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Hopefully I'm placing this thread in the right place- feel free to move it if necessary:
In 2013, My beloved Grandfather left me his 1990, 73k mile fishing truck. He was a WWII plankowner on CV10, the "fighting lady" Yorktown, serving in the Battle of Tarawa and Marshall Islands. He's actually in the Hollywood movie, "The Fighting Lady", filmed during the war. Humble guy- God rest his soul.
Not being much of a Ford guy, I resolved to drive it occasionally only to realize that not only did it get terrible mileage, it would not pull a grease string out of a cat's rear. I wanted to put a LS in it, but my friends talked me out of it (no room/never been done, etc). I built a nasty 2.3 turbo, put good rear suspension under it, and was going to boost / spray the goodness out of it, but a cylinder head guy in Kalifornia had another idea, destroying that plan. Back to the drawing board...and so begins the 6 year project, hopefully concluding this spring / summer.
Original 2.3 turbo sleeper, all 2526 lbs of it, built to torment the local "fast" youth.
My first thought was, being 55 and out of able-bodied friends to assist with the build...get rid of the Twin I beam front suspension to make room for a turbo LS. Durable it is, light it is not...and replacing kingpins sucks.
No one offers a k-member, so I saved up some cash and took a chance on a AJE kit, supposedly designed to fit 1983-1997 Rangers.
Suffice to say it does not, unless one has fabrication skills, 1) to make the kit fit properly and 2) to stiffen the "shock towers" up. A turbo LS was not intended to go here, so the frame rails have to be clearanced (I strongly recommend Hooker's manifolds), the AJE strut tower brace does not fit with any sort of stock intake manifold, etc. Typical Ford stuff.
Once I realized I'd never get the front suspension stiff enough to feel good about making a pass in it, a 10 point cage was ordered and the work began.
At one point I began researching rear-mounted radiators, then remote water pumps. Methinks that will make even more room, move weight over the rear suspension (saved about 90 pounds with the AJE), etc. Now I have to figure out how to do it. This is what I came up with. Will it work? We'll see.
Water manifolds mounted on shock towers. K-type copper tubing carries the coolant back to the radiator. Motion Raceworks steam kit runs to manifold on pass side.
I made the rad assy brackets adjustable; hopefully there will be enough air flow there to keep it cool...I'd love to put the camper shell back on it
The plan is to let my tranny guru buddy build a 4L60e (OMG the parts are expensive, but if any will hold up this one will), a boneyard 2007 (Gen 3) 5.3 bored .030 with good pistons and stock crank and Gen 4 rods. TBSS intake, Holley 92mm TB, and VSR Gen 2.5 7875 v-band on E90. Boost will be moderate, maybe 14-16 psi.
Terry Wilkes of Wilkes Performance and I go waaay back, so he was kind enough to do his CNC magic on my 799 heads. It should make enough steam (and hook) to scare my wife.
The 10 (12, actually) point cage was more about stiffening things up than being race-y. My outlaw days are past; I just want to get a track baseline and drive it. I started the cage 3 days ago, taking my time. The main hoop, harness bar and roof bar are fitted and tacked. Work continues as I have time.
Gutted. Ready for cage and Racewire engine/chassis wiring. Holley Terminator X Max will handle the powertrain. 6* layback, newly designed harness bar (thanks John at S&W). Roof bar tacked, dash bars tomorrow, God willing.
Nice truck. I sold a like new 2001 Ranger that was planned for a 1200whp LS swap. Depending on tq/hp goal, 4L60e can be an expensive proposition.
Thanks for the kind words.
Expensive, yes. If I thought the 4L80e would've made it through the tunnel, I would have gone with that. If the 4L60e doesn't make it, I'll put a glide in it.
Take a look at Offroad racers in the trophy truck class you can see all this already designed built and tested in the BAJA.. Plagiarizing is a gift.. LOL
ON a couple rides with electric pumps I found that you want the pump to be as close to the lowest point you can make it in the system.
