1990 Ranger 302 swap

[tjm73]

Well now. The shifter is not as far back as I expected it to be.

 

[JokerLS240]

Well now. The shifter is not as far back as I expected it to be.

It's not that bad. With a straight shift lever, 2nd gear gets close to you but it isn't uncomfortable. Any lever that leans back may get too close.

 

[tjm73]

I might be able to get away with a lever that points kinda forward. Kinda how Shelby dealt with the shifter in the Cobras.

 

[19Walt93]

Hurst sells a lever intended for bench seat cars that could be bolted to a T5 shifter.

 

[tjm73]

I've seen that. It's crazy expensive.

 

[SenorNoob]

Maybe so, but the shape wouldn't be impossible to replicate.

 

[tjm73]

Any updates on this fine project?

 

[JokerLS240]

Not a lot. Had to replace the axle bearings.

Oh, I did get a used Holley 600cfm 4160 from eBay and put on it. It seems to like that better than the Edelbrock, but I may have messed up the rebuild on the Edelbrock to begin with. The accelerator pump never did work right and I don't know what jets were in it from the previous owner.

Most work has slowed down on the truck. Money is getting tight and I'm still chasing suspension issues. The alignment still isn't right and now there's a vibration and occasional rattle coming from the front. Some balancing weights came off the right front wheel. I need to get back to the tire shop and get it rebalanced. Hopefully that fixes the vibration. Wheel bearings are new and still good.

The steering did get a lot less twitchy after I put the axle bearings in the rear. (Someone else can explain that. ) Before it would dart when turning the wheel, and now it's very smooth. Bump steer is still a problem though.

Other things on my list are to get some flooring in it. Probably vinyl instead of carpet. I do use the truck as a truck, so carpet isn't very practical. There's also an oil leak coming from the pressure sensor that I haven't gotten around to. Got a coolant leak somewhere around the water pump or timing cover. That's been happening since I first got the engine running.

I also want to get an actual Performer RPM intake. The motor feels like it lacks torque down low. I know the cam I have doesn't really kick in until 3000 rpm, but I'd like to see if the intake would help out below that. But after about 4000 it blows the tires off!