[wlabrum]

i am a semi poor dad of 8 kids
doing a 2 wd 302 v8 ranger conversion for drag racing only (trying to keep the kids off the streets)
and have a few questions

1. its my understanding that early mustang headers work 65-68
true or not true?

2.has any body used front or mid motor plates for this conversion?

3. has anyone used a c6?

thanks for any help i can get.
wild bill

 

[jalopy45]

imp: Not sure about the mustang headers but Hooker makes headers for your setup, I doubt that the 302 will make enough power to warrant motor plates and the c-6 will eat up too much power. You might want to think about adapting a powerglide. Your greatest gains at the lowest price will come from engine and suspension work . :thumbup:

 

[backardracer]

i dont know if this would work for sure but it is an idea take the ford rangers body and put it on a light half ton frame in the prosses you could lighten it up change the frame to suit what your going to to use it for and the 302 or 351m would probly be in the half ton to start with just an idea never done or seen done but i think it would work dosnt really do any thing for your ?'s thoe

 

[techinspector1]

Hi Bill, here's a link to an article that lays out the whole skinny on the swap. ...
http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/V8Conversions.html

Don't know about the Mustang headers, but if I were doing it and had a set of headers that would fit the heads, I'd modify whatever I had to cut away on the truck to make 'em fit. Hooker makes a set that will fit, but they're 700 bucks.

Shorty headers will be down about 30 hp compared to long tube headers.

 

[jalopy45]

If you go to Summits catalog they have Hedman Headers for $167.95 http://www.summitracing.com/parts/HED-89500/ and the Hooker Competition headers for $439.95 http://www.summitracing.com/parts/HOK-6802HKR/ and the swap and a mount kit for $169.95 http://www.summitracing.com/parts/HOK-12679HKR/ ., with a little ingenuity and finding stock or used parts that will work you can cut these prices way down.

 

[wlabrum]

danger ranger

let me first say that this isnt my first swap
last one was a 472 caddy in the front seat of an s10 blazer (see atachment)

the 302 with the 351 ported heads single plain intake 577 lift roller cam etc will make an estimated 450 hp on the motor more when it gets switched to e85

if you ever seen a ranger frame the front half is not that strong.
thats the reason for using motor plates there cheaper than conversion kits

[url]http://www.racecarpartsdepot.com/motor-plates.html[/url]

this will not be street driven

the small block c6 i have is already built

im running a foot brake in a trans-brake class bracket class (them cheatin bastards)

and don't even mention delay boxes or ill shoot my self( that ain't racing)

im trying to show my kids and there freinds that you dont have to have a lot of money to go drag racing

it just takes some for thought

 

[4 Jaw Chuck]

Late model Mustang 5.0L shorty headers work.

Motor plates work fine, if your handy with a welder you can adapt the factory 302 mounts easily with a home made adapter to the front crossmember but it will sit a little high.

Better be handy with the sheetmetal if you want a C6 in there, you will have to cut the entire trans hump out to make it fit. C4's are a no brainer and fit under the stock hump.

A stock Bronco 302 oil pan is required to make the engine fit properly, you can cut a stock rear sump and turn it around to make it a rear sump if your tight on cash but the factory sump material is thin...a stock Milodon replacement pan is much thicker and easier to modify. You will need to fabricate a longer pickup of course but you can use a stock pickup with an extension tube and rear mains stud hanger. Cutting and welding a new stock replacement pan from Milodon is a lot less hassle than trying an old factory 302 pan, the oil contamination is impossible to get completely out of the metal and it wrecks the weld.

To be honest the kits are worth the cash if you count your labor time as money, but anything is possible with ingenuity. BTW the stock rear ends won't handle drag racing. The only thing close enough to fit is the early 70's 302 Maverick 8" axle housings and they are still too wide...but they come with spring perches and are beefy enough for about 500HP rebuilt with a good set of gears and new bearings. New axle shafts will be required anyway so get some custom Strange ones made to fit the housing when its shortened.

Don't shortchange yourself on the rear axle and driveshaft by trying to go cheap here, the short wheelbase of the truck loads it heavily at launch and the stock stuff is junk.

 

[68-poncho]

that picture of the caddy engine reminds me of hot rod mag the bad sead wiyh that chevette. also another site to check would be ford truck .com (ford truck enthusasts) and check their ranger forums.

 

[wlabrum]

thats where the idea sorta came from
it did have a 350 in it but wasnt fast enough so i got a 472 out of junkyard set it in the bay and there was no room for rad

we started to cut the fire wall to set motor back a little bit.

by the time we cut a whole big enough to slide it back there wasnt much firewall left we decided if we were going to move it back lets MOVE it back
18 inches back 9 inches down

talk about weight transfer
went thru 3 sets of stock axles before i sold it

but thats whats hot roddins about aint it?

 

[wlabrum]

hey chuck

im glad to see that im not he only one who likes wankles

as my rx buddy sez***real engines don't have pistons***

found a set of james duff full length headers fo 75 bucks brand new so i bought them

after talking to jim himself ,he told me his headers were made for the 4x4 and i would have to remove the steering rag joint and install a trunion in its place
no biggy

he also said the double sump pan of the donner crown vic will work
so i runn that for now

and the beat goes on