5.0 in Bronco or Ranger...???

[ceballos]

Let me know what you guys think. I've been thinking about it, some people say it's a good idea, others say it doesn't work. I don't really know a lot about engines and rebuilding, so I decided to ask the experts....

I have a 1986 Lincoln Mark VII.. It has a Ford 5.0 on it which if I'm not mistaken, is a 302. I really don't know what transmission it has, but I know it used to run real well. It's been sitting for a while, but I think it's time to scrap the car and use the engine for something. I would really like to put it in a Bronco, or we have a 1999 Ranger that I think would be a cool project. Some people said it can't be done because it's a car engine, and wouldn't last to be cruising around the desert... Could you guys help me out? Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance

Cesar

[ceballos]

no advice/suggestions???

[DSRacing]

Do a search, this topic has been covered many times in the past.

I depends on whether or not you choose to listen to what "some people" have to say. The conversion can be done and is fairy simple, but your choice of a donor engine isn't the best performance wise. I would look for an engine from a 92-93 Mustang or a 96 and newer Explorer.

If you plan on using this off-road or as a prerunner, build your own motor mounts.

[Ocotillo Explorer]

A 5.0 in a Bronco is not that great. Depending on your suspension, you will eventually need much more horsepower. A 5.0 in a ranger would do realy well. I know some of the lincoln 5.0's are a alluminum block, which are awesome. You have to check if it is alluminum. If it is carburated, you will need to put a offroad carburater on. The factory one will only cut out over the rough stuff.

[ceballos]

I think I'm leaning more towards putting the 5.0 in a Ranger. I believe it is aluminum... However, can anyone add any truth to the word that this engine from a Lincoln, will not work for a truck??? Something about the oil pan, and that it wouldn't hold up in a truck for playing around the desert.....?????

[DSRacing]

Ford never installed an aluminum block 5.0L in any of it's cars. They were all cast iron. Aluminum heads possibly, but not the blocks. Aluminum blocks are used in the modular 4.6 and 5.4L engines. Get a magnet and stick it to block, you'll see.

As far as the oil pan, In the older Rangers, you would have to switch to a rear sump or "double hump" oil pan from a early 90's mustang to clear the front crossmember and I-beams. It the newer A-arm Rangers, the front sump may interfere with the steering linkage.

I used a 7qt Canton low profile road race pan on my engine when I did my swap and it cleared everything just fine.

[ceballos]

what do you guys think about putting it into an Explorer Sport Trac???

By the way, how much would something like this cost? And can anyone recommend someone to do the job in the greater San Diego area, or even LA....?

[DSRacing]

If you plan on keeping the Sport Trac street legal in Ca. then your only option would be to find a 5.0L from a 2001 Explorer. You will be hard pressed to find a company or business to do the conversion mainly because it's simply not cost effective for them to do. I checked out a few places a few years ago. They had either stopped doing it because of the poor profit margin or they wanted to charge an insanely large amount ($10,000) with no guarantee it would pass the Cal. referee. It was simply cheaper to do it myself.

[dope15gd]

these guys would probably have more info specific to that engine: http://forums.tccoa.com/

its a forum for the mark VII and similar stuff. It'd prob do best in the exploder

[ceballos]

so i've been talking to a lot of fab shops and mechanics... and it's kinda sad to hear that this 302 won't do me any good for any project.... so to finally conclude this dilema, is the 302 good for anything?

[mgobaja]

I know of a shop that did a few 5.- conversions to Rangers. Spirit Racing in El Cajon. PM me for the number if you are interested. Not going to be cheap, but as with most things you get what you pay for.

[cameron1461]

the 302 is a good motor i guess. i put one in my ranger, which is on the heavier side, and i didnt have enough power, i had to do a cam and head work, and some minor stuff, like gears and a high stall torque converter to get it to pull. alot depends on which 302 you chose. if i were to do it again i would have done a 351 w, or just stuck a 350 in it. but on the other hand i have seen some 5.0 motors that haul ass, but they always seem to have problems. like vance, and torian. if u do it i would definatly go with fuel injection. those are my thoughts. if you are gonna do it or want to talk to a very knowlagable person who has experiance with the swap, call my friend jesse barnes from barnes fabrication, he is in san marcos, and he helped me out alot. his number is (760)-533-9669. he will take the time and answer all your questions.

[jposey66]

I have a 5.0L, with an AOD tranny(same tranny as is in your donor car), in my 4runner and I love it. Only mods are that the factory E7 heads are ported a bit. Mine came out of a Mustang GT, but the only difference should be the cam and maybe the heads. Not sure what heads yours came with. If it doesn't have the better E7TE heads, they can be bought for $100-200/pair. They were designed for trucks but Ford figured out how good they were and ended up putting them on all 5.0 Mustangs from 87 through 95, which was the last year for 5.0 Mustangs. I would say that, as long as yours is not an HO engine, the cam in yours is probably a better choice than a GT cam, as it is more of a low end cam, and will be better for dragging around a heavy vehicle. If yours is an HO, then it is the same as a GT. Biggest mistake a lot of folks make, when using a stock engine, is putting too much cam in it and it up having to put a lot of R&P gearing in it to get it rolling.

I am also running the same fuel injection system as is found in your donor car. It is a speed density system and should be really easy to move over.

Posey

[gcddarren]

First off Neather.

the 5.0 was so hard for us to get running good. now it does its ok. chevy LS motor is better in my opinion. our mistakes.... first off. the stock heads will not hold up for offroad. you will blow headgaskets...the next mistake is ours came from a lincoln also. we used a ford racing wiring harness and left the licoln brain in it. it runs, just not very good....had a high pressure fuel pump and it and it was running to rich. if you do that you need to regulate the fuel pressure.

GOOD LUCK. a good dyno tune helped us a LOT... powertraindynamics in huntington

[ceballos]

thanks for the help guys... like i mentioned before, everybody is kind of steering me away from the 302 in a ranger/bronco.... However, I don't have a lot of money you know, so i'm still kind of looking to see if it's good in anything... small buggy type of thing... so now, i'm wondering if it's a good fit to build a baja bug? what do you guys think?

PS... sorry for all the questions, just trying to learn and make something work

[DSRacing]

A 302/VW bug combo sounds like more work than it's worth. Just the weight of the engine alone would be a big negative, let alone trying to piece together the drivetrain.

[ceballos]

ah F it... i'm just gonna junk the car... looks like there's nothing i can do with it.. thanks