Will this fit without too much hassle?

[410Fortune]

You cannot just replace your engine with a OHV, it would be about as much work as going with a 5.0L V8.

 

[CodePoet]

Personally i'd take a 302 and bore it out to a stroker, cam, ported/polished heads, supercharger, chip, FUNCTIONAL shaker hood...mmmmmmmmmmmmmm tasty

 

[Pharaoh]

Thank you for that info.

 

[gregr]

the 4.6L has been stuffed into a Ranger, but its not a easy conversion AT ALL, and you are not going to have A/C, if even a heater. Many modifications to the trucks body are required, as well as the steering shaft.

There are absolutely NO MODS to the body to put a 4.6 into a Ranger. None to the frame. The hardest part of the swap is the exhaust, you need to build headers. The new steering shaft is made mostly of factory Ford parts. Keeping the heat is not a problem. The AC compressor on the Mark VIII setup hits the crossmember, the Cobra, Conti, Aviator, Maurader, etc are different and may work. Motor mounts are easy. The 4R70W trans with the Mark VIII mount extension drops right into the Ranger's crossmember, you don't even have to move it. Hell, the aluminum block/head 4.6 dohc might even weigh less than the 4.0. It's only about 25 pounds heavier than the iron block/head 2.5 I pulled out of my Ranger.

How much it will cost depends on how well you can find deals. I have less than $1500 out-of-pocket into my project. I do all my own work and don't buy parts until I find them in my price range (cheap).

If you have the desire and ability (or money) to put a 4.6 dohc into your Explorer Sport by all means do it.

Good luck with whatever you do.

Greg

 

[jimbo74]

There are absolutely NO MODS to the body to put a 4.6 into a Ranger. None to the frame. The hardest part of the swap is the exhaust, you need to build headers. The new steering shaft is made mostly of factory Ford parts. Keeping the heat is not a problem. The AC compressor on the Mark VIII setup hits the crossmember, the Cobra, Conti, Aviator, Maurader, etc are different and may work. Motor mounts are easy. The 4R70W trans with the Mark VIII mount extension drops right into the Ranger's crossmember, you don't even have to move it. Hell, the aluminum block/head 4.6 dohc might even weigh less than the 4.0. It's only about 25 pounds heavier than the iron block/head 2.5 I pulled out of my Ranger.

How much it will cost depends on how well you can find deals. I have less than $1500 out-of-pocket into my project. I do all my own work and don't buy parts until I find them in my price range (cheap).

If you have the desire and ability (or money) to put a 4.6 dohc into your Explorer Sport by all means do it. 

Good luck with whatever you do.

Greg

are you seroius? the 4.6 dohc is huge! do you have proof of this?

 

[Brian_B]

There are absolutely NO MODS to the body to put a 4.6 into a Ranger. None to the frame. The hardest part of the swap is the exhaust, you need to build headers. The new steering shaft is made mostly of factory Ford parts. Keeping the heat is not a problem. The AC compressor on the Mark VIII setup hits the crossmember, the Cobra, Conti, Aviator, Maurader, etc are different and may work. Motor mounts are easy. The 4R70W trans with the Mark VIII mount extension drops right into the Ranger's crossmember, you don't even have to move it. Hell, the aluminum block/head 4.6 dohc might even weigh less than the 4.0. It's only about 25 pounds heavier than the iron block/head 2.5 I pulled out of my Ranger.

How much it will cost depends on how well you can find deals. I have less than $1500 out-of-pocket into my project. I do all my own work and don't buy parts until I find them in my price range (cheap).

If you have the desire and ability (or money) to put a 4.6 dohc into your Explorer Sport by all means do it.

Good luck with whatever you do.

Greg

This I would love to see in person. (pics will do)

 

[Turdle]

There are absolutely NO MODS to the body to put a 4.6 into a Ranger. None to the frame.



What about the oil pan clearance to front axle? How can it possibly clear the a/c evaporator. And custom v-8 exhaust on a awd- 4wd explorer? There is only 1 that I know of for 5.0( torqmonster). I remember Jesse James having a hard time making headers for that ranger. Quote J.J." I guess a ranger wasn't meant to be cool". You could buy a SALEEN by the time you were finished. I HAVE installed a 347 stroker in mine. It was a PITA to modify just the EGR tube to mate with a 94-95 style intake. Any larger deck height would not fit, as it barely clears the evaporator now. Buy one with a V-8 and start from there. really

 

[410Fortune]

sweet! Well then the 4.6L conversion has come further then it was when I saw it.
All Rangers are not the same of course, Gen I , Gen II, 2wd, 4x4, etc. Engine cradles vary as do steering component, crossmember, location/angle, underhood layout, heater plenum location & size, ac routing, etc.

His is a 98 2wd Ranger, it would not be so easy in a Gen I ranger or Explorer.
The Explorer IFS was 95+ the Ranger IFS was 98+

No two conversions are ever really the same, much of it is learn as you go.

We would love to see more about your 4.6 conversion.

 

[gregr]

This pic is a few weeks old, the wiring is now done and the engine runs. Still need a driveshaft though.

These engines are really low, hood clearance is not a problem. The 2.5 is currently sitting in the Mark VIII's engine bay and it sticks up above the cowl. The 4.6 is the same length as the 2.5 so there's plenty of clearance front and back. I tucked the radiator under the core support so I could use the Mark VIII's electric fan, no other reason.

