Hello fellow ranger owners! I'm new to the forum and I am gearing up to put a 5.3 from a 2005 Avalanche and the truck it's going into is a 2002 3.0 manual supercab. I've done some research and it still seems like the 5.0 is the most popular swap (i have a 87 mustang 5.0 sitting in my shop so that's always an option) and there is not a lot on LS swapped rangers. This isn't my only ranger so I am not worried about it being a daily driver, I am building this truck to be more of a toy. One of my largest concerns is exhaust manifold clearance to the steering shaft, has anyone had experience with this? Any thoughts, opinions and suggestions are much appreciated!

 

Welcome to the forum

The reason the 302/5.0l was a popular Ranger V8 swap is because its only 19" wide, while its a tight fit in a Ranger, it does fit, lol

LS OHV is 24" wide, so that extra 2.5" on each side presents a problem, people have done this swap so just have a look around

LS OHV height is also an issue at 34", 302/5.0l is 21"(explorer intake), but you can do a body lift to get more "head room"

LS OHV dimensions seen here: -Engine Dimensions ? BD Turnkey Engines LLC

Article here on Ranger V8 swaps, 302/5.0l but has other engine dimensions: https://www.therangerstation.com/tec...-ford-rangers/