Nope, there are facts and opinions that form facts. I will explain it someday when we make a long form video on this exact vehicle . Thanks for watching
@@DudesWithWrenches I'll explain it now, Ford owned controlling shares in Mazda from 95 to 2008 and at that point Mazda was basically Ford clones, and used Ford parts so yeah ye got it backwards, Mazda was basically Japanese Ford
The 1st little Ford pickup, the Courier, was a rebaged Mazda. Same with the Chevy Luv, which was a rebaged Isuzu. Ford designed and built the Ranger for the 1983 model year to compete with GMs S Series truck that debuted the year prior. The Mazda then became a rebaged Ranger. Same happened with the S 10 in its 2nd generation, being rebaged the Isuzu Hombre. The Ford 2.3 dates back to the Ford Pinto, great little engine
Own a 95 ranger with 325k miles. Top end rebuilt 6 years ago. It’s my daily 16miles transportation vehicle. Getting 16mpg. I drive 14 days on 1 tank. Manual 5 speed monster baby!
Yeah, I've got an 02 Ranger XLT RWD extended cab with the 3.0 Vulcan. Going on 219k miles, it still has the original engine and automatic transmission. She's a good little truck and I love her.
@@TheGreatHorseradish Yes. I also change the oil regularly targeting appx every 6k miles with full synthetic. I've also swapped the differential fluid and put synthetic in it as well. Power rack and pinion has more slop then I'm happy with, so it's about to be swapped with new tie rods and lower steering shaft since the boot is torn and it'll be easier with the rack and pinion off. Planning on swapping the rest of the power steering system with new components. Been thinking about swapping over to Amsoil fluids, so I may pick up some of their ATF.
I got the same truck just an 03 with approximately 280k miles it was running great until I was going 65 in the desert and didn't check my fluids before hand and blew my head gasket lol 😅
@@123spb Yeah, not checking the fluids will do it. There's a tiny leak on my water pump. It's on the list to take care of, but it's so small I'm not losing a noticeable amount of fluid so I'm not overly concerned. Being able to control where I'm going is much more of a concern right now. I kinda have a habit of changing it entire systems, so I may do an overhaul when I do. New pump and gasket at the minimum, after a flush of course. More than likely, I'll also swap the thermostat, though the hoses and putting in a fresh new radiator isn't out of the question. I'll probably be going with a HOAT fluid.
I'm a Chevy man at heart. I currently have an '83 s-10 strip down model. But I have to say, my 95 ranger was an awesome little truck. My bro in law bought it in 96 with 10k. My dad took it over and it went back and forth for years until I bought it for 500 but in 06 with 193K on it. I had it until 2020 when it finally got too much for my skills to keep up. It ran like a top, just needed body work and a clutch master cylinder. The ODO stopped working at 229K and I know I put more than 30K more before finally selling it to my buddy. That lil truck owed us nothing...
I daily to work a 93 ranger with the 2.3l 2wd 5 sp. I bought it in 2009 for $1400 with just over 200,000 miles. It now has over 496000 miles and still runs fine! Original engine transmission and rear end!!! Edit; it's almost 3 years since the original comment I'm at 509,000+ miles! Crazy
Mine was still running somehow at 325k miles with a rather crappy service record, it burned oil and i accidentally ran it without oil and it almost siezed up on me at like 300k but i somehow managed to pour in oil before it did and while it couldn't run woth the A/C very well at all anymore unless you forced a higher idle speed, it lasted another 25k across the country till some jerk going 5x the speed limit lost traction and hit me head on
Exactly, my 2.3l has outlasted the rest of the truck so far. Body is getting rusty, transmission has been replaced, busted out a seized driveshaft carrier bearing, and if I keep up with the oil changes it might even out live me. Only motor jobs I've done were sparkplugs, wires and timing belt, all were for maintenance
@@patrickjunge6455 sadly they do have a limited lifespan, they can take tooons of abuse but once you get into super high mileage the pistons will eventually crumble, they fixed that in 98 iirc, if you took that engine, threw in a forged crank, high end hypereutectic pistons, nicer bearings, and the late model head, youd probably have yourself a million mile engine
The Ranger, and Ranger based Explorer were a joint project. They were not completely made by Mazda or Ford, but had significant design/engineering/manufacturing from both. The joke among the number of Mazda fans for a while was that Mazda's only hybrid was really a Ford (Tribute hybrid=Ford Escape hybrid).
mines in decent shape, and its not made of gold at all. i dont know why or how people sell rangers for 6k out here. luckily i got mine needing a little bit of work for 2500
@@loganbodine1003hey I’ve got one too. Definitely not made of gold😂 idk about your finances but rangers are easy to work on if you’re into that. You could easily flip it and make 75 hundred. Maybe more depends on how much work you wanna put into it.
