well, motor just locked up on me. its an 03 ranger 3.0l flex fuel with 82k miles. broke a valve spring which dropped valve and destroyed valves and piston.

im pulling motor and fully rebuilding it, boring block .030 over, new pistons, rings, valves, porting heads, everything new.

my question is do they make an aftermarket cam that I can put in truck? where can I get one? im wanting it to still be street driven daily driver but I want more power, might as well do it now while rebuilding motor so don't have to mess with it again.

I have jba headers, borla catback exhaust, CAI, weapon-x ignition system. and sct programmer with 89 and 93 tunes.

or should I do a swap? whats a good upgrade swap that's reasonable on price and not complicated like the 5.0 swap? I know I can rebuild stock motor bored and cam for around 2k or so.

 

The 5.0 swap really isn't that complicated, especially now that so many people have documented their swaps online. If it were me, I wouldn't do that big of a build on a 3.0, when you can do a light build on a 5.0 and get the same power.

Also, once you do this 3.0 build, you will most likely have tapped all of its potential. You could do a light 5.0 build now, and still have a ton of power left untapped for future projects if you decide you want more (and I'm sure you will eventually). If you find the right donor vehicle, you can do the swap for as much as you say it'll cost you to build the 3.0, just depends on what mods you want to do.

 

I would just look for a donor vehicle for a swap.. that way you get everything you need.. keys, computer, wiring harness, motor, transmission, etc. And I wouldn't waste my time building a 3.0.. when for about the same cost and trouble you can do a 5.0. Like Justin said that leaves you more room for future upgrades

 

couple questions.....

I am mechanically inclined and a mechanic, so I can do work myself, not a problem there, ive got engine lift and stand and tools, etc....

what years and models should I look for?
other then engine, harness, trans, motor mounts, what else do I need from donor vehicle?
radiator or is ranger radiator good enough?
trans mount?
trans linkages from ranger or donor for the stock auto column?
driveshaft?
ignition?
A/C/heater?
will the 5.0 harness work with the stock gauges or will I need to do some tapping and splicing or will the mustang or other gauge cluster work easier?

anything else I miss?

 

This writeup has been the basis for many 5.0 swaps. It will address all of your questions. You can also search the forum's project logs as well to find more info as needed.

Explorer 5.0 swap in a 98+ Ranger

 

thanks, im going to print it out and read it thru.... ill post there or here if any other questions of mine aren't answered.... im really leaning towards the swap, if I can find one in my area for a decent price that's not high miles.

 

They shouldn't be too hard to find. Just stay on top of places like Craigslist. I lucked up and got a retired one from work dirt cheap. I'm in the process of doing a swap myself, but it's starting to turn into a full truck overhaul haha