Hey guys, I'm not new to the forum, but I forgot my handle and password so you get this one.

So here's my project, and I need some help. I have a 1965 Ford F100, 2wd shortbox. I yanked the 302/4-speed combo out of it last summer due to a bad bearing, but I've since run into financial difficulties and I need to go el cheapo on getting this thing back on the road.

A buddy of mine who has an 11-second turbo Mustang needed a T-5 trans for one of his projects (a V-8 Ranger) so I traded into a complete 2.3L with 95,000 miles from a '94 Ranger...harness, ECU, and everything, as well as an IHI TurboCoupe turbo and an intercooler, plus various plumbing odds and ends and the 5-speed trans that came in the truck.

Now, I'm a carbed, simple, V-8 guy...so this one is above and beyond me. My buddy and I knocked around the idea of simply turning the exhaust manifold upside down, welding on a flange, bolting on the IHI turbo, and plumbing 'er up...I know they have an internal wastegate and never had BOV's on the TurboCoupes. We'd use the intercooler to keep detonation down, because until I get a few bucks to spring for forged pistons, I'm gonna be running stock cast internals. I'm thinking 5-8 lbs of boost for now, just so I can get my hand into this stuff, get used to how everything reacts together, and maybe over next winter yank the motor apart and put it together properly with forged pistons, bigger turbo, maybe a cam and larger primary header.

Questions I have:

-Is this a good idea? Will this thing rattle itself to death? I'm not gonna wind the snot out of it...just want a relatively fun driver that gets decent gas mileage that will get out of its way.
-What problems will I run into? Timing curve? Will the stock injectors be able to deliver enough fuel for the IHI turbo setup? Will I have to reflash the ECU or anything? I know nothing about those little boxes. I've heard I need to upgrade the fuel pump and MAF too...suggestions on what to look for? Remember, I'm budget-oriented for a bit, and don't mind salvage-yard crawling...hell, it's relaxing.
-Will a 2.5" after-turbo single exhaust be enough? I'd probably run a Dynomax Super turbo muffler unless there are others out there that work well and sound particularly mean.
-Will this be reliable and easy to maintain? I'm talking about JUST the IHI setup. Any idea on power levels at 5-8lbs of boost? The stock 98 hp will have a bit of trouble motivating the truck as-is. Rearend is the ubiquitous 9-inch with 3.25:1 gears.
-Any other things I should be aware of?

Thanks for any help in advance. It's much appreciated!

-Drew

 

Well, lets put it this way. The stock turbo coupes ran about 10 lbs of boost and need dthe forged internals witht he large combustion chamber and dished pistons to work reliably without detonating. So running 5-7 lbs of boost on stock internals with the smaller fast burn chamber, flat top pistons, etc is a recipe for disaster.

The timing is way to aggressive, the compression is way to high. The stock injectors on a Ranger are 15 lb/hr. The stock injectors on a Turbocoupe were either 30 lb/hr or 35 lb/hr. So in short, your stock injectors are not even close. Your stock MAF is way to small, it was designed for the stock motor with nothing to spare. The ECU MUST be reflashed.

If you do it right, with 10 psi of boost your power levels should be right around 160 - 175 hp at the wheels. But by right I mean, run forged dished pistons, adjust the timing curve, #3 or larger injectors, a proper intercooler, 91 or higher octane fuel, 90mm MAF, and at least a 160 lph fuel pump. If you go to the Turboranger forums, they have stickies posted on this subject.

2.5" exhuast will do. Personally I would opt for a WickedFlow over a Super Turbo. Why, because turbos love straight through mufflers, and a Super Turbo is not straight through. Any straight through muffler will work ok. 3" exhaust is better though, it helps everything run cooler, and no it is not too large for a turbocharged engine.

The easiest approach is to swap turbo pistons out of an existing turbo motor, new pistons can be spendy. If you motor is in fact a '94, then your rods and crank are already forged, so they will not need to be upgraded. However, if you have the motor apart, check the condition of your bearings, its probably best to just replace them if you had the moter apart anyway.

 

Awesome. Thank you very much for taking the time to respond to me...looks like the search is on for a wrecked TurboCoupe!

 

If you find a donor motor, the turbo valves are desirable too. They can be used with your head, but you will need to have yor stock seats redone and the valves ground. The stock ranger valves probably won't like the heat and will warp, and the stock seats are not sufficiently hard. You can get away without redoing the valves right now, but be aware that you may have issues later on.

 

Hi i have a 2.3l turbo out of my 86 cougar xr7 tht i totaled and i was wondering what type of problems i would run in to or what i would need to drop my 2.3 turbo into a 1987 ford ranger wit the 2.9 in it thanks