Embracing the Horror....

[Will]

why would you put a junk hemi there there keep her ford all the way

I spent about 2 weeks listening to a Charger Hemi pull out onto Indiana 46 last year. It's a busy 2-lane and you just punch it and go. I have nothing bad to say about those new Hemi's. It's pure audio pleasure listening to that thing rip out of there. What's not to like about a 400hp/400ft# V8?

 

[wrecking-crew]

What's not to like about a 400hp/400ft# V8?

other than its made by chrysler?

 

[mattpresley]

the yellowed plastic headlights can be fixed right up with a bit of autosol and 5 mins of rubbing.

please DETAIL!!!

 

[mattpresley]

other than its made by chrysler?

I would never spend money on a chrysler but please tell me your not one of those ford purists. I love ford but the fords trannys dont last long....... Mind you my stepdad traded in his 1989 ranger(as a child i learned to love the ranger) for a brand new 1996 Ram 1500 and the tranny blew at 9,000 miles. What a lemon piece of shit that was. dodge wouldnt take it back so he quit paying on it and they repoed. He then bought a used 1994 ranger

 

[racsan]

still have that '88 youve done so much with? id go with another 4.0 , with the right gears its plenty motor for the ranger chassis. you need to post up some pics. i never thought id have a gen 3 truck. i remember when they first came out. now i love mine but wouldnt want anything newer than a '97. i actually prefer the ttb front end and old-school steering (no power rack & pinion) the 4.0 ohv is enough motor and is plenty reliable. wish a gen 1 front clip would blend with the body lines, it would be nice to ditch the polycarbonate lenses for sealed beams. my electric shift t-case has been reliable but does leak a little now. went to manual hubs some time ago. that and the hurst were the two best things ive done for it. if i ever do need a different t-case i will go for the manual one but as long as the electric is still doing the job i see no reason to ditch it.

 

[AllanD]

It's actually an '87 and yeah, I still have it, it ain't going anywhere.

But I question having two 4.0 trucks, granted not as much as
having a 3.0 truck, but still...

The 4.6SOHC is a "long term" thing.
the '93 will get something quick because I have essentially
none of the major components necissary.

the 4.6Lincoln engines are plentiful, THE part I have to track down is
a Mazda manual trans for a 4.6

then there's the steel flywheel, etc...

The other part I'd need is a gen4 frame.

It all takes money.

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[Frank The Tank]

You gonna spray the 2.3?
I'm curious about what kind of carnage this could bring upon my 97 2.3.... you know when it starts to go, give it a shove and have fun in the process.

Frank

 

[AllanD]

Well, as for the "temporary solutions" simply to make the bugger run...

I can:
A)Put another 3.0 (and a clutch) in it.
the only thing I lack to do this is a set of 3.0 headbolts, I literally have everything else.

B)Put a 4.0 in it, The only thing I need to do this is a non-EGR 93-94 Ranger
4.0 Harness... this'll cost me about what a head gasket set will plus a set of
radiator hoses.

I really don't want a 3.0 supercab, but there is one thing a 3.0 supercab would do...
IT's the ONLY Ranger powerplant I haven't lived with long-term to actually know myself what they are capable of in terms of their complete performance envelope...

and when I talk about "performance envelope" I'm not talking about
juvenile feats of acceleration... Cruise performance ideal cruise speed with different gearing combinations etc...

I've live with just about every possible combination with a 2.3, 2.9 and 4.0
But have never had a running 3.0 for more than a couple of days...
And I do have both axles with 4.10's from my truck to swap into it...

That being said swapping a 4.0 into this thing isn't really any extra effort
and the engine and gearbox in this thing are pretty much smoked...

And 4.6DOHC project will only really start when I aquire a 4.6 F-150 trans
The rest of the stuff I can get pretty much on-demand, but the way I'd
do it would be to have a omplete powered rolling frame then swap a body
on over it all before even thinking about the engine management wiring.

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[wrecking-crew]

I would never spend money on a chrysler but please tell me your not one of those ford purists. I love ford but the fords trannys dont last long....... Mind you my stepdad traded in his 1989 ranger(as a child i learned to love the ranger) for a brand new 1996 Ram 1500 and the tranny blew at 9,000 miles. What a lemon piece of shit that was. dodge wouldnt take it back so he quit paying on it and they repoed. He then bought a used 1994 ranger

im not a purist. i like my chebby too. i like most vehicles but dodges never lasted well with my family. my dads dodge truck lasted until it smoked like a bitch. thats when he sold it

 

[sfwjesse]

is it the same blue color as mine? I have a 93 with the jaundice headlights too.

 

[AllanD]

No, mine is the dark metallic blue.

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[UrbanRedneckKid]

Sell It. I can't picture you in a 3rd gen. lol. Your too simplistic and old-school. I could never picture you in a 3rd.

I think you should junk the 3.0, I love the 4.0, you love the 4.0. The swap ain't nothin for you. Then when you get the 4.6 ready to go, you'd have no problem sellin a good 3rd gen 4.0 swap.

4.0-M5 It's the only way

 

[AllanD]

Sell It. I can't picture you in a 3rd gen. lol. Your too simplistic and old-school. I could never picture you in a 3rd.

I think you should junk the 3.0, I love the 4.0, you love the 4.0. The swap ain't nothin for you. Then when you get the 4.6 ready to go, you'd have no problem sellin a good 3rd gen 4.0 swap.

4.0-M5 It's the only way

MECHANICALLY it'll be identical to my '87... the 94-94, what I call
the Gen3a (as opposed to the '95-97 Gen3b) is only cosmetically
different from my '87.

Do remember that as far as engine management and power
distribution go, my Gen1 is a 1993 Explorer.

And as I keep looking at the sick 3.0 in it and the pile of pieces
that is only potentially an engine and keep thinking that it would
simplify my life if I only have to maintain one set of spares, not
to mention the issues of "mindset" about driving the two different
trucks if they are not set-up very similarly.


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[JohnnyO]

I have been dragged (screaming and kicking) into the world of fogged polycarbonate headlamps....

Friends of ours have a Taurus like my wife's. He asks "how do you keep your headlights so clear?". I said you just wreck it and the body shop puts new ones in.

Her Taurus has been to the body shop 7 times in the last 3 years, none of them her fault.

Congrats on the new truck, Allan. Maybe bobby will help you put a diesel in it.

 

[fastpakr]

Allan - simple curiosity question. Is your color the KN paint code? That's what I've got on the '94 Ranger.