Yeah the adapter is going to be the most expensive part of it and I realize that the ranger is something I will not be able to find used.
As to whether the 2F is toast. No I don't think it is toast but I believe her compression is pretty low and with the amount of leaks she has, the ever growing cloud of smoke on start up and while driving and the fact that every oil change she is about 2 qts low and is constantly going through coolant lends to multiple factors. Oh and there is also the recent finding of small metal shavings in the oil. That was a fun discovery let me tell you.
Ultimately she will run for a while and this not one thing that will happen tomorrow. I am also too anal retentive to just jump into something, I have to do my research unless some stellar deals comes up.
Again the premise of this will be;
1. Drive ability - the ability to pull hills easily without issue which can translate into power
2. Sustainability - the TBI parts are going to be easier to find than the 2F parts
3. Budget - this is something that will ultimately need to be cheap (aiming for less than $5k hoping for around $3k) and easy enough for me to accomplish with little "skilled" help from friends (hence no Vortec)
I am doing tons of reading and getting good info. The one thing I am having a hard time at this point with is the whole Pick N Pull vs. salvage yard engine assembly. The few costed builds I have found that have kept the engine stock have run around $3500-$4k, if I could do that or les that would be phenomenal!!!!
Oh and Ed (
@cruiser enthuiser) I planning on taking you out for a beer at some point and getting to drive your truck prior (possible your 40 AND 60)!!!