I just threw this quickie website together to show some guys what the mounts looked like that I built for my 86 Ranger. It was originally equipped with a 2.9L V6 and an A4LD. Then was transformed into a turbocharged 2.9L with the addition of a Garrett T03 turbo. Lots of fun until a severe overboost brought it to an end. Oops. Anyway I had a V8 & T5 sitting around and picked up some of the necessary parts for cheap, so the project just kinda went from there. Being the builder-type guy I am, I couldn't justify forking over a pile of cash for a set of mounts, that I could make myself. The mounts are 1.5" x 8" flat 1/4" thick steel plate readily available at Home Depot or Lowes. I re drilled the frame to lower the stock engine rubber mounts 1.5". In order to achieve the 1.5" vertical drop, you must drill the holes 1.75" down the engine cradle. On the passender side, in '86 at least, there is already a hole there to use. You just need to drill a new hole for the locating pin to fit in. On the driver's side, both holes need to be drilled. BE CAREFUL as there is a brake line on the other side of the x-member that you can destroy with your drill bit. As you can see, my engine is about 3/16-1/4" from the firewall on the driver's side and the heater box HAS to be modified. The crank ends up being in almost the same position in the chassis as the original 2.9L engine. The reason I moved the mounts down the cradle is that I felt the engine was sitting too high to start with. I originally built mounts to use the stock rubbers in the stock location, but it just didn't look right. There was ALOT of space between the x-member and the pan. If you have any questions, I can be reached at jjpringle@email.com or over at rangerpowersports.com.
The truck is now running (and driving) and the V6 mounts are solid as a rock. Don't let anyone fool you. These mounts along with a cheapie torque strap do not let the engine move much at all. As you can see from the pics, the valve cover is really close to the heater box cutout and it hasn't moved enough to contact it yet
HEADERS: The headers you see here are stock Explorer headers. I wouldn't recommend them for hi perf use as they seem to be VERY restictive. Ford Racing used to sell a set of Explorer headers that are waaaaay better than the stockers. The later Explorer models came with cast iron manifolds and they are even superior to the stock tubular headers.
FAN & RADIATOR: The radiator is a 4.0L unit trimmed down to fit inside the core support. The core support was trimmed out a bit and the radiator plopped right in. The fan is a low profile style I bought at a local parts store and the spacer is 1" thick. The fan shroud is the stock 2.9 shroud and bolted on just like it was supposed to.
NOTE: I DON'T THINK THESE WILL WORK FOR 4X4'S.
Click here to open a .pdf version of the mounts I made.
The truck is now running (and driving) and the V6 mounts are solid as a rock. Don't let anyone fool you. These mounts along with a cheapie torque strap do not let the engine move much at all. As you can see from the pics, the valve cover is really close to the heater box cutout and it hasn't moved enough to contact it yet
HEADERS: The headers you see here are stock Explorer headers. I wouldn't recommend them for hi perf use as they seem to be VERY restictive. Ford Racing used to sell a set of Explorer headers that are waaaaay better than the stockers. The later Explorer models came with cast iron manifolds and they are even superior to the stock tubular headers.
FAN & RADIATOR: The radiator is a 4.0L unit trimmed down to fit inside the core support. The core support was trimmed out a bit and the radiator plopped right in. The fan is a low profile style I bought at a local parts store and the spacer is 1" thick. The fan shroud is the stock 2.9 shroud and bolted on just like it was supposed to.
NOTE: I DON'T THINK THESE WILL WORK FOR 4X4'S.
Click here to open a .pdf version of the mounts I made.
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