2.9L Upgrade Heaven

Two years ago, I lost Rusty (My 86 2.9L Ranger) the same way they all go, when my heads cracked and I never got to rebuild the engine. Rusty was my first truck and I put a lot of blood, money, and effort into breathing life back into the old retired Dothan Power Company workhorse. I had not long before started college and when Rusty broke and I bought a new car to get me by, he was the only thing I could part with to pay for my summer semester. I'll likely never get over it, it was a bond between man and machine that few will ever understand.

Anyway, fast-forwarding to today and to the subject of my post, I'm in a better place now both financially and mechanical incliment, and I'm planning a Bronco II mud-toy build. I was unsure as to the direction I wanted to take it as far as the engine/transmission combination that would be the powerhouse for my machine, debating between the obvious and well-documented 302 V8 swap, looking high and low for a 4.0L, or, dare I say it, building up the original 2.9L. While I'd run into a challenge no matter which direction I took it in, I decided to research all my options and go from there.

During this research, I discovered a company called Tom Morana's V6 Racing which designs and sells several performance parts for several V6 engines, shockingly to include the 2.9L. Everything from built heads, forged pistons, roller rockers, to even a twin throttle body and, the most interesting in my opinion, a "BOSS 2.9" box intake.

While I'll warn you that some of the items are a tad pricy, the fact that someone even makes them and that they exist simply amazes me. Has anyone ever bought from this site or know anyone who has? I've been away for quite some time, so I don't know if anyone has already discovered and posted about it, but I just thought this would be the best place to share. Link is below:

http://www.moranav6racing.com/category.html?CategoryID=38

Most of us know about Morana, we just won't buy 2.9 parts because the cost of a 4.0 swap will get you much farther much faster.

There are some die-hard 2.9 guys here that build performance 2.9s with Morana parts.

2.8s/2.9s/4.0s don't respond to upgrades like people think

The 4.0, is the "upgrade" for a 2.9

Even though it makes less hp per cube than a 2.9 most guys just accept it and spend a weekend swapping engines, and harnesses for 11hp and that is the best that you're going to get realistically

sure as hell feels alot more than 11hp!! haha, my 2.9 had no power left in her. I ran her into the ground before i pulled her and she was still running when i did! Just loud as all hell! But the 4.0 swap is alot better IMO. But your entitled to yours as well! Good Luck! I think the 4.0 is easier to work on as well.

Hitchner2009 said:

sure as hell feels alot more than 11hp!! haha, my 2.9 had no power left in her. I ran her into the ground before i pulled her and she was still running when i did! Just loud as all hell! But the 4.0 swap is alot better IMO. But your entitled to yours as well! Good Luck! I think the 4.0 is easier to work on as well.

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Trust me when I tell you, from experience, that I am NOT a fan of the 2.9L. I just thought it was somewhat neat that somebody actually made performance parts for it. And while I'm certainly mechanically inclined enough to perform an engine swap, I've just never been really drawn towards doing so because of everything you have to take into account at once. If I can get enough HP and torque from the factory 2.9L so it is capable off road (obviously not doing any steep ass rock crawling lol) then that would satisfy me. If I just wanted a superbeast, I'd drop in a 302.

cammeddrz said:

2.8s/2.9s/4.0s don't respond to upgrades like people think

The 4.0, is the "upgrade" for a 2.9

Even though it makes less hp per cube than a 2.9 most guys just accept it and spend a weekend swapping engines, and harnesses for 11hp and that is the best that you're going to get realistically

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It's not the HP. It's the torque. I don't care about horsepower because it isn't really a great indicator of what an engine can do. Torque is where it is at.The 4.0 makes a lot more torque.

adsm08 said:

It's not the HP. It's the torque. I don't care about horsepower because it isn't really a great indicator of what an engine can do. Torque is where it is at.The 4.0 makes a lot more torque.

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I mean if you build up a 2.9L is it really THAT BAD that it isn't at least capable of light to moderate off-roading? I mean I don't plan on flooring it mirror deep through a pond or crawling rocks at 90° angles. Maybe a 4 inch lift and 33's would be my max. I'd build a full-size Bronco for anything beyond that....

I'd say go with a 302. More choices on a stronger transmission and it is easier to find replacement parts when things break.

Josh P said:

I'd say go with a 302. More choices on a stronger transmission and it is easier to find replacement parts when things break.

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The only thing that's worrying me from doing a 302 swap is the insane amount of retrofitting and modification vs. doing a 4.0L build. Even simpler, with the 2.9L all I'd have to do in theory is convert the electronics over to an MAF system, and after that the sky is the limit as far as heads, cams, intakes, exhaust, etc.

This is where I'm stuck at lol.

Chuck "Classic Ford" JR. said:

The only thing that's worrying me from doing a 302 swap is the insane amount of retrofitting and modification vs. doing a 4.0L build. Even simpler, with the 2.9L all I'd have to do in theory is convert the electronics over to an MAF system, and after that the sky is the limit as far as heads, cams, intakes, exhaust, etc.

This is where I'm stuck at lol.

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I've already been down that road with my 87 ranger and wasn't very happy with the performance. A 4.0L swap is what I'm doing with my ranger.

I've never understood Ford's reasoning with their engine packages in the mid-size stuff. Out of the Ranger, a pickup truck; the Bronco II, a compact version of its heavily off-road capable big brother, and the Exploder, the little thing you haul your 3 kids around in, The Explorer is the only one to ever receive a V8, the Ranger doesn't even get a formidable V6 until like 1989 or 1990, and the Bronco II had to live it's entire life settling for one of the worst EFI V6's Ford has ever produced, which ironically enough BECAME the 4.0L (they use the same block) one of the BEST ever.

I know the threads pretty dead, but I ran a stock 2.9 for years on everything from 35s to39.5 Swampers. My 2.9 always ran great, sang at 7,000 RPM, unkillable motor. The key is axle gearing. 4.88s with the 39.5s I could side step the clutch 2nd gear low 4,000 RPM and hit 3rd before the end of the hole at the mud runs here. 2 feet of sticky goop and it did fine with no engine mods. Biggest mistake I made was pulling it for the 351w that took its place, I've been 2 years chasing gremlins and weak links.