351 Windsor into a 1984 ranger
 

Alright so first off, this is my first post on this site. This is also my first ranger. I bought it last Saturday for 150 bucks. It was an offer I couldn't turn down, especially for a car I have been obsessed with for the past three months.

So 150 bucks. It doesn't run. No **** right? My friend said I can fit a 351 Windsor in it. So I did some research. I found one on craigslist for 100 bucks. I want to post some pictures, just for somebody to tell me it's a good deal. Also from the pictures if anybody knows what othe parts I'm going to need, if it's in a good enough condition to be rebuilt nicely and smoothly. Unless somebody has a better/cheaper/ more convenient idea for an engine, I'm going to stick with the 351. By the way my ranger is a standard cab 4 cylinder. I'm not sure what size liter though.

So a couple more questions. One being can someone tell me if this engine is fuel injected or carb? On that note, what are the pros an cons of fuel injectetion and carb? Which one would be right for me? If the engine is fuel injected, what needs to be down to switch it to a carb? I think thts it for my questions for now. Right bow I'm just concerned about this specific engine. Later I'll ask questions about what needs to be done for this engine to work. Tranny, driveshaft, rear end, engine mounts, more weight weight on the back somehow so I don't see saw etc.

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welcome to the forums!

no offense, but if seems from your post that this project might be a little more than you can handle. you should get the engine it has running first then go from there.

lets see some pictures of the truck!

Tex is right

IMO you should know your stuff before you attempt something like this and it sounds like you don't know jack...(no offense)
its always easier said than done.

you watched porn before the first time you had sex right?

this is no different.....read up on your stuff before you dive right in.

If the engine that Tex fixed the pics for are yours then it is fuel injected and it looks like a 302 enginge my brother has the same thing in his '88 f-150 the whole front end of the engine is the same setup as my bro's. the intake inlet's and the distributer, plus the water pump and the thermastat are all in the same place, so I am guessing it is a 302. and theirs a little work involved into converting it over to a carb. but like the ohter guy's said read up on some info so you have an idea of what your getting into. good luck.

I understand that this is over my head. No offense taken by the way. I'm not doing any of the work. This is basically just what I WANT to do. And I know that it is complicated. My friend is a mechanic /fabricator/general auto man. Hes the guy I'm going to, to get all this done I'll get the engine rebuilt by a machine shop. And go from there. Due to finances, I'm fine with this truck not running for however long it will take for it to be right. I was just curious. I'm not diving head into anything without somebody by my side. Just so you guys know. None of my questions were addressed by the way. Ha. It's all good. My mechanic buddy knows all about this but he's not picking up his phone. I was curious to see what the ranger forums had to say. Any opinions on the engine though?

Oh. Thanks for fixing my pictures by the way!

here's the reasoning behind waht I said
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and yes this engine will fit in your ranger their will be some others on here to tell you more I don't know what all has to go into changing it over to carburated,

It could be a 351, you really can't tell the difference from a 302 in it's FI truck motor form. To switch to carbed, you just have to strip off all the injection crap, intake, sensors and the like, then put on a carbed intake, a carbed distributor, and you're good to go. This is an over simplification of course.

Search search search!

^^^^:biggthump

Alright. Great. Thanks for the information. I will be researching a lot more. Also is 100 bucks a fair deal for this engine? I want to know before I go buy it.

i wouldn't buy a motor you can't hear run who knows how many miles or if it knocks

i agree

I'm sorry for the stupid questions, but if an engine knocks isn't that something rebuilding it will fix?

If your going to rebuild the motor 100 is a fair price, As long as the motor turns over. Take a wrench and a socket, put it on the harmonic balancer and make sure you can turn the motor over by hand. If you can't the piston may be seized to the cylinder walls and the block is junk.

great thank you. thats all i needed to know for now. It only took 15 posts.

Never knew a piston could seize to a cylinder wall, always thought that the rings seize against the wall. News to me. Even though they are seized, a simple .030 over-bore could fix that. Also, that looks like a truck motor. Before even installing that, i would look in a nice pair of alum heads. Ford stock castings suck even in ported form.

Hey, according to the 3rd picture down (rear view of engine) on Post #2, that engine is a 302. Notice the position of the head gasket (bottom of head) is in relation to where the bellhousing ridges are. On a 351W the block is much taller & wider and is about 1" further. I know, I've had both in my '86 Ranger. FWIW, a lot of stuff is not going to fit from that motor. I'd advise you do a lot more research online & maybe find someone locally who you can talk to personally who has a V8 Ranger so you can see and listen for yourself. By the way, a 302 swap isn't bad but the 351W install adds plenty of additional frustrations (exhaust clearance with the steering gear is just the start).

Thank you so much. I will keep researching. When I get home today I'm going to take some pictures of the truck. I'll upload them later. Thanks a lot guys.

IMO if that motor is a 302, I would pass. If your going to go with a 302 there are better motors to start with.

Hey Viva, what are your plans for the motor HP wise?? If you are keeping it under 500hp then a 302 will do. If you are looking in the 600 or more range, My91Ranger is right. Those 351's have seen 1k+hp on the stock castings. Also a truck 302 is a little more stout than a car 302. Not many people know that there is a difference in the two castings.

I'm not exactly sure about the horsepower. I found another 302 ready to drop in for seven hundred. I'm thinking I'm going to go that way. The ad said that the cams and lifters needed to be broken in. What that mean?

Hypothetically, if I had a crate 302 right now, why would be the first step to making my ranger capable of holding it.

P.s. A thoushand hp is insane. I don't need that. Ha

If the cam and lifters need to broke in, that tells me the motor was assembled with a new cam but never started. Typically on a new hydraulic cam you need to run the motor at 2,000 to 2500 rpms right off start for about 15 minutes in order to "break in" the cam properly. Usually the cam manufacturer provides these instructions.

As far as fitting the 302 into you truck (assuming its carbed so no wiring) you would need a larger radiator, oil filter relocation kit, dual sump oil pan, motor mounts, modified heater box, modified cross member, custom drive shaft. Those are the main things off the top of my head.