carb'd 302/351 swap

[UglyRaisin94]

in January i had purchased (well, my grandmother for me ) a 1991 Eddie Bauer edition explorer, which has nearly 500,000 KM on it. shortly after buying it, the trans started to slip bad, and the engine had a bad knock (pretty sure it was the timing chain ). anyways, i had it apart to do intake gaskets, head gaskets and check the valve train to make sure it was all good, which it looked like it was( this was in mid Feb. ). a couple weeks ago i got it running again, and the engine had made a loud a** clunk, shook like a b*tch, backfired really loudly and it locked up. now, to keep it alive, I'm thinking of doing a carb'd 302 or 351 swap, with Dana 60 front and full size 9" rear, 5 speed manual or e4od auto, and a manual transfer case. what kind of work would i be looking at for this swap? would i be able to use any of the explorers stock gauges, or would i have to wire up new ones? would I have to cut up the firewall and make it larger? would i be able to use the explorers fuel system, or would i have to replace everything from the pump forward? i don't want to disappoint my grandma by sending this to the wrecker after a few months of owning it, and i cant find any 4.0 ohv's within 500km of me, so that's why I'm considering the 302/351 swap. i noticed summitracing.com has 302 mounts that are supposed to work with the explorers, but im not sure if they would actually work. i can pick up a transmission and transfer case out at the wreckers for $250-$300 out of a 95 f150, and i could probably get a cheap 302 out there as well. the Dana 60 and 9" i already have ( grandpa gave them to me ). any help, or info on the work and parts needed would be great!

 

[UglyRaisin94]

nobody?

 

[arco777]

I'm thinking of doing a carb'd 302 or 351 swap, with Dana 60 front and full size 9" rear, 5 speed manual or e4od auto, and a manual transfer case. what kind of work would i be looking at for this swap? would i be able to use any of the explorers stock gauges, or would i have to wire up new ones? would I have to cut up the firewall and make it larger? would i be able to use the explorers fuel system, or would i have to replace everything from the pump forward?

E4OD trans will need computer control, so unless you keep the EFI you'll be shelling out for a shift controller. The E4OD is a big heavy trans too, not sure if it'll be happy in the trans tunnel. You might consider a ZF, M5R2 or M5OD 5-speed if you're going carbed. They do exist in the trucks but are less common. You could also find a donor truck that has an AOD, that might make things easier for a carb setup. Honestly I'd keep the EFI either way.

Explorer gauges can be re-used. Voltmeter doesn't change at all. Oil pressure is likely the same sender or compatible, good time to swap in a real sender instead of the idiot light type one and delete the resistor, so that'll work fine. Speedo is mechanical and if you keep the stock speedo cable you just need to have a trans or T-case that the speedo cable gear will slot into. Water temp will likely be identical, perhaps a different sender but most all Fords use the same resistance range for their senders so that'll work. Fuel gauge will use the stock sender in the stock tank, that'll work. Tach is a good question. It is set up to read from a 6 cylinder motor. Many Ford tachs have a spot on the circuit board where you can set them for 4, 6 or 8 cylinder application. You'd have to check. If not, you might be able to source a tach adapter of some sort, or swap the circuitry from an F-150 cluster.

Explorer's fuel system should adapt without much effort.

302 fits without firewall mods but it is a tight fit. You may need to reshape the heater box to keep A/C, or run a heat-only box. 351 is a bit taller, it can fit with the right mounts. Just research; this topic has been covered countless times on Explorers and Rangers (check The Ranger Station forums).

The tall F-series intake manifolds may cause fitment issues. Generally a second gen V8 Explorer motor is a better swap candidate overall. You get EFI, computer control for the 4R70W trans, a much better cam, intake manifold and cylinder heads (moar powah), and it's already got the right shaped wiring harness and a tight accessory drive.

Advance adapters does have an adapter to let you keep the stock T-case. Stock t-case is very strong and will be adequate, if it doesn't move then you can keep stock driveshafts. If you have an electronic shift t-case this may simplify wiring by keeping it stock.

 

[mr cribb]

I wouldn't dare move someone's research from this site, however this link is about as comprehensive as it gets answering all of your questions regarding a v8 swap.

http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/V8Conversions.html

 

[bats]

mr cribb pretty much nailed it with that link. I've been slowly piecing together parts for a carb'd V8 swap if/when the 4.0 Explorer drive train goes in my Bronco II. First gen Explorers have slightly more engine bay room but it is still a tight fit. Going with a carb setup you will end up sourcing pieces from various different vehicles.

If you want really a V8 setup, the best thing would be to find a V8 second gen Explorer and just do a complete driveline swap. Fuel injection is a beautiful thing on a cold morning.

 

[UglyRaisin94]

E4OD trans will need computer control, so unless you keep the EFI you'll be shelling out for a shift controller. The E4OD is a big heavy trans too, not sure if it'll be happy in the trans tunnel. You might consider a ZF, M5R2 or M5OD 5-speed if you're going carbed. They do exist in the trucks but are less common. You could also find a donor truck that has an AOD, that might make things easier for a carb setup. Honestly I'd keep the EFI either way.

Explorer gauges can be re-used. Voltmeter doesn't change at all. Oil pressure is likely the same sender or compatible, good time to swap in a real sender instead of the idiot light type one and delete the resistor, so that'll work fine. Speedo is mechanical and if you keep the stock speedo cable you just need to have a trans or T-case that the speedo cable gear will slot into. Water temp will likely be identical, perhaps a different sender but most all Fords use the same resistance range for their senders so that'll work. Fuel gauge will use the stock sender in the stock tank, that'll work. Tach is a good question. It is set up to read from a 6 cylinder motor. Many Ford tachs have a spot on the circuit board where you can set them for 4, 6 or 8 cylinder application. You'd have to check. If not, you might be able to source a tach adapter of some sort, or swap the circuitry from an F-150 cluster.

Explorer's fuel system should adapt without much effort.

302 fits without firewall mods but it is a tight fit. You may need to reshape the heater box to keep A/C, or run a heat-only box. 351 is a bit taller, it can fit with the right mounts. Just research; this topic has been covered countless times on Explorers and Rangers (check The Ranger Station forums).

The tall F-series intake manifolds may cause fitment issues. Generally a second gen V8 Explorer motor is a better swap candidate overall. You get EFI, computer control for the 4R70W trans, a much better cam, intake manifold and cylinder heads (moar powah), and it's already got the right shaped wiring harness and a tight accessory drive.

Advance adapters does have an adapter to let you keep the stock T-case. Stock t-case is very strong and will be adequate, if it doesn't move then you can keep stock driveshafts. If you have an electronic shift t-case this may simplify wiring by keeping it stock.

thanks for the info. it wont have ac or heat. i was thinking carb because there's pretty much no wiring to get it running. I've got a transmission and transfer case out of a 95 f150. transfer case is a manual shift and the transmission is automatic. I've been looking for an m5od near me, but haven't found any. i would be getting a low profile edelbrock intake manifold to try and keep it as low as possible. ive also considered taking everything needed out of a second gen, but all the 5.0 second gens here are going for $2,500-$3,500 for a sh*t one.