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WyldeSoul · 11-25-2008, 06:40 PM

The only real way to get performance out of a 2.3 is to turbo it, or rather, swap in a turbo engine.

For a few more ponies, go to the boneyard and grab a 94-96 Ranger 2.3 "manifold". They came stock with headers, and it'll give you a bit more torque, and save a lot of weight. Doing a CAI won't help overly much, you're better off gutting your silencer and removing the snorkle. You'd also be better off getting a good muffler than a full cone filter intake.

But you're really not going to be getting much more than 110, 115 hp before you start to hit some really hard walls with the car, and have to spend lots of money.

On the other hand... If you find a 2.3 Turbo engine out of a Thunderbird, Cougar, SVO, or Merkur, grab the computer, the VAM, and the whole engine, and you're looking at usually 150 hp out of the box, with the simple, cheap potential to get to 200-250 with very, very little mods. It's a direct drop in on when you take the old block out. If you have an engine hoist, a few friends, and an open weekend, you can definately do that.

11-25-2008, 06:40 PM	#4
WyldeSoul 1st Gear Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 118	The only real way to get performance out of a 2.3 is to turbo it, or rather, swap in a turbo engine. For a few more ponies, go to the boneyard and grab a 94-96 Ranger 2.3 "manifold". They came stock with headers, and it'll give you a bit more torque, and save a lot of weight. Doing a CAI won't help overly much, you're better off gutting your silencer and removing the snorkle. You'd also be better off getting a good muffler than a full cone filter intake. But you're really not going to be getting much more than 110, 115 hp before you start to hit some really hard walls with the car, and have to spend lots of money. On the other hand... If you find a 2.3 Turbo engine out of a Thunderbird, Cougar, SVO, or Merkur, grab the computer, the VAM, and the whole engine, and you're looking at usually 150 hp out of the box, with the simple, cheap potential to get to 200-250 with very, very little mods. It's a direct drop in on when you take the old block out. If you have an engine hoist, a few friends, and an open weekend, you can definately do that. __________________ Good morning is an oxymoron.