Managed to get a ranger from my brother in law, last year of the pushrod 4.0 v6. Thought about a engine swap but the 2.8 cummins kit cost too much. would like it to sip on the fuel but can't complain too much, from factory no egr and nice cold ac
Id say let her live her life, swap her later towards the end of life, get some good use out of that engine, besides what you spend on the swap will likely outpace your gas savings
I have the 4.0 V6 pushrod just like you. But it’s not a Ford ranger it’s a Mazda B-4000. Wish it had the manual trans. But it has LSD with a upgraded clutch pack. So much fun. It will get sideways any time you goose it under 20mph.
Best years of the 4.0 ohv for sure! They run pretty damn good and not having to deal with EGR is great. I have a 99 b4000 I’m building into a prerunner. Intake, 66 mm tb, headers, and 4.56 gears. It gets down. Way quicker than I thought it would be. Even with 35s.
I got a 1996 Mazda b3000 for my first truck when I was seventeen, from the original owner. It’s a great little truck very easy to work on on the rare occasion something wears out
My first truck that I learned how to drive in was basically this with a long bed and super cub with jump seats with a newer 2010 body style it was a 2010 2WD only Ford Ranger XLT super cab with the 2.3 L inline 4 cylinder engine black with black and gray cloth interior automatic with a bench seat I loved It was so simple and for a truck it drove really nice. You could park it just about anywhere. The fuel mileage was great mine in particular had an aftermarket toolbox in the back which was a nice addition all in all a very good little truck. It started up every time no problems ever and if it did, it was very simple to work on. I miss it. I would buy another and I probably will but this time I would like it to be red or another color than black because black gets too hot in the sun and you can’t keep it clean but I would give anything to have that truck back
Got an Ol' 94 with the same 5 speed overdrive like your ranger, except mine is a 3.0 V6, none the less them 4 bangers r badass and rangers will go forever. Love the videos keep em coming g
Less square bodies. Overpriced and frankly, overated $300 cheap trash. Yes. I'm from that generstion, that used them as winter beaters. However, that doesn't mean that I don't respect a good build regardless of make or model. I kist can't justify 4 to 5k for a driveline removed, rat shit filled, rusted out shit box, because it is the popular choice. JMO, YMMV, and all that happy horse shit. Ran an 85 K20 for 5 winters, as my plow rig. Truck was free, with the plow. Paid $275. Sold it, and kept the 73 F 250 instead. Better built truck, without the factory "folding hood."
I've owned a few of these little trucks and had alot of luck with them ! I live up North though, so I need my 4x4 for the snow!!! Very reliable! This one has a little cancer, but I'd drive it and jazz it up!!
Very true. Especially once GM went to the 4.3. Fairly simple swap. That being said a SBF isn't as popular, but a 302 or 351 in a Ranger, especially when you use the Fox body EFI computer is no slouch. Buddy had one that would keep up with my Saleen with no problems. It took my Dalota Shelby and my Spirit R/T, to consistantly beat him in the quarter. Never off the line, but he always had a nice view of my taillights on the nig big end, and we were door to door, at most a fender, with the Saleen.
Had a friend with the S-15 version of the v-8 conversion. He put it through a ditch or two and into a field one night. He finally admitted years later that he had four different sized tires on it at the time....
@@71Fenderv22yes. Exterior block dimensions are the same, as well as mounts, on the Windsor. Had to mod the firewall and trans tunnel for the C6 to fit, but it can be done. And it was quick. Used to run my Sahleen against my friend's 5.8 swapped.89 regularly. Pretty even match.
I dont even know why this is a stereotype cause I'm gen z and every one of my friends can drive a manual, but I know many previous generation people who can't
"Duuuuuuudes with wrenches" Great introduction. 👍 I owned a 2007 Ranger for 12 years. Loved that little pickup. Never had a mechanical or electrical problem. Blew a brake hose plus had to replace a rusted out brake line. The rear leaf spring mount rusted out and broke. That's it. I never even had to replace a light bulb. Rust underneath was going to doom that truck. Sold it with 69,000 miles. Besides that Ranger, I owned an '85 GMC S-15 Jimmy. Highly satisfied with both of them and would absolutely buy them again.
I work at my family’s salivate yard and I love when these trucks come in running. They are my favorite truck for what we use as “yard trucks” for hauling our tools, air compressors around etc. I usually have over 1k pounds worth of cargo in my truck and it makes them swap a lot 😂
I had a 05 Ranger with the 2.3 but only with 4 plugs..i remember the older Nissan hardbodys having 8 plug 4cyl....but yes ive known about the Ford/Mazda, Dodge/Mitsubishi, Chevy S-10/Isuzu Hombre,thing for a while lol...love the channel man specially when you talk about the old Square body trucks,and Dana axles,old transfer cases etc etc....if you come across an old jeep with the factory Tcase with PTO and the farm attachments would make a great video man!! Salute,God bless!
I have two rangers with the 2.3l, they are some of of the most reliable engines ford ever made, if taken care of properly they'll go to 300k without any major work other than a timing belt every 100k and maybe a couple spark plug changes.