Did those shock tower braces come from AJE, or did you make them-looks good so far.
Don't worry about being 55, lol, I am 75, still do all my stuff myself, never wanted to be
old, but had no choice, so I decided not to ever grow up, as I had a choice, lol.
Did those shock tower braces come from AJE, or did you make them-looks good so far.
Don't worry about being 55, lol, I am 75, still do all my stuff myself, never wanted to be
old, but had no choice, so I decided not to ever grow up, as I had a choice, lol.
Yes, they did. Luckily, they left the tubing open-ended, so I'm tying that into my cage.
I had back surgery two years ago, so I feel it every time I woller around under the truck. It'll all be worth it soon.
Take a look at Offroad racers in the trophy truck class you can see all this already designed built and tested in the BAJA.. Plagiarizing is a gift.. LOL
ON a couple rides with electric pumps I found that you want the pump to be as close to the lowest point you can make it in the system.
Looks like a fun ride..
Exactly. If it weren't for the internet, I'd be lost in the 80s
Mezeire said they work best as pushers, right at the rad outlet. TBD.
I hope it is; I tried to put it together without "honey let me run the valves first" mindset.
I have to say, I love the swap! But I also have to say, as someone who has been down a similar road, do the 80E. You have already tore the entire front suspension apart. That is WAY more complicated than a piece of sheet metal that goes over the transmission.
My buddy felt exactly the same way with his 69 Chevelle as you do. When we cut the floor out of it, I could feel his tension. I showed him how to roll a piece of sheet steel on his floor. A chunk of card board, a knife and masking tape. In less than 2 hours, the part was cut, rolled and tacked in place. That left him with around 5 hours of welding to finish it, followed by seam sealer, and some paint, and Fat Mat. Car is quiet, smoke free, and a 80e fits no problem.
I have to say, I love the swap! But I also have to say, as someone who has been down a similar road, do the 80E. You have already tore the entire front suspension apart. That is WAY more complicated than a piece of sheet metal that goes over the transmission.
My buddy felt exactly the same way with his 69 Chevelle as you do. When we cut the floor out of it, I could feel his tension. I showed him how to roll a piece of sheet steel on his floor. A chunk of card board, a knife and masking tape. In less than 2 hours, the part was cut, rolled and tacked in place. That left him with around 5 hours of welding to finish it, followed by seam sealer, and some paint, and Fat Mat. Car is quiet, smoke free, and a 80e fits no problem.
I will likely end up going with the 80e. I strongly considered it initially, but the the tunnel, availability and cost (they think a lot of them round these parts- even in junk yards) kept me away. In hindsight, I could have built a bullet-proof 80e AND converter for what I've spent in hard parts for this tranny.
I'm not necessarily sentimental with respect to cutting on a 32 year old truck- the LS swap has required cutting on it, anyway and it would have rusted away in my Dad's driveway. When the time comes, I'll put a tunnel in it. I'm not a welder or a fabricator, but this project has led me to do a lot of it, by neccessity.
Don't worry about being 55, lol, I am 75, still do all my stuff myself, never wanted to be
old, but had no choice, so I decided not to ever grow up, as I had a choice, lol.
Thanks for the encouragement- I'm still kickin by the grace of God.
Friday the 7th, I had a stroke.
Thursday the 13th, I had another one. I've lost a 4-5 cm part of my brain. Of course they released me to go back to work.
No one quite knows why a healthy-eating, fit 55 yo guy would have those kind of issues, but it's not going to slow me down; I consider myself blessed.
I'll finish this project if it takes another 20 years....but I was correct in saying it's my last hotrod project.
I built a nasty 2.3 turbo, put good rear suspension under it, and was going to boost / spray the goodness out of it, but a cylinder head guy in Kalifornia had another idea, destroying that plan.
Boport by any chance?
Great project! Sorry to hear about the health problems. But your attitude is the best way to handle it.
12-29-2021, 05:41 PM
My last project- 1990 Ranger XLT 
