Building a fuel efficient rig.

[stevenf]

Gas prices are killing me! I own a small Landscape/Lawn care business so gas has really started to hurt me.
A little about the rig I am wanting: I have an 89 BII that I am toying with. Im putting a D44 front and GM 12 bolt rear. I am wanting a powerful rig that is efficient both on road and off. My original plans were a 302 swap. When gas prices started really flying, the thoughts of bio deisel came to mind. I then started researching the Cummins 4BT 4cyl. deisels to enable the bio deisel. I realized that these engines are expensive to work on, parts are often hard to find, and the engines are hard to find and expensive themselves.
Right now Im torn on the deisel for its downsides. If you were wanting to make a really fuel efficient rig, What motor with what mods would you go with?
I was thinking low 3.0* gearing front and back with 31-32" tires. What engine would you want to toy with?

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

2.3T would be my engine of choice. A turbo 4banger will make very good power and still get good milage.

 

[Gabe8810]

A buddy of mine is playing around an electrical rock crawler he is almost done with it and the torque on this thing is insane. Ill keep you guys posted

 

[stevenf]

2.3T would be my engine of choice. A turbo 4banger will make very good power and still get good milage.

Is 2.3T the model or did you shorten 2.3Turbo? What did they come in, how do you find them?

 

[IMenriched]

pretty sure. Mustang and Thunderbirds...Rangers did have the option of the 2.3 but not Turbo'd

 

[stevenf]

What kind of milage and stock HP and torque can you look at with one of thoughs?

 

[rboyer]

I know a guy who does landscape/lawncare and the whole gas price thing is really hitting him too. He also plows snow in the winter so everything year round that he does requires gas. His main truck which he also uses for a daily driver is a diesel but I don't know what kind of mileage he gets. The big problem right now is that the economy is not following the rise in fuel prices fast enough so you can't really raise your rates immediately but sooner or later it will all catch up and you'll be able to charge more because everyone else will be forced to charge more also. The only way you're not hurting in something like that is if you happened to store away a couple thousand gallons of gas.

 

[Will]

If I were you I would get a small 4-cylinder 2wd pickup. My B2 with a 4.0 and 31" mud terrains gets 13mpg around town. Pulling a trailer, and full-size axles with whatever tires isn't going to improve that. A diesel can burn a lot of fuel if you want it to. If you try hard you can get about 40% better than a gasser--making your cost 20% less as diesel is more expensive at the moment. That diesel might save you $1,000/year in fuel if you don't use it to squirt black smoke on everyone all the time. How much can you install it for?

A 2wd 4-cylinder pickup will save you about $2,500 a year and pay for itself very quickly. And you can keep the B2 has a hobby and put the 302 in it.

 

[Sevensecondsuv]

I'd just get a 2wd 2.3 and beef up the rear suspension. Get some add-a-leafs and install a 4.10 8.8 axle from an explorer. 8.8's are at least as strong as a 12-bolt and have a huge load carrying capability.

You won't be able to break a 2.3 with any size trailer, you just won't be going anywhere very fast. 2.3 Rangers with beefed up suspensions can be very heavy duty little trucks. I'd be more scared loading up a half ton chevy with a 10 bolt and the crappy auto tranny than a 2.3 ranger with a stick and an 8.8.

 

[superspook]

or look around for a 1986 2wd 2.3 diesel turbo ranger like i got. gets 33 m/gal