new idea

[Milker]

ok i got a 94 ranger. sweet truck but my dad was driving it and said it needed a 306 put in it. i said no, i wanted the mpg.

but i was thinking what about buying a semi good ranger, maybe an older one, and putting a big engine in it. heres the problem: im not an engine guy i never knew of a 306 until i read sum book (its was tough but i did it). it said about 331ci. im definetly not the engine guy i should be.

but then what about a 347 stroker? i thought that it might break the back axle. my neighbor is the best of engine builders so i can ask for anysize and itll be built to run.

what do yall think? which engine would be best? what trany would i need (preferably 5 speed)? anything would help. Like i say i know how an engine works but after that its all my neighbor job.

thanks for your help

 

[Sevensecondsuv]

Go read through the threads in the V8 swap section of the site. This topic gets talked to death each and every day.

Oh, and Welcome!

 

[Mark_88]

Yeah...drop a 5.0 in it and you'll be the envy of all the guys at the gas station...

How about a 2.3 turbo? Good MPG...plenty of power...and only half the weight of a V8...

 

[alaskan155]

buick v8 215, 100lbs lighter than the 2.3l

found it pretty interesting on RPS

know the price seems high but for an all aluminum turn key crate motor I think it's pretty reasonable. "Stock", (as built by Mark @ D&D), at 225hp/250 tq is more than a stock 302 HO and more than 1 hp per cube.

More power can be had for sure but not my goal at this time. There's always room for a mild boost setup later on but current plans are leave it as built.

The 215 is unreal for a lightweight V-8. It is easily 160 lbs lighter than an iron headed 302 and 100 lbs lighter than the 2.3 4 cylinder I just removed.

 

[Mark_88]

I like it!

Very clean looking for a V8...I'll have to check that out...but 215 seems awfully small for a V8 listing...I think the smallest ford V8 was the 289...after that it was the 252 (in my mind) but I'm sure there were others...

 

[Ozwynn]

292 was a good engine. had a 66 F100 with one.........

 

[Mark_88]

I had a 252 I6 in my very first Ford...it was a dog...but the 352 that my Dad swapped in was a bigger dog that weighed more...that was a 62 Galaxie 500...it really needed a 429 to push it around, but I wasn't going to drop an engnine like that in it...

 

[Will]

Never heard of a 252 I-6.

215 isn't 4.6 liters. A 4.6 is about 280cid. A 4.0 is 244. A 215 is maybe 3.5ish. And a 5.0 is more than 250ft#. A 5.0 is a torquey some-bich.

 

[wahlstrom1]

That is a 215 block in the truck, worked over (stroked/bored) to a 4.6L. I'd say if you can keep your right foot light your truck will get as good mileage running the 306 (bored over 5.0L/302) as the 3.0L will. I'd do the 347 just for the torque though...

-andrew

 

[pocket-rocket]

I think Will is right. The engine in my cars is a 3.4 DOHC and it's 207 cubes.

 

[Mark_88]

Never heard of a 252 I-6.
.

You're right...it was a 262 I6...still a dog though...I never actually drove it with that engine in it...the crank was pushed through the engine by a head-on collision...when we got it the car only had 10,000 Miles on the ODO...

 

[chico4554]

do a 331 if you want it to not blow up. When you get to 347, the machining gets pretty close max. If you are not going to rebuild the motor right away jut put the 302 in now and rebuild it later. That way you can be cruisin in it asap. It will be easy to pop out and make crazy after.

 

[Milker]

i like the 2.3 turbo engine. but the only gas station i go to is sheetz and its not for gas so i never really worry about it. i have a 302 engine that was in my f 150 but a cylinder died so that was going to be my block or i steal one of my dads like 6 blocks