I've got a 94, 3.0 v6, that was used as a work truck it's whole life before I got it then I used it for a couple years for landscaping work and the damn thing refuses to die. Got the Trans and Engine rebuilt like two years ago and it's been running strong since. Damn thing will probably outlive my in laws 2013 f150 lol
Love the Mazda Rangers, absolute tank of a truck that easily goes toe to toe with a Tacoma of that year. Worked with a guy who had a B2200 with 450k all original miles, stock clutch.
The 2.3 is actually a fantastic engine and pretty American if you do a bit of research on it. The carborated versions of these are used in mini stock racing in Ford thunderbirds, mustangs, and pintos. It was originally used in 1974 and didn't have dual spark and efi until the 80's. My first car was a 91 mustang with this engine. The transmission blew up 6 years ago, but I can go hook a jump box to it right now and it will fire up on the first try
My first vehicle was an 82 ranger, 4 speed, no overdrive, silver with red interior. Burned about a quart of oil a week. So many fun memories in that thing. Bought it from my uncle for $1 when I got my permit. He bought a new 98 ranger at the time. Wish I still had it
Oh that’s nice to see. When I had mine, my neighbor had one that looked identical but it was the Canadian metric kilometers Mazda version. We always planned on parting them together to make one good working one when one of them lost the frame or otherwise blew up or whatever but we found someone who wanted to buy both of them from us before we got to that desperate point where one of them was shot.
If i am not mistaken, these were built in Minneapolis. Lots of parts including the over head cam 2.3 engine were taken from Ford parts bin, although the 5 speed was imported (I think) . The electrical system was all Ford based including the EEC-IV and EEC-V module. The Mazda version was built by Ford. I think Ford had a partial ownership of Mazda back then but I am not sure
I drove an ‘06 4 cylinder manual rear wheel drive standard cab when I delivered parts and damn did I love that truck. Oil pan gasket was a damn sieve so we put 20-50 in it lol. Ran like a top out of hell.
Picked up an 08 4.0 ranger last year and it's been my even slightest loose surface drift vehicle. Plans to supercharge it till it pops and then either a 5.3 swap or a 4.6 2V
That little 2.3 with the 8 plugs can make a little power when built up right. My dad and I did one up in a 89 ranger hurt a lot of feelings playing with it at stop lights.
I have the 2.3L 1989 with that 5th overdrive on the floor. Owned it for 16 years. It's a tank. I have hauled tons of rock and dirt in the back until those springs are flat. Easy to work on. Ugly as can be from paint erosion and rust. But hey, people probably think I don't have insurance and move out of my way. Honestly though, people do seem to avoid me.
Never owned a Ranger, only full-size Fords, but I have a super soft spot for mini trucks. I had a 1996 Chevy S10 with a 5 speed and a little 4 banger and that thing felt like a race car to me with its tiny little gear shift and short clutch pedal travel.
i’m glad to say that my first car was a 2000 ranger, it was manual like the one in the video and i absolutely adored it. Wish i kept it after i upgraded to a newer truck. still one of my favorite trucks ever made.
I've heard of a couple of V8 swapped Rangers, at least one of them had to widen the front track to get it to fit. We had the 2.3 pinto engine and five speed with the extended cab. I asked my brother what he'd do with a V8 Ranger and he said "actually get up to highway speed".
1990s Rangers were unkillable. Had a 94 as a work truck with the v6. Damn thing just kept on going no matter what I threw at it, and I threw a LOT at it. It had no back window, no ac, no radio, a short in the system requiring me to unhook the battery at the end of the day, and a family of ants in the extended cab (they never bothered me, so I just let them live their lives). It ended up outliving the company, so a coworker bought it for himself despite having 400k+ miles, because that was simply a damn good truck.
I like the 96 to 99 with a 2.5l 4cyl with 8 spark plugs. They have good low torque for a 4 banger. Big plus on these engines are don't bend valves when the timing belt breaks.
Great little video thanks for sharing. I miss the old style Utes like we had back in the day here in Straya 2 doors, 2 wheel drive and manual. I reckon you couldn’t beat a 5 litre in that old little pickup. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
98 S10 Blazer 175,000 miles Looks rough but underneath and sheetmetal are rustfree. Cant say that about my 07 LBZ with similar mileage. Who would have thought those mini trucks would be cool
I had one of those in high school with the same motor/trans setup and the stock catalytic converter plugged up cutting horsepower significantly. I bought a cheap high flow replacement and that lil motor came alive! Second gear burnouts and motor was fast revving. Cut out the cat and enjoy a few smiles before changing out the motor lol
I remember seeing a show where they bought a Mazda B truck and switched it out with various Ranger parts. They also put a V-8 in it. Pretty cool little truck that burned some tires.
I have a Mazda B3000. It says Ford inside the wheel wells and was built in the USA. It has an American Vulcan engine and a Japanese 5-speed manual transmission.
