• Welcome Visitor! Please take a few seconds and Register for our forum. Even if you don't want to post, you can still 'Like' and react to posts.

2.3L 1-Barrel to 2-Barrel Conversion


briansz

New Member
Joined
Sep 23, 2007
Messages
75
Reaction score
1
Points
0
Vehicle Year
1983
Make / Model
Ford
Transmission
Manual
I've completed my 2.3L Ranger 1bbl to 2bbl carb conversion today. There is a little tuning left to do, but the truck idles much better - OK, it actually idles, I'm loving being able to punt the damn YFA carb after all these years.

Power seems about the same when you really get on it, a little less torque from a standing start when you don't (to be expected with a progressive 2bbl like the Holley/Motorcraft 5200).

Gas mileage should improve.

If you get a late 70's Mustang 2.3 carb from the junkyard, this swap can be done for less than $100 in parts and it's actually pretty easy. I just converted over to the hot water choke that the carb had on it.

I'll post some pix and more details shortly.
 


Mark_88

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 11, 2007
Messages
18,554
Reaction score
240
Points
63
Age
68
Location
Ontario, Canada
Vehicle Year
2007
Make / Model
Dordge
Engine Size
3.3 Fuel Injected
Transmission
Automatic
My credo
Love Thy Neighbor
Ah, another one...does yours have the triangular shaped casing? I've posted pics of mine somewhere on here, but I've never actually seen another truck with the same carb...

I didn't go from 1bbl to 2, but I noticed improved gas mileage right away with the 5200...and it did add some punch to the engine...but they really do need bigger valves and a bit of head porting to get the most out of them...

I'm still considering the Holly 350 with the FI intake...but that will have to wait...
 

flaminranger

New Member
Joined
Aug 9, 2009
Messages
278
Reaction score
1
Points
0
Age
54
Location
washington (the state)
Vehicle Year
1988
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Size
2.0
Transmission
Manual
I wonder if the 88 2.0 with the 2 barrel has the same mounting as the old 5200.
mark the holley 350 fi intake combo helps out the power but it will destroy your mileage. my friend has it on his 84 and he gets about 11mpg on the freeway and about 10 in town.3.23gears
 

briansz

New Member
Joined
Sep 23, 2007
Messages
75
Reaction score
1
Points
0
Vehicle Year
1983
Make / Model
Ford
Transmission
Manual
I'm noticing better gas mileage. I'd say probably in the 18-20 range easily. Hard to tell for sure as I can't fill the tank all the way (dreaded and familiar gas tank filler line leak).

Mine is like the older ones, an ellipse with straight lines that meet in the midpoints on a small radius. Or like two triangles mirrored from the centerline with radiused corners. Like you'd find on an older Pinto.

I'll get some pix today, been crazy busy.

I'm using the Langdon's Stovebolt (inline 6 web vendor) 1bbl to 2bbl adapter. It's cheap pot metal, but it works. The same adapter everybody else sells for $50 Langdon's has for like $20, but I did have to wait awhile for him to get more in stock before it shipped.

Need to move the throttle cable a little further away than stock to get better pull, and it sticks a little if you mash it all the way to the firewall. Need to set timing as well, and the water choke seems to not fully close so starting it up in the AM cold is a little interesting. Runs fine once warm. A little tuning is to be expected, overall this is a pretty easy swap and I've put about 100 miles on the truck in the last two days.
 

briansz

New Member
Joined
Sep 23, 2007
Messages
75
Reaction score
1
Points
0
Vehicle Year
1983
Make / Model
Ford
Transmission
Manual
OK, some pix:

World's dirtiest engine compartment with the factory Ford 2bbl air cleaner:



Sans air cleaner:



Here is a closeup of the 1bbl to 2bbl adapter:



Closeup of water choke assembly:



I need to go to the boneyard (or my storage unit) this weekend and get a 2bbl throttle bracket - I remember them being taller than the 1bbl model so that the cable can sit at more of an angle down to the carb instead of almost horizontal.

Idle surprisingly went up today when I lost a vacuum cap on the main tree. It's back down now.

Carb needs cleaned, ick. I get a nice signal to the O2 sensor and air/fuel meter at idle or WOT. The mixture reading is a bit flaky at part throttle, though the truck still runs OK at that point.
 

Mark_88

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 11, 2007
Messages
18,554
Reaction score
240
Points
63
Age
68
Location
Ontario, Canada
Vehicle Year
2007
Make / Model
Dordge
Engine Size
3.3 Fuel Injected
Transmission
Automatic
My credo
Love Thy Neighbor
I wonder if the 88 2.0 with the 2 barrel has the same mounting as the old 5200.
mark the holley 350 fi intake combo helps out the power but it will destroy your mileage. my friend has it on his 84 and he gets about 11mpg on the freeway and about 10 in town.3.23gears
Thanks for the info...it may just be something with his setup, but I haven't really heard too many comments about the gas mileage with that carb...it is said to improve performance though...and that usually is a trade-off for economy...

I'm noticing better gas mileage. I'd say probably in the 18-20 range easily. Hard to tell for sure as I can't fill the tank all the way (dreaded and familiar gas tank filler line leak).

Mine is like the older ones, an ellipse with straight lines that meet in the midpoints on a small radius. Or like two triangles mirrored from the centerline with radiused corners. Like you'd find on an older Pinto.

I'll get some pix today, been crazy busy.

I'm using the Langdon's Stovebolt (inline 6 web vendor) 1bbl to 2bbl adapter. It's cheap pot metal, but it works. The same adapter everybody else sells for $50 Langdon's has for like $20, but I did have to wait awhile for him to get more in stock before it shipped.

