Hey whats up! More 2.3 power needed

[Piranahbite]

so it sounds like what id be doing would be either really small modifications or a whole engine build costing a lot of money

which leads me to asking would a 5.0 swap just be easier? (or another ford engine) parts seem to be more available

 

[Piranahbite]

iv heard about the 2.3 thunderbird turbocoupe swap and that seems interesting for a swap but wouldn't it just be the same story? have to shell out a bunch of money to make more power? (correct me if I'm wrong) or is that engine already a improved engine since its turbocharged and has forged internals

ps sorry for the string of messages i keep forgetting about things i got to say

 

[General karthief]

The 5.0 swap opens another can of worms, wiring, computer, small stuff to make it correct can get tedious and confusing, like I said earlier, get this one running good stock, daily drive it and get a V8 car to work on.

 

[Warhorse Racing]

If you look up MPS Auto Salvage on Ebay, you'll see that their 5.0 drivetrain conversions cost about $5,000. You would need/want an 8.8 rear end and there are other things needed to properly complete the swap. It could cost $6,000 in parts to do the swap. The most important thing to do is have a clear goal in mind for the car. And to do research. If you just want a little more power out of your 2.3L, there might be a good local shop that can do some porting and polishing of the head, intake and exhaust manifold after you have the car running at its best.

 

[manicmechanic007]

I tell people
If you really want to go racing
Buy a race car
I am not happy with my boss 302 either
I don't know how much is enough?

 

[manicmechanic007]

That's an interesting fact on the rods, Manic! I didn't know that one.

I had to / needed to / wanted to build one So I learned all that myself. And the Turbo Coupe thing I just learned a few years ago

 

[Boostedpimp]

I haven't been in the 2.3 game in many years but used to daily a manual 91 sea foam hatch back in the day.. Had good results from switching to a ford ranger header, no muffler, filter and fms aluminum driveshaft. No spare tire or jack to try to keep the weight down as well. It wouldn't break any records but still it helped a little with trying to merge with traffic and wasn't expensive.. well the driveshaft now is damn expensive but back then it was like a $100 barley used.

 

[Piranahbite]

I haven't been in the 2.3 game in many years but used to daily a manual 91 sea foam hatch back in the day.. Had good results from switching to a ford ranger header, no muffler, filter and fms aluminum driveshaft. No spare tire or jack to try to keep the weight down as well. It wouldn't break any records but still it helped a little with trying to merge with traffic and wasn't expensive.. well the driveshaft now is damn expensive but back then it was like a $100 barley used.

sick man iv been looking for a header and havent found one, you saying any 2.3 ranger header would work? or would i have to go buy a special one. and a new drive shaft sounds like it would help out

 

[Piranahbite]

If you look up MPS Auto Salvage on Ebay, you'll see that their 5.0 drivetrain conversions cost about $5,000. You would need/want an 8.8 rear end and there are other things needed to properly complete the swap. It could cost $6,000 in parts to do the swap. The most important thing to do is have a clear goal in mind for the car. And to do research. If you just want a little more power out of your 2.3L, there might be a good local shop that can do some porting and polishing of the head, intake and exhaust manifold after you have the car running at its best.

yea that sounds like a lot lol I'm limited to one car so hopping up my 2.3 would be the best thing to do i guess.

 

[Boostedpimp]

sick man iv been looking for a header and havent found one, you saying any 2.3 ranger header would work? or would i have to go buy a special one. and a new drive shaft sounds like it would help out

Simple explanation is :
Rangers built with Calif emissions have the EGR tube, O2 sensor port, and the hot air tube so they are a direct bolt up to the mustang. Otherwise some have the o2 sensor port and some don't. If you get one that doesn't you'll have to have a bung welded in.

The more detailed explanation is that 91-93 8 plug 2.3, no mods needed but I believe 87-90 2.3 motors seem to need the tube modified since their upper intake manifold is longer and places the egr valve a little higher up.

So if your one of the 87-90 guys, egr valve will accept the ranger's egr tube, but the ranger header will not accept the mustang egr tube, so make sure you get the egr tube with the header if you're planning on keeping the egr and you'll have to use both to make one that works or delete egr on the mustang. I went the delete route and used I believe a 1/2 pipe plug to get the job done.

I used a mustang exhaust manifold gasket, with the bolts from the Ranger because the Rangers bolts were 2 or 3 threads longer than the mustangs stock bolts.

You should be able to pickup a header with the egr and bolts cheap in any junkyard.. I did this swap maybe seven years ago and at the time I paid I want to say $30 at the yard for it all and something else for another car lol so in my case the added low end torque was worth it.