I'm currently fixing a 93 ranger XLT. She runs sorta, needs plugs and prolly a fuel filter. Rear main brake line is gonna be fun went to bleed my fresh lines from rear splitter to the new cylinders I put in and she's leaking besides the gas tank
I had a 98 ranger like that one on 31"s with Alcoa wheels. The best thing I ever did and would recommend is re-gearing the rear differential. I went with 4:56 ring & pinion. Yeah my top speed was 78mph, but where are you going to be able to drive faster than that without a hefty speeding ticket? It was great for off-road & towing.
Got that backwards bud
Nope, there are facts and opinions that form facts. I will explain it someday when we make a long form video on this exact vehicle . Thanks for watching
Right? I had a 2004 Mazda b4000 and it was a beast. But I thought that was a ford transmission.
@@travisbain616 the manual transmission was from mazda
But the engine is a Ford!
@@DudesWithWrenches I'll explain it now, Ford owned controlling shares in Mazda from 95 to 2008 and at that point Mazda was basically Ford clones, and used Ford parts so yeah ye got it backwards, Mazda was basically Japanese Ford
FORD RANGER!!!! THATS A FORD FUCKING RANGER.
I got a 94 ranger and lemme tell you… it sucks my 02 S10 did better performance wise and towing wise
😆
I have the 4.0L V6 and love that little Ranger
The 1st little Ford pickup, the Courier, was a rebaged Mazda. Same with the Chevy Luv, which was a rebaged Isuzu. Ford designed and built the Ranger for the 1983 model year to compete with GMs S Series truck that debuted the year prior. The Mazda then became a rebaged Ranger. Same happened with the S 10 in its 2nd generation, being rebaged the Isuzu Hombre. The Ford 2.3 dates back to the Ford Pinto, great little engine
'Preciate the history lesson, I do have a good amount of automotive knowledge but I didn't know that about the Chevy luv
@@corriewarner4979 the Isuzu version was called the Pu'P
The chev aveo. Best, most reliable small car chev ever sold. Period. A Suzuki Swift.
@@kelsycunningham8452 the Aveo was a rebranded Daewoo. The Geo Metro was the Suzuki Swift twin.
@@NDC1115 pronounced "poop"?
Own a 95 ranger with 325k miles. Top end rebuilt 6 years ago. It’s my daily 16miles transportation vehicle. Getting 16mpg. I drive 14 days on 1 tank. Manual 5 speed monster baby!
I think your math might be off a bit .
@@larrykempton9660It's not, his gas gauge didn't work.
Got a 94 Ranger 2.3l auto with 350k miles original motor
Yeah, I've got an 02 Ranger XLT RWD extended cab with the 3.0 Vulcan. Going on 219k miles, it still has the original engine and automatic transmission. She's a good little truck and I love her.
@@TheGreatHorseradish Yes. I also change the oil regularly targeting appx every 6k miles with full synthetic. I've also swapped the differential fluid and put synthetic in it as well. Power rack and pinion has more slop then I'm happy with, so it's about to be swapped with new tie rods and lower steering shaft since the boot is torn and it'll be easier with the rack and pinion off. Planning on swapping the rest of the power steering system with new components. Been thinking about swapping over to Amsoil fluids, so I may pick up some of their ATF.
I got the same truck just an 03 with approximately 280k miles it was running great until I was going 65 in the desert and didn't check my fluids before hand and blew my head gasket lol 😅
She still got me home also on a good 40 mile trip back
@@123spb Yeah, not checking the fluids will do it. There's a tiny leak on my water pump. It's on the list to take care of, but it's so small I'm not losing a noticeable amount of fluid so I'm not overly concerned. Being able to control where I'm going is much more of a concern right now.
I kinda have a habit of changing it entire systems, so I may do an overhaul when I do. New pump and gasket at the minimum, after a flush of course. More than likely, I'll also swap the thermostat, though the hoses and putting in a fresh new radiator isn't out of the question. I'll probably be going with a HOAT fluid.
Ah yes the vulcan V6. The only engine that when you ask it for performance and put your foot to the floor it complains and refuses.
Yeah, I had a mazda b 2000 that had ford emblems all over the engine and glass.
I got a Mazda b2300 and they definitely are fun trucks with lots of personality.
I'm a Chevy man at heart. I currently have an '83 s-10 strip down model. But I have to say, my 95 ranger was an awesome little truck. My bro in law bought it in 96 with 10k. My dad took it over and it went back and forth for years until I bought it for 500 but in 06 with 193K on it. I had it until 2020 when it finally got too much for my skills to keep up. It ran like a top, just needed body work and a clutch master cylinder. The ODO stopped working at 229K and I know I put more than 30K more before finally selling it to my buddy. That lil truck owed us nothing...
