85 Ranger getting some teeth...

[baddad457]

I have been searching for most of the night and haven't found any success stories so far.

I really, really do not want to do anything to the frame...

I've never heard of anyone doing anything to the frame with Tri-Y's. On a 2WD it will fall thru to the floor if you don't hold it in place while starting the bolts. On the passenger side, it takes a little bit of wiggling to get them past the starter bulge, but once thru, it too has to be held in place to keep from falling nearly to the floor.

 

[r1hatman]

I think you gotta use shorty headers to clear.

 

[Explore]

One thing for sure, you'll see what fits once you drop the engine in. Test fit a set of stock manifolds from my 302 and pass side piece of cake. Driver's side has the 6,7,8 tubes longer and they hit my motor mount. The ones that are equal length like the pass side would work. I too am trying not to go to headers for a couple reasons, one this is a low budget build and two while I have headers on one vehicle and have ran them on other vehicles, I just hate the way they hold up and always give some kind of problem with starters. My engine is somewhat built and hate to choke it down, but willing to lose a couple ponies for less hassle. We'll see what happens. Can always switch to headers later.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

One thing for sure, you'll see what fits once you drop the engine in. Test fit a set of stock manifolds from my 302 and pass side piece of cake. Driver's side has the 6,7,8 tubes longer and they hit my motor mount. The ones that are equal length like the pass side would work. I too am trying not to go to headers for a couple reasons, one this is a low budget build and two while I have headers on one vehicle and have ran them on other vehicles, I just hate the way they hold up and always give some kind of problem with starters. My engine is somewhat built and hate to choke it down, but willing to lose a couple ponies for less hassle. We'll see what happens. Can always switch to headers later.

Are you talking about manifolds like my 289 ones? Both sets of 302 manifolds ('78 and '87) I have are pretty much identical side to side.

 

[Explore]

I can't post attachments. I have two pass side, one straight out and one down turned at the end. My drivers side is completly diff, looks more like a triangle with the back tubes much lower than the rest. One to match either of the pass side would work. Watching a couple sets on E-bay and headed to junk yard tomorrow to pick up a radiator, maybe I'll find one there.

 

[Explore]

Let me see if it'll let me do this:

 

[sdjr]

I run tri-ys on my 4x4. I didn't really "NOTCH" the passenger frame rail, so much...I like to think I caressed it about an 1/8th inch at the deepest, in a nice scallop about 3 inches long. it didn't interfere. I just wanted 3/8s to a half inch clearance.

 

[baddad457]

while I have headers on one vehicle and have ran them on other vehicles, I just hate the way they hold up and always give some kind of problem with starters. .

Two things: Use Percy's gaskets (zero leaks & 100% reuseable) and with Tri-Y's starter problems simply do not exist. If you do have a starter dragging with em, it's not the headers heat doing it. It's simply bad field coils in the starter doing it.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Let me see if it'll let me do this:

The bottom one looks like a 289 Hi Output manifold.

351W's had manifolds like that too, but I think they dropped down more before they went back.

I run tri-ys on my 4x4. I didn't really "NOTCH" the passenger frame rail, so much...I like to think I caressed it about an 1/8th inch at the deepest, in a nice scallop about 3 inches long. it didn't interfere. I just wanted 3/8s to a half inch clearance.

Any pics of how they fit? I am not really picky as long as they don't touch the frame or run into the T-case. What tranny/t-case are you using... it looks divorced if it is 4x4. It would be nice to get the exhaust out of the engine bay until I get it to a exhaust shop too.

According to your thread you used Mustang mounts which is good... I want to use them too.

I found these tri-y's, are they got ones that work so well?

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/PTE-H8426/

 

[baddad457]

I found these tri-y's, are they got ones that work so well?

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/PTE-H8426/

That's the ones

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I went thru sdjr's build thread again for the third time and found this pic which speaks volumes:

Looks to me that they come down to the typical swap to swap tolerance, some will clear fine and some won't.

I also wonder if they would be easier to install (with me leaving the cab on the truck) if I had it sitting roughly in place as I set the engine down in there?

 

[baddad457]

They're not hard to put in with the motor in place. It's only the passenger side that takes a bit of effort to get past the starter bulge and frame rail.

 

[Teddyzee]

I think I had my engine in the air slightly to get the Tri-Y headers in. If memory serves, the driver's side fits in and out with the engine in, but the passenger side was closer.

Again, mine is 2wd, and I notched nothing. My engine is from a '92, so it also has a mini-starter, but there is a ton of room around the starter.

I'm glad to see that picture of SDJR's frame, I'll have to go back through his pictures too.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

They're not hard to put in with the motor in place. It's only the passenger side that takes a bit of effort to get past the starter bulge and frame rail.

I remember dad saying that was the only way to get his headers to fit on his Chevelle back in the day, thought it might make install easier in this case. I figured you experimented with several different headers and already had your engine in your truck so it wasn't really feasible, but right now I pretty much have a clean sheet.

Drivers side is supposed to be fine, but like everything else it seems they are tight on the passenger side, I would probably only have the pass side in the truck so I have fewer things to watch out for.

Anyone have a pic about how they fit with the front driveshaft/t-case?

 

[Teddyzee]

I should mention, I could probably get mine in or out with a floor jack under the engine, they are that close to fitting.