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how hard is it to swap from a 2.8 to a 2.9 as far as the wiring and stuff goes?

gonna need the whole 2.9 harness,from the gas tank to the engine

is there that much wiring involved in swaping anything else in ther?

Most anything that you put in the 85 will need the wiring harness and the ECM, plus the fuel system that will match it together.
The exception to that, would be a pre electronic 302 with transmission/transfer case if you are 4 wheel drive. The V8 swap will come with it's own problems, and can escalate to putting in Dana 35 front end and an 8.8 rear end. I am sure there will be other issues that will have to be overcome with this swap.
The swap that is popular when you want to keep a V6 is the old 2.9 or a slightly newer 4.0 OHV, in either case, you will need to have the wiring harness and the ECM.
If you can get a 91-94 Explorer complete in running condition, the entire drive train and electrical system can be swapped into a B2, it is a lot of work and takes a considerable amount of time, but the end result is normally very good.
As a side note, these are called RBV's, (Ranger based vehicles), they include Ranger, Bronco II, and Explorer. Tho they may not look the same, most everything will swap from one to the other.

Ray

going with a carbed 302 would be easier

Hey Ranger Dave, I did consider swapping my 84 2.8 wth a 4.0 but from what I have read and heard over the past couple of days that plan has been scrapped!! lol The next question I have is: how about a 3.0 out of a ranger? Would I need to change anything in the dash for that swap? Meaning hardware rather than wiring looms which will obviously have to be swapped over. Would a 3.0 be any hadrer than going to a 2.9?