Clutch master cylinder is a 30 minute job. Slave cylinder is a weekend
The way he said hoodscoop gave me goosebumps
Wild
🤣
I didnt realize how i felt till i read this😂
💀
@@danielsaucier7864 😂😂I'm sorry
I daily to work a 93 ranger with the 2.3l 2wd 5 sp. I bought it in 2009 for $1400 with just over 200,000 miles. It now has over 496000 miles and still runs fine! Original engine transmission and rear end!!! Edit; it's almost 3 years since the original comment I'm at 509,000+ miles! Crazy
I had the extended cab version of that truck. 2.3L is like the ford 300. They run forever!
Mine was still running somehow at 325k miles with a rather crappy service record, it burned oil and i accidentally ran it without oil and it almost siezed up on me at like 300k but i somehow managed to pour in oil before it did and while it couldn't run woth the A/C very well at all anymore unless you forced a higher idle speed, it lasted another 25k across the country till some jerk going 5x the speed limit lost traction and hit me head on
Exactly, my 2.3l has outlasted the rest of the truck so far. Body is getting rusty, transmission has been replaced, busted out a seized driveshaft carrier bearing, and if I keep up with the oil changes it might even out live me. Only motor jobs I've done were sparkplugs, wires and timing belt, all were for maintenance
yeah, but they didn't go like the 300!
@@patrickjunge6455 sadly they do have a limited lifespan, they can take tooons of abuse but once you get into super high mileage the pistons will eventually crumble, they fixed that in 98 iirc, if you took that engine, threw in a forged crank, high end hypereutectic pistons, nicer bearings, and the late model head, youd probably have yourself a million mile engine
@@DekGT5mad yes but the 300 didn't get 25mpg in a truck now did it, torque one had good gas mileage
I drive a Mazda and it's an awesome little car. 2.0L 4 cylinder and a 6 speed manual get me a lifetime average of 36 mpg so far.
The Ranger, and Ranger based Explorer were a joint project. They were not completely made by Mazda or Ford, but had significant design/engineering/manufacturing from both.
The joke among the number of Mazda fans for a while was that Mazda's only hybrid was really a Ford (Tribute hybrid=Ford Escape hybrid).
And that Ford hybrid was really Toyota tech!
@@questioner1596 Actually, it was GM tech that they sold to Toyota back when they thought the EV-1 was going to be the future.
Good little truck. Hard to find a good one today. If someone does have one today they think it’s made out of gold.
mines in decent shape, and its not made of gold at all. i dont know why or how people sell rangers for 6k out here. luckily i got mine needing a little bit of work for 2500
@@loganbodine1003hey I’ve got one too. Definitely not made of gold😂 idk about your finances but rangers are easy to work on if you’re into that. You could easily flip it and make 75 hundred. Maybe more depends on how much work you wanna put into it.
@@j.eremy.g Don’t do that they need to give people better deals!!
So they can resell them for better deals!
Managed to get a ranger from my brother in law, last year of the pushrod 4.0 v6. Thought about a engine swap but the 2.8 cummins kit cost too much. would like it to sip on the fuel but can't complain too much, from factory no egr and nice cold ac
Id say let her live her life, swap her later towards the end of life, get some good use out of that engine, besides what you spend on the swap will likely outpace your gas savings
I have the 4.0 V6 pushrod just like you. But it’s not a Ford ranger it’s a Mazda B-4000. Wish it had the manual trans. But it has LSD with a upgraded clutch pack. So much fun. It will get sideways any time you goose it under 20mph.
Best years of the 4.0 ohv for sure! They run pretty damn good and not having to deal with EGR is great.
I have a 99 b4000 I’m building into a prerunner. Intake, 66 mm tb, headers, and 4.56 gears. It gets down. Way quicker than I thought it would be. Even with 35s.
Man look into the vw TDI swap
I got a 1996 Mazda b3000 for my first truck when I was seventeen, from the original owner. It’s a great little truck very easy to work on on the rare occasion something wears out
I love every brand of car, if it's got wheels and an engine, I'll make it into something I will love.
Beats the left right lefts...
My first truck that I learned how to drive in was basically this with a long bed and super cub with jump seats with a newer 2010 body style it was a 2010 2WD only Ford Ranger XLT super cab with the 2.3 L inline 4 cylinder engine black with black and gray cloth interior automatic with a bench seat I loved It was so simple and for a truck it drove really nice. You could park it just about anywhere. The fuel mileage was great mine in particular had an aftermarket toolbox in the back which was a nice addition all in all a very good little truck. It started up every time no problems ever and if it did, it was very simple to work on. I miss it. I would buy another and I probably will but this time I would like it to be red or another color than black because black gets too hot in the sun and you can’t keep it clean but I would give anything to have that truck back
I miss the old rangers!
It's absolutely disgusting that the new rangers are pretty much the size of f150s now.
I miss the old bronco 2.
@@LoNeWoLf6661000 I don’t necessarily miss the bronco 2. I had an ‘85 full-size Bronco. I loved that tank.