Another cool thing about it is that the stock mustang manifold ways 26lbs verses the Ranger header which was 6lbs.. So shaved a few pounds off the front of the car and well the aluminum driveshaft I had from another car and decided to toss it in because it was a 5spd so it fine. It don't know if it made a difference in umph but with the header and ds I seen a good increase in mpg with the turd

Hope that helps some

 

[7991LXnSHO]

So out of the range of a budget build, is there a 16 valve head that can be made to work with a minimum of hassle?
My 2001 Ranger had what I thought was a later Gen. 4 cyl that was fun.

 

[Warhorse Racing]

Simple explanation is :
Rangers built with Calif emissions have the EGR tube, O2 sensor port, and the hot air tube so they are a direct bolt up to the mustang. Otherwise some have the o2 sensor port and some don't. If you get one that doesn't you'll have to have a bung welded in.

The more detailed explanation is that 91-93 8 plug 2.3, no mods needed but I believe 87-90 2.3 motors seem to need the tube modified since their upper intake manifold is longer and places the egr valve a little higher up.

So if your one of the 87-90 guys, egr valve will accept the ranger's egr tube, but the ranger header will not accept the mustang egr tube, so make sure you get the egr tube with the header if you're planning on keeping the egr and you'll have to use both to make one that works or delete egr on the mustang. I went the delete route and used I believe a 1/2 pipe plug to get the job done.

I used a mustang exhaust manifold gasket, with the bolts from the Ranger because the Rangers bolts were 2 or 3 threads longer than the mustangs stock bolts.

You should be able to pickup a header with the egr and bolts cheap in any junkyard.. I did this swap maybe seven years ago and at the time I paid I want to say $30 at the yard for it all and something else for another car lol so in my case the added low end torque was worth it.

Another cool thing about it is that the stock mustang manifold ways 26lbs verses the Ranger header which was 6lbs.. So shaved a few pounds off the front of the car and well the aluminum driveshaft I had from another car and decided to toss it in because it was a 5spd so it fine. It don't know if it made a difference in umph but with the header and ds I seen a good increase in mpg with the turd

Hope that helps some

I'm in the process of installing a Ranger header on my 1993 2.3L right now. I took a header and EGR tube off of a 1994 Ranger and it looks like the header with the Ranger EGR tube will fit on the Mustang (I'm waiting on gaskets to complete the job). I did need to have 2 small, short tubes cut off the Ranger EGR tube and the holes welded up. I got the Ranger header/EGR tube from LKQ for $33 without the warranty.

If you look at the exhaust manifold on your Mustang, you can determine if you have the AIR (Air Injection Reaction) tubes going into the manifold (usually between cylinders 3 & 4. From what I can tell (someone please correct me if I'm wrong) not all 2.3L Mustangs had this feature (mine didn't). It helps to know exactly what parts you'll need before going to the salvage yard.

In my experience, it was REALLY hard to get the EGR tube disconnected from both the Ranger and my Mustang. I needed to use heat, PB Blaster and lots of force. You might not be allowed to use heat at the salvage yard, so bring the proper tool to remove the EGR valve from the intake manifold (in my case a 10mm ratchet-wrench). You don't want to find out that you can't separate the EGR valve from the EGR tube when you're at the salvage yard.

 

[Piranahbite]

I'm in the process of installing a Ranger header on my 1993 2.3L right now. I took a header and EGR tube off of a 1994 Ranger and it looks like the header with the Ranger EGR tube will fit on the Mustang (I'm waiting on gaskets to complete the job). I did need to have 2 small, short tubes cut off the Ranger EGR tube and the holes welded up. I got the Ranger header/EGR tube from LKQ for $33 without the warranty.

If you look at the exhaust manifold on your Mustang, you can determine if you have the AIR (Air Injection Reaction) tubes going into the manifold (usually between cylinders 3 & 4. From what I can tell (someone please correct me if I'm wrong) not all 2.3L Mustangs had this feature (mine didn't). It helps to know exactly what parts you'll need before going to the salvage yard.

In my experience, it was REALLY hard to get the EGR tube disconnected from both the Ranger and my Mustang. I needed to use heat, PB Blaster and lots of force. You might not be allowed to use heat at the salvage yard, so bring the proper tool to remove the EGR valve from the intake manifold (in my case a 10mm ratchet-wrench). You don't want to find out that you can't separate the EGR valve from the EGR tube when you're at the salvage yard.

thanks for the tip! my header has an o2 sensor on it and also some ducting that heats up the intake? i think its for the choke or somthing but im not sure. would i have to watch out for a header that has that? or is that somthing they all have

 

[Piranahbite]

Simple explanation is :
Rangers built with Calif emissions have the EGR tube, O2 sensor port, and the hot air tube so they are a direct bolt up to the mustang. Otherwise some have the o2 sensor port and some don't. If you get one that doesn't you'll have to have a bung welded in.

The more detailed explanation is that 91-93 8 plug 2.3, no mods needed but I believe 87-90 2.3 motors seem to need the tube modified since their upper intake manifold is longer and places the egr valve a little higher up.

