1990 Ranger 302 swap

[franklin2]

For street rod type stuff ripping around town a carb is really hard to beat, I was very happy with my Edelbrock (500cfm lol) on the street for 15 years.

My biggest irritation on the street was heat soak. If I had it to do over I would entertain a Holley just to see if it would be any better in that regard.

I did look into a truck avenger for an EFI alternate... dang they are proud of those things.

The ethanol fuel is worse about heat soak and vapor lock than the older fuel formula's. Stock 2.8 in a BII I had to install a electric pump along the frame or it would die on me in city driving.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

The ethanol fuel is worse about heat soak and vapor lock than the older fuel formula's. Stock 2.8 in a BII I had to install a electric pump along the frame or it would die on me in city driving.

I never had a problem with my 2.8 once it was warm, arguably it was better than the Edelbrock.

However it was horribly cold blooded. It wasn't until I snagged an EVTM years after I had swapped it out that I noticed the choke was supposed to get like 7v or something weird, PO of my truck was feeding it 12v so it was pulling off way fast

 

[franklin2]

I never had a problem with my 2.8 once it was warm, arguably it was better than the Edelbrock.

However it was horribly cold blooded. It wasn't until I snagged an EVTM years after I had swapped it out that I noticed the choke was supposed to get like 7v or something weird, PO of my truck was feeding it 12v so it was pulling off way fast

Originally it did have a full electric 12v choke that was controlled by a relay hooked to the computer system. When I got it, that relay had failed and someone had long ago hooked the choke to the 7v from the back of the alternator. What a mess that computer system was on the 2.8. They used it on all the 84-up 300 sixes also till they went to fuel injection.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Originally it did have a full electric 12v choke that was controlled by a relay hooked to the computer system. When I got it, that relay had failed and someone had long ago hooked the choke to the 7v from the back of the alternator. What a mess that computer system was on the 2.8. They used it on all the 84-up 300 sixes also till they went to fuel injection.

Mine just had a wire crammed in the fuse box with a fuse.

 

[scotts90ranger]

The ethanol fuel is worse about heat soak and vapor lock than the older fuel formula's. Stock 2.8 in a BII I had to install a electric pump along the frame or it would die on me in city driving.

Well when E10 boils at 135F at atmospheric pressure then you'll get that... it's pretty annoying...

 

[JokerLS240]

Right side header pic for @tjm73. One could probably get away with a smaller cutout. I can't remember why I made mine so big.

Motor mount plates from donor Explorer:
(Left)

(Right)

 

[tjm73]

That clearance is TIGHT. Thanks for the pics. Gives me food for thought.

 

[JokerLS240]

That clearance is TIGHT. Thanks for the pics. Gives me food for thought.

Yeah, you can't remove the headers without lifting the engine. I had to put these in when I was dropping the engine for the final time.

 

[JokerLS240]

Got the carb put back on and it runs great!

Over the last couple of weeks I've been replacing all of the suspension bushings, ball joints and steering linkage and installing a 3/5 lowering kit from Rick's Rangerz with the Doetsch shocks he offers. So far the ride isn't rough at all, but I only drove it 6 miles to the alignment shop.

 

[tjm73]

Got the carb put back on and it runs great!

Over the last couple of weeks I've been replacing all of the suspension bushings, ball joints and steering linkage and installing a 3/5 lowering kit from Rick's Rangerz with the Doetsch shocks he offers. So far the ride isn't rough at all, but I only drove it 6 miles to the alignment shop.

View attachment 141541

I like the new altitude. Did you use the DJM beams up front? Are the front wheels centered in the wheel opening or are they biased to the rear a little bit. You are basically building the truck I am about to start building.

Are you running a 94-11 rear bumper? I bought one to put on my '89.

How has that eBay radiator been handling the V8? Does the truck stay nice and cool or does it ever run hot?

This is my truck. It's been lowered with just coils by a previous owner. I have to undo that and redo it right. Other than my wheels & tires and the lowering it has it's a completely stock survivor.

 

[JokerLS240]

I went the cheap route and used 3" drop springs. The side that is aligned (shop didn't know about the dual adjustable bushings and didn't get the driver's side straight) doesn't look like the wheel is pulled back in the well too much. I'm going back to the shop tomorrow to get the driver's side worked out.

After the partial alignment and driving 60 miles, the suspension is pretty sporty. As in it feels like what you would think a track car rides like. It isn't harsh but definitely a lot firmer than stock. Plus the driver's side tire rubs the top of the fender over the rougher bumps. Most of the roughness is in the rear though. My truck has 4 leafs total in the stack, so maybe a 3-leaf stack would soften that up. Another option is to research stock-quality shocks in the shorter length.

The rear bumper on mine is still stock. There is an 89 at my local junkyard that has bumpers that are still in great condition. I'm also debating a roll pan in the future. I kinda want to make this a 90s style mini truck without slamming it to the ground. The 3/5 is as low as I want to go.

So far the radiator has held up. I'm just south of I-20 in Mississippi. I think the temps here when I've driven the truck haven't gotten over 80. We'll see how it does this summer. The thermostat in the engine is a 160 and I have a temp switch in the thermostat housing that kicks on just over 180 degrees. The fan is just a single 16" from Amazon.

Your truck looks great! In the early 2000s I had a 1992 long bed with the 2.3 manual. I guess I'm reliving my youth with this truck, doing all the things I wanted to do back then.

 

[cbxer55]

Ya'll want to get your under hood temps in check, install hood vents. I put these on mine way back in 2015. You oughta feel the heat that blows out of them, just idling with a clutch fan. One fine winter day, after a large storm, there was plugs of snow in them. Left them in there and went for a drive. Along about 45 mph, all the sudden, all ten of them blasted out and smacked into the windshield, without touching the hood. That's a lot of pressure.

I see I need to get new pics. These are the old four slot vents. I now have five slot carbon fiber vents on it. The two little scoops are directly over the large cone filter. The hood scoop has 25 two inch holes under it. Especially in the winter, I can go for a drive around my favorite curvy road, stop, and everything under the hood is barely warm. Oh, the hood bra has those two things that stick up. They make the hood vents work even better. They spoil the air flow over the vents so they don't have to pass through smooth airflow. Saw a wind tunnel vid on hood vents once. Showed how spoiling the airflow over them makes them more effective.

Here are the vents, pricey, but expected for carbon fiber. https://www.importimageracing.com/p...jqnHY44anU--NNHa5p0ZuB-rwGRhf39kVhTaMUOe8n2jv

I made a sheet metal template, taped it to the hood, marked the hood with a sharpy, cut the holes with a cutting wheel and rotary files.