Seems hard on the engine tho - and the 2.3 turbo engine is prone to exhaust man cracks between the runners.

A 2.5 4cyl engine can be stroked and bored. But most of them were snapped up by the "Mini Stock" crowd.

 

I'm sorry I fogot the key ingredient (diesel).

 

HEY! Quit "blowing smoke" at me here.....

 

But do you "right size" it to the load that is being carried, say, 95% of the time (i.e. empty bed) or to the load that is carried 5% of the time? (say, a 5th wheel) I see many people driving 3/4 and 1 ton trucks as commuter vehicles.

And now you want to change the subject...

 

hey Wolfie, i have a mission for you..... if you think you can hack it! hahaha! at moparts.com, a guy much like yourself, very bright, knowledgeable, and not rich, challenged himself to build a v8 powered dd that was fun to drive but designed for max fuel economy. fortuneatly enough it ended up very fun to drive. Take that ranger and the windsor you have been chirping about, mate it together with a t5 trans, a high gear, and build the engine for max efficiency and fuel economy. it was shocking what that guys results were. i dont recall exactly but it was a middle 20s for mpg, and still fun to drive. i do believe he used a 318 or 273. so you should really use a 302. i'll try and find it and get you a link or web address. i think it is right up your alley. Dan moparts: Super duper MPG 273/318 experiment ! NUMBERS!!!!!!!

 

well i think overall a mustang front end with a 4x6 bed similar to the rancero;but as for hybrid there is a japanese car(ellita)i think runs 200+/-mph with 8 wheels now if it were just 6 wheels with a few batterys and a small generator just imagine those 6 80 hp wheels kickin in 480 horsepower!for a lot of go an just a little juice (gas)80 mpg wow!!!

 

Eliica
Japanese PM Looks at 8-Wheel Electric Car : TreeHugger

 

that's impressive .

 

sorry i should have reread my spelling sometimes i hit the wrong letter but the electric car did run fast but too many wheels and no bed ;i have 76 f100 with 80 model 302 a/od as well as the rearend from the same truck but i get good milage as i will tell how an i am not lieing this really happened my brother an i got back from ga (as i live in al)buying a lottery he said to fill it up and he was going to pay for it well it took 3 gallons and he couldn't believe it i had no idea i got that kind of milage never thought about it i thought i had a governor on it tho as i get to 75or80 an it was like it hit a wall.i even looked on here for the thing on a truck to do all that.days later i couldn't get my truck to crank it was not geting gas now you get the idea i had drove so long an the filter had stoped up.i uncloged it and drove around later i did not like my gas milage i love driving this truck short bed pw/stering so i tried to cut the gas down to my carb first with a regulator that i couldn't get to work so i put a smaller line in before the carb to cut down on gas flow well it works but i have a hard time trying to duplicate the way it was but i get 28 in the city as i live in the sticks it averages out but i have to stay below 70 to get that.and that is the truth as my brother wuold tell you if he were here he pased away last year hepititus c but i think we can get better gas milage just take time tweeking timing as well as fuel line and you will see 302 with o/d and timing a little high oh the exhaust is just glaspaks dumpimg out in front of the axel but the electric car has no sound like a v8..i'm not crazy i may old but i got no reason to lie bout nothin lol i still hate these gas prices..

 

The best thing I have recently done to my Ranger was to go through and seriously get on top of the front disc brakes.

When we take it right down to basics - you can have the most efficient engine on earth, but brakes on our vehicles are designed from the beginning to do one and only one thing: WASTE ENERGY.

The energy of forward motion, principly.

This energy is not recovered, it is radiated away as heat and therefore lost. What then can be said about a dragging brake? Same idea, but happening constantly so that it fights the engine and driveline!!!

I recognised one brake on the front that occasionally locked up, and in trouble shooting it had to go as far as replacing a caliper that had a sticking piston in it due to a failed rubber boot that allowed rust formation that apparently jammed from time to time. I found that after going over the caliper slides, replacing some old rusted pins, and realising there was more than just slides accounted for.

(On Ranger mini trucks, the calipers are mounted by replaceable "Pin Slides" instead of bolt ins or tracks)

Another point that came out is that when rubber lines break down or collapse - the junk inside them can cause pressure in the lines at the caliper pistons to fail to be released. Result: Brakes on, all the time.

When the brakes are let off, the crud in the lines backs up into the pinch point and plug the line.

So these are a few things to consider when looking over any set of brakes, if you can't pass a straight line tracking hands off the wheel stopping test - something is grabbing. The machine should also ACCELLERATE in a straight line without turning the steering wheel.

For mileage we don't want brakes engaged until we need them. If they grab when not wanted, the price in fuel will go up through the roof.

*NOTE: On (released) drum brakes, and emergency brakes, if they are adjusted right you can jack up the wheel and barely hear them touch while turning them. If they grab full circle there's a problem.

Jacking up each wheel and turning it by hand with the brakes off in neutral can tell you a lot! Poor bearings can also be found this way. Check first after the truck has been sitting, and then apply the brakes HARD and see if there is a change after you release them.


~Wolf

 

way to go wolf, very good point.dragging brakes can be like having a flat tire!

 

I'd start by keeping weight and air resistance down. I'd keep in mind that while it may lack frills, it's still faster, more comfortable in the rain, and hauls more than a bicycle. Composite body over an aluminum or chro-moly tube chassis. Engine would either be a small turbo-diesel, or a 4 cylinder optimized to burn methanol. Or electric if there's some miraculous breakthrough in battery technology.

I've heard that the VW Rabbit pickup is still in production in South Africa. The original diesel Rabbit had a reputation for outstanding mileage, though maybe not low 1/4 mile times, so a diesel p/u should be just about ideal.

 

okay i know wolfie is out of commision for a while, but maybe some one else knows. say your brake caliper is just slightly rubbing, your slides are good and the calipers appear to be okay, can you shim the calipers if it isnt centered over the rotor? thanks Dan

 

Take the rotors off and have them turned at a local parts place for about 14 bucks. Tell them not to take off anymore than they absolutely have to.

(Yes, I'm back)

Crap, what a simple question....

If you greased the slides right - it may be an air in line, or bad line problem.

But go with the simple stuff.

"SLIGHTLY RUBBING" tells me your rotors are out of true. The other possible is your wheel bearings. You may never get it exactly right - the spindle may be bent too. If it only rubs at the top, the spindle may have slammed a curb or something.