03 fliptrac $700 daily driver (summer of fun with 4 sport tracs)

[410Fortune]

Maybe the Ecoboost is hit or miss
Also I’ve seen some major hacking of the hvac plenum to make the 4 banger fit
I would
Like to avoid that.

Maybe just a 2.3 -2.5 duratec with a single turbo

If course a blown 5.3 would be fun too but with gas prices the way they are a 4 cyl that makes 300 horsies maybe the ticket

 

[Josh P]

Cat C4.4 diesel?

 

[97Sandbox]

2.3/2.5 Duratec seems like a great choice given it came stock in the Ranger so you know it will fit without custom parts. I suppose a M5R1-HD trans would bolt on? Plus the same engine architecture (in de-stroked 2.0 form) was used in third gen Miatas so there's plentiful aftermarket support for go-fast goodies.

 

[410Fortune]

That and….. I have one
I recently replaced the engine in a 2010
Ranger because the transmission shop
Jacked up the 4 cyl engine while replacing the trans. The crank pulley is not keyed on these engines and they turned the crank somehow it jumped time. The piston was hitting the valve. Just barely… I replaced the engine and trans, in return I got to keep the 2004’ranger donor and the 2010 2.3 duratec engine block

2010 2.3 w the 127k needs new valves and seals otherwise stellar

 

[CDW6212R]

I still would like to see if the 3.7 NA 2018 DI engine can fit the 2nd gen's, my spare Mercury could use a new drivetrain. I think if the intake manifold could miss the HVAC housing, it could be a decent swap. Those came in the Transit and Mustang, and an F series too I think. Skip the internal WP stuff though, those all need to die and go away. Stupid engineers, what morons.

 

[97Sandbox]

2010 2.3 w the 127k needs new valves and seals otherwise stellar

I see no downsides hahaha. So boosted Duratec in a Ranger it is. After plotting this out, I'm tempted to build one myself haha.

Wonder if I could find a cheap 2.5 gen Sport with a timing rattle 4.0 and grab a 2.5 from somebody 5.0 swapping a Ranger...

 

[410Fortune]

Into a sport trax

 

[97Sandbox]

Into a sport trax

Why choose a Ranger or a 2.5gen Sport when you can have both in one haha!

 

[Josh P]

I still would like to see if the 3.7 NA 2018 DI engine can fit the 2nd gen's, my spare Mercury could use a new drivetrain. I think if the intake manifold could miss the HVAC housing, it could be a decent swap. Those came in the Transit and Mustang, and an F series too I think. Skip the internal WP stuff though, those all need to die and go away. Stupid engineers, what morons.

I think the 3.7 will fit, it was designed to fit anywhere the duratec 3.0 was used.

 

[CDW6212R]

Was the Duratec 3.0 put into one of the Rangers up to 2011? I've looked at many pictures that show the 3.7 intake extending a lot to the passenger side. I know the 3.7 only weighs 200lbs, it would be nice to drop 300lbs from my truck. That could get some great fuel mileage, with 3.08 or 3.27 gears in it(recall that the 1st gear is 4.17:1).

 

[Josh P]

Was the Duratec 3.0 put into one of the Rangers up to 2011? I've looked at many pictures that show the 3.7 intake extending a lot to the passenger side. I know the 3.7 only weighs 200lbs, it would be nice to drop 300lbs from my truck. That could get some great fuel mileage, with 3.08 or 3.27 gears in it(recall that the 1st gear is 4.17:1).

The Vulcan 3.0 was in the Ranger up to about 07. The duratec will be about 350 lbs and 21-22 inches across the widest point, about the same as the 4.0 sohc. Someone that used to 5.0 swap old school Volvo cars put a 3.7 in with an AOD or 4R70W. The power numbers are impressive stock, and they handle lots of boost.

