I just got a catalog from Racer Walsh today and was looking through it when i saw 2300 and 2500 short blocks. they come with Wiseco forged 8-1 dished pistons and Crower rods. The engines run from $1630 to a 2500 stroker turbo with 5.2" rods for $1790. Is this worth getting? I'm hoping to get my engine (from a junk yard) within the next couple months but was wondering if one of these would be better? Would this engine with the parts that are in it be strong enough for a higher HP build with a small NOS setup (like a 50shot)? I've never heard of Racer Walsh products or anything so i would appreciate your responses on this.also, would the 2500 stroker put out more power than the 2.3 and be streetable with the ability to handle the NOS (for track use only)?

racer walsh is a reputable 2.3 vendor. The performance would be better than a JY motor, 2.5 is said to have a little more low end. Those prices don't seem to bad for short blocks considering what v8 ones go for these days also I think stroker kits are around 1000 alone.

Just a heads up...I do know of one guy who waited forever for his engine from Racer Walsh, and when he go it, he wasn't very happy with the quality of the build. Not to say they're not a reputable vendor, and of course nobody's perfect, but I thought I'd relay the experience...as always, Your results may vary.

i've been talking to a couple people on the turboford forum and i think i'm just gonna get a junkyard block and rebuild it. since these engines are so reliable, i think that would be my best bet. i'll just build it up like the racer walsh (pistons, rods, ect...).

i was checking out some things for parts for the 2.3T engine, and was wondering if it would be better to run stock length rods (5.2") with matching pistons, or go up to 5.5 (Crower of course) with the matching pistons for those? Don't think i wanna go with the 5.7's but not sure about the 5.5's. What would be a good cam for what i'm trying to do (get my 94 ranger into at least the 13's)? I know the Ranger RR cam is supposed to be a good cam but I don't know if it's going to be enough for what i want to do. If it is good enough, I have my old engine out of my Ranger (the head dropped a valve and i didn't wanna fix it) but as far as I know my cam is still good in it. Wouldn't that be the RR cam? Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Changing the rod length is getting into deeper water than I'm comfortable in, but I have seen several discussions on the subject. Usually the outcome was something along the lines of "If you're getting custom pistons made anyway, sure go ahead. But otherwise, it's probably not worth the price."

The 94 head will have the Ranger roller cam that the 2.3T guys discuss, and should do what you need it to.

Here's a thought, and I'm in no way being sarcastic here...take a target 1/4 mile time, say 13.75. Use the formulas on corral.net with that number and the weight of your truck to find out how much horsepower it'll take to get there, let's say it's 325. (I'm pulling these numbers out of the air, but knowing that around 400 put a 2600lb Pinto in the 10.7x's they shouldn't be too far off). Now you figure out what it takes to make 325 horsepower on your chosen powerplant - on the 2.3T it'll take an upgraded turbo & exhaust, a good intercooler with good airflow, and 22 or so pounds of boost. Stock internals. Then spend the rest of the money on a suspension that will put that 325 horsepower to the ground reliably, and you're in the 13s. :)

thanx for that info, it helps a LOT. now that i have a way of roughly figuing the HP i need for the time i want, it will be a lot easier. now i just gotta find the weight of my vehicle, which won't be a problem.

Racer Walsh has been in business at the same location for decades. He has a reputation for top quality work. If you are ever in Jacksonville stop by and he will take you on a tour of the shop. If you don't already know, you will by the time you are finished: there are more likely to be problems with what is bolted to a shortblock than there are with the built shortblock itself. If you ask he will give you a good estimate of how long it will take to build the engine.

Jack

I was checking some things out and realized that my truck seriously NEEDS a diet. The tag is gone out of my door so I actually had to search for it and it weighs 4250lbs stock. That's heavy. I was messing around with some forumlas i found like the ones on corral.com and discovered that i would need roughly 382 RWHP for an even 13 in the 1/4 mile. Isn't RWHP usually approx 80% of flywheel HP? That means i need a total of 477 HP to get there. Anybody have any ideas on shaving weight off a 94 Ford Ranger? Are fiberglass parts enough lighter than the metal parts to make a difference? Thanx.

That 4250 is max weight of the fully loaded vehicle. your curb weight is probably a lot closer to 3500, but to be sure cruise over to the local truck stop and throw it on the scales.
The standard correction factors for RWHP -> FWHP with a T5 is about 12-15% loss through the drivetrain.
One thing about loosing weight, which is always good (If I'm remembering it correctly, 100lbs is worth a 1/10 in the 1/4), you want to pay serious attention to your weight distribution. It's real easy to take the bed off and loose 200-300 lbs, but you're not going to be able to launch for beans. On a Ranger I'd concentrate on making the front end lighter...move the battery to the bed, fiberglass hood, etc. For track use, I'd pull the passenger seat and anything else you don't have to have in the interior, too...

that's kind of what i figured about the bed. i'm going to have a tonneau cover on the back, and would at least like to get rid of some weight in the front and keep what i have in the bed, or may have to add a little to it to get better traction. after i get the engine done i'll play around with different weight in the back to help my traction.