3.8 Engine swap
Hotshot
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 12,679
Likes: 15
From: BC, Canada
Hi and welcome to the forum 
Rangers never came with 3.8's in them so it wont be a direct bolt in but I dont think it would be all that hard to do if you had a RWD transmission from a 3.8 in a Mustang or whatever as well as the wiring harness, PCM etc.
Rangers never came with 3.8's in them so it wont be a direct bolt in but I dont think it would be all that hard to do if you had a RWD transmission from a 3.8 in a Mustang or whatever as well as the wiring harness, PCM etc.
Junior User
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 91
Likes: 0
From: Fort Wayne
I have considered this swap before.. I would love to have the torque of the 3.8 in my ranger. The biggest problem would be clearance on the passenger side to the evaporator box. The 3.8 is a 90 deg V and has the same deck height as a 351!!! Major surgery to the box. May even lose a/c all together. The mustang 3.8 and the windstar 3.8 are a different block. The mustang 3.8 has the 5.0 bellhousing pattern and the windstar has the 3.0 bell pattern. Another major hurdle may be the flexplate/flywheel. The windstar never came with a stick, so you will prob not find a flywheel to fit, would prob have to run the auto and I would not hold my breath to the a4ld holding up to the torque of the 3.8 very long. It would prob be alot more feasible to use a mustang 3.8 and tranny than a windstar 3.8....
