that has an internal tone ring. My 1999 donor 3.0 and auto are OBDII controlled and the diffy VSS is necessary for proper operation.
@Josh P Josh has told me that a 4.6 Lincoln Mark VIII driveshaft is what I need and it is possible that my 1996 4.6 Thunderbird may have the same driveshaft. I won't know until I have the time and space to extract the T-bird driveshaft and 4R70W.

 

[Josh P]

I used a MKVIII driveshaft when I swapped a M5OD in the last van. It was the perfect length. The Aerostar transmission extension housing is 3 inches longer than the Ranger or explorer version. The 4.6 T-Bird uses the same length driveshaft as the MK8.

 

[allmyEXes]

@Josh P So you are saying that the '99 Ranger auto and Ranger M5OD may or should be the same length?
I wonder where FoMoCo located the PCM on the OBD2 Aerostar vans? Last night, I wasn't seeing a good spot for it except for strapped to the underside of the NON removeable "doghouse" just above the engine right above the little bitty engine cover.
Would the Ranger transmission dipstick be accessible from the little engine cover or is there a special "van" tube and dipstick?
Details I know...

 

[Josh P]

@Josh P So you are saying that the '99 Ranger auto and Ranger M5OD may or should be the same length?
I wonder where FoMoCo located the PCM on the OBD2 Aerostar vans? Last night, I wasn't seeing a good spot for it except for strapped to the underside of the NON removeable "doghouse" just above the engine right above the little bitty engine cover.
Would the Ranger transmission dipstick be accessible from the little engine cover or is there a special "van" tube and dipstick?
Details I know...

On all the vans I've owned, the ecm was under the dash on the driver's side, if your old engine was efi, good chance the bracket you need is there

 

[allmyEXes]

@Josh P Ok. I saw it. Thanks.
Today, complete engine mount assemblies arrived from Ashville AL, 90 miles away. The parts went to Chicago first via USPS. They
took a week to get here.

Last week, new rubber mounts arrived. They should be good for 100k miles. That is how many miles that I need out of this drivetrain that
is a 1999 powertrain with only 107k miles. Hardened seats and we'll be good to go.

The head work will happen this summer after I sell an extra riding mower to be able to afford the machine work.

 

[Josh P]

i have EVERYTHING you need in charlotte nc.a 1991 aerostar 3.0 five speed.it has a blown head gasket but will still drive around the yard.id like 500 for it.its a sport.alabama to charlotte is too far for me but nothing for other people.has a title. btw i agree redo the heads and replace the head gaskets WHILE its out.if this was a ranger i would have already fixed it.

Zenish, would you fix this van with a 302 and a T5?

 

[allmyEXes]

As I'm sure that a 5.0 would be badass in an Aerostar van, I'm 100% sure that this 1987 van is getting a 1999 Ranger 3.0 and automatic. I do have a lead on a rebuildable 5.0 that if we can figure out the logistics of getting it. I need it for a 1966 Mustang coupe that someone is interested in. The biggest problem is unloading it off of a semi-truck on my end. currently the forklift/backhoe on my end of things has no brakes and 2 weeks ago, I was informed by the owner that his kidney cancer is back. That is going to make the logistics trickier.
I still need two more of the wheels for the 1999 Aerostar project. 15" Explorer spare wheels that will be painted dark gray metallic or black adding snap on center caps. A low-profile tire like one meant for a Fox body GT would be a good fit. I need two more steel wheels.

Badass is going to be the word for the day.

 

[zenish]

Zenish, would you fix this van with a 302 and a T5?

i don't have the ability to make engine mounts.i would if there was a swap kit.i have another extended with a 4.0 in it.i think a shorty with a 4.0 and a t5 would be fun.

 

[Josh P]

i don't have the ability to make engine mounts.i would if there was a swap kit.i have another extended with a 4.0 in it.i think a shorty with a 4.0 and a t5 would be fun.

Start a thread and we can discuss it. I'd use these motor mounts. You could probably use some plate steel with a few holes drilled to adjust the motor position while using the stock mounting points on the subframe. If you move the motor forward a little, you'll have an easier time getting headers to fit.

small block motor mount v8 motor mounts-Broncograveyard.com

In all forms of motor sport racing one critical area that requires special attention is the engine mounting.br Generally motor mounts are made from soft rubber and steel components molded together.br Fine for stock automobiles but for racing, in particular off-road racing, stock mounts would...

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[allmyEXes]

@Josh P Good idea about starting a fresh thread about 5.0 in an Aerostar...

 

[Josh P]

@Josh P Good idea about starting a fresh thread about 5.0 in an Aerostar...

Could you measure the assembled height difference between the 3.0 ranger mounts and the Aerostar mounts?

 

[allmyEXes]

I wonder where to measure from? Center-line of the crank as a reference point? Both the Ranger measurement and the Aerostar measurement can be done as the engine comes out of the Ranger, measure it, swap mounts and measure it. That won't happen before fall. But I will do that.

 

[Josh P]

I wonder where to measure from? Center-line of the crank as a reference point? Both the Ranger measurement and the Aerostar measurement can be done as the engine comes out of the Ranger, measure it, swap mounts and measure it. That won't happen before fall. But I will do that.

I think you have a good reference point, I figure as long as the same point is used with both mounts, it should be accurate.