So you think you want to put a 302 in your 91 to 94 Four Wheel Drive Explorer? My advice is plan, then plan some more. Ask questions, then plan, and finally ask more questions then plan. You get the point. There are several sources for doing this swap with Rangers. Most of this info is usable on the Explorers. However, some options do change the way things fit. My ABS motor on the 94 XLT is making it tough to mount a radiator. Also, Size does matter! 302’s are the easiest fit. There is not much room in the older Explorers, so anything bigger than the 302 ( Size wise, not Cubic inch wise ) is hard to squeeze in there. Yes 427’s can be made to work, but why spend all the extra money redesigning the frame? Doing this conversion takes Time and Money, Be patent and you’ll enjoy the outcome. Try to rush it and things can go south real quick.
I started my project 9/27/00. Yep, over a year ago. Just proof that this is an addicting sport when you can sit for a year and still long for the offroad experience. Looking back, the biggest single improvement I could have made to this project would have been using a Donor vehicle. First choice would have been a 96 model 2WD V8 Explorer. Second choice would have been any 89 to 93 Mustang GT.
Donor vehicles can be picked up from Salvage or Insurance pools. Also, find a friend that can purchase from the Auto Auctions. High mileage Mustangs are going for $500 running ( who cares what the body looks like ) and the Explorers are going for around $3000. With the Donor vehicle you get all the brackets and wiring. Very important. Using the Explorer, you get the all-important clearance for your radiator.
Even with the Donor vehicle it is a great idea to have the motor rebuilt. It is out of the vehicle, do it now. Should cost around $1500 depending on how crazy you get. Cheap insurance. I don’t want to ever pull my motor out of my Explorer again. So rebuild it now. If you’re using an automatic, you’ll need to get Advance Adapters kit. It’s about $900 bucks and includes the output shaft. Have a good tranny shop rebuild your tranny using the new output shaft that fits your Transfer case. If you’re using a manual tranny, I don’t know what to tell you. Refer back to paragraph one.
Other thoughts…..
Make sure you line the motor up correctly. If the motor mounts are not lined up right then you will have the back of the transfercase to far left or right, and it’s time to start over. Pull the motor and reweld mounts.
Fuel Rails….This stuff is expensive. You can hook up the fuel lines on a 94 XLT using 96V8 Explorer parts. It's 4 separate parts and cost about $180.00 ( Go to a salvage ) The fuel rails connect at the back of the intake into extension lines that hook directly to the hardlines coming from the gas tank. Custom fuel line is expensive too, so refer to paragraph 1 and decide which route you want to go.
Exhaust…This is a mess on my truck. I went the shortcut route and tried to use Mustang Shorty headers. They did not work on my truck. Purchase the custom headers from Kaufman or one of the other vendors. Once past the manifolds I have a nice 2 ½” true dual set-up with Cat Convs. & 02’s. I will pass emissions.
Wiring….. This was another tough area. The explorer uses a fuse relay panel and the mustangs don’t. So I had to somehow merge the mustang and Explorer Harness. A good friend on this board did this for me. Fox wiring charges $600 for a new harness, but it bypasses the Fuse relays. I wanted it to be factory looking under the hood so I paid a friend to do this wiring for me.
Cost…..Well that’s hard to nail down. There are bargains everywhere if you do your homework. My estimated cost is between 5 & 7K right now. Can’t get an exact cost due to several issues that occurred during this project. It is not a cheap conversion. It does make swapping to a solid axle front seem less painful to the wallet though.
At this time my project is still in progress. I ran out of time, so I’m using money to finish the project. I have another friend finishing the truck. He is being paid well for what is left. I saw first hand the LT1 vette motor he put in another friend’s jeep. It looked factory, so I asked if he could finish mine. It was hard to find a shop to do this project because of all the potential for custom or fabricating work to make this combo work. I am glad I stumble across him. I’m hoping to have this finished this year or maybe in January. Plan on seeing everyone in Phoenix!
Good Luck and enjoy.
I started my project 9/27/00. Yep, over a year ago. Just proof that this is an addicting sport when you can sit for a year and still long for the offroad experience. Looking back, the biggest single improvement I could have made to this project would have been using a Donor vehicle. First choice would have been a 96 model 2WD V8 Explorer. Second choice would have been any 89 to 93 Mustang GT.
Donor vehicles can be picked up from Salvage or Insurance pools. Also, find a friend that can purchase from the Auto Auctions. High mileage Mustangs are going for $500 running ( who cares what the body looks like ) and the Explorers are going for around $3000. With the Donor vehicle you get all the brackets and wiring. Very important. Using the Explorer, you get the all-important clearance for your radiator.
Even with the Donor vehicle it is a great idea to have the motor rebuilt. It is out of the vehicle, do it now. Should cost around $1500 depending on how crazy you get. Cheap insurance. I don’t want to ever pull my motor out of my Explorer again. So rebuild it now. If you’re using an automatic, you’ll need to get Advance Adapters kit. It’s about $900 bucks and includes the output shaft. Have a good tranny shop rebuild your tranny using the new output shaft that fits your Transfer case. If you’re using a manual tranny, I don’t know what to tell you. Refer back to paragraph one.
Other thoughts…..
Make sure you line the motor up correctly. If the motor mounts are not lined up right then you will have the back of the transfercase to far left or right, and it’s time to start over. Pull the motor and reweld mounts.
Fuel Rails….This stuff is expensive. You can hook up the fuel lines on a 94 XLT using 96V8 Explorer parts. It's 4 separate parts and cost about $180.00 ( Go to a salvage ) The fuel rails connect at the back of the intake into extension lines that hook directly to the hardlines coming from the gas tank. Custom fuel line is expensive too, so refer to paragraph 1 and decide which route you want to go.
Exhaust…This is a mess on my truck. I went the shortcut route and tried to use Mustang Shorty headers. They did not work on my truck. Purchase the custom headers from Kaufman or one of the other vendors. Once past the manifolds I have a nice 2 ½” true dual set-up with Cat Convs. & 02’s. I will pass emissions.
Wiring….. This was another tough area. The explorer uses a fuse relay panel and the mustangs don’t. So I had to somehow merge the mustang and Explorer Harness. A good friend on this board did this for me. Fox wiring charges $600 for a new harness, but it bypasses the Fuse relays. I wanted it to be factory looking under the hood so I paid a friend to do this wiring for me.
Cost…..Well that’s hard to nail down. There are bargains everywhere if you do your homework. My estimated cost is between 5 & 7K right now. Can’t get an exact cost due to several issues that occurred during this project. It is not a cheap conversion. It does make swapping to a solid axle front seem less painful to the wallet though.
At this time my project is still in progress. I ran out of time, so I’m using money to finish the project. I have another friend finishing the truck. He is being paid well for what is left. I saw first hand the LT1 vette motor he put in another friend’s jeep. It looked factory, so I asked if he could finish mine. It was hard to find a shop to do this project because of all the potential for custom or fabricating work to make this combo work. I am glad I stumble across him. I’m hoping to have this finished this year or maybe in January. Plan on seeing everyone in Phoenix!
Good Luck and enjoy.
Also, 3-4K for a new 4.0 sounds way too high.