Need to move the throttle cable a little further away than stock to get better pull, and it sticks a little if you mash it all the way to the firewall. Need to set timing as well, and the water choke seems to not fully close so starting it up in the AM cold is a little interesting. Runs fine once warm. A little tuning is to be expected, overall this is a pretty easy swap and I've put about 100 miles on the truck in the last two days.

wow...that is interesting...thanks for posting the pics...I always wondered about that choke setup because mine was absent when I got it...or there was something there that just didn't seem to work right...

I had taken the original choke off the 2.0 carb because it seemed to be hot all the time and I was concerned it may be drawing battery power even when the truck was off...

My 5200 was on the original intake so I didn't need to worry about the adaptor...but yours looks clean from the intake to the adaptor...

Oh, and my breather was silver...whether someone actually cleaned it up or what IDK, but I figured it looked better with the brushed aluminum...I have since chopped the beak off that went over to the exhaust side and cut holes in both sides of it for air circulation around the breather from the cold side...I might some day close off the side to the exhaust and run a cold air intake down to the drivers side somewhere if there's need/room...
 

briansz

New Member
Joined
Sep 23, 2007
Messages
75
Reaction score
1
Points
0
Vehicle Year
1983
Make / Model
Ford
Transmission
Manual
Yesterday I found that the factory 2bbl throttle bracket will not work with the Ranger factory throttle cable. I was able to bend the Ranger throttle cable bracket downwards and then bend the vertical portion inwards a bit, now the linkage is working fine.
 

ianthegreat

New Member
Joined
Jun 3, 2009
Messages
179
Reaction score
2
Points
0
Location
Houston, TX
Vehicle Year
1986
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Size
2.0
Transmission
Manual
thanks for the pics :icon_thumby:
 

Kenneth S

Member
Joined
Aug 12, 2007
Messages
527
Reaction score
7
Points
18
Location
San Antonio, Tx
Vehicle Year
1986
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Size
2.3
Transmission
Manual
That little holley/weber progressive 2 bbl sucks performance/gas mileage wise, a Holley 350 2 bbl (or motorcraft equivalent) is the way to go. I get 22mpg city, 29 mpg hwy with a 350 holley 2bbl mounted on an OMC 2.3L boat intake manifold (with a adaptor I made to fit the Holley 350 on it) I got the intake off of ebay for $50.00.
 
Last edited:

Kenneth S

Member
Joined
Aug 12, 2007
Messages
527
Reaction score
7
Points
18
Location
San Antonio, Tx
Vehicle Year
1986
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Size
2.3
Transmission
Manual
I wonder if the 88 2.0 with the 2 barrel has the same mounting as the old 5200.
mark the holley 350 fi intake combo helps out the power but it will destroy your mileage. my friend has it on his 84 and he gets about 11mpg on the freeway and about 10 in town.3.23gears
The 88 2.0 2bbl bolt pattern is different than 5200 (the 5200 is as worthless as the 2bbl that came on the 88 2.0), The 350 holley to a efi intake (it's great for racing where you can keep the rpm's above 3500 rpm's, but it's not to good on the street).
 

briansz

New Member
Joined
Sep 23, 2007
Messages
75
Reaction score
1
Points
0
Vehicle Year
1983
Make / Model
Ford
Transmission
Manual
That little holley/weber progressive 2 bbl sucks performance/gas mileage wise, a Holley 350 2 bbl (or motorcraft equivalent) is the way to go. I get 22mpg city, 29 mpg hwy with a 350 holley 2bbl mounted on an OMC 2.3L boat intake manifold (with a adaptor I made to fit the Holley 350 on it) I got the intake off of ebay for $50.00.

I think that would be considered the 'Cannon' intake manifold, correct? This is on a round-port Ranger head? Seems like a lot of these guys in the thread are running stock 2.3 2bbl manifolds on oval-port heads.

Right now it's a tossup - I'm not all that fond of my current motor (needs valve stem seals at a minimum). I can drop the '84 Ranger parts truck motor in, or I can change the pan and pickup to rear sump on the 2.3 from the 70's Mustang and run it. I might try out the Mustang motor just so I can test out one of small venturi Autolite 2100 2bbl's to see how it compares to the Holley 5200 (have the adapter plate for that already as well as a plate that would let me run the 1bbl intake on the oval-port head if required).

Need a couple warmer days and I will replace gaskets on the Mustang motor and get it ready to run on the stand for testing before I transplant it.
 

Kenneth S

Member
Joined
Aug 12, 2007
Messages
527
Reaction score
7
Points
18
Location
San Antonio, Tx
Vehicle Year
1986
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Size
2.3
Transmission
Manual
The intake is a OMC cast iron D-port (which will work on an oval port), the bolt pattern on the OMC intake is for a rochester 2 bbl. A small autolite 2100 will work good on a 2.3.
 

Sponsored Ad


Sponsored Ad

Member & Vendor Upgrades

For a small yearly donation, you can support this forum and receive a 'Supporting Member' banner, or become a 'Supporting Vendor' and promote your products here. Click the banner to find out how.

Truck of The Month


Kirby N.
March Truck of The Month

Recently Featured

Want to see your truck here? Share your photos and details in the forum.

Follow TRS On Instagram

TRS Events

25th Anniversary Sponsors

Check Out The TRS Store


Sponsored Ad


Sponsored Ad

Sponsored Ad


Amazon Deals

Top