1992 Ford Ranger swap to 1984 Mustang SVO

[IliyanPelletier]

Hey there,
I recently bought a 1992 Ford Ranger 2WD, 2.3 4cyl, standard five speed. After driving it for about a month I noticed a lack of power and brought it to my mechanic. Long story short, he told me that I was out a cylinder and would have to do a rebuild in order to get it into good condition once again. Seeing as this engine is already pretty under powered, I was hoping to find a way to get some more power out of it.

I then stumbled across somebody selling a low mileage, standard transmission, 1984 Mustang SVO. I had read in a couple forums that an SVO engine would be a good way to go if you wanted an easy turbo setup for your ranger. I was hoping you lovely folks could let me in on whether I would just be wasting my money, or with a fair amount of time, a good mechanic, and a chunk of change I would be able to pull it off. If it is worth my time, what else am I going to need to invest in? Rear-end? Driveshaft? Will the T5 transmission out of the SVO fit somewhat easily into the ranger? Any information you lads have will be much appreciated.

 

[Curious Hound]

Wow. You live on a really steep hill.

Depends on your skills and tools. Otherwise, my opinion on this is worthless.

 

[sheep herder]

I would definitely keep that truck and swap something into it.

 

[Snoranger]

If the truck is in as good of a shape as it looks in that pic... 2.3 turbo swap!!

 

[Ranger850]

Swap it. It came with a 2.3 with a 5 spd and the mustang came with a turbo2.3 with a 5 spd. Should be pretty easy. Depending on your skill set and tool set.

 

[Josh B]

Apparently this would be your introductory thread so we don't have any idea your skills or knowledge, and as Eric said, it pretty much depends on you.
I would not scrap that truck under any circumstances.
Unless you're just filthy rich, paying someone else to do it can get pricey.
Personally I prefer to tool up, buy a book or two, and dig right in

 

[turbo91xlt]

If the SVO is complete & in halfway decent condition DO NOT YANK THE DRIVETRAIN. Either build the SVO or sell it to someone else. They are a desirable car. There are plenty of 2.3 turbo engines floating around for cheap or you can get used turbo pistons for really cheap and rebuild an OBD1 block.

 

[19Walt93]

I agree, if the SVO is restorable sell it to someone who'll build it. I'm not a numbers matching/all original fanatic but those cars were impressive for the time and deserve to be preserved. We sold a big handfull of them and a pile of V8 GT's which were cheaper. The SVO was a sports car with a 2.3 that would outrun the 350 V8 Corvettes of the day.

 

[IronGiant]

Is there a good place to buy SVO electronics? attempting the 2.3l turbo mod aswell but would hate to strip such a nice car, and programming a Standalone ECU is a bit above my skill level. Feel free to dm if anyone has some tips! Thanks