Thanks my friend. Chevy did make some killer engines back in the day now adays I'm not so sure. it use to be the engine would out last the body. Now it's the opposite. The S10 with this engine was a super fun truck. I had 2 myself. They would flat out scream. GM royally screwed up when they got rid of it IMO.That dude just doesn't get it. For example a stroker kit for a chevy is really dirt cheap. But you go to get one for a ford engine it will indeed cost you anywhere from $100.00 to $1,000 bucks more. And forget about the Chrysler engines. They're nice engines yes, but I don't have $25,000 bucks for a 440 wedge or $10,000 for a stroker kit and you won't find those in a salvage yard on a frequent basis either. I tried recently to get a new engine for mom's 2002 Dodge Neon and found only one place that I feel would do that engine justice: www.indyheads.com . They want $7,000+ bucks and they also have a core charge of $700.00 bucks on top of that to boot. If I'm going to spend that kind of money on a Neon the thing would be built from the ground up.

 

chevy has good engines but in my opinion if you got a chevy engine put it in a chevy.

if some one takes a 302 and puts it in a camaro i'll booo them too. so like i said
Chevy goes in Chevy
Ford goes in Ford
Dodge goes in Dodge
but thats my opinion

 

I think you are forgetting about the Gen III small block. Arguably the best American V8 ever made, Lots of HP and torque for its displacement. Simple, easy to mod, and above all else reliable. The only thing I like about new GM's is their Drivetrains. Ford has the reliability issues that mostly come from their over complicated OHC engines. Lots of moving parts, which I would be ok with if it did anything better than GM's Gen III small block, problem is they don't. They get worse gas mileage, have worse performance, are expensive to upgrade, have half the aftermarket support, and are plagues with valvetrain problems. I lean towards Ford in spite of their engines, not because of them. If all their cars looked like melted bars of soap like GM, I wouldn't like the Current offerings from Ford at all.

 

Like I said only the one angle. But that's your opinion. I'll do what want when I get the funds to do so. Right now every major manufacturer is looking to see what ideas they can get that doesn't cost alot of money and can use what they have availible. Tonight I seen something that I thought I'd never see especially around here. A brand new Mustang GT convertible setting on the SHOWROOM FLOOR of a GM dealer. And on the showroom floor at my local Ford dealer, mitsubishi eclipse gt brand spanking new. And 3 brand new rangers I looked at are now considered imports to me after reading the sticker placed on the driverside window. The body and frame the US and Canada. The engine is from Germany, and the transmission is from Japan. I'll post the proof tomorrow evening. It seems that 2004 and older were the last ones completely made here in the US before our economy started going down hill.

 

that's why i drive an 87 Ranger
it's the newest vehicle i have ever owned.
just to give everybody a quick list
65 mustang, 68 ranchero, 74 charger, and 78 f-350 are my past cars. i buy USA. and no i'm not that old... i'm only 30

nothing is wrong with an import but if i buy a ford i would like it to be built in the USA. but if i do buy a newer car i'll have to buy a import... because alot of them are built in the USA now. funny isn't it.

 

That was the point I was getting at. 2004 was the last year that the Ranger was built COMPLETELY here in the USA. Plus I have to get what my budget will allow me to. it's not like I have a choice. I just can't go to any dealer or online and order what I would truly want. My money situation states otherwise. And in defense of the imports (Just to be fair of course) they can make a 1/2 way decent car at alot cheaper price that can be made here in the states. You really need to get with the program and wake up a bit. hardly nothing is made in the USA anymore because we can't compete with China, Taiwan and these other asian countries due to the ultra cheap labor and an abundunce of raw materials. We simply just don't have the materials needed. About the only thing I can think of that is made alot here in the states is FIBERGLASS. and even then it wouldn't surprise at all to find that the body panels or kit cars handlaid fiberglass panels were made with materials from another country.

 

I turn 35 this July. And this was my first new vehicle ever. I've owned nothing but used since I started driving which was a long time ago (that doesn't count the number of years I drove illegally before I got my liscense). I have put right at 90,000 miles on this truck. And it seems everyone keeps pointing me to either a 5.0 and the salvage yard just doesn't want to give up that 351 Windsor and some have even suggested a 5.9 Cummins. I drove 18 wheelers for 9 years and I am a little bit sick of diesel engines. I just want to do something different that hasn't been done before or very few times. I got this Ranger Brand spanking new and have enjoyed the hell out of it.

 

My 2004 Ranger had parts from Canada in it...just fyi. The Ranger probably hasnt been totally USA in the last decade

 

i'd say your right. I just forgot about Canada. They do so much business with US based companies that we tend to forget that they are indeed a different country. It probably goes way back further than the last decade for all we know.

