Power Upgrades 2.9l

[sgtsandman]

I appreciate everybody’s responses. A little bit more about what I’m thinking. I have access to a very good running four-wheel-drive short cab short bed, almost exactly like my 87. And what I’m considering is another mini semi type project like I did with my 97.

My 87 with the 2.9 is fantastic for just tooling around doing whatever, hauling small loads, or driving down the interstate at 75. Really a great all-around little utility truck.

What I’m thinking of doing, is a similar double axle (or maybe a triple axle this time), with an aluminum trailer that may be three axles, with a low deck set up so it becomes an easy car hauler. A mini “tri drive” heavy hauler toy thing.

Before everybody jumps, this has nothing to do with right or wrong or the best way to move a car or any kind of common sense. It’s another big toy and crazy vision.

I’m not looking for a hot rod at all. Gas mileage doesn’t matter as long as it doesn’t drop to 10 miles a gallon What I want to be able to do is get more “tug off the line“ torque power, but still be able to go down the road at 60 or 65 miles an hour, and be able to drive uphill, even if I have to drop a gear. One gear. I want the engine strong enough to go 60 or 65 or 70 in an ideal world down the interstate, but if I come up on a hill (or a jerk in front of me), I want the torque to be able to downshift and climb the hill without dropping to 30 miles an hour or something like that.

In an ideal world, I would do this with an extended cab like my 97, but I’ve got my hands on the short bed short cab right now, and it’s a 2.9 with the five speed. All that is for clarity on my “vision.” or maybe clarity on my “delusion.“. I love my 97 for what I did to it, and if I found one in decent shape with a 4.0/5 speed, it would absolutely be my first choice. But I don’t wanna spend any money.

Having said all of that, I had a completely different thought. I have 235/75/15s on both trucks now. The 97 4.0 works perfect perfectly for this kind of stuff. The 87 seems a little underpowered when I climb a long hill even empty. If I downshift, it’s fine. But if I’m pulling a load, I would prefer to downshift as little as possible.

I have a pile of wheels out next to the shed of miracles, and I have a bunch of 185/65/14 tires on bullet hole wheels. Bullet holes would be my preference for a project like this. If I simply swap those two wheels/tires, it goes from 699 revs to 860 a mile. Wouldn’t that accomplish the same thing as putting in taller gears?

View attachment 130002

I’m not sure if I’m a fan of the appearance of smaller wheels and tires, but so much behind the doors will be custom, it’s just a matter of making it look right.

so, forget the best way to get it done, what’s the cheapest way without actual chickens running in a wheel on the roof?

Then 4.10:1 might be a better choice for you for that build. You'll either even out on the mileage that the truck is getting with 3.45:1 or maybe a little less.

As far as the '87, have you looked at smaller 15" tires used on the Rangers in the past? 225/70R15 is common on RWD Rangers and might be a big enough drop in radius to get where you want. Effectively bumping up the gear ratio a bit. Perhaps 215's might get you there as well. Both are going to open up the gap between the tire and the wheel well, if that is something that matters to you.

 

[Rick W]

Then 4.10:1 might be a better choice for you for that build. You'll either even out on the mileage that the truck is getting with 3.45:1 or maybe a little less.

As far as the '87, have you looked at smaller 15" tires used on the Rangers in the past? 225/70R15 is common on RWD Rangers and might be a big enough drop in radius to get where you want. Effectively bumping up the gear ratio a bit. Perhaps 215's might get you there as well. Both are going to open up the gap between the tire and the wheel well, if that is something that matters to you.

The way it would look in the wheel well is almost academic, since the only tires that will be in a wheel well will be the steering tires. Everything else will be under a custom deck/custom fenders, probably squared off stuff, not round like I did on the Road Ranger.

@alwaysFlOoReD : my issue with smaller tires on the truck would be traction for pulling a load. I’m thinking of a similar set up to what I have now on the Road Ranger, where the last axle floats and pulls behind the truck, the truck doesn’t carry any of the load from that axle. If I have small tires on the drive axle, I’d be afraid they’d be spinning all the time. The trailer load doesn’t hold them down. I have a problem with the drive tires on the Road Ranger chirping and spinning, no matter how slowly I let out the clutch. I’m thinking of fixing that by converting the rear end to a posi, just haven’t gotten around to it yet.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

The way it would look in the wheel well is almost academic, since the only tires that will be in a wheel well will be the steering tires. Everything else will be under a custom deck/custom fenders, probably squared off stuff, not round like I did on the Road Ranger.

@alwaysFlOoReD : my issue with smaller tires on the truck would be traction for pulling a load. I’m thinking of a similar set up to what I have now on the Road Ranger, where the last axle floats and pulls behind the truck, the truck doesn’t carry any of the load from that axle. If I have small tires on the drive axle, I’d be afraid they’d be spinning all the time. The trailer load doesn’t hold them down. I have a problem with the drive tires on the Road Ranger chirping and spinning, no matter how slowly I let out the clutch. I’m thinking of fixing that by converting the rear end to a posi, just haven’t gotten around to it yet.

Make it a dually.

 

[Rick W]

Make it a dually.

You mean dually steering wheels?

Years ago, I did a Datsun pick up truck into a dually with a Toyota rear end from a van, and then I did the same thing to a Chevy Luv truck years later. Those were the predecessors to the Road Ranger. On both of those, when I got the first dually axle installed, planning a second one, a guy around the corner just had to have it. Two different guys, 20 years apart, but the price was right and I always said I could make another one. I now have three guys chasing me to buy the Road Ranger for stupid money, but I’m not motivated to just start another similar one.

