ranger conversion

[ethanm]

hi -

im thinking about buying an '85 ford ranger (2.8 4cyl gas) with blown crankshaft bearings. rather than repair the engine, which i am in no way capable of, i'm thinking of buying a used/rebuild diesel to put in. ford made a diesel model that year, but are there other engines i should look for? does it make a difference that it's 4x4? and are there other major parts/retrofitting that will need to be done?

i'm not doing this myself, so i want to get an idea of what my mechanic is going to need and whether it will be affordable.

thanks
ethan

[trbankii]

Engine swaps don't tend to be cheap even if you are doing them yourself. And if you are going to something odd, it just escalates. Further, if you aren't particularly mechanically inclined yourself, you are going to have a vehicle that is going to confuse the average mechanic if something should go wrong while you are away from your hometown...

[ethanm]

i know it wont be cheap, but assuming i can get the truck pretty cheap it should be worth it.
assuming i replace the engine with the stock diesel that came in those trucks, is there going to be much customization/alterations to be done to make the diesel work?
and again, are there any other stock (or custom) engines that might be appropriate to use?
the mechanic is a machinist and definitely familiar with this stuff, and im not planning on taking the truck all that far from home.

thanks

[Dakster]

Have you thought of a cummins 3.4 4BT motor?

Depending on year they make around 100 - 115 HP stock. Not sure about torque. When I see them on e-bay they are usually put into Jeep wranglers/cherokees.

I don't know about your particular use or have any experience at all with that motor, only that I see them for sale alot. Apparently they are a 1 wire motor... One ad had a if you can't put it in yourself we'll do it for $1000 plus any parts you may need. The motor itself was around $2300-$2500...

One day, I want to do a wrangler diesel conversion...