Kind of torn between two lovers...

[Mark_88]

this the little voice in your head,keep the ford,keep the ford,keep the ford.

oh yeah,btw keep the ford.

LOL...so, you're saying to keep the Ranger...hmmm...that has crossed my mind quite a bit lately...

 

[rockin86ranger]

also most Rangers that were originally 2.0's were geared with
either 3.08's or 3.45's and that gearing is not best for maximum
fuel mileage on a 2.3 engine'd 2wd Ranger.
AD

don't want to thread jack but alland pm me this anwer.

so does that mean that if i take the different gears out of a 2.3 ranger and put them in my 2.0l i'll get better milage. i know high gear ratio means better mileage usually. but tell me if im right

thanks

 

[rboyer]

I found the cab was rusted out at the firewall and door supports so I bought a complete 2.9 (motor was baffed) Automatic with the extended cab...was going to put the cab on the first Ranger...once I saw how much work that would require I removed the 2.9 and had the frame and underside of the cab and firewall sand blasted and prime painted...dropped the 2.3 into it with my new clutch and manual M5OD tranny...replaced all cab mounts with new OEMs...replaced front shocks...new gas tank (no fuel pump)...replaced all brake lines, flex hoses, and brake cylinders...

From the amount of work that you have done to the truck there seems to be no question on whether you are capable of converting the thing to EFI and swapping out your gears. It is more a question of it being worth your time and money to do it so that you have a truck that compares to the Suzuki with fuel mileage. If it was me I would keep the Ranger mostly because it is a truck and I myself would get more use out of it, but if you don't need a truck for anything then the easiest way out would be to simply just sell the Ranger and drive the Suzuki.

 

[Mark_88]

From the amount of work that you have done to the truck there seems to be no question on whether you are capable of converting the thing to EFI and swapping out your gears. It is more a question of it being worth your time and money to do it so that you have a truck that compares to the Suzuki with fuel mileage. If it was me I would keep the Ranger mostly because it is a truck and I myself would get more use out of it, but if you don't need a truck for anything then the easiest way out would be to simply just sell the Ranger and drive the Suzuki.

Yeah, I'm not afraid to take on the work...and it's not like the Zuk that came in good shape and has required very little work over the years...I would really like to keep both if possible, but it's just too expensive trying to maintain one and build the other...aside from that I won't have a place to keep both of them...but I've been building the Ranger on limited resources and only just getting it to the finished stage...doing most of the work myself has been both fun, entertaining, a huge learning opportunity, and a much needed outlet for too much (nervous) energy...time to enjoy it I hope!

 

[Mark_88]

don't want to thread jack but alland pm me this anwer.

so does that mean that if i take the different gears out of a 2.3 ranger and put them in my 2.0l i'll get better milage. i know high gear ratio means better mileage usually. but tell me if im right

thanks

Depending on your current gears...yes, you can get better mileage...at one point I was getting roughly 25 to 28 mpg when the truck was in top shape (before I swapped in the 2.3 and made other changes)...but I was trying to get a bit more power so the mpg went down with that...but not too much, actually.

 

[jagar147]

Thanks for the input so far...the poll actually shows the Ranger as favorite to keep, but the comments are what counts...

I should also have mentioned that the Zuk insurance is double the Ranger...and the Ranger doesn't require extensive Drive Clean due to its' age and the fact that it is considerered a 'rebuilt' vehicle...and it's been 'frame-off' restored with very little rust even on the cab corners...

But the gas mileage is way better on the Zuk...and I've changed the oil every 5 or 6k and maintained the vehicle well...including replacing transmission fluid, complete exhaust system and new windshield...

I don't need to go far for the next eight months or so, but will probably have to commute upwards of 1,000 K a week after that...unless I can find work locally...

I've been leaning towards the Zuk all along but I'm afraid I will loose a LOT of money on the Ranger...and the Zuk is a small vehicle (that can be good of course)...

I will look for some more input...but so far it's keep the zuk in the comments and keep the Ranger in the poll...hmmmm...

1000k a week!!!! that's 1,000,000 miles a week!!! keep the Ranger the Zuk will never put up with that kind of mileage