1997 2.3 I4 to V6 swap

[phattyc75]

Hi,

I'm having trouble finding previous info on swapping my specific engine to a V6 so I finally decided to post a new thread, and hopefully someone can either point me to a place with info, or just answer my questions.

I have a 97 Ranger with the 2.3L backed by a 5 spd manaul tranny. Its running great except for the fact of it being gutless... (Imagine that ) I've been looking at new trucks with bigger engines, but I don't want a new loan payment, and I like gas mileage in the neighborhood of 18-20mpg. Anyways, the long story made short is I'm considering just swapping the engine in my Ranger to something that has a little more power, and can actually tow my little pop-up camper trailer uphill without having to shift down to 3rd to keep going 45mph.

I'm a fairly experienced mechanic because I owned a Saturn for about 3 years, so I got to spend every other weekend working on one problem or another. Even have an engine rebuild under my belt. Damn car...Ok back to the subject. I need recommendations on which engine to swap in, and whether or not I should swap trannies too, and if there are any snags I need to look out for. Additionally, I assume that I will need a new ECU and exhaust system, but is there anything else that I will specifically need? I'm thinking the 4.0L sounds good, but I'm very open to suggestions. My personal preference is a manual tranny, but if someone knows a good mechanical reason to go to an automatic, I would appreciate that advice as well. Also, are there any great places that people know to shop for ranger engines and trannies at? Basically, if you have any advice at all for me, I would love to hear it.

Thanks!!

Chris