General Chat! [v8]

First facts about the engine. This engine actually dates back to the 70s in Europe before being exported to the US in 1974 for use in the Ford Pinto. The engine at that time put out 88 horsepower and 118 foot-pounds of torque. I've read that this engine is popular for modding over in Europe and Ford themselves have more than doubled that number for certain versions of this engine (205 is the highest stock number that I've seen).

My version of the Lima In-Line puts out 105 horsepower and 135 foot-pounds of torque. It doesn't sound like a lot, but it's plenty adequate for my needs, perhaps in part to the 3.73 differential gearing. Not that most of you know what that is and I don't really feel like explaining.

To my knowledge, the Ford Ranger was among the last vehicles in Ford's lineup to use this engine. I believe the engine was phased out in the late 90s.

Back to the truck as a whole, it's not in perfect shape, but I like that as I believe it reduces the chance of theft. I don't think it's really worth it for a criminal to steal my truck, fix all the dings, dents, and scratches, and then try to sell it off to the limited market that wants a "weak" engine and a manual transmission.

On the subject of my transmission, you may have noticed that my shift lever only has 4 numbers yet I've identified it as a 5-speed (meaning five gears). My fifth gear is an overdrive, meant for cruising on the highway. Her gears are kinda spaced far apart. For example she does not like slow speeds in 2nd gear and will only comfortably shift into 4th gear above 45 mph. I am becoming a little concerned about my transmission as she has begun making noise, but only in neutral. I'm certain it's not an engine noise because engine noises, particularly in the bottom end, get louder with increasing RPM and quiet off when the accelerator is released.

I also forgot to mention the shape of my tires. They have dry rot on them, but one of them is pretty severe and also has minimal tread on it. I'm going to drive on that one for a few more months, then buy two new tires.

Some of you may have noticed that my bed line appears to be rusting, it's not. From what I could tell there was at one point a dozen bungee cords in the bed, the old rubber kind. The rubber had long since dissolved, leaving a bunch of rusting hooks and some of the rust staining persists despite powerwashing.