Ok so this idea hit me the other day. There is that well know 4.3 liter stroker kit from tom morana. But if you have a 4.0 it doesn't make much sense to pay that kinda money for .3 litters more. The thought hit me, if you had a 2.9 v6 however, you gain more displacment and it could be worth the money.

So my question is, sense the 2.9 is basicly a destroked and bored 4.0. Would the stroker kit also work in the 2.9? Cause going from 2.9 to 4.3 is a pretty good increase in displacment. Note you would have to bore it out, but still.

Thoughts?

 

....I don't get it. How would a 2.9 being stroked to a 4.3 be better then a 4.0 being stroked to a 4.3, if they are basically the same engine?

It just doesn't make sense to me......

 

well, if you have a 2.9, the kit is more worth while, stroking it out to 4.3. You get more displacement for your buck. you get 1.4 liters as opposed to .3.

Also I think that if you want to do a v6 swap, the 2.9 block is a lot cheaper than the 4.0, as the 2.9 is not as popular of a motor. So in therory, you can build a 4.3 cheaper by starting with the 2.9.

 

the 2.9 is a different motor than the 4.0. if you want to go with more power and you are willing to change the engine. GO 5.0. the 302 and the 4.0 are the same as far as trany bolt ups motor mounts etc. plus the 302 conversion kit is cheaper than the stroker kit. if you find the right donor you can remove the entire harness and plug it in to the ranger. Just a thought.

 

a 4.0 and a 2.9 use pretty much the same block, IIRC. not the same bellhousing as a small block ford.

 

So what your saying is that you would spend more money to get the same amount of displacement?

Even if it would work, (not saying one way or another because I don't know), you'd probably end up spending about the same on a J-Yard 2.9 or 4.0 since neither engine is a a high-demand engine. So lets say you go 2.9, then you have to pay for the Stroker kit as well as the machine work to get the block machined. Doesn't seem worth it at all.

Like Arin said, if you want power in our trucks, easiest way is a 5.0. It's been proven time and time again. Sure it's not original, but it's proven to work. You'll spend probably less money for a J-Yard 5.0 with some performance parts pushing probably 250HP, then you would for the Morana stroker kit alone.

Sure it'd be cool to have a stroked 4.0 (as it would be fairly original), but seems like a waste of cash to me.

 

The 4.0 is a bored and stroked ford vulcan? I find that hard to believe.

Or are you talking about the smaller version of the Cologne that is the 4.0?

If so, why would you swap motors to achieve the same results?

 

there is kit that strokes the 4.0 out to a 4.5 if you build a good motor you can make as much hp and tq as a 5.0 and then you can super charge it and make even more i would stroke out a 4.0 then super charge it then your weak points will be your tranny and rear end. but if you go the 5.0 way you can easly build a 5.o to make well over 300 hp with cams and pistons and head work the 302 is a well know motor and there are tons of parts out there and for pretty cheap. so its up to you but i would just stroke out the 4.0 then put cams in it and do some head work and call it good

 

But once again, for the price of that stroker kit, cams, head work, and a supercharger, you could build a 5.0 from the Ground up that would have 400+ HP and Torque.

**** is so expensive to the 4.0 motors, mainly because no one really makes anything for them.

I'd go with a 5.0 if I was going to do any engine work at all.

 

A mild 302 will out perform a built 4.0 (or 4.3) unless it's a very efficient S/C or turbo setup.

Parts will beat cheaper, easier to find and have more details on installation. You can spend a few hundred+ on the kit, then misc. parts to make it work, then added work you forgot about (heads, intake, exhaust, injectors, MAFS, PCM and all needed accesories), plus a tune, you will need a strengthened transmission (auto or manual). Then after you spend the time finding a shop to touch a very un-commonly modded motor you'll still end up with what? Just over the power of a mild 4.0 SOHC and less than a power-added SOHC . . .

Or just listen to the people above trying to help you and do a 302 swap or 2.3T for alot less money, time, frustration and losses to other stock vehicles.

EDIT - Or if you really want to tear some holes, a 302 Boss block, 347 kit, alum. heads, carb setup and C4 . . . doesn't get much more HP/per $ than that.

 

Na na na... if you want to stick with a 4.0L here is what I'd suggest.

Focus on more rpms. This is a short stroke motor to begin with. Build on that characteristic. Have the crank weight reduced, cryo treated, and knife edge the weights. Have a set of forged rods, and forged pistons balanced to within 0.1grams. Then buy a high quality damper & have the rotating assembly balanced for 8000rpms.
Port the heads, get a matching cam, valves, springs, and put it all together with tri metal headgaskets and ARP studs.

Then you'll have a 4.0L that can push 300hp NA and live to do it again the next day. The TQ curve won't kill your otherwise stock drivetrain parts and it'll be more streetable power to use daily.

Rich

 

i think the hardest part is finding a 4wd 5 speed tranny that will bolt to the 1354

 

Are you talking the OHV or SOHC?