1999 Ranger 3.0 upgrade to 5.0 *ADDED* for a rear wheel drive "coil springs on the front" truck

[allmyEXes]

I'm trying to keep this discussion a 3.0 to 5.0 swap in a 1999 front coil spring (2WD) rear wheel drive Ranger. There is a lot of information online about installing a 5.0 in a 4WD torsion bar vehicle, Explorers, Rangers etc.
ADDED: @N2FORD 2.5 years ago, I totally overlooked your question. This week 410Fortune asked me the same question and I assumed that it came with torsion bar front suspension like all Explorers. The next morning when I was able to check it out, I could see that it has coil springs. I apologize to all of you for asking the original question before I actually knew what I was asking. I have edited the Forum thread title.

 

[410Fortune]

Hey I’ve been doing this almost 30 years and I had no idea the ranger came in t bars and coil springs until about 2 years ago.
Living in high country colorado I never saw a coil aoring rwd ranger

The t bar trucks can be easily converted to 4wd
The coils spring nope

The coil spring truck is rumored to be more difficult to 5.0

I have a 2004 ranger rwd outside with no engine and no trans, I removed the guts recently and installed into a 2010 ranger to keep it on the road. I got to keep the 04 carcass
This is a good time to get some info/pics goi g and maybe test oil pan shapes

Anyone have any links to 5.0 explorer swaps into coil spring rwd ranger? I am sure they are out there

 

[allmyEXes]

@Josh P We are trying to determine which pan. This morning I added a link to post #16 to go to RockAuto '97 Mountaineer oil pans and the show 2 distinctly different pans.
My 97MM V-8 has a lot of room being a torsion bar truck but the Ranger has a big crossmember. Before I left the house I slid under the Ranger for a minute and then looked down in the left side under the hood. I immediately saw this extra riveted or welded on bracket under the rubber motor mount and realized there are many details to consider.

 

[410Fortune]

It’s a completely different frame and engine cradle
I will get some pics of the 04 when I’m not working and the rain stops probably
Tomorrow

 

[allmyEXes]

Thanks! This morning I've been working on a drawing. Maybe on of the guys/gals here can draw it up on a capable desk top PC. My wife's
little laptop won't do it. In the meantime, we will get some measurements.
ADDED: 11-05-23 Earlier I took a better look at the crossmember in the 1999 Ranger 2wd coil spring truck and discovered that the passenger side does not have the welded-on steel pad like the driver's side. It is the rectangle pieces that are colored black in the 1998-2011 Ranger drawing.

 

[410Fortune]

Coil Spring rangers only came 4 cyl and 3.0 never 4.0 or sohc just fyi
The engine cradle is mostly flat behind the rack and pinion, I’ll get pics of the empty engine bay and some measurements
(I have 04 coil spring ranger outside no drivetrain in it)

In the meantime we should google anyone who has done 289/302
Into one of these trucks
I’m thinking the stamped steel
Ifs pan might work (98-01)

I think the ranger station has some verbiage about what’s difficult to put 302 into coil spring rwd ranger

 

[allmyEXes]

I see. I'm not sure if it is true but someone said that the edge 2wd's had coil springs.
were there ever any 4wd splash and edge trimmed Rangers?

 

[Josh P]

What I find interesting is, there's a lot of 98-11 4 cylinder ranger V8 swaps done, documented on the internet. Not one I've read needed anything unique to make it work.

 

[allmyEXes]

The only write ups that I have found have all been torsion bar Rangers which make the process more drop in.
In reality, the whole process may be relatively easy. I'm not to the point where I'm actually bolting the engine or for that matter a stripped short block with the Explorer engine plates and whichever rubber mounts that it ends up being, I want to bolt a stripped block in without an oil pan then see what it looks like. I may have to build a garage before that time comes. I'm just trying to plan ahead on the swap. The 3.0 has to come out and go in its new home too. It only has 107k on it.

 

[Josh P]

You make custom motor plates. Fox body shorty headers fit with a different steering shaft. Everything else is pretty much the same from what I'm reading

 

[allmyEXes]

With the aprons out of the way was able to get a good frame rail measurement. O to O is 32".
ADDED: 7:40 p.m. I did notice that the crossmember is more towards the middle of the front wheels and not to the front or to the rear.

I might could pull off an engine swap working out of the door end of the sea (C) box.

 

[allmyEXes]

I'm at the shop where I can measure the '97 Mountaineer frame. It is 31". I was up in the wheel well area with the wheel off and the apron out, so I know that I got a good measurement. Looked at a Fox Body 5.0 5 quart oil pan too. Small sump to the front and big sump to the rear.

 

[allmyEXes]

But, the oil pan you might just hunt the one that gives the most clearance and install an external filter. That can gain you an easy 1-3 quarts of oil. The filter location is a bigger deal so plan that so it is either easy to service, or not a problem at all because you replace it with an adapter to remote mount the filter. I'm going to do that with my Explorer, run two filters, one on each side of the radiator support (next to the body mount). I can fit a bypass filter (which can be over 2 quarts big), plus the other normal flow and also near two quarts.

@CDW6212R This sounds interesting. Can you post a picture of the set-up?
Earlier I found an underhood pic of a Gen II 5.0 Explorer without an engine in it.

 

[CDW6212R]

Do you mean my external filter mounting? I did this in my 99 SOHC work truck, I placed the filter in a great spot that is easy to R&R, and still protected well. I did this with the body off so drilling holes in the radiator support isn't as easy wit the front all together. This space is available on both sides next to the frame.

In the 3rd picture of the mounting, you are seeing the three nuts near the body mount bolt. I used common short OEM bolts and nuts, the 8mm fender bolt kind.