2.8 carb intake on 2.9 FI

[Fordman]

i haven't had time to do it yet, but i have
thought about that. you can turn down
the end of the 2.9 dist shaft with a lathe
and put it in a 2.8 dist with the gear and
thrust washer from the 2.9.
i think you could make a carb adapter from
two stacked pieces of 1" aluminum plate
using a drill press and die grinder.

I built an adapter some time back to carb the 2.9, but got down sick n never finished it. It bolted in place of the upper intake. As I seem to recall, using the 2.9 dist drive gear on a 2.8 duraspark dist.

 

[schmoo]

the oil pump drive shaft is bigger in a 2.9,
won't fit the 2.8 dist. that's why you put
the 2.9 dist shaft in the 2.8 dist. you don't
turn down the whole shaft, just the top
where the advance parts go on.
i just acquired a die grinder, so i may give
this a try this winter.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

Elfasto was making a Carbed 2.9/4.0 hybrid, i dont know aint seen him around in forever.

later,
Dustin

 

[AllanD]

Not worth it, if you were to do anything like this is would be far more beneficial on the 4.0.

Carbing the 2.9 is just an elementary idea that is asked by people who dont understand EFI, I did the same thing before I knew how it worked.

What would be cool is if somebody went the other direction and fitted a 4.0 computer to the 2.9 with the EDIS and MAF, and hopped it up.

Actually many have started to do exactly that and midstream in the project came to their senses and installed the 4.0 engine with the 4.0 management they were installing.

THE difficult part of retrofitting a 4.0 IS the engine manangement/wiring.

Mechanically the 4.0 bolts right in where a 2.9 has been, same motormounts, bellhousing pattern, 'fer Christ's sake it even bolts up to the Same Y-pipe!

So putting a 4.0 management on a 2.9 is doing the hard part
for dubious reasons without doing the easy part and getting the bulk of the benefits, It's like going around the world in the opposite direction to avoid paying a $4 toll to cross a bridge.

Every time someone says "I wanna hop up a 2.9" I think a 4.0 Goon squad should show up at their door a 2:45am (a 4.0 is 245CID) and either brand or tattoo them with the words "There is no replacement for displacement"

Modifying a 2.9 to make it "better" is an exercise in diminishing returns

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[schmoo]

for some, the goal is cheap transportation.
i have a 2.9 and a body without fi. $85
would turn that into 5 years of driving.

what mileage would a 4.0 get in a 3000 lb ranger?
(my 4.0 weighs 3800 and gets 19 at best)

 

[holyford86]

a friend of mine was able to get 24 mpg out of his 93 4.0 powered 4x4 shortbox regular cab. A 2.9 would have gotten less in that application I imagine. I know a guy that swapped the 4.3 in his blazer for a 5.7 (350) and its associated fuel injection and GAINED about 5 mpg and quite a bit more power. More displacement does not always equal better fuel economy.

 

[Hahnsb2]

a friend of mine was able to get 24 mpg out of his 93 4.0 powered 4x4 shortbox regular cab. A 2.9 would have gotten less in that application I imagine. I know a guy that swapped the 4.3 in his blazer for a 5.7 (350) and its associated fuel injection and GAINED about 5 mpg and quite a bit more power. More displacement does not always equal better fuel economy.

I got 23MPG out of my 2.9 once, it certainly would have been better in a ranger.