Ranger Biodiesel Swap - Thermostat And Radiator Hoses

With the engine more-or-less in its final position, the next steps are wiring and plumbing the various accessories. I started with the cooling system.

Using some rough measurements, I searched through the molded coolant hoses on the back shelves at my local auto parts store, to find the right combinations of inner diameters, curves, and lengths. The hoses attached to the radiator have a 1.5" inner diameter, whereas the hoses attached to the engine have a 1.25" inner diameter. Therefore, it was necessary to use single-piece stepped hose adapters, which I found on Amazon made from billet aluminum. The lower adapter also has a threaded port machined into the side, which I used for the heater core return hose (originally 1/8 NPT, bored out to 1/4 NPT). The final parts list consisted of:

Lower Hose

- Dayco 70989 Hose

- Dayco 71852 Hose

- ICT Billet Radiator Hose Barb Coupler with 1/8" NPT Port 1-1/4" to 1-1/2"

Upper Hose

- Continental 62968 Hose

- Continental 61782 Hose

- ICT Billet Radiator Hose Barb Coupler 1-1/4" to 1-1/2" 

 

Ranger Biodiesel Swap - Engine Adapter Mounts

There's been a long delay since my last post about this swap, since I was primarily working on the parts of the truck that are largely remaining stock. I've completely rebuilt the brakes, suspension, bearings, bushings, and frame to nearly-new condition, in addition to new fog lights and tires. I've also replaced all the light bulbs with LED upgrades, and rebuilt the dashboard with a manual truck gauge cluster (tachometer!)

Now that the chassis is finished, it's time to focus on the swap itself. The first step was to design and fabricate the mounting brackets for the engine. I wanted to use the factory stock rubber mounts on the frame (replaced with new ones of course), so I manufactured the brackets accordingly.

The passenger's side mount was significantly easier to make, because there are few accessories in the way. Drawing and fabrication took about 1.5 weeks, with a brief hold-up due to stripped out threads on the engine block. These were quickly rectified with some helicoils.

Next, I designed the driver's side mount. This was much more complex, because it needs to get around the water pump, oil filter, and the lower geometry of the rubber mount. After 7 or 8 redesigns, I hit on the version that worked. The only downside is that this bracket obstructs the return port for the cab heater core, so it is necessary to plug this port and reroute the return hose to the lower radiator hose.