well i have a 1988 ford ranger 4x4 5spd trans, and a 2.9 V6, and well my motor is pretty much shot. I've decided its time to sawp a new motor in but i cant decide if i want to do a 4.0 swap or 5.0 swap, either way i know my tranny has to go as it wont hold up to either one. Baically, i just wanna know everyones opinion on which would be the better route to go.

 

well in my opinion if you are going to do a motor swap, a 5.0 would be quite a bit of power for your drivetrain and most of the rangers around today. you'd wanna put new axle's and driveshafts, with a more sturdy tranny, if your willing to do that then it would be better than a 4.0. but if you do a 4.0 it would not be as bad on the drivetrain, but regardless your gonna have to swap the mounts. in my opinion, if your using it as a daily driver, do a 3.0 swap. very reliable motor, and it should line up with no problem and no real power difference so you dont break anything. follow it up with a t5 tranny and you got urself a good reliable motor good enough for another 300k.

 

LS swap, go big or go home. Or the 8.0 liter :D.