The tandem axle set up has been the magic. Folks love the dually, and they’ve seen them, but nobody’s ever seen a poor man’s tandem like I made. I’ll have 10 people come look at the truck. Six will say “did you build this? It’s really cool!” or something like that. A couple more will say “what the hell were you thinking when you built that?” they’ve never seen one before. And then a couple folks (who have probably never built anything) will say “I would’ve done it this way or I would’ve done it that way.” But my point is, all 10 out of 10 of them will stop and come look at it. I’ve never had that before, and I’ve had some really weird and exotic stuff.

This little truck I’m thinking about now, the truck just fell in my lap, and I can buy it for nothing. And I don’t know why, but I’ve been thinking of a triple axle with a triple axle trailer, aluminum low deck, car hauler, that looks like a heavy hauler. Then I say to myself “you haven’t finished with all the current junk, do you want to start another project?” And on the other hand, I say “at my age, if I’m going to do it one more time, buy the right truck, put the dually axles on it, at least two of them, etc., etc.,” go all the way with the double dually, or triple dually, but it is a hell of a lot more work, since I’d have to narrow those drive axles. But I would still only have one drive axle, the rest would be floaters.

And then there’s this incredibly sweet petite brunette who’s been taking some of my time…

 

[gaz]

@Rick W

If you have a solid running stock 2.9 in a 1st gen chassis (around 2,850 lbs Ranger or 3,480 BII)
1) remove crankshaft fan/clutch for =\> 2,800 cfm 15" electric puller.
2) 2¼" mandrel bent single exhaust with a free flow muffler, either stock cats or a 200 cell hi-flow with a quality set of headers, if possible.
3) 8 mm suspension core wires, plugs 1 heat range up
4) multi-spark ignition system (Jacob's, MSD 6AL Accell 300+, Summits digital box or the like).
5) K&N drop in
6) all synthetic fluids; engine oil, transmission, transfer case and differentials
7) match tire size to chosen gear ratio for best engine RPM efficiency at normal highway speeds.
8) remote engine oil filter with cooler

Depending on your wallet and amount of extra Umph you need, there is more to be had but the above list of items will yield a great improvement from a 100% stock 2.9l. The OHV 4.0l is also a valid solution but without proper prior planning, THEY can be THIRSTY.

 

[Rick W]

Well, I’m closing out my chapter to this thread. See below.

First, I want to say thank you for everybody who chimed in about how to get more juice out of a 2.9. Although I won’t be going forward with this truck, I will probably do some of those things to the Missing Linc, which is certainly adequate, but I always wish it had just a little bit more power.

As regards the 87 2.9 that fell in my lap, I was getting it for $400, and I just sold it for $2100, and I only looked at it one time and I only touched it from the outside. If it was a little newer 4.0 5-sp extended cab, you would’ve never heard about it, I’d already be working on it. Anytime I can turn money like that, it’s not a bad outcome. And I really do need another project like a hole in the head. BTW, the guy who bought it from me is in seventh heaven he got such a deal!

Another truck I ran up on was a 2000, GA rust free, four-door, 4.0, 5-speed, rear wheel drive, working a/c, with a blown (needs replaced not fixed) engine. The truck looks great from outside, he recovered the seats with leather, the rest of the interior is pretty nice, but it needs a new center dash bezel and the odometer doesn’t work. The engine is the later 4.0 with EGR, that I think was in the 98 to 2000. I can’t find one and get one put in in Georgia for less than about 1800 bucks with a clutch, so it didn’t work for me. But I know some of you guys want those rust free trucks, and the four doors are pretty hard to come by down here.

If anyone’s interested, reach out to me in a p.m. and I’ll connect you. I also told the guy to join TRS, and put it up for sale in the vehicles by owner section.

Tganks again to everybody who chimed in. I really appreciate it.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Well, I’m closing out my chapter to this thread. See below.

First, I want to say thank you for everybody who chimed in about how to get more juice out of a 2.9. Although I won’t be going forward with this truck, I will probably do some of those things to the Missing Linc, which is certainly adequate, but I always wish it had just a little bit more power.

As regards the 87 2.9 that fell in my lap, I was getting it for $400, and I just sold it for $2100, and I only looked at it one time and I only touched it from the outside. If it was a little newer 4.0 5-sp extended cab, you would’ve never heard about it, I’d already be working on it. Anytime I can turn money like that, it’s not a bad outcome. And I really do need another project like a hole in the head. BTW, the guy who bought it from me is in seventh heaven he got such a deal!

Another truck I ran up on was a 2000, GA rust free, four-door, 4.0, 5-speed, rear wheel drive, working a/c, with a blown (needs replaced not fixed) engine. The truck looks great from outside, he recovered the seats with leather, the rest of the interior is pretty nice, but it needs a new center dash bezel and the odometer doesn’t work. The engine is the later 4.0 with EGR, that I think was in the 98 to 2000. I can’t find one and get one put in in Georgia for less than about 1800 bucks with a clutch, so it didn’t work for me. But I know some of you guys want those rust free trucks, and the four doors are pretty hard to come by down here.

If anyone’s interested, reach out to me in a p.m. and I’ll connect you. I also told the guy to join TRS, and put it up for sale in the vehicles by owner section.

Tganks again to everybody who chimed in. I really appreciate it.

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