2.3 turbo swap!?!

[kamshaft]

alright guys i have a 93 ranger 2.3 5 speed and an 87 Merker xr4ti motor 2.3 turbo has any one actually done this particular swap? i have a t5 belhousing but was planning to use the stock tranny in the ranger for now. ive been doing alot n i mean ALOT of reading about this and from what i see it is about a 50/50% of people being successful with this swap and i dont want to be in the half that fails trying. i am 18 i just graduated from high school and ive been reading on this subject for like a year and a half but i didnt have the ballz to actually start the project because i dont have the money to fail.

 

[gribly]

Well, do you have a second car to drive? You won't be able to do this swap in just a weekend unless you know what you are doing. My record for a 2.3 turbo build is 3 hours, but I did not swap out engines, I just bolted up a spare turbo setup I had for my Merkur onto a friend's 2.3 Mustang, I believe it was a '93. Ran it at wastegate pressure (6lb spring), left the fuel system and everything stock. Mind you, I cut EVERY corner possible for this build since neither one of us wanted to spend any money on the motor seeing as how he had a 331 stroker almost ready to go into the car, I even went so far as to use the dipstick tube for the oil return so I didn't have to drill and tap the oilpan. Damned thing actually worked, too. It was an automatic and went from not even being able to so much as chirp the tires on a hard launch to melting through the gears. Did it mostly to see if it could be done.

 

[gribly]

I remember the cooling system on my XR4 being really retarded, there was a pressure cap on the damn overflow tank - I am not sure how it is different from the "normal" SVO 2.3T or from a Ranger 2.3 but my main concern with that swap would be the wiring, swapping the gauge cluster, and plumbing the cooling system in a more traditional way, I'd go look at the car but it's halfway across the state at a family member's house.

 

[scotts90ranger]

on a '93 you can repin the stock harness to work, would be much easier. The DIS can even be used for a cleaner look, look through some of my posts in this board and you'll find what I've done (much of it in the sticky), i might try to look for some of them tomorrow for you.

it can be done in a weekend but it would be tight and you would need to have EVERYTHING lined up and be very determined