 

[410Fortune]

Yes I’ve been looking at the duratec 3.5 based v6 na engine as a possible options as well
Is the 3.7 now the new 3.5?
Power milage and more gears always welcomed
The old 3.0s were anemic and problematic, I have always avoided them and their 4r55e
I have repaired plenty of them
I take Taurus engines and keep rangers on the road lol

I think it’s a great fit for our gen ii / ranger and with Ecoboost as possible Option

 

[Josh P]

Yes I’ve been looking at the duratec 3.5 based v6 na engine as a possible options as well
Is the 3.7 now the new 3.5?
Power milage and more gears always welcomed
The old 3.0s were anemic and problematic, I have always avoided them and their 4r55e
I have repaired plenty of them
I take Taurus engines and keep rangers on the road lol

I think it’s a great fit for our gen ii / ranger and with Ecoboost as possible Option

Could the 3.5 ecoboost fit between the frame rails on a 98-11 Ranger? I know it's too wide for the 97 and older.

 

[410Fortune]

I have no clue
I know the 4cyl eco already requires some major hacking to fit
I can imaging w the 6 would need more
But I thought it had been done? I have seen the 4 cyl eco is an upcoming /!popular conversion for rangers I thought I had seen a v6 one on YouTube

With the aftermarket on these engines from focus Mazda mustang bronco I am sure we could find a way even it it required major plumbing ( moving Turbos)

 

[CDW6212R]

The ecoboost engines all have the turbo's mounted low next to the oil pan, those are all very wide. You'd have to relocate the turbos, huge job.

The 3.7 and 3.5 are virtually the same, the only big differences are which had an internal water pump. The NA external WP versions are all good swap candidates. I narrowed down my choices to the dual injector versions, which began with the 2017 F150, then all 2018's had that. The stock six speed 6R80 is very strong, internally basically the same as the V8 version that people have run the 1/4 in 10 seconds. The hard part might be using the entire operating system and deleting unneeded stuff(Canbus etc).

 

[97Sandbox]

I have no clue
I know the 4cyl eco already requires some major hacking to fit
I can imaging w the 6 would need more
But I thought it had been done? I have seen the 4 cyl eco is an upcoming /!popular conversion for rangers I thought I had seen a v6 one on YouTube

With the aftermarket on these engines from focus Mazda mustang bronco I am sure we could find a way even it it required major plumbing ( moving Turbos)

That's the beauty of the older Mazda L engine IMO. It was already made to fit in the Ranger, had factory turbo variants (Mazdaspeed3), and it came in so many vehicles and configurations I have to imagine the right mix and match of parts from the salvage yard could make for a swap comprised of almost all OEM parts. I'm not sure whar standalone ECUs the MS3 folks prefer, but I'm sure there's something that's become a go-to.

 

[Josh P]

The ecoboost engines all have the turbo's mounted low next to the oil pan, those are all very wide. You'd have to relocate the turbos, huge job.

The 3.7 and 3.5 are virtually the same, the only big differences are which had an internal water pump. The NA external WP versions are all good swap candidates. I narrowed down my choices to the dual injector versions, which began with the 2017 F150, then all 2018's had that. The stock six speed 6R80 is very strong, internally basically the same as the V8 version that people have run the 1/4 in 10 seconds. The hard part might be using the entire operating system and deleting unneeded stuff(Canbus etc).

The turbo version is 28.5 inches wide. Tuners can delete all the unused modules making the factory pcm work in a swap project.

 

[410Fortune]

Cat C4.4 diesel?

Turbo diesel is for sure on the table I have a bii build coming up
Also would make for a nice ranger
Sport trac turbo diesel off the chain
We shall see!

I’ve always wanted a turbo 4 cylinder
I’ve always wanted a supercharged v8
And I love turbo diesels
Who know what will happen these trucks decide long before I do

 

[fordpickupman]

The ecoboost 3.7 has been swapped into a ranger. There's a YouTube on it. I can't remember the name of the shop. It's a big high end shop. I bet the guy had $50k+ in the swap. It was super nice.

 

[410Fortune]

Does he have ac? Working cluster? That Is the question lol I remember seeing that too a couple of years ago. Seems to be a few 4 cyl eco rangers running around now daddy like