So if your one of the 87-90 guys, egr valve will accept the ranger's egr tube, but the ranger header will not accept the mustang egr tube, so make sure you get the egr tube with the header if you're planning on keeping the egr and you'll have to use both to make one that works or delete egr on the mustang. I went the delete route and used I believe a 1/2 pipe plug to get the job done.

I used a mustang exhaust manifold gasket, with the bolts from the Ranger because the Rangers bolts were 2 or 3 threads longer than the mustangs stock bolts.

You should be able to pickup a header with the egr and bolts cheap in any junkyard.. I did this swap maybe seven years ago and at the time I paid I want to say $30 at the yard for it all and something else for another car lol so in my case the added low end torque was worth it.

Another cool thing about it is that the stock mustang manifold ways 26lbs verses the Ranger header which was 6lbs.. So shaved a few pounds off the front of the car and well the aluminum driveshaft I had from another car and decided to toss it in because it was a 5spd so it fine. It don't know if it made a difference in umph but with the header and ds I seen a good increase in mpg with the turd

Hope that helps some

thanks for all the advice!!! there's a pick pull near my house and i think they have some rangers. not 100% so im gonna check and see if they have them .

i have a 1987 2.3 with 4 plugs and an o2 sensor not sure if theres anything else i can tell you that makes the engine different or similar to other ones. but thats what i have!

 

[Warhorse Racing]

thanks for the tip! my header has an o2 sensor on it and also some ducting that heats up the intake? i think its for the choke or somthing but im not sure. would i have to watch out for a header that has that? or is that somthing they all have

All of the Ranger headers I saw at the salvage yard had that heat shield/tube. Make sure to get the ducting; it's always good to have a spare.

 

[Piranahbite]

All of the Ranger headers I saw at the salvage yard had that heat shield/tube. Make sure to get the ducting; it's always good to have a spare.

awsome! what was the year range for the ranger with the 2.3? if you know it that would help!

 

[Warhorse Racing]

awsome! what was the year range for the ranger with the 2.3? if you know it that would help!

Unfortunately, I don't have an accurate answer. The information I've found in old posts (some of them from 10-15 years ago) suggests the headers came on Rangers from the mid-1980s until the mid-1990s. Ranger Station says the 2.3L ran from 1985-1996.

However, there are also references on forums to small changes over the years like the position of the O2 sensor bung, etc. And because emissions equipment varies, it's hard to say which version of the header you might find at your local yard just by the year of the Ranger.

 

[evintho]

The only way to make a 2.3 quick is with a turbocharger. The cheapest way to make a 2.3 quick is to find a 2.3 turbo motor. 15 years ago they were a dime a dozen and you could buy a running TurboCoupe for $500. Those days are long gone! There's still a chance, though. Keep an eye on Pick-N-Pull's website to see what comes in. Occasionally, they'll get one in and you can pull the complete motor and take it home for $225. I looks like the Merced yard has an '84 with a 2.3 turbo. It's been there since November but it might be worth a road trip to check it out.

Pick-n-Pull

www.picknpull.com

Those motors were 200hp out of the gate. Basic headwork, 3" exhaust and a few junkyard pieces will get you to 300hp real quick! My avatar was 2.3 turbo powered until some clown rearended me and totalled the car! However, I pulled the motor/trans and dropped it into my '27 Model T roadster. 1500 lbs soaking wet. So now I basically have a 300hp go kart! I luv it!!

 

[Piranahbite]

Unfortunately, I don't have an accurate answer. The information I've found in old posts (some of them from 10-15 years ago) suggests the headers came on Rangers from the mid-1980s until the mid-1990s. Ranger Station says the 2.3L ran from 1985-1996.

However, there are also references on forums to small changes over the years like the position of the O2 sensor bung, etc. And because emissions equipment varies, it's hard to say which version of the header you might find at your local yard just by the year of the Ranger.

thanks for the help!!!!

 

[Piranahbite]

The only way to make a 2.3 quick is with a turbocharger. The cheapest way to make a 2.3 quick is to find a 2.3 turbo motor. 15 years ago they were a dime a dozen and you could buy a running TurboCoupe for $500. Those days are long gone! There's still a chance, though. Keep an eye on Pick-N-Pull's website to see what comes in. Occasionally, they'll get one in and you can pull the complete motor and take it home for $225. I looks like the Merced yard has an '84 with a 2.3 turbo. It's been there since November but it might be worth a road trip to check it out.

Pick-n-Pull

www.picknpull.com

Those motors were 200hp out of the gate. Basic headwork, 3" exhaust and a few junkyard pieces will get you to 300hp real quick! My avatar was 2.3 turbo powered until some clown rearended me and totalled the car! However, I pulled the motor/trans and dropped it into my '27 Model T roadster. 1500 lbs soaking wet. So now I basically have a 300hp go kart! I luv it!!

haha sick man!!!!! thanks for the tip!!!