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Project Long Haul


Beej

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My credo
"When you need it, and don't have it, you sing a whole 'nother tune." -Burt Gummer
I'm new to the Ranger scene, but I'm never short on fun ideas.

Simply put, Project Long Haul is this:

Gen 2 or 3 Ranger Supercab 4x4 with a turbo-diesel engine (probably a 4D55), manual everything from the tranny to the hubs, a 17-gallon midship tank, a 13-gallon rear tank, and a 20-gallon cell in the bed.

Primary purpose will be cross-country hauls my family is well known for doing with a side order of making drives about fifty miles down Malaquite Beach on Padre Island, TX. (No, I am not taking it out into the dunes, just want to get to where the next nearest campers are about a mile away.)

Part of why I am going for this particular setup is that I have heard of others doing similar builds (without the extra fuel tanks) and claiming that they never got anything less than 30mpg... IN THE CITY! :icon_surprised:

So, by my conservative estimates, a setup like this would have, at the bare minimum, a range of about 1,500 miles (fifty gallons of diesel at 30mpg... yeah. :headbang: )

For the most part, I think it's doable.

For one thing, I've never heard of people having too much trouble converting an existing fuel system to diesel so long as it was already an EFI system.

The tentative plan is to find a 4x4 Supercab Ranger. If I can find one that already has dual-tanks, then that'd be great, but I can work around it if not.

If I can't find a dual-tank model, then I'll have to rig it myself. While nobody seems to make aftermarket tanks for Gen 2 or 3 Rangers (And WTF is up with that!? :annoyed: ) I have noticed that the rear 13-gallon tanks do seem to be relatively easy to find in used-part places.

Fortunately, the six-way valves do seem to be readily available after-market, which is great because these seem to be the most critical parts of the dual-tank system.

The only real trouble I'd have would be installing the second tank in place of where the spare tire goes. This would certainly require a small amount of fabrication and welding, as the spare tire mount and the bracket it is attached to will have to come out, and a pair of cross members put in to support the tank.

Really, I think the part I'll have the most problems with is going to be installing the 4D55. While I've heard that it is a direct bolt-in, that doesn't go for the wiring and other fiddly bits like coolant hoses and vacuum system.

So far, I'm only in the information gathering stage, and there is a lot I would like to find out about. Here is a short list:

  • Is there a specific radiator to go with this engine or not?
  • Should I use the R2 version of the MO5D?
  • What modifications will I need to make to the exhaust system?
  • Will the original sending-units work fine or do I need ones specifically for diesel systems?
  • Are there any technical manuals that can help me with wiring up the engine?

If anyone has any input, I would greatly appreciate it. I've already decided that I want to do this, but it's going to take time, money, and a garage. None of which I have right now, but that will certainly change in the future.
 


turbo91xlt

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While nobody seems to make aftermarket tanks for Gen 2 or 3 Rangers (And WTF is up with that!? :annoyed: ) I have noticed that the rear 13-gallon tanks do seem to be relatively easy to find in used-part places.
2nd gen & newer trucks have plastic tanks which don't rust out like 1st gen trucks hence the reason why they only repro the 1st gen ones.

PS this is more of a project topic then discussing rare RBVs one.
 

adsm08

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While I've heard that it is a direct bolt-in, that doesn't go for the wiring and other fiddly bits like coolant hoses and vacuum system.
Hehe, that's cute. You think a diesel has a vacuum system.

If you are using a gen 2 or 3 make sure you get an engine with a vacuum pump, or get an electric one. The HVAC system on those does run on vacuum.
 

85_Ranger4x4

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2nd gen & newer trucks have plastic tanks which don't rust out like 1st gen trucks hence the reason why they only repro the 1st gen ones.

PS this is more of a project topic then discussing rare RBVs one.
I don't think they repro the rear tank though...

It takes a lot of work but I know people have gotten the BII tank (23 gal) to fit in the rear.
 

AllanD

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The sad reality of small diesel engines is they never get fuel mileage as good as you expect, because they are usually too small to move the truck adequately, so the driver is forced to drive it floored the vast majority of the time...

I had this issue with both my Diesels, the 2.4liter
Toyota as well as the 2.5liter Nissan.

Even driven carefully the best I ever got with either was 22-23Mpg, while on the other hand I could repeatably get 26mpg with my 4.10 geared 2.9 V6 Ranger.

Hell I've gotten 22mpg with my 4.0 in the same Ranger with the same 4.10 gears!

This leads me to believe that the test done by general motors in the late 70's with their mid-sized cars (Cutlass, LeMans & Chevelle) with various sized engines determined that the big engine cars with tall gears achieved the best mileage on Highway runs, was an entirely valid test.

I don't think they repro the rear tank though...

It takes a lot of work but I know people have gotten the BII tank (23 gal) to fit in the rear.
The Bronco2 tank can easily be made to fit in a long-bed Ranger, but in a short-bed or supercab it isn't going to happen short of converting your rear suspension to outboard shocks. (plus more body lift than most people are prepared to deal with)


I had a Bronco2 tank the cross-members and a loose super-cab frame sitting on jack-stands and after more than a year of
study I could not figure an acceptable way to do it.

The problem isn't only the shape of the tank and shock mount interference, but the location of the filler neck relative to the bed mounts.

What I eventually did do was to fabricate my own cross-members and used a tank from Dually rear wheeled F350/450.
This required me to fabricate my own filler neck assembly combining parts from both the (1988-95) F350/450 donor, which was
sadly a diesel, but also the unleaded filler restrictor from am Explorer filler neck.

The F350/450 tank has the massive advantage of being PLASTIC(No RUST!!!) and mounting to skid plate with straps
and the plate mounts to the truck... The pump/gauge assembly is stainless steel...

AD
 
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