exploder 4.0 in an 87 ranger

[stegomon]

hey all.
I have me an 87 ford ranger 4x4 with a stock 2.9 and a duff 3 inch lift. and 32 inch tires!!well I just had a 91 exploder given to me...and i have some plans with it...some of you might not want to read.
well I am going to up grade to a dana 35 and a 8.8 on my ranger.....I would also like to put the 4.0 in my ranger too....

well my question is what wire do I have to slice into with the 4.0 wireing harness...

i want to keep it simple...no ac stuff....the exploder is an auto and i have a stick shift....wich my ranger was an auto but i put a fm146 behind my 2.9....so I know wich of those wires to slice into to get the motor started....

any help from any one that has done this mod in a gen 1 ranger or bronco 2 would help out alot..thank you

 

[RangerX]

410Fortune put a 4.0/A4LD into his BII, along with the D35 and 8.8, you might search for info on that. He has since swapped to a 5.0.

 

[jimbo74]

why not putt the duff lift on the explorer? they should be the same... and the explorer ir a lot newer, plus they look cooler

 

[stegomon]

sorry about not puting the duff lift on a spoder...i like rangers.and plus i need a pickup truck...but some spoders do look nice lifted!!!

 

[410Fortune]

you splice into the green wire.


hahahaha okay enough smart ass ness,
this is not as easy as you mayu think when it comes to the wiring. the 4.0L will bolt in basically, no matter which trans you use, but the wiring = headache.

I can help but FIRST you need to search around. You are not even close to the first person to do this, I would say its been done hundreds of times. Thats the good news, go search and then ask questions...

There are lots of detailed 4.0L conversion articles on the internet, the wiring however is nto covered well, its not rocket science but you need to understand whats involved before I can just point you in a direction.

If I had the time I would build you a conversion harness, but they run $500+ because of theamount of time they take to build.

So search Google, try 2.9L to 4.0L conversion, read on this board, read on therangerstation.com, rangerpowersports.com etc, then you will know more aqbout what you are getting yourself into.

I have done a few 4.0L conversions myself, and your 91 is a good donor, however you should consider upgrading the power distribution and relay box to a 93-94 style, makes for a much cleaner swap.

Sounds like your ranger is where my BII was about 6 years ago, you will love the 4.0L in that 87, 4.0L was the best upgrade I ever made, I wasted alot of time and $$ building my 2.9L too.......

 

[explrig91]

Can't you just use the wire harness and computer from the explorer, i am trying to the exact same thing with the exact same years and tranny's. and i also want to do the D35 and 8.8 swap too, how hard was that in the front?

 

[410Fortune]

the dana 35 bolts up in place of the old Dana 28.
You might have to mix and match driveshaft parts or have a driveshaft built, but thats it.
If you use the 4.0L, trans, and 1354 t case (explorer) then the front driveshaft will have 0 issues.

The 87 Speed density wiring is much different then the MAS wiring for the 4.0L.
You will use the 4.0L computer and power distribution wiring harness, but there are several wires that interface with the truck that must be matched up.

the 4.0L underhood wiring has the headlights, ABS, and other underhood systems integrated into it, you dont need this stuff so it must be removed from the 4.0L harness.

the end result can either be a real mess or it can be factory looking, its up to you
Research research research is your friend.