Finally I'm doing it!!! My 2000 Ford Ranger explorer 5.0 V-8 build thread with pics!

[Jwad00]

Well guys after all the research I have done over the last few years and then reading so much that I got overwhelmed and just gave up, and also getting out of the lowered Ranger scene and selling my original 2000 back to my dad, I have picked up another 2000 Ranger supercab. This one is a flareside but is the same deep wedgewood blue as my last one so I can just slap my cowl hood on it. I also kept my crystal clear headlights and corners and DJM drop so I am mostly already there with this truck. Just gotta get the motor and trans. Good thing about this truck is it is a 3.0 automatic so it will be much easier to swap in the 4R70W into it and just running the explorer stuff instead of messing with finding a manual transmission and making that work. It also has 4 doors unlike my last 2000, has dark charcoal gray interior which I like much more than the tan that I had. It also has all power options with keyless entry, tilt, cruise, all the options my other 2000 didn't lol. Picked it up for $2,800. Already had to clean the ISH out of it because the people that had it lived down a dirt road and it was a MESS!!! Took an entire day to clean the interior. Well onto the pics!


When I first got it home:

[Jwad00]

Interior cleaned up. Took forever!:

Took off the door panels, took out the seats, hosed everything down and put my Ford Racing floormats in.

[Jwad00]

Axle:

Well with the 5.0 the stock 7.5 open just isn't going to work for me so today ex90ranger and I went to the local U pick it and I snatched up a steal!! This came out of a 2000 I believe explorer 5.0. It is an 8:8 rear end 3:73 L/S and 31 spline axle shafts disc brakes and sway bar. This is a somewhat rare axle though as it not only has the normal things that us ranger guys want so badly but it also has the factory traction bars! And I stole this thing for a whopping $100!!!

[Jwad00]

Sport Trac cluster:

[Falco51]

i like it.

[Jwad00]

New rotors and pads:



Wiper arms repainted gloss black:



Rear sway bar and traction bars painted:



Rotors on the axle:



Cleaned up, and painted calipers



Shortened the antenna and painted black:





More to come!

[Dcrymes99ranger]

Looking good Jason! I've subscribed to this thread.

[wyman00]

Looks good!

[Jwad00]

Thanks guys! Just doing what I can till I can get a motor!!! Lol

[thabreit]

Looks good cant wait to c more pics of the build

[Jwad00]

Explorer rear end 85% complete!:

[2000ranger302]

very nice truck, pretty much the same as my truck from the factory besides auto trans and 3rd door. Can't wait to see this thing done. U doin an auto or a stick? Also what was the reason for upgrading the rear end, was it because you wanted the better rear end, or is it required when putting a 5.0 in the ranger, or is it for the sake of the disc brakes because i'm planning on keeping my stock ranger rear end and i've read that it will hold up. Thanks in advance

[HazardousRanger]

this isnt going to be lowered is it?

looks good btw, cant wait to see the progress

[Jwad00]

Alex, I HIGHLY recommend upgrading to the explorer rear end. So many better things with it. Bigger stronger rear end with 31 spline axle shafts, disc brakes, limited slip, its just much better. The 7.5 rear end is not going to take tons of abuse from the 5.0 it will most likely eventually fail if you romp on it a lot. I broke a 7.5 rear end from the torque of a 3.0 if that tells you anything lol. If you don't beat on it, it will be fine but with a 5.0 you will want to! Lol. So do yourself a favor and upgrade it now.

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Eric, yes it will be lowered 2/3. The explorer axle alone will drop the back 5" since it sits on top of the leaf springs so I am going to be adding some 2" lift shackles to bring it back up a bit, then in the front I will be throwing my 2" DJM coils from my last ranger in there.

[MTman777]

subscribed fo sho... im excited to see the outcome..