got a friend thats got a bronco 2 i believe its a '88 hes got a v6 2.9L in it and he said his friends got a 351 for him and wants me to swap the engine for him. im not sure if its gonna work cause the bellhousing is different from the v6 to v8 and same with the motor mounts too, but im not quite sure. anyone know how to go about doing this if it will work and wont. and if it wont what am i al gonna need cause im sure if i tell him it wont work he will want me to do what it takes to get it to work lol thanks.

 

Even if the transmission would bolt up to the 351, it would not hold up to the torque the 351 puts out. People have put V8's in these, but they swap the entire drivetrain in (engine, transmission, etc.)

 

Go to the James Duff website. There is a page on V-8 conversions. Same on The Ranger Station's site. You will need a different transmission, and if the 351 is EFI, you will need the engine harness and computer and all the sensors. One drawback on a 351W swap - I am guessing it's a 351W and not a 351M or 351C - is the extra deck height adding to the height of the valve covers in relation to the heater/ac box and firewall - which will probably require a 3" body lift and possibly more modifications (i.e. firewall / ac/heater box mods, etc.) for clearance. Swapping in a carb'ed engine will require all sorts of fuel system mods as EFI is higher-pressure, etc. Google "Bronco II V8 swap" and click until you're heart's content

 

sorry thought i said it its a 351C. that going to make a differance? and im not sure if its EFI or not would it matter on that also i take it if its not EFI i wont need the engine harness and comp nd sensors?

 

> i said it its a 351C

Pretty much no support for that swap at all.

 

I think the best v8 conversion the bronco 2 would be a 302. I've seen adaptar kits for this conversation. I checked into it when I had my 88 ranger.

 

Check out Ranger Station.com The technical forums will help maybe...

 

A 351C was never an EFI motor, nor was the 351M. IIRC, the 351C uses the small-block Ford bellhousing pattern, but the dimensions of the block itself will make this a difficult swap to do. I don't know of anyone who makes a bolt-on EFI kit, but a possibility is using a throttle-body or 'centralized' fuel injection system on it. Would be easier to do a 302 EFI swap. Depending on where you are at, it might be difficult to 'legally' switch from EFI to carburetor because of emissions laws, etc. Usually, the rule of thumb is that you swap for a similar year or newer engine fully equipped with all it's engine management, etc. and whatever it needs to go with it so it will run and drive safely.

 

Heres just a lil bit of a write up on it. I thought it might help you. These guys here at FTE are a good bunch of guys but Like I say.... Ranger Station.Com Have articles like this about what your asking. Its true of what Kernel is saying about the 5.0L but the techni9cal libary there may help ya.


Engine's 302 - 351W - 4.6L:

It is recommended that you use the 5.0 (302) V-8 for your conversion. It is possible to install the 5.8 (351W) especially with a body lift, but the 5.8 is taller and a little wider than a 5.0 (302). If using a 351W you will have clearance problems with the heater box. There is also a potential clearance problems with the 351W exhaust manifold and steering linkage. You can choose between the fuel injected and carbureted engines. The 302 is only about one hundred pounds heavier than the four cylinder engines installed in Rangers from the factory. This is important because as engine weight is increased, the ride height lowers in the front and this produces extreme negative camber at the front wheels.

Some people have asked about using 4.6L V-8's. The 4.6L is much wider and taller than a 302 or 351W. See the chart below for width comparisons.



Engine


Length


Height


Width

302


27-1/2 Inches


20-3/4 Inches


18-3/4 Inches

351W


27-1/2 Inches


23-3/4 Inches


21 Inches

4.6L SOHC


28 Inches


26 Inches


28-5/8 Inches

4.6L DOHC


28 Inches


29-7/8 Inches


30 Inches

351C - 429 - 460 Engines:

The 429 and 460 can be installed in a Ranger, although this is not a very practical swap. The big blocks length complicates installation and makes clearance in certain areas very tight. The stock Ranger/Bronco II chassis isn't capable of handling the torque of the large displacement motor and this adds to problems. We don't recommend the big block installation for any but the most serious race applications and never in a four-wheel drive.

For more information go to MRE Products

Hope it helps your decision a bit more..

 

On the other hand you could give me a 460 and incorperate it into my 2wd lol

 

Darn, and just when I was thinking of tracking down my old 351C-2V for a possible project

I didn't ask what ever became of any of the old trucks - especially my '73 F-100 I had sold to a friend, which happened to have the 351C swapped into it from my '67 F-100 and previously came out of a '73 Torino GT and put in the '67 when the original 352-FE blew up. I'm still curious and will probably track some info down... maybe I can add to my herd of vehicles - there's a '65 F-series with a 390 in it I'd love to have

On a serious note, yeah, I kinda figured a 351C, 351M, 400M, 429, or 460 would be ludicrously impossible to consider... unless you were doing a seriously built racer or mud bog runner.

 

yep he decided to do a 302 swap in. thanks for your help guys