@@LoNeWoLf6661000 I like the bronco with the 5.8 liter Pushrod V8
The dentside rangers are better
Got an Ol' 94 with the same 5 speed overdrive like your ranger, except mine is a 3.0 V6, none the less them 4 bangers r badass and rangers will go forever. Love the videos keep em coming g
I have officially liked every video now. Much love from Texas.
Hard to beat an old 4x4 Danger Ranger
Dude I love your videos. And I looove your square body collection. More square bodies!
Less square bodies. Overpriced and frankly, overated $300 cheap trash.
Yes. I'm from that generstion, that used them as winter beaters.
However, that doesn't mean that I don't respect a good build regardless of make or model. I kist can't justify 4 to 5k for a driveline removed, rat shit filled, rusted out shit box, because it is the popular choice.
JMO, YMMV, and all that happy horse shit. Ran an 85 K20 for 5 winters, as my plow rig. Truck was free, with the plow. Paid $275.
Sold it, and kept the 73 F 250 instead. Better built truck, without the factory "folding hood."
Still got a 95 2.3 running strong! Those little engines run like a champ
i called mine 2.3 leaker 83 ranger 4x4
It's fun that thoose rangers in brazil came with a v6 engine option and even a turbo diesel engine
the V6 was an option in the US also, but these little splash models most commonly the 4cl
I've owned a few of these little trucks and had alot of luck with them ! I live up North though, so I need my 4x4 for the snow!!! Very reliable! This one has a little cancer, but I'd drive it and jazz it up!!
The S-10/15 has got to be one of the most popular v-8 swaps ever
Very true. Especially once GM went to the 4.3. Fairly simple swap. That being said a SBF isn't as popular, but a 302 or 351 in a Ranger, especially when you use the Fox body EFI computer is no slouch.
Buddy had one that would keep up with my Saleen with no problems. It took my Dalota Shelby and my Spirit R/T, to consistantly beat him in the quarter.
Never off the line, but he always had a nice view of my taillights on the nig big end, and we were door to door, at most a fender, with the Saleen.
Had a friend with the S-15 version of the v-8 conversion. He put it through a ditch or two and into a field one night.
He finally admitted years later that he had four different sized tires on it at the time....
My first truck 86' Ranger 5 speed Manual Transmission XL EFI 2.9 Ltr. V6 Cologne Engine. /Plane Engine, over 500,000+ miles and still rolling.
I’ve seen plenty of 5.0 swaps (Windsor) on these things
Nice.... I wonder if a 351 would fit?
@@71Fenderv22yes. Exterior block dimensions are the same, as well as mounts, on the Windsor. Had to mod the firewall and trans tunnel for the C6 to fit, but it can be done.
And it was quick. Used to run my Sahleen against my friend's 5.8 swapped.89 regularly. Pretty even match.
351w is wider than a 302 due to taller deck height but yes basically same engine but they are very different in size
I love my rangers. My dad had a 1999 3.0 Vulcan V6 5 speed manual. Had it for 14 years.. it was a great truck. Miss that hefty little thing
351 V-8??? Yes , thank you 😁😁
Building a 351W first gen now, just adding a GT45 turbo to the mix...should be fun, and destroy tires too.
There are kits for a 302 swap, so therefore a 351 Windsor is an easy swap.
Friend of mine has a 2001 Ranger with V6 engine...it runs very good.
It has the Gen z anti theft stick in it
Yeah my first thought when stealing a car is to steal a ford ranger
I dont even know why this is a stereotype cause I'm gen z and every one of my friends can drive a manual, but I know many previous generation people who can't
Lol I do feel like the only one in my generation that drives a stick 😂
@@FuskyTheHusky81 same I'm the only Young person I know that drives one 🤣
@@FuskyTheHusky81youre not the only one lol
Had an 88 with the cologne 2.9 and a 5 spd. She was an absolute unit
your videos are awesome an I also love them all
"Duuuuuuudes with wrenches"
Great introduction. 👍
I owned a 2007 Ranger for 12 years. Loved that little pickup. Never had a mechanical or electrical problem. Blew a brake hose plus had to replace a rusted out brake line. The rear leaf spring mount rusted out and broke. That's it. I never even had to replace a light bulb. Rust underneath was going to doom that truck.
Sold it with 69,000 miles.
Besides that Ranger, I owned an '85 GMC S-15 Jimmy. Highly satisfied with both of them and would absolutely buy them again.
Do you mean the wiper motor the blower motor? My favorite was the 4.0 l v6 engine with the off road package
I work at my family’s salivate yard and I love when these trucks come in running. They are my favorite truck for what we use as “yard trucks” for hauling our tools, air compressors around etc. I usually have over 1k pounds worth of cargo in my truck and it makes them swap a lot 😂
seen a 5.0 HO put in one of those, it booked!
