1988 2.9 turbo ranger ***with pictures***

[acfkcarter]

Wanted to share my latest project with everyone. Started on this at the first of the year and have modified all along to reach the goal of running in the 8's at the local 1\8th mile track.

First a little about the truck.

Stock high mileage 2.9 engine with what appears to be newer heads by the previous owner.

pace setter headers

Full custom exhaust with header wrap to reduce turbo lag

Mustang 5.0 throttle body

19lb hr injectors

MSD High Flow fuel pump

14b remote turbo from an eagle talon.

Saab inter cooler with mini radiator fan

16 psi boost

3 boost controlled cold start injectors.

alcohol water injection

remote mounted battery

5 gal aluminum fuel cell

A\C and power steering delete

heavy duty clutch

solid trans mount

solid mounted trans crossmember

4.10 gears

welded spiders in the 7.5 rear (turns just fine)

custom ladder bar suspension (no runs yet with this installed)
***was using slapper bars in the videos and the truck wasn't lowered yet***

street tires 235-75-15 back and 215-70-15 front.

It is a blast to drive.

Mods to come.....

Stud girdle and ARP bolts. ARP rod bolts. Ported intake and heads. Compound turbo setup for better top end boost. 20 psi. Vented bed cover to hide the mods. Slicks. Light weight racing seats. Mega Squirt controller. Fresh Paint

Hope to hit the 7's this year!

Note: This truck has surprised so many people who have lined up against it at the track and thought it would be an easy win against a little v6 only to come looking to see what in the heck is going on ...hehe

Here are some pics.....enjoy (I will try to get some video uploaded soon as well)

(I started with time slips of 10.8 with just 6 psi and one extra injector with no other mods)

 

[mhughes165]

hmmmmmm lol, just curious, about what do u have invested into this right now, i hadnt thought about remote mounting the turbo in the bed, that would actually be pimp for a wheeler, i was always worried about how to keep from sucking up mud lol

 

[acfkcarter]

Since I was able to fabricate and weld most everything it has saved me a fortune.

In the mods listed probably about $1000 for everything.

I got a lot of the small parts for free from a friend (injectors, solenoid, other bits and pieces). The other things I had to buy I bargain shopped.

Counting the price of the truck and "all" things done up to this point about $2000

I wanted to go fast on a budget! plus I love this body style Ranger

 

[n_grimm]

I always enjoy seeing these kinds of your builds. Most people are surprised at the cheap power you can make with forced induction with some know how. I assume you will be getting a wideband to check afr if you haven't already. Are you able to use just gravity feed for the oil return? Anyway, good job!

 

[Hahnsb2]

Cool stuff, I built a remote turbo setup on my Dakota using Megasquirt for fuel, it's a lot of fun! That is a tiny turbo!

. Are you able to use just gravity feed for the oil return?

No, he has a pump. You can't gravity drain without a nice straight downhill shot to the oil pan, any back pressure on the oil drain and you will send oil out past the seals and into the intake/exhaust.

 

[slow96gt]

i bet that 2.9 is screaming for mercy, how did you tune it

 

[spdcrazy]

extremely jealous . i thought about doing just the same setup as you. in the same place none the less! but stopped short due to the desire for better suspension..


looks pretty good. i bet you can get a significant HP gain from making less extreme bends on the intercooler piping. the one to the TB looks like it could use some reworking

how does it hook up on those tires?

 

[jhammel85]

Wow, do you have any vids from the track? Do you know what kind of HP you've got?

 

[acfkcarter]

I have a wide band but it is installed on another turbo project right now.

I have tuned this one so far the old fashioned way believe it or not.... By ear, spark plugs and seat of the pants.

Replacement 2.9's are dirt cheap to acquire so if this one melts down its no big deal. Part of the fun is taking chances and experimenting.

With my projects over the years I have had a lot of people say, this or that wont work. But when it comes down to it they've probably never tried it for themselves. But not always so I like to get everyones feedback.

 

[acfkcarter]

Wow, do you have any vids from the track? Do you know what kind of HP you've got?

Working on it actually. They are a little earlier this year before the ladder bar and lowering.

Wanting to go back to the track and try out the new setup but its too cold here now.

I will try to get those posted tomorrow.

Most seem to agree that you get approximately 10 - 12 horsepower per psi.

So if we went to the conservative side I would guess about 300hp

Here as a way to gauge some numbers for 1\8th mile. There are numerous mustang gt's with street tires and mods running mid to low 9's. Stock they run about 9.8 here.

 

[acfkcarter]

Cool stuff, I built a remote turbo setup on my Dakota using Megasquirt for fuel, it's a lot of fun! That is a tiny turbo!

No, he has a pump. You can't gravity drain without a nice straight downhill shot to the oil pan, any back pressure on the oil drain and you will send oil out past the seals and into the intake/exhaust.

I am using shur flo pumps for the oil return and the alcohol injection. It just pumps it back into the dipstick tube actually. I just take off the hose clamp and pull the hose when I want to check the oil level.

 

[slow96gt]

i still want to see a video of it, i sprayed the heck out of my old 2.9 and it was a champ lol

 

[bobbywalter]

there were quite a few spray monkey 4.0's running milan late 90's early 2000's.


once they upgraded the clutch, everything else would explode...some went c4 after that. but the stock auto trucks seemed to take it better once built.

....it has to be a blast to pound on.


at 3 k wt and 8.80s i would think 215 whp.

 

[n_grimm]

Oops, I didn't see the oil pump at first. Been thinking about using a Holset vgt as a rear mount and a Shurflo pump for the oil return but wasn't sure about the heat. Smart move on the alky system. No doubt it gives you a fair amount of protection against detonation. I was able to run 30 psi Holset boost on a 2.3 Mustang versus 23 psi without it.

 

[acfkcarter]

i still want to see a video of it, i sprayed the heck out of my old 2.9 and it was a champ lol

These motors can take more abuse than a lot give them credit for. The head gasket issue seems to only be from over heating. Running a low temp thermo and a couple extra holes drilled in it seems to cure this.

Here are a couple my son got on the cell phone back around Sept Oct. These runs were before the exhaust wrap, suspension changes and a couple of other small things but gives a good idea of what it is doing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEwRqBGS5yw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dcwM-lvnlI