There are no aftermarket headers for this swap and the only factory manifold that fits is the driverside from a Cobra. For cheap headers I bought a pair of damaged '96-up Cobra mid-lengths, cut them up, and turned them into a pair of tri-Ys. They work good but I'm going to make a new pair this winter from scratch so I can get them to fit just right.

Keeping the AC would involve a little work. I was told they used the rear heat/ac from an Econoline van in the Lightning Bolt Ranger. That may work here also. I have heard of guys moving all the heat/ac stuff under the dash (Mustang unit?), that would be another option. Keeping the AC wasn't a concern of mine.

There is a guy who claims to have a 4.6 sohc in a '98 Ranger 4x4, but I haven't seen pics yet. The 4.6 oil pans are really short in the front. I've looked at my '98 Explorer (5.0) and it doesn't look like you'd have to mod the pan much, if at all. Since the 5.0 Explorers and 4.6s both use the 4R70W a tailshaft/housing swap should be all that's needed.

The '98-up Ranger 2WD and '95-01 Explorer 2WD would be the easiest to do the swap, I can only guess on the 4x4s. The rack-n-pinion steering is the big plus. The steering box on the earlier models would be troublesome. There may be other issues too, but I don't know.

Check these out if you want to see more pics.
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2052265
http://281ranger.homestead.com

Greg

 

[IAmTodd]

.

 

[gregr]

I am getting sssooooo sick of seeing that picture. Everytime there's a discussion about putting a 4.6 into anything that picture always comes up. It's actually not a good comparison, there's no oil pan or intake system on either. By the time you put an intake, carb, and aircleaner on the 302 it's taller than the 4.6. Also look at how the exhaust manifolds bolt to the heads. The 302 exhaust sticks out from the engine, the 4.6 dohc exhaust goes down and stays under the outer edge of the heads.

I'd like to see someone come up with a pic like that with both engines fully dressed. I bet the differences wouldn't look so great.

Greg

 

[410Fortune]

I have a pic of a fully dressed GT-40 from an Ex we could photo chop.

Conversion s LOOKS SICK!

A gen I truck would run into more issues around the steering shaft, engine cradle (4x4) and also the heater box IMO, this Gen II Ranger has the extra U joint in the steering shaft (right? under the dash?) and they moved the heater box over quite a bit.


Me likey
I am guessing you plan to remove the harness again and wrap it up.
This suckers gonns haul balls, I would skip the lightweight ranger D shaft and carrier bearing, might twist it up like a pretzel!

I still think the answer to the thread topic is a big "no" depending on what you consider a "hassle" hahaha

 

[gregr]

Most of the engine harness has already been wrapped up. It would be done by now but my Exploder is giving me fits. :roll:

Yes, my Ranger has the u-joint under the dash, it helped out alot. No two piece driveshaft in this little truck, a one piece from the factory (std cab, short box, 2WD).

I still think the answer to the thread topic is a big "no" depending on what you consider a "hassle" hahaha

One man's pain is another man's pleasure.

Greg

 

[zhanx]

ohv... verus swap in a new engine... tons of people tons of opinions.. if your swap from a sohc to a ohv.. dont.. not worth it just swap to a 302 (5.0 explorer) when you get you engine grap the wiring harness, computer, pac (is that right for the keys?) and the keys and all the locks.. (cheaper than getting the thing reprogramed). i thought about the 4.6 swap.. i used a tape to genralize it.. it should fit with minor issues the biggest being the headers.. the second is i have 4wd. plus i have to daily driver my rig so everything i do has to be done each day so i can drive it to formation. just rebuild your sohc, throw some cash at it and do a supercharger or turbo.. be prepared to fix your tranny. right now i am trying to build a better 5r55e handle more power but i have the ohv. if you really want power get a 351 stroke it. throw 10 grand at it. run 9's

 

[gregr]

Ok guys, the pics for the 4.6 sohc into a '98 Ranger 4x4 have come through. They're towards the end of my thread about getting my dohc running. It looks like the guy did a really nice job. And by the clouds of tire smoke, I'd say it's got plenty of power.

http://www.rangerpowersports.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1248437#post1248437

Greg

 

[Turdle]

I must admit, That is about the coolest thing I've seen in awhile. It was truly planned and executed so efficiently, it's almost unbelievable. I must eat my words now. If you have that kind of talent and resources I recommend doing this project. It is way cool in my opinion, and I shouldn't have said it couldn't be done.

 

[Brian_B]

Thats very cool. There are some talented people out there. I would have never thought it would fit!

 

[Turdle]

I know the angle is wierd, but look how my oil pan almost touches the floor, And without upper plennum, a 5.0 block is very tall and narrow

 

[gregr]

Here's a pic of a couple 4.6 dohc's dressed, the right one has exhaust manifolds. The one on the left is in my Ranger. Notice how much oil pan you can see in the front (it's black). The intake was a 1993 prototype of the '96-'98 Cobra intake. Check out the Mark VIII intake on the right, it's about even with the top of the valve covers. The throttle body is in the back and fits right into that indentation in the Ranger's firewall.

Greg

 

[everythintech]

can we get an update on this? how is the truck doing over a year later?