it's walt... justwalt

[justwalt]

hello people,

just joining the fun, from northeast PA... cuz the wife bought me an old ranger at an auction... used to have
an '85 5.0L 4x4 ranger... now I've got an '87 supercab that desperately needs a major conversion.

this looks like a great site, and I hope to make some new friends.

so that's where I'll be, in engine conversions... then trans/t-case and rears.

P.S. don't tell the wife!

[Mark_88]

Welcome Walt...what kind of conversion are you looking at...plenty of good info in the engines forum...and some swap/builds that might help you find what you need to complete yours...

[4.0B2]

welcome from north missippi!
hope you enjoy your stay... watch out for some of the guys... and if you value your time, don't start reading any of gwaii's threads till you have plenty of free time... trust me.

[justwalt]

sorry for not getting right back... but I just got the '94 explorer rears, so I'm starting there.

the 2.9 is tired, and I haven't done any checks on it yet... I wanted to swap in a 4.9L inline
six, but I might stick with the current motor... and do whatever mods I can. I can get a set
of used heads and the intake from another 2.9, check them and do the work on them ahead of time.

the T-case should be ok... after rebuilding it, and the 5 speed might go... for something a bit
better... if I go auto, a C5, if I can find the torque converter, or a C4.

thanks

[4.0B2]

why not get the drivetrain from that 94 explorer?

[justwalt]

well... I suppose I could. the rest of the explorer is available. I didn't want to get into
too much electronics... (it's an auto too), I want to keep it simple.

[4.0B2]

then just get the 4.0, wiring, and computer.
then use your 5 speed for now till you can find the stronger md05 manual trans.

bang for buck-- the 4.0 swap gets you more power than any add-ons for the 2.9. been there, done that, wasted a lot of money. however, the 2.9 is a great motor as long as you don't expect to much from it. lol. do some reading around on here... you'll find a lot of topics on here about the 4.0 swap or building up the 2.9... do your research, make an informed decision that you will be happy with. it doesn't matter if you please us or not! lol... its your truck.

[justwalt]

I've got a lot of projects going on now, and the truck is on the slow burner. I'll get the
parts first... check them, fix if necessary, clean and paint them. took the bed off yesterday,
and the cab comes off next week... the frame is great, but all the spring bracket gotta be replaced,
rear shock mounts, move a cross member, new straps for the gas tank and bash plate brackets, brake lines...

I'm going to do a body lift, and add some new outriggers to mount a real rollcage...
either in the bed or inside the extended cab area, solid nerfs and I-beam bumpers.

I also have my wife to deal with... I tear apart almost everything and rebuild it better...
she sometimes has a problem with that, since right now I've got my VTX apart, a boat
project, a vintage lawn tractor... in peaces at various stages of rebuild.

if I change the motor, I'd rather go with the 4.9 inline, or a 302... I've done the 302 before
with a C5,15 years ago. I'm older now, and don't need the horsepower that I used to need in my youth.

I have to stick with this 2.9 for the time being... I can get the better heads and another intake
for cheap. I'll do the porting and valve train mods and then swap them before the cab goes back on.

and I''m doing 99% of this by myself, so, I have to get it done before winter. If I put any other motor in it,
it'll have to be fully rebuilt first. same goes for the trans... and I have to rebuild this T-case already.

and all of this work is being done at a friend's garage... in trade for rebuilding his 1972 David Brown 990 tractor. just set the motor back in that tonight... new crank, rods, pistons, valves, and rebuilt injectors.

got a lot on my plate... the motor will have to wait.

thanks