Fordnatics List Archive

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Mail From: (email redacted) (Tommy Anderson)

eyc wrote....................

> Dave,
>
> You mentioned the 4.0 V6 (in the Ranger, Explorer, Aerostar, etc) is the
> old 2.8 bored out. Are you sure about this? The truck engines look wider
> to me, and I don't think that old Mustang II/Capri II engine had much meat
> in the cylinder walls for boring. I guess they could have recasted.

Yeah, not much there to bore at all. I think they made up the
c.i.d. difference in deck heighth and stroke. I don't have the
specs in front of me right now for the Ranger V-6, bore and stroke
for the Capri V-6 is 3.66 X 2.70 .

> In any case, I don't have very fond memories of that engine in a 1974
> Mustang II; leaked oil like a sieve, overheated, underpowered, drank
> gas, and finally died when it lost a spacer spring on the rocker rail.
> Overall, a major headache.

Well it is a leaker. I thought it was the fuel pump doing all the
leaking. But I removed that and blocked up the hole (went electric)
and still get leakage. Makes me wonder if the block casting is
flawed. The 2.8 V-6 in the Pintos and Mustangs were not as fast as
as the one in the Capri's. I don't really know why. Different carbs,
rear end ratios, transmissions, compression ratios...??? But my Capri
certainlly was not slow even before I did anything to it. It could
keep up with, harass and downright outrun some 280Z's, V-8 Mavericks,
N*vas, and T-Birds. The timing gear was like glass though. TRW sold
an aluminum version, but I've seen pictures of them with the center
rheemed out, too. But I'm running one now and no problems so far.
Overall, I thought it was a very efficent little mill for pushrod
technology. Manny Esquera ran one pretty sucessufully in his Ranger
back in the 80's. Your mileage may very, as they say....

> To anyone else out there who might have experience with this engine:
> Are there any hop-up parts available for the 4.0 engine?

Well.... Racer Walsh, 5906 Macy Avenue, Jacksonville, FL 32211
lists a few items for the 2.6 and 2.8, like cams, manifolds (carb),
pistons, clutches, High Output oil pumps, etc. I see a Bronco/
Ranger computer chip (Hypertech) for the 2.9 V-6 ($199). They do
have a phone number for tech questions (904-743-8253). I don't
know how much of the 2.6/2.8 stuff may overlap to the 2.9 and
above V-6 derivatives. Hope this helps, good luck...

- --
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| Tommy L. Anderson
(email redacted)
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