Cheap and easy mods to increase HP and performance

[sauceman]

Hi Everyone!
I'm looking for i

deas for some fairly cheap, easy mods for me to do to my 1992 ford ranger XLT. I'm a beginner and I am looking for good starter projects to take on! Any recommendations?

 

[19Walt93]

That's a nice clean looking 92. You'll feel a big difference by changing the gear ratio, easiest way is to swap in a used rear end. You likely have 3.45's or 3,73's, moving to a 4.10 rear would make a noticeable difference. There are cat back exhaust systems that will make a little power difference and improve the sound.

 

[gaz]

sauceman,

Nice looking truck. Since you said performance, you may need to define "cheap".

How many miles are on the 4.0L? If you have over 150,000 miles a valve job ($150 plus parts) as the guides are probable shot with a bunch of undesired gunk under you valves, followed by new adjustable push rods ($150 from Smith Brothers) and hardened rocker arms ($150 from Dynacam) would be money well spent.

Again, I don't know how far you want to go but a quality set of headers into a 2.5" exhaust should make a difference.

On the mostly free side, you can remove that crank driven fan/clutch and install a 16" electric fan. The fan and controller will cost about $100 but you WILL SEE and feel A DIFFERENCE immediately! You will realise an improvement in performance when you go buy gas and see that you are driving farther on a tank. That fan/clutch really ROBS power ..(

You may only realise 1 mpg but I would expect more like 2-3 mpg, especially if you did the valve job/push rods/rockers.

 

[sauceman]

I just hit 93,000 miles now, I might consider doing headers and a rear differential at some point. I also looked into installing a K&N cold air intake.

 

[Dirtman]

It already has a cold air intake from the factory...

 

[sauceman]

I didn't know that. I was wondering if a higher end, aftermarket air intake would enhance the sound and performance slightly?

 

[cbxer55]

I just hit 93,000 miles now, I might consider doing headers and a rear differential at some point. I also looked into installing a K&N cold air intake.

I do CAI's on all my vehicles. Just be aware that there are people on here who poo poo on them. First thing I do, any vehicle I buy. I also route a hose from up under the bumper or the grill and have the other end pointing at the air filter. They're not really cold air intakes ,but you can feed em cold air and make them a lot better. Actually, my 98 Ranger has an old Mustang hood scoop, two hood vents off a 13/14 Mustang (just put them on last weekend).

I am in the planning stages of putting two small scoops on the hood immediately above, but in front of the cone filter. Just slightly in front so any water that gets in falls in front of the filter. Since the filter is mounted sideways and it's a stainless steel mesh filter, water won't hurt a bloody thing. Water injection. Some people know what that is and what it does.

Those heat vents, you should feel the hot air blasting out of them just idling. The Mustang scoop just dumps cold air on the intake manifold and throttle body. I have a specially cut piece of foam to shove in the front of it for rainy days.

 

[cbxer55]

I didn't know that. I was wondering if a higher end, aftermarket air intake would enhance the sound and performance slightly?

It'll definitely enhance the sound. The stock air box is nothing more than an intake muffler designed to satisfy the EPA for noise emissions. Performance can be hit or miss. I'll tell you my end. I have a old MAC intake on my 98 3.0 Ranger, which has a three inch tube that goes from the MAF to the throttle body. The stock tube is pinched down to about 1.5 inches. After driving with the CAI for several years, I tried putting the stock intake back on. For one day only. It sucked ass! Tore it all off and threw the whole damn thing in the round-open-top-file, so I'd never make the mistake of putting it back on again. I have no muffler in my exhaust, and I swear the intake makes more noise than the exhaust does. LOVE IT! Foot to the floor it roars!

My Lightning has a custom made up intake, from the top of the blower all the way to the huge K & N Powerstack filter. My 07 Mustang has a WeaponR intake. Bought the Mustang on November 15th last year. Ordered the intake on the same day, had it changed the next weekend.

I don't have a stock intake for any of the five vehicles listed in my signature line. They all got thrown in the circular file for keeps.

