tt 2.9l idea

[necessaryevil]

in my younger dumber days i was big in to honda tuning, big engine, big turbos, yada yada yada. so im familiar with using hondata, chrome, ect.the truck dose have a map sensor in it but after doing some reading it is not used the way im used to. the reason im considering using the 2.9l is i have a spare one sitting in storage that i was planing on fixing up to be blown, i found a company in the uk that has "H" beam rods and forged drop dome pistons, and with a set of 89tm heads a high pressure oil pump the engine should be able to handle it if i get the tuning right. as far as engine management, thats where im stuck a rrfpr(Rising Rate Fuel Pressure Regulator)can only get me so far experance is that they are only good for about 8-9lbs of boost

 

[cammeddrz]

if you plan to do any engine rebuilding..........thats an entirely different thing. that would be a waste of time as opposed to a 4.0. i thought you just wanted to pep up a 2.9 without tearing into it. thats how i'd do it. but go out and buy a 4.0l core motor for $200 and rebuild that then you can be running around on your 2.9 while you do it. and there are entire websites for the 4.0 with stroker cranks, rotating assemblies everything. just google it

 

[necessaryevil]

besides electronics is the 4.0 a drop in, or is a tranny swap involved?

 

[cammeddrz]

nope, bellhousing is a direct match, the motor mounts from a 4.0 ranger or exploder bolt right in. the 4.0 exhaust routes correctly (headers are alwas better as i'm sure you know) its so compatible a lot of guys actually run the larger 4.0 clutch on their 2.9's. the 4.0 radiator is reccomended, also a drop in for a 2.9

 

[F150hybred]

One other area that's going to be a problem will be the head bolts... or the LACK of. The 2.6, 2.8, 2.9 and 4.0 all have just enough head bolts to seal things in "factory" trim. If you start pushing any more than 4 to 5 psi, your gonna... and I mean GONNA have head sealing issues. Head studs will help somewhat... and o-ringing will help too. But the fact still remains, the engine doesn't have enough clamping force to seal the engine when the boost is past 4 yo 5 psi on a factory type engine. If you use studs (good luck finding those) and o-ring the heads, you MIGHT get it to seal with 10 psi.
Now, with all that being said, you know as well as I do that your not having fun with a turbo (or turbos) until you get past that "one atmosphere" point. Once you get past 14 psi... it's all fun and games! Wanna do something neat and reliable... do a small block with twin t3's.

 

[necessaryevil]

doing a short block 302 was one of the ideas i was bouncing around, but i dont think the turbo manifolds would clear the steering box, and heater box.

 

[F150hybred]

doing a short block 302 was one of the ideas i was bouncing around, but i dont think the turbo manifolds would clear the steering box, and heater box.

As tight as it may seem, there's lots of room under the hood of an RBV with a 302 (when done properly). Your only limit will be your imagination.