Need power advice on my 93

[Trfsrfr]

My 1993 3.0L, 5-spd was super cheap with a badly rusted bed, so I removed the bed and made it a flatbed work truck. It does having functioning A/C.
Problem is I used 14 gauge steel and overbuilt the shit out of it, so now it's heavier than it could be.
I found a 4.10 rear end and that has helped, but I need more power. I also got rid of the 14" wheels and now have 235/75/15's on it.

Also, I dont have to go through emissions, and I dont have a ton of cash, so a 4.0L or other such engine swap is not in the budget.

What are my options for adding some more power to this thing?
I have considered the usual electric fan, under-drive pulley kit, cold air intake, dual-exhaust, etc, but I would like to know what you all think?

 

[97RangerXLT]

Not much out there in terms of power mods for the 3.0.

Your best bet would be weight reduction. Put your homade flat bed on craigslist for sale or trade for a factory bed.

Also do a tune ip and make sure the engine is running at peak performance.

AJ

 

[Mark_88]

I agree with AJ about the weight reduction and tuning...

Last year I test drove a 3.0 with a five speed...it was...ok...not OK...but ok...it had more power than my baffed out 2.3 but just barely...

The nice thing is...they are tough...and generally reliable...so...if you don't have much cash and have some skills with building...you could probably redo the flatbed or go with the stock box and get back on track...

My only question is...why do you want more power?

I can attest to how much money can easily be wasted on performance enhancements and would now tend to direct those funds and advise anyone contemplating throwing money away to find something more suitable...

However...we gotta do what we gotta do...so look around for a nice 5.0 swap and don't look back...there are many write-ups on how to do this and there are enough people on here to tell you how it's worth it in the long run...in fact, you will probably get nearly the same gas mileage out of a 5.0 as you will out of your 3.0...but...can you control yourself?

I couldn't...that's why I tried to stick with the 2.3...