I had a 05 Ranger with the 2.3 but only with 4 plugs..i remember the older Nissan hardbodys having 8 plug 4cyl....but yes ive known about the Ford/Mazda, Dodge/Mitsubishi, Chevy S-10/Isuzu Hombre,thing for a while lol...love the channel man specially when you talk about the old Square body trucks,and Dana axles,old transfer cases etc etc....if you come across an old jeep with the factory Tcase with PTO and the farm attachments would make a great video man!! Salute,God bless!
Honestly I would love to put a modern 2.7l or 3.5l from ford in one.
The i4 2.8 Cummins turbo diesel would be perfect in a ranger.
2.7 EcoBeast in a Ranger... now that is an idea!
They are super fun with 37’s and a 5.0/435/205, I love mine haha
I have two rangers with the 2.3l, they are some of of the most reliable engines ford ever made, if taken care of properly they'll go to 300k without any major work other than a timing belt every 100k and maybe a couple spark plug changes.
Same, ''94 and '09, if you take care of them they will run for a long time
I've got a 94, 3.0 v6, that was used as a work truck it's whole life before I got it then I used it for a couple years for landscaping work and the damn thing refuses to die. Got the Trans and Engine rebuilt like two years ago and it's been running strong since. Damn thing will probably outlive my in laws 2013 f150 lol
The 1982 Mazda B2000 and the 1978 Ford Courier truck were the same exact truck. Everything fit up on each other perfectly.
I have two, both with a 302 v8. Unstoppable. They’ll be on the road for decades to come.
Love the Mazda Rangers, absolute tank of a truck that easily goes toe to toe with a Tacoma of that year.
Worked with a guy who had a B2200 with 450k all original miles, stock clutch.
STOCK CLUTCH?!?!?!? Dude must be a smooth shifting legend
A b2200 is a Mazda. Had nothing to do with ford 😂😂
Which years were the rangers made by mazda?
The 2.3 is actually a fantastic engine and pretty American if you do a bit of research on it. The carborated versions of these are used in mini stock racing in Ford thunderbirds, mustangs, and pintos. It was originally used in 1974 and didn't have dual spark and efi until the 80's. My first car was a 91 mustang with this engine. The transmission blew up 6 years ago, but I can go hook a jump box to it right now and it will fire up on the first try
2.3l with 8 sparkplugs?
That
Emission bs
two plugs per cylinder. One on each side of the cylider head. People often swap wires around to make them fire at the same time.
My first vehicle was an 82 ranger, 4 speed, no overdrive, silver with red interior. Burned about a quart of oil a week. So many fun memories in that thing. Bought it from my uncle for $1 when I got my permit. He bought a new 98 ranger at the time. Wish I still had it
The 2.3 4 cylinder was still the pinto Lima motor in that generation. The Mazda derived 2.3 twin cam didn't arrive until around 2003.
i love these little ford truckz
One of the greatest cars I have seen and driven in my time. What a beaut. We ain’t making ‘em like we used to.
Oh that’s nice to see. When I had mine, my neighbor had one that looked identical but it was the Canadian metric kilometers Mazda version. We always planned on parting them together to make one good working one when one of them lost the frame or otherwise blew up or whatever but we found someone who wanted to buy both of them from us before we got to that desperate point where one of them was shot.
If i am not mistaken, these were built in Minneapolis. Lots of parts including the over head cam 2.3 engine were taken from Ford parts bin, although the 5 speed was imported (I think) . The electrical system was all Ford based including the EEC-IV and EEC-V module. The Mazda version was built by Ford. I think Ford had a partial ownership of Mazda back then but I am not sure
I drove an ‘06 4 cylinder manual rear wheel drive standard cab when I delivered parts and damn did I love that truck. Oil pan gasket was a damn sieve so we put 20-50 in it lol. Ran like a top out of hell.
Picked up an 08 4.0 ranger last year and it's been my even slightest loose surface drift vehicle. Plans to supercharge it till it pops and then either a 5.3 swap or a 4.6 2V
That little 2.3 with the 8 plugs can make a little power when built up right. My dad and I did one up in a 89 ranger hurt a lot of feelings playing with it at stop lights.
I have the 2.3L 1989 with that 5th overdrive on the floor. Owned it for 16 years. It's a tank. I have hauled tons of rock and dirt in the back until those springs are flat. Easy to work on. Ugly as can be from paint erosion and rust. But hey, people probably think I don't have insurance and move out of my way. Honestly though, people do seem to avoid me.
Never owned a Ranger, only full-size Fords, but I have a super soft spot for mini trucks. I had a 1996 Chevy S10 with a 5 speed and a little 4 banger and that thing felt like a race car to me with its tiny little gear shift and short clutch pedal travel.
I've had three Rangers: a '99....an '03 and now my '10 Sport 4x4, 5spd. 4.0.
Just under 58k miles now. Excellent condition. Love my Rangy Pangy!
