need help suping up the engine of my 2.8L 173ci 84 ranger engine. need tips and suggestions

I have a 2.8L 173ci 1984 ford ranger. I have already made the exterior
awesome. It has a 2" lift, 32" tires, a red 3" role bar, a 3 step front
bumper, a red hood bump and red trim. The ranger itself is black. Now
comes my favorite part of the job, the engine. I love engines but my
knowledge is not what I would call "mechanic" yet. My goal is to bring
up the horses by as much as I possibly can. The same goes with torque.
I want it to be fast and strong. I am insisting on keeping the 2.8 for
sentimental reasons. Already on my list for things to do include a
Comp. Competition camshaft, Holley 390 cfm carburetor, edelbrock
headers and a dynomax exhaust. I might adjust the ring and pinion gear
to bring up the exeleration to. Any suggestions on improvements on the
parts given or other parts altogether would be extremely appreciated.

On 30 Sep 2006 20:49:39 -0700, "ranger" >
wrote:

>I have a 2.8L 173ci 1984 ford ranger. I have already made the exterior
>awesome. It has a 2" lift, 32" tires, a red 3" role bar, a 3 step front
>bumper, a red hood bump and red trim. The ranger itself is black. Now
>comes my favorite part of the job, the engine. I love engines but my
>knowledge is not what I would call "mechanic" yet. My goal is to bring
>up the horses by as much as I possibly can. The same goes with torque.
>I want it to be fast and strong. I am insisting on keeping the 2.8 for
>sentimental reasons. Already on my list for things to do include a
>Comp. Competition camshaft, Holley 390 cfm carburetor, edelbrock
>headers and a dynomax exhaust. I might adjust the ring and pinion gear
>to bring up the exeleration to. Any suggestions on improvements on the
>parts given or other parts altogether would be extremely appreciated.

Ever heard the old saying: "Can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear"?
A 2.8 engine is not very large at all. And torque is all in cubic
inches in the long run.

Be careful, you could dump a lot of mnoey into an engine that never
will give the performance you want. Seriously consider a new engine
(and tranny, if necessary) if you want to get good performance.

ranger wrote:

> I have a 2.8L 173ci 1984 ford ranger. I have already made the exterior
> awesome. It has a 2" lift, 32" tires, a red 3" role bar, a 3 step front
> bumper, a red hood bump and red trim. The ranger itself is black. Now
> comes my favorite part of the job, the engine. I love engines but my
> knowledge is not what I would call "mechanic" yet. My goal is to bring
> up the horses by as much as I possibly can. The same goes with torque.
> I want it to be fast and strong. I am insisting on keeping the 2.8 for
> sentimental reasons. Already on my list for things to do include a
> Comp. Competition camshaft, Holley 390 cfm carburetor, edelbrock
> headers and a dynomax exhaust. I might adjust the ring and pinion gear
> to bring up the exeleration to. Any suggestions on improvements on the
> parts given or other parts altogether would be extremely appreciated.
>

a 4 cyl will never have the torque of a V8. But you can
still make a little 2.3L into a real screamer and fun to drive.
But it won't be particularly cheap. Use the standard hot rod
parts - cam, headers, compression, ported heads, etc.

Some Mustangs and T-birds were equipped with a 2.3L turbo
engine. Read through the forums on TurboFord.org.

If you have the cash, consider an aftermarket EFI system.
Pretty expensive, though.

check with www.racerwalsh.com for all the go-fast parts.

Changing the diff gears is usually a good idea. Or you might
consider a GearVenders underdrive unit. That will help you
multiply your torque when you want to, but still maintain manners.

--
..boB
Arrived: 2006 FXDI, Red.
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1966 Mustang Coupe - Daily Driver
1965 FFR Cobra - 427W EFI, Damn Fast.