i have a line on a complete explorer, was rear ended and has a bent frame. will the motor be able to be used in a 87 b2? i know people have used ranger motors, with a few mods, and is it possible to lose the fuel injection computer controlled crap and go back to carbereter old school style? im looking at this like a long block with replacing the intake, distributer etc...
also, i currently have the fm146 manual tranny, which i know wont last on this bigger engine, what manual tranny would bolt up to the exploder tranny and transfer case? dont really care for having the exploder auto tranny.

 

No, on the 4.0 you must maintain the F.I, I know of no carb set ups or manifolds for the 4.0. Lots of 4.0s have been dropped into B2s, The rangerstation has good info, and lots of folks here have done it as well. Just do a search.

 

kinda figured bout the carb... been searching in this site, wondering if its possible to keeb the stock bronco wiring for the guages, and just splice the wiring for the explorer engine. so far everything points to swaping the guages, dash etc.

 

my thing im wondering about is would it be easier to swap a carbureted 302 instead of a fuel injected 4.0 out of an exploder, looking at the wiring scematics to me is like looking at a plate of spagetti, and are there motormounts available if i go the 302 route...

 

In your already FI B2, the 4.0 would be easiest . IT shares the same bolt pat. as the 2.9 so it will mount up to just about any stock B2/Ranger/Exploder trans. The wiring can look intimidating but lots of people have done it and it looks just like fact. when done right. Have put a 302 in a Ranger and it was LOTS more work................But man is it fun!

 

where is the computer brain located that everyone says needs to be swapped out, and how does one swap the wires, trace each one to the component, or swap by the pin numbers? (say b-2 ignition is pin 20, red and explorer is pin 45 blue. just swap pin 20 for pin 45?)

 

and would my fm146 5 speed manual im running now work or do i need to upgrade??

 

The computer(s) on both are located behind the passenger side kick panel in the front of the cab, under the dash. You do NOT need to swap gauges for this swap, the only things you should be concerned with is the engine wiring harness and ECU, transmission and t-case, driveshafts, axles, etc. Is the Explorer a 4x4 and is your BII a 4x4? If the axles in the Explorer aren't damaged (or any other part of the drivetrain), you have a complete donor vehicle with a host of parts at your disposal to do an engine swap and drivetrain upgrade. I have seen different write-ups and you will have to address the motor mount issue with the 4.0 swap (I think you have to either re-use all the 2.9 mounts or all the 4.0 mounts?). There are places that offer motor mounts and other parts for a V-8 swap, but swapping in a 302 is not cost-effective in the long run, IMO. Then again, I'm not inclined to do a 4.0 swap yet on a BII or older Ranger. Why inherit an engine with more power if the heads are just as prone to cracking on the 4.0 (I have yet to see if there is a particular casting # where this was not a possible issue) as the 86TM casting 2.9 heads.... but I guess whatever floats your boat. Not saying that I won't ever do this swap, but I am aware of possible issues that could come up and would definitely prepare for them if and when I did this swap.

 

Use your FM-146, just do not lay rubber with the 4.0 or power shift at 5k through all the gears or tow 3K in 5th gear at 65 mph.

As for the dash, as long as you used the steering column from the Explorer you could swap it in if you really wanted to, I think it would fit. But, I tell you, imho the <=1988 and under dash in the B2 is superior to the 1990-1995 Explorer/Ranger dash.

No reason to touch the dash in the B2 for doing the 4.0L swap. For the minor things like the check engine light and such, I would do the splice behind the glove box, not behind the gauges.

You want to take the whole harness out of the Explorer and swap it into the B2. If you value your sanity, I suggest removing the whole dash and front seats in the B2.