 

If YOU bother to do your research, you will find out that you are a dumb bastard. The heads are not wider, the same heads that bolt up to a 351 will bolt up to a 302. They do NOT use the same intakes. 351 will NOT fit just like a 302 due to the fact that the deck height on a 302 is 8.2 inches, on a 351 is 9.5 inches. The block is taller and wider due to this.


That being said, the chev 350 is a great idea although you might have probs with the dizzy if you ever have to change the cam/dizzy. You might want something with a dizzy in the front. A 302 stroked to a 347 will do wonder in that truck. Put a gun onit, and you are in business. If you want inches, go with a 351W stroked to a 408w with two guns on it. It will outrun big blocks on juice.

 

Knightmare, let me know how you make out with the 350 and what fitment issues you have with it. I am dying to do one to **** off the purists.

My boy is doing a 87 Camaro Irocz with a ford 302 in it just to mess with the chevy boys.

 

My 53 F100 is getting a 383 stroker.

 

You have a f100. I wanted a f100 for 10 years. I hate you damn guts...

 

No problem there. I found a kit for an S10 that includes the strangest oil pan I've ever seen (the damn thing is shaped like an L). It's suppose to gain at least 4 inches of clearance. Well we will see.

I aint using the giggle juice. I don't know what that guy is smoking but it sure is potent. The only things a 302 can use from the 351 is the firing order and the cylinder heads and Ford done that at the factory with the "H.O.". the result was 228 Hp 301 ft.Lbs of torque (Rough estimate). Out of 13 local and nearby salvage yards I found 2 5.0's and 1 351 Windsor (5.8 liter). Other than those and a couple of Chrysler V6 engines the 350 SBC is just about all that I did find.

 

just put a 514 in it
lol

 

The best part about this engine is there's so many friggin choices as far as the heads, Rods, Pistons goes that it's not funny. And god only knows how many camshaft choices there are. Comp Cams has about 25+ pages of cams and valvetrain options for this motor. Hell there's even a couple of guys that can give you "Big Block power" in a small block package and still run on pump gas to boot.This has got to be one of GM's most popular engines of all time bar none.

 

It's not mean enough for me LoL. But if you want to see a big block in a ranger then check this out: www.BigBlockRanger.com . You'll also find a link on that page to where you can here it running.

 

That's an understatement. I'd say it's the WORLDS most popular engine.

 

Yep. That's one of the reasons why I'm looking awful hard at that motor. GM made so many of them that if you can't find one or get parts for it you're just not looking or even trying to look in my book. The best part is that you have so many options and availible parts that choosing a part can be a tough choice. But it's all good though.

 

Ok here is my ranger still have a lot to do and more pic's to take:
Jason's 97 Ranger build Photo Album - MySpace Photos

 

really? overdone? That depends on the install. I can buy a kit to put a 5.0 in my ranger, but there is no kit to put a 5.7 in it. So a little common sense would say that a 5.0 is more overdone than a 5.7. Yes the 5.7 is the international hot rod motor of choice, but that is for a reason. Tried, Tested and True. The install can make a difference. I see the guys that talk smack about my SBC ranger , but a lot of these guys run old carb crap. I wanted a simple driver.

 

Whatever site you go to... check this guy out.

Fordmike strikes again

"WOW you sir are an innovator putting a S hitrolet into something other then a S hitrolet. You just might be on to something there and I am sure that no one ever thought of doing this swap."

Spoken like a true hero who bought a kit from a catalog to build his truck.

Now that is custom!!!!

Good job mike

to bad I had to hand make parts for my SBC swap.

 

There is not anything on my Ranger that is from a kit. The motor mounts are custom and stock from and older Ford and my trans mount is a stock Ranger mount. The headers are from an older Ford and the computer is a stock 89 Mustang one. The wiring harness is all custom made by me to make it work with the stock Ranger relay box and stock Ranger fuse panel. No one has any info on putting a 4R70W electronic trans in a Ranger as I had to figure that all that out to. You (Red 86) are a total TOOL and have no idea on what I have or built or ever done. If you want to spew a bunch of shi t out your mouth you better have some facts to back it up or be prepaired to have facts and many insults thrown back at you.

 

The 5 speed ranger has ALWAYS had a japanese tranny - either Mazda or Mitsubishi. The V6 (except for the 3.0) engine has always been German - It is the Ford Cologne - the 2.8, 2.9 and 4 liter. Only the 3.0 is not based on the german block - and from 2001on up the "Duratec" 2.5 is a mazda.

 

how would I got about trying to find a good transmission to put with this if I were to try and put a 355ci small block in my soon to be ranger in the future as I am trying to budget it and i want to get something that yes I can upgrade even just a little but to be able to either race people on the Highway or have a little fun and this truck would be a kind of daily driver in my eyes as I would use it to go medium distances like 30-40 miles ever once in a while, I’m also trying to find a pro street transmission I think would do enough for me.