BTW, my Mustang has the 4.0 V-6 like your Ranger. That WeaponR intake comes with a cold air tube and a velocity stack that mounts in the grill. I don't know if they make the same intake for the Ranger with the 4.0, but it's an especially nice intake. I got it from CARiD. Woke my Mustang up big time. Drove it for a week with the stupid EPA intake. Was glad to toss that crap in the trash the next weekend.

 

[Bgunner]

As Dirtman mentioned the air box's draw there air directly from behind the headlights/grill area, even on the 3 Gen as well, so just a simple replacement of the paper air filter to a high flow filter is all that is needed to improve on Fords design. Just be cautious with them when cleaning as to much oil on them will cause issues and rob the performance that you gain with them.

What many don't realize is if you run a cone filter you need to use the air damn to stop the heat from the engine from being sucked in and robbing the performance. The air damn forces the air to be sucked in from where the factory air box already draws its air from so there is really little to be gained from a "aftermarket Performance Filter Kit" over the factory air box. The only improvement that a performance kit has over the factory is the tube from the air filter to the intake. Theirs is smoother and allows less turbulence as the air passes through it. The 4.0's factory isn't all that bad in relation to the 3.0's that is squished in the middle but due to it not being smooth the whole way it creates some turbulence slowing the air flow a little, and I mean a little, so actual gain is more in the 1 HP range total with a High Flow filter. Horse Power to Cost gain just isn't there in my opinion.

 

[Curious Hound]

I just hit 93,000 miles now, I might consider doing headers and a rear differential at some point. I also looked into installing a K&N cold air intake.

We don't "poo-poo" cold air intakes. The problem is that most aftermarket cold air intakes suck hot air from the engine compartment. Your truck came with a cold air intake system that brings in air through the radiator core support, behind the headlight or between the inner and outer fender. So it is a true cold air intake. However, as noted, it is restrictive. So if you can replace its tubing with larger tubing that matches or slightly exceeds the diameter of the throat in your throttle body, you may make it easier for the engine to breathe. It will also sound louder. But putting on a cone filter that sucks hot air from the engine compartment will not be an improvement.

 

[adsm08]

Boost.

 

[cbxer55]

We don't "poo-poo" cold air intakes. The problem is that most aftermarket cold air intakes suck hot air from the engine compartment. Your truck came with a cold air intake system that brings in air through the radiator core support, behind the headlight or between the inner and outer fender. So it is a true cold air intake. However, as noted, it is restrictive. So if you can replace its tubing with larger tubing that matches or slightly exceeds the diameter of the throat in your throttle body, you may make it easier for the engine to breathe. It will also sound louder. But putting on a cone filter that sucks hot air from the engine compartment will not be an improvement.

Like I said, on all my vehicles I have tubes running from the front of the vehicle and dropping cold air right where the filter sits. Not that it matters, on a 100 degree day, the air is hot no matter where it is coming from. And, like I said, the Ranger will soon have two small scoops on the hood dumping cold air right by the filter.

I tired using the stock airbox with the three inch tube my MAC has. It sucked ass.

 

[cbxer55]

Boost.

This is true but expensive. Ask me how I know this! LOL!

And even then, I still use a CAI on my boosted vehicle. Everyone, and I mean everyone that owns a Lightning has a CAI on their truck. Funny thing is, when someone comes on wanting a stock airbox, they can't find one because we all threw them in the trash. Where they belong.

 

[adsm08]

And even then, I still use a CAI on my boosted vehicle. Everyone, and I mean everyone that owns a Lightning has a CAI on their truck. Funny thing is, when someone comes on wanting a stock airbox, they can't find one because we all threw them in the trash. Where they belong.

 

[cbxer55]

Every time the subject of CAIs comes up, it just turns into a mess. I am not going to change your mind anymore than you are going to change mine. I will just pop in, tell my side, then leave. Not going to get into a pissing contest over it. I know from car shows I attend that CAIs are out there in force. And for me, the I's have it.

Ta-ta.