I have two of them. Love them both 😂 one is lowered the other is the 4x4. Truly best of both worlds 😂
Gave my 97 Ranger to my grandson. It's a great little truck. 4 x 4 and stick. Fun to drive. My husband says this year was made by Ford.
i’m glad to say that my first car was a 2000 ranger, it was manual like the one in the video and i absolutely adored it. Wish i kept it after i upgraded to a newer truck. still one of my favorite trucks ever made.
I've heard of a couple of V8 swapped Rangers, at least one of them had to widen the front track to get it to fit. We had the 2.3 pinto engine and five speed with the extended cab. I asked my brother what he'd do with a V8 Ranger and he said "actually get up to highway speed".
Had BOTH Siblings: ‘94 Mazda B3000 & an ‘04 Ford Ranger: Solid Trucks until the Frame Rotted Out being in North East.
My 92 ford ranger was a club cab. And was a beast when I replaced the intake sensor.
Nice looking little ranger, I miss my ranger
Great little trucks
1990s Rangers were unkillable. Had a 94 as a work truck with the v6. Damn thing just kept on going no matter what I threw at it, and I threw a LOT at it. It had no back window, no ac, no radio, a short in the system requiring me to unhook the battery at the end of the day, and a family of ants in the extended cab (they never bothered me, so I just let them live their lives). It ended up outliving the company, so a coworker bought it for himself despite having 400k+ miles, because that was simply a damn good truck.
I had an 89 Range XLT with a little 2.9 6 cylinder, best small truck I ever owned.
I like the 96 to 99 with a 2.5l 4cyl with 8 spark plugs. They have good low torque for a 4 banger. Big plus on these engines are don't bend valves when the timing belt breaks.
Great little video thanks for sharing. I miss the old style Utes like we had back in the day here in Straya 2 doors, 2 wheel drive and manual. I reckon you couldn’t beat a 5 litre in that old little pickup. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
98 S10 Blazer 175,000 miles Looks rough but underneath and sheetmetal are rustfree. Cant say that about my 07 LBZ with similar mileage. Who would have thought those mini trucks would be cool
are those early 90s ford explorer rims on a 2000s ranger you sir are a magician
The turbo coupe engine is a direct bolt in for that transmission. It's a pain free way to build fun little prerunner!
I love ford rangers, they are my favorite truck
I had one of those in high school with the same motor/trans setup and the stock catalytic converter plugged up cutting horsepower significantly. I bought a cheap high flow replacement and that lil motor came alive! Second gear burnouts and motor was fast revving. Cut out the cat and enjoy a few smiles before changing out the motor lol
I remember seeing a show where they bought a Mazda B truck and switched it out with various Ranger parts. They also put a V-8 in it. Pretty cool little truck that burned some tires.
'MURICAAAA
One of my most favorite trucks was a S10.
Nice camaro 👍💯 and definitely put a big block in the ranger with 35” mudders 🤘
I had a 93 Ford Ranger Splash. It had the flare sides just like the one in the video. It was a cool truck.
I currently daily a '92 2.3 with a 5 speed, I love my little single cab, short bed Ranger
i hate how slow they are lol. but i love my truck mines a 97.
Pretty good little trucks, and particularly fun when they have sticks.
I have a Mazda B3000. It says Ford inside the wheel wells and was built in the USA. It has an American Vulcan engine and a Japanese 5-speed manual transmission.
Rangers and Mazda pick-ups used to be made on the same line, in Flat Rock Mich.
I learned to drive a stick in a 99 ranger. Great memories of getting 4 people in that tiny cab in high school. 😂
I'm currently fixing a 93 ranger XLT. She runs sorta, needs plugs and prolly a fuel filter. Rear main brake line is gonna be fun went to bleed my fresh lines from rear splitter to the new cylinders I put in and she's leaking besides the gas tank
Squeezing in an explorer 302 is a riot in a little ranger! Peppy little thing!
I had a 98 ranger like that one on 31"s with Alcoa wheels. The best thing I ever did and would recommend is re-gearing the rear differential. I went with 4:56 ring & pinion. Yeah my top speed was 78mph, but where are you going to be able to drive faster than that without a hefty speeding ticket? It was great for off-road & towing.
I’ve got a manual ‘98 3.0 v6. I love my Ranger.
I love these little things. I have an 86 2.3l 5 speed
I have a 97 ford ranger with a manual, and I get nostalgic every time I see one
Got an 87 ranger with a 5 speed. I learned to drive stick in that truck. Tons of fun
I have such a soft spot for stepside Rangers, my god that looks cool
Grandad had a ranger... he loved that Lil truck.
The 2.4 really needs that hood scoop with all that raw power under the hood
When i heard we don't have any car hate we enjoy anything with four wheels and motor i instantly subbed
I love them
Btw. The Mazda/Ranger tailgate fits perfectly on the FSB bronco
YES, a 351 I've seen what they can do, but that was in a '74 Cougar. I thought I was going to die that night, my friend Randy was driving