what's a good price?

[scotts90ranger]

I found a '86 turbocoupe engine on craigslist locally for $550 with ecm and wiring

so, I gotta ask, is this a good deal? there was another guy on with pistons/rods for $100, that's the only parts price I remember, the ad got deleted...

I'm getting tired of the lack of power, and want to see what all the rave is about the turbo engines

 

[Davis]

Depends on what part of the country you are in i think. In utah, that's a pretty good deal. From what i've gathered, near detriot and in florida as well, it doesn't seem to be a good deal.
100 for used stock rods and pistons is a little steep i think.

 

[Davis]

oh and the rave about turbo motors is for good reason.

 

[scotts90ranger]

I know it's for a reason, and I desperately want to get in on it...

ok, aren't the '87/88 engines the ones to look for? if so, is it because of a better turbo or because they're intercooled?

ok, I know avoid carbed turbo 2.3's at all cost, but would any of the parts from one be good to put on say my '89 ranger engine? I found a '83 turbo coupe engine for $350...

man, I apparently need to read up again, it's been a couple years... wish Dave was still around!

 

[Davis]

yeah 87/88 are the best. it's the computer and intercooling that are desirable. the turbo is the ihi, and it spools quick, but runs out of steam quick.
what are your goals?

 

[scotts90ranger]

oh, right, apparently I don't have a good vehicle description on here anymore...

the truck is a 4x4, so I want more power for that purpose, it's my DD and weekend warrior, I basically want it to be reliable and have a lot more power in the process (I'm realistic about it though, I'm not one of the guys that says "I want 800hp out of my 2.3 and get 30mpg at the same time" ). Right now I seem to use the engine more in the middle RPM range, with the 31's some hills are a struggle, and I'm going to want to go bigger soon...

I work with a bunch of engine guys, they're all GM based though, but if I get the parts together and stuff, I'm sure we can play with it from there

one thing I do remember from my research a coule years ago was that my VAM system sucks for turboing (it has the '89 operating system, mid '90 was apparently when the MAF stuff started)

so, are the '86 and '87/88 wired close enough to the same to swap out computers and repin a couple things?

I've been living with the stock 2.3 for 9 years now, two of that as a 4x4, 4x2 was fine but not very fun because of destination limitations, so I'm sure I could live with the what, 150-160hp of the '86...

 

[Bill G]

man, I apparently need to read up again, it's been a couple years... wish Dave was still around!

I'm still in touch with Dave as I'm in the middle of swapping in my turbo motor. Should be a few more weeks as time and money permit. I can PM you contact info if you have questions for him.

 

[scotts90ranger]

well, I think Dave has me convinced... I think I need to bite the bullet and buy the '86 engine, the guy lowered the price to $500, and I just emailed him and it only has around 80K on it... don't think I'm going to find any better than that...

 

[ILLEGALCONCEPTS]

Scott, you'll be SO happy you did this. You've spent a lot of time on your truck, and now to install the turbo will just be icing on the cake. You'll be wondering why you didn't do it in the first place.

James

 

[scotts90ranger]

I know why, $$$, until the past 2 years I had none, as in zero, 2 and a half years ago I got a graduation present of $500, which allowed me to get the donor truck to convnert to 4 wheel drive

even getting a decent deal on the engine, it's going to nickel and dime me, valve seals (dave's suggestion, I'll listen ), front and rear main, swapping to a ranger roller cam (might pull the one out of my parts truck, since it'll get the engine from my truck after it comes out), maybe porting another head, think about new clutch

not to mention once I get the engine to have more power than the drivetrain can handle I'll defenitely have to upgrade the axles... and they're hard to find with the gearing I want

 

[ILLEGALCONCEPTS]

Dave is the man for sure when it comes to this "turbo" thing LOL. Just start collecting parts as deals come your way, EvilBAY can be a good source as well.

The nice thing about turbos is they don't increase power at low RPM's. If you are nice to the truck, you may be surprised at how long things can last. I know that someday I wil need a better tranny and rear end but for now I'll play nice and work out the bugs.

So whats the deal with your gearing and axles? Just wondering............

James

 

[b2r]

up here in canada I got 2 engine and almost everything needed ford the swap all ford 300$

 

[Davis]

dont worry about the axles.

i'm running 300+ through a stock 7.5. it's holding just fine. the tranny should come first.

 

[scotts90ranger]

my 7.5 has issues, there are some chipped teeth on both gears, rear pinion bearing cage is busted, spiders are loose (they're from an '83), it's leaking (either tube or tone ring sensor O ring). the D28, well, it's a D28...

D35 and sploder 8.8 are hard to find in 4.10's from what I've found so far, I can have my choice of 3.73's, but no 4.10's, although with the turbo I could probably live with the 3.73's easier... I want the lower gearing because I already have 31" tires, and I'll want to go up soon...

the Mazda tranny doesn't hold up well? do I need to upgrade to 4.0 version parts? I'll admit my tranny is going downhill, the synchro's are going slowly and one of the shifter centering springs is gone... thought this was the best of the trannies to go with short of the WC T5...

 

[scotts90ranger]

well, it's in the bed of my truck

exhaust manifold is cracked in half between # 2 and 3, I'll assume that's where it's common... flywheel has an '82 part number and doesn't look worn behind the clutch, so I'm believing the 80K estimate from the guy, once I can get it out of the truck (hard to do by myself without my real engine handling tools that are in my mom's garage) I'll get it cleaned up and inspect things... I'll probably have more questions once I get deeper into it.