I’m doing a v8 swap with my ranger, will I be able to just swap over pretty much all of the front end stuff to be able to have awd in my 2wd ranger?

 

Welcome to the forum

No, the Ranger, or Explorer, 4WD/AWD front frames are different than 2WD frames
4WD wasn't an "option", a vehicle has a 2WD frame or a 4WD frame to start with so not a "bolt on" option on assembly line

You can re-enforce the 2WD frame by boxing the front frame and then welding on the front axle mounts, need to be exact for the front axle mounts to get 4 wheel alignment, but certainly can be done, and has been done

Year matters as well as far as the front suspension on the Ranger you have

Ranger front suspension seen here: https://www.therangerstation.com/tec...spension.shtml

Best bet is to hit wrecking yards to get measurements and pics of a 4WD Ranger frame so you know what needs to be done, and if the Explorer front axle parts will work
I think the Explorer front axle is about an inch wider on each side, not a big deal just that tires stick out a little farther than rear, it will look like a Chevy 4WD, lol

 

Roger that, sounds like it’s a bit more work than I anticipated but certainly sounds doable if I can dust my welder off and get it working. Would be worth it in the end though to have a 4wd 5.0 truck though, especially come next winter time.

 

Might have a look around for a 1998-2000 Ranger/B-series 4x4 with blown engine and/or transmission, those 3 years are the easier to V8 swap
But any year up to 2003 will work
In 2004 Rangers went digital so extra layers of electrical work

 

I’d say it would a whole lot easier to just start with a 4wd ranger of the same year especially if it was a 4.0 so I wouldn’t have to mess with the rear axle but the ranger I currently have is so crystal clean that I feel like it’s worth it to go through the process with. Plus it already has a whole lot of new parts as far as suspension goes, so that part of the battle is won already. Only drawback is that it’s a single cab and it’d be nice to have the extra space with an extended.