1990 Bronco II, 4.0 engine swap.....Help

[fastpakr]

lol whats that email. 1990 Bronco II 2.9L to 4.0 swap in progress.

Justcoffee hasn't been on the forum since the day he posted that a dozen years ago. Any particular questions in mind?

 

[Moses1776]

Justcoffee hasn't been on the forum since the day he posted that a dozen years ago. Any particular questions in mind?

I finally started my swap on my 1990 B2 from a 2.9 to a 4.0. I’ve completely taken apart my 4.0 and want to build it back up to be durable, reliable and produce more power. I’ve been told a lot but not by anyone who’s ever been in my shoes before. Things like taking it from an EFI to a carb would be better and easier to work on when sh!t hits the fan. I have tons of questions like that. If anyone has any pointers that would be awesome. I really wanna start with:
1. Carb vs EFI, is it even possible? Which is best for this engine.
2. How much can I truly bore it out? I definitely want to bore it out, nothing insane or crazy though. What’s the best amount to reach for when doing this and still be able to find my new crank and pistons etc for the new build.
Much appreciated - Moses

 

[Josh B]

You might do best to start a new thread, this one's just been bounced around for a dozen years.
A new one might give you a fresh start on a clearer course

 

[Angie]

1. Carb vs EFI, is it even possible? Which is best for this engine.
2. How much can I truly bore it out? I definitely want to bore it out, nothing insane or crazy though. What’s the best amount to reach for when doing this and still be able to find my new crank and pistons etc for the new build.
Much appreciated - Moses

why would you want to try and find a carbed intake for this engine? nothing wrong with the efi 4L. seek out all the wires and plugs/sensors you are going to need and go for it.

myself, i won't bore a 4L engine. use what you have, this includes the crank and pistons (unless they are pooched) my guess not likely though. ford made a good strong crank with decent pistons in these engines. (IMHO anyway)

what you will save in trying to re-invent the wheel you can use to buy the parts that need to be purchased. depends how deep your pockets are ... what i recommend will be .... hot tank the block, new cam bearings, figure out if you are going the 410 cam route or getting the cam you have re-ground to 410 specs. (i can suggest a place if need be). order longer push rods if going the new cam. Nothing wrong with the cam ford used if you just running a daily that does what you need it to do already. new frost plugs. then comes all the cleaning.... new rings, bottom bearings and con bearings. check the timing chain for slack, replace it and gears if needed along with tensionor while you have it apart. spray the injectors and test the sprayer nozzle for flow. disassemble oil pump and check the clearances, new water pump if you question old one, new thermostat, and i also clean rad and replace the heater core along with the heater hoses to assure clean water flow.

cheers ... and no i am not trying to open debates on what goes into these engines. everyone will want to build an engine in many different ways. these are my proceedures and how I would do it when i do them up. cheers

 

[Moses1776]

1. Carb vs EFI, is it even possible? Which is best for this engine.
2. How much can I truly bore it out? I definitely want to bore it out, nothing insane or crazy though. What’s the best amount to reach for when doing this and still be able to find my new crank and pistons etc for the new build.
Much appreciated - Moses

why would you want to try and find a carbed intake for this engine? nothing wrong with the efi 4L. seek out all the wires and plugs/sensors you are going to need and go for it.

myself, i won't bore a 4L engine. use what you have, this includes the crank and pistons (unless they are pooched) my guess not likely though. ford made a good strong crank with decent pistons in these engines. (IMHO anyway)

what you will save in trying to re-invent the wheel you can use to buy the parts that need to be purchased. depends how deep your pockets are ... what i recommend will be .... hot tank the block, new cam bearings, figure out if you are going the 410 cam route or getting the cam you have re-ground to 410 specs. (i can suggest a place if need be). order longer push rods if going the new cam. Nothing wrong with the cam ford used if you just running a daily that does what you need it to do already. new frost plugs. then comes all the cleaning.... new rings, bottom bearings and con bearings. check the timing chain for slack, replace it and gears if needed along with tensionor while you have it apart. spray the injectors and test the sprayer nozzle for flow. disassemble oil pump and check the clearances, new water pump if you question old one, new thermostat, and i also clean rad and replace the heater core along with the heater hoses to assure clean water flow.

cheers ... and no i am not trying to open debates on what goes into these engines. everyone will want to build an engine in many different ways. these are my proceedures and how I would do it when i do them up. cheers

I have no ecu or wire harness for my 4.0. It came from a 92 ford ranger. It’s a ohv. I will have to bore it if I want to use it as piston 3 was stuck in it and left a shadow in it when removed. Not sure if I got scammed or if laying in a field for 4 years did it but I retrieved it out of a farmers field for $200. All I have in the engine currently is $200 and I bought the bronco for $2000. In total it’s missing it’s intake, spark plug wires, distributor, ecu, and wiring. I’m sure I can do eBay finds for these things but I feel like getting used wiring off eBay is about as big of a gamble as I took pulling this engine out of a field. Besides the stuck piston and the markings it left when we finally pulled the piston the few people who have seen it says it’s a grade A engine and the $200 for it payed off, or will pay off. It just needs to go to a machine shop.

 

[Moses1776]

You might do best to start a new thread, this one's just been bounced around for a dozen years.
A new one might give you a fresh start on a clearer course

I appreciate you

 

[Angie]

"I will have to bore it if I want to use it as piston 3 was stuck in it and left a shadow in it when removed."

not true..... learn to use a 3 stone hone and clean the wall. do not use a bead/ball style as this will and can give the cylinder oval shaped centre in the bore.

This will give you an idea of what I look for. but this is for higher performance build. I am too lazy to clean as Tony does so i send the block (s) to the shop to get hot tanked, (this process alone costs me average $450) to clean them up and install the new frost plugs and cam bearings. after i get it home i will start the final cleaning prepping and honing the block.

A 4L has thin walls so i won't bore it out.
proper honing ...

"In total it’s missing it’s intake, spark plug wires, distributor, ecu, and wiring."


I would seek out a pick-and-pull auto wrecker near you and make friends with someone there as you are going to need some major parts for this project. I would try and find a person near you wrecking a ford ranger that has/had a 4L in it as you are in need of tracking down stuff.

hope this information helps to guide you somehow. A 4L engine is not a V8 and trying to expect high performance tire roasting from it is an expensive road to travel down. know what you are wanting the engine/truck to do. what is your end goal?? know what you want to achieve ...

cheers

 

[Moses1776]

"I will have to bore it if I want to use it as piston 3 was stuck in it and left a shadow in it when removed."

not true..... learn to use a 3 stone hone and clean the wall. do not use a bead/ball style as this will and can give the cylinder oval shaped centre in the bore.

This will give you an idea of what I look for. but this is for higher performance build. I am too lazy to clean as Tony does so i send the block (s) to the shop to get hot tanked, (this process alone costs me average $450) to clean them up and install the new frost plugs and cam bearings. after i get it home i will start the final cleaning prepping and honing the block.

A 4L has thin walls so i won't bore it out.
proper honing ...

"In total it’s missing it’s intake, spark plug wires, distributor, ecu, and wiring."


I would seek out a pick-and-pull auto wrecker near you and make friends with someone there as you are going to need some major parts for this project. I would try and find a person near you wrecking a ford ranger that has/had a 4L in it as you are in need of tracking down stuff.

hope this information helps to guide you somehow. A 4L engine is not a V8 and trying to expect high performance tire roasting from it is an expensive road to travel down. know what you are wanting the engine/truck to do. what is your end goal?? know what you want to achieve ...

cheers

I’m just wanting to build a solid durable reliable bronco. I was just going to slap the 4.0 in it bone stock but it wouldn’t do a full rotation to show it was good to go so I started digging. I figured since I got it down to the block I would rebuild with a little twang to it, nothing insane but I figured I could go a little bigger and better than the stock parts. Just didn’t know how much or where to with this one. I appreciate your tips and tricks. I’ll be watching the videos and taking notes. This is my first rebuild and engine swap. More power then stock is fun and nice but durability and reliability are my overall goals with this one.

 

[Angie]

This is my first rebuild and engine swap.

Learn from my mistakes. build it as it came from the factory then. adding cams and adding money will teach you lots, but it gets expensive fast.

do you have a haynes book? very important for the engine section. The 4L is a great engine, I have been down the 410 cam route and still have that block for another rebuild (next year) I was lucky with my very first rebuild as I was able to build it where i work in the mechanics shop and asked hands on questions every step of the way.

"but I figured I could go a little bigger and better than the stock parts."

you probably can, however, for that small gain it is not worth it. (IMHO) build for reliability. Being a first build, keep it simple. learn tons and have fun doing it.

cheers