You....hate turbos on IDI's? They increase power, FE, and sound cooler lol. I have never heard that before.

 

Oh I have heard that before - from another guy in ontario in fact Must be something in the water.

I kid, of course......

But really, for such a small and light truck with an IDI fitted, it might as well be turbocharged with so much torque left over to spare.

I do agree that they increase fuel economy for heavier loads, but I'm not sure if it makes that much difference when cruising around empty and at lower relative speeds. Although having said that, I am able to get 1 PSI of boost even in the 1200 RPM range when I'm towing light @ 55 MPH (90KPH). Its probably playing a role but how much is hard to say.

 

I ordered an 80 F150 4x4 with a 400, 4spd, when it came in it had a 351, so I wouldn't accept it. After looking that frame over I was glad I was able to get my deposit back. I personally have since seen lots of them bent and broke and wouldn't recommend one of them for even holding the 6.9 up, day to day.

The 6.9 may only weigh 860 dry, but when you add alt, power steering, air conditioner and flywheel, starter and fluids you have long past that 860 pounds.

 

I hate turbos on an idi because I'm a young guy not a KID thanks for the term of endearment grrr

As for why I hate turbos on an idi I want a budget build I don't have money for a turbo on an idi that's why I hate it and yes it does sound better but it can only support low psi levels cause the compression if I wanted a turbo on a diesel I'd swap In a powerstroke

So it seems you are all a lot wiser than I am what's a suggestion on how I can get a compact diesel package with out breaking the suspention or breaking my bank account

All the comments good or bad I do appreciate by the way

 

If you're still sold on using the ranger, I would suggest a more compact and lighter weight engine than one of these monsters. I could get linched for this, but I would even go as far as to suggest using a 6.2 before trying to shoe horn a 6.9 into a ranger.

We have a 2.3 turbo diesel ranger (factory installed 4D55T astron mitsubishi engine) and with about 90Hp, it has enough power for most situations. For practical driving, it feels comparable to the original 140Hp V6 that it replaced. Another option I considered was to use a mercedes 300TD engine from the early 80s and adapt it to the ranger transmission. I've seen photos of at least one such conversion, and with about 125Hp stock, it should move itself well in a ranger. They can be found relatively cheap sometimes, but parts can get steep if you're not careful.

Although when it comes down to it, you could in theory look at just about any diesel you can get your hands on that has enough power and will physically fit in terms of space and weight.

 

I was hoping there would be some kind of ford or international variation I could use but that seems almost unlikely maybe something bigger the 2.3 is from 1983 and I'm not sure about parts in Ontario even finding a truck working with a 2.3 would be really rare

 

Yeah, they're pretty rare over here too. Parts can be located if you have a JDM importer (not sure if they are sticky about that sort of thing in ontario, but they are so far allowing it in BC), or simply import the parts yourself. I've ordered parts from the UK on occasion. Over all its not a cheap way to get a diesel in your truck though...

 

I just dropped in a 7.3 IDI into my F-350 dually, and I watched that sucker squat on down... Its a lot of weight there. I don't suppose you have ever thought about doing a 4BT Cummins? They can produce some incredible power and torque for what they are, and that's just a 4 cylinder..

 

I have thought of 4bt I heard it's a lot of work!

 

It would be worth checking into IMO... to some, it may seem to be a insane amount of work, to others a cake walk. Guessing it depends on your skills/wallet. But, consider the amount of work it would take to stuff a IDI into a ranger... You WILL be constantly changing ball joints/steering parts, and think of this- The weight difference between a gas burner vs. a IDI. How well do you think it will steer? Especially in a emergency situation, you won't be able to make the truck do what you need it to do. Its called oversteer or understeer. I get the two mixed up.

 

How much would a 4bt cummins cost just to get up and working in a ranger with a 5 speed 4x4 ?

 

I've never priced em... just the 5.9 But ya gotta start somewhere...

 

I would strongly advise against using any sort if heavy diesel with a stock ranger 5 speed. I saw a clean 4bt conversion in a chevy 1500 pickup once, and if I remember right, he used a 5 speed that was intended for use with the cummins.

 

NV4500 in a ranger? Hmmm.... interesting...

 

I'm not well versed on the cummins but I think since it has an SAE bell housing, there are other transmissions that can bolt up. I'm not